Nowaah the Flood – “The Anomaly” review

Dallas, Texas emcee Nowaah the Flood surprise-releasing his 23rd EP on Bandcamp. Breaking out in the summer of 2018 by releasing his first EP Trill Life Mathematiks around the same time as Nas’ 11th album NASIR fully produced by Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West, he would go on to drop 21 EPs along with The Nowaah & the Dewer’s eponymous debut album and roughly his last 6 proper full-lengths. Standouts for me personally include the DirtyDiggs-produced Private Stock, the Estee Nack collaborative effort Planted Seeds, The Infallible, the Stu Bangas-produced Respectfully, the Giallo Point-produced Right Over Left & it’s sequel, the DJ D-Styles-produced Crème de la Crème, the Kyo Itachi-produced Sudan Samurai Scrolls & recently Plans of the Diligent last Thanksgiving alongside Beluga roughly a month ago. Giallo Point coming back for The Anomaly caught my attention & I had to give it a listen.

“Afwaan” is this drumless intro reflecting on Ye biting the Trill Life Mathematiks artwork for NASIR similarly to how Maxo Kream has accused Ye of biting the Punken artwork for Bully whereas “The Mental” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talkin’ that science to each & every one of us. “Hate to Be You” works in some tubas & bagpipes admitting the state of sickness his mind is at while “Sazon” hits everybody with the Shaman flow.

To begin The Anomaly’s final half, “Fortune 500” ruggedly talks about being a certified art stealer who’s hard to figure out & has never fronted putting it on God leading into the aptly-named “Menace Anthem” darkly fuses hardcore hip hop & boom bap both aesthetically & lyrically. “The Meek” suggests that there won’t be an overtime for anyone trying to take him on making it clear to stay catching Ws in rap battles & the final song “Revelation of the Sundanese” feels a little unfinished after starting it off with a verse attached onto an half baked outro.

Aside from that, I don’t really have any other complaints about this EP since a vast majority of the material here during the 20 minute run turns the back-to-back caliber of quality underground hip hop that Plans of the Diligent & Beluga both had to offer into a 3-peat. Giallo Point’s production is a consistent blend of drumless & boom bap with Nowaah handling all the performances by himself instead of having only 1 feature like he did last month on Beluga similarly to Plans of the Diligent not having any guests.

Score: 4.5/5

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Napoleon da Legend – “F.L.A.W. (Following Lies Always Wounds)” review

French-American veteran Napoleon da Legend wasting no time on his 30th studio LP. Heads in the underground should already be familiar with him due to the lengthy discography that he’s built up for himself for nearly the past decade including Coup D’État, it’s sequel, Street Universe, Dragon Ball G, the Sicknature-produced Colossus of GOATs, Buckets or the DJ D-Styles-produced Invincibl Rap Mislz & the DJ Rhettmatic-produced Legmatic. He & JR Swiftz came together on the outstanding Great Minds last month, bringing Giallo in the fold again on F.L.A.W. (Following Lies Always Wounds).

“Chasing Shadows” ominously kicks off Napoleon’s 2nd body of work this year by talking about being on the verge of doing something drastic whereas “Life or Death” featuring Jay Royale finds the pair talking about this being survival of the fittest. “That Ain’t It” keeps it in the basement to break down the concept of hustling on the daily prior to “Welcome 2 the Theater” featuring Ghost Machine working in some strings referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion, 8-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion & アイアンマンヘビーメタル級王座 Rey Mysterio.

Invisible Handz joins Napoleon for the drumless “Unforgiving” talking about the game never being fair from what they understand & their former opps ain’t breathing no more leading into “No Morals” returning to the boom bap suggesting that conscious hip hop & gangsta rap are the same other than being packaged differently. “Doing What I Gotta Do” speaks of one doing what has to be done in order to get by, but then “Nesquik” eerily talks about making everyone take Ls quickly.

“Solar Opposites” featuring Eloh Kush finds the 2 including a reference to SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO, Neuralink founder & Nazi Elon Musk while “Motivation” hollowly talks about everyone having it if it was much easier. Sunez Allah teams up with Napoleon on the title track so they can explain one always being wounded by following lies while the piano-driven “Peace” talks sitting back & counting his stacks.

Nejma Nefertiti appears for “Presume the Unpredictable” to get the final moments of F.L.A.W. (Following Lies Always Wounds) calling themselves the deadliest you’ve ever seen on the mic from the womb to the tomb & the closing track “Marathon” completes the 2nd consecutive classic in Napoleon’s catalog within 2 months tackling the Japanese philosophy of having 3 faces.

Exactly 4 weeks after Great Minds marked the halfway point of the first month of this year, Napoleon gets back with another album maintaining the high quality underground hip hop that it’s predecessor & even Legmatic achieved. Giallo Point’s production is on par with JR Swiftz’ & although I will say I wasn’t as big on the features since I preferred the couplet of guests last time, I appreciate Napoleon warning everyone of the consequences that come with following lies.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jamil Honesty – “Shots from the Soviet” review

Staten Island, New York born albeit Baltimore, Maryland based emcee/producer Jamil Honesty linking up with Giallo Point for his 4th EP. Getting his footing in off the strength of his debut mixtape Verses, he would go on to build a name for himself but putting out 3 EPs & a full-length debut serving as a sequel to one of the EPs that Hobgoblin produced. Coming off the Harbor Kidz’ self-titled debut alongside the Krazyfingaz-produced The God Honest Truth or the Machacha-produced Give Us Our Daily Bread & the final installment of the Martyr Musik trilogy, Jamil’s firing Shots from the Soviet.

After the intro, the first song “Bolshevik Bullets” is this piano-driven boom bap opener comparing the bars to Russian strays whereas “The Hit” strips the drums completely talking about everyone in the streets knowing the name. After an interlude, “Double Barrel” featuring Substance810 hooks the kick & snares back up, spitting that gun talk while the solemn boom bap joint “DNA” talks getting your life in a cypher if you’re made for it.

“Makarov Murders” starts the final leg of the EP dropping bodies with the titular semi-automatic pistol that the Soviet Union has made their standard military sidearm for over 7 decades leading into “Gun Pen” grittily comparing his pen-game to that of a firearm, which is pretty accurate. The final song “No Evidence” prior to the outro ends the EP mixing some sampling with kicks & snares talking about leaving the murder scene clean.

After producing Big Trip’s most acclaimed EPs to date Honestly Filthy & it’s sequel, Jamil taps in one of the UK hip hop scene’s most prolific producers in recent memory to make an EP that surpasses the Martyr Musik trilogy as the most essential offering in his discography. I have no complaints regarding Giallo Point’s boom bap production during the 21 minute run nor is there any regarding Jamil’s performances.

Score: 4.5/5

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Anwar Highsign – “Whatever the Case May Be” review

This is the 4th proper full-length album from Philadelphia emcee/producer Anwar Highsign. Coming up under the original moniker Has-Lo, my introduction to him would be in 2011 through his solo debut In Case I Don’t Make It & the sophomore effort Conversation B. He then followed that up 6 years later in the form of A Singular Point of Light, but has continued to make his presence known by dropping 8 EPs as well as small handful of mixtapes & instrumental projects. But when I found out one of the best UK producers in recent memory Giallo Point was jumping behind the boards for Whatever the Case May Be, my anticipation for it was very high.

“Landlord” is a soulful boom bap opener to the album talking about leaving a Cuban link for his wedding ring & that he gon’ still shine no matter what whereas “That’s Regular” laces some pianos, kicks & snares assuring that he’s gonna do his thing while you do yours. “Cold Plan” instrumentally is a bit similar to the previous cut talking about all that he wants is just a Rolex & that he hit the jackpot leading into “Sun Gone Shine” working in some strings looking back on the days when there wasn’t friction between him & former friends.

Meanwhile, “God Tier” has some more minimal drums this time around attached to a twinkling piano lead admitting he thought all he had was them when they don’t have each other at all just before “Mirror” gets on some scary hours over a hair-raising beat. “Diminished Spirit” goes into drumless turf talking about how he ridin’ while the song “Naturalle” gets romantic over a smooth instrumental. The penultimate track “Omaha” with Henny L.O. returns to the boom bap as they have all systems on go & the closer “Wee-Bay Face” ends the album with a cold beat making it clear he says how it must feel empty in your skin.

From the moment I heard his verse on Atmosphere’s previous album WORD? because they just dropped a new one today too, I knew he would make a grand comeback of his own & that’s what he does with Whatever the Case May Be. Easily the best thing he’s done under the new moniker in my opinion. Lyrically, he’s the best he’s sounded since his first 2 albums & you know Giallo’s signature boom bap production never disappoints.

Score: 4/5

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Napoleon da Legend – “Buckets” review

This is the 20th full-length album from Paris, France born albeit Brooklyn, New York raised emcee Napoleon da Legend. By now, underground heads should be familiar with at this point considering the lengthy discography that he’s built up for himself for nearly the past decade ranging from Coup D’État & it’s sequel to Street Universe & Dragon Ball G. But coming fresh off the Sicknature produced Colossus of GOATS about 6 weeks back, Po’s linking back up with Giallo for the first time in 2 years with Buckets.

“Reminisce to ‘88” finds Napoleon reflecting on how much the titular year means to him over a boom bap instrumental whereas “Federer’s Racket” has a more lavish quality to it for a dedication to his counterparts. The piano sections throughout “Order Seconds” were a very nice touch in my opinion with the lyrics talking about being “Rather Unique” much like the underrated Brooklyn veteran himself AZ, but then “Guard Ya Grill” has a more rawer approach to it down the aggressive subject matter & delivery.

Moving on to “Intermittent Blasting”, we have Supreme Cerebral tagging along on top of a glossy beat calling themselves the biggest bag-getters just before “Avirex Days” delivers a classy boom bap ballad acknowledging that his output is really the only thing you hear about from him. “Nas & AZ” has a funkier groove to it was Nejma Nefertiti coming into the picture to engage in some crazy back & forth chemistry with Po comparing themselves to the titular New York veterans leading into the soulful “Buzzer Beater” referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級王座, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.

“Spoils for War” works in a drumless orchestral sample talking about wearing his scars proudly & time flying when you’re fearless while “Asylum” embraces a more luxurious vibe encouraging one to slide up in the nuthouse & talking about no longer being surprised because of his conscious being anchored to reality. “The Finest Things” is an upbeat ode to exactly just that while the dusty penultimate track “Stress” cautions what ages you the fastest. The closer “All Eyez on Me” however has some stellar jazz undertones to the beat flexing on them.

Everything that Giallo Point has laced for Po has become amongst the best work in his ever-growing discography & not only is Buckets is a welcoming addition to that, but it’s just as fantastic if not better than The Colossus of GOATs only a couple months ago. Both of them continue to bring the best out of one another from Giallo’s raw production to the highly impressive songwriting that Napoleon hits down.

Score: 4/5

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SmooVth – “Amongst Wolves” review

SmooVth is a 35 year old MC from Hempstead, New York known for being a part of the duo Tha Connection alongside Hus Kingpin. But as far as his 11 solo efforts go, I recommend checking out Portrait of a Pimp as well as the Young SmooVth & Medellin duologies. The dude dropped something was the DJ Beanz-mixed rarities mixtape entitled Tha Conduit this past Christmas & now just a couple months later, he’s reuniting with Giallo Point for his 12th full-length album.

After the intro, the first song “Double Dutch” talks about using ice cream trucks to cover up them slanging dope over a dust boom bap beat with some glistening chimes while the track “Grey Heron” talks about his rapping prowess over some prominent string loops. The song “Rogue” talks about disappearing with his best friend on top of an overcast beat while the track “Nickel” talks about him & Hus “supersizing” over a funky bass-line & some opulent piano chords.

The song “Joe Blow” talks about sending “30 deep poppin’ on ya man” over a cinematic instrumental while the track “Bullet Holes” with Asun Eastwood sees the duo talking about being them dudes over a boom bap beat. The song “Boss” with Rigz finds the 2 literally talking about being mob bosses over a drumless, meditative instrumental a while the track “38 Corridor” talks about how no one’s fucking with him over a well incorporated soul sample.

The song “Real Me” talks about giving the listener a good look as to who he is over a sleek instrumental while “The Ave” talks about his family & I really dig the guitar licking in the beat a lot. The song “Mega” talks about gangsta leaning over some synths & finger-snaps while the track “Hillside” talks about not giving a fuck about a judge over a symphonious beat.

The song “Hieroglyphics” finds Tha Connection comparing their lyrics to such over some pensive keyboards glistening away in the instrumental while the track “Sparks Fly” with Big Twins sees the 2 talking about living it up over a foreboding beat. The song “Plates” with Stuyville finds the trio barring shut out for 3-minutes nonstop over a sullen instrumental & then the closer “War” talks about standing tall over some organs.

Whenever this emcee/producer duo come together, it’s always something special & their 4th outing together is no exception. Giallo Point continues to cement himself as one of the best producers that the UK has to offer currently & his sound continues to suit SmooVth’s razor-sharp lyricism best.

Score: 4.5/5

M.A.V. – “Hoodlum” review

M.A.V. is an emcee that some may be familiar with as a member of Da Cloth, a group that’s been taking over the New York underground for the past year or 2 now. He just dropped an incredible collab album with Rob Gates & Big Ghost Ltd. in mid-July called The Darkness but not even a couple weeks later, M.A.V. has seen for to team up with Giallo Point for his full-length debut.

After the intro, the first song “Prepaids & Plush Planning” with Mooch sees both of them talking about the dealer life over a dark instrumental with a rapid keyboard sample whereas the next track “Face Value” pays tribute to his significant other over a laidback boom bap beat. The track “Hand in Hand” with Ty Farris & Asun Eastwood finds the 3 painting some dark imagery over a dark yet minimal instrumental while the song “Are You Not Entertained?” with Rigz sees the 2 going at their opposition over a boom bap beat with a grim synth-line.

The track “First 2 a 3rd” with King Bub Rock goes on about cooking up coke in their auntie’s houses over an airy instrumental while the song “Protocol” gets back with Rigz to speak on betrayal & death over a bloodcurdling beat. “The Lion” calls out those who’ve never been on his level over a cinematic instrumental & before a 1-minute outdo, the final song “Remember” with Rigz & Tekk9 speaks on how the work they all put in will be worth it at the end of day on top of a solemn boom bap beat.

Wasn’t expecting another album to come so quickly after The Dark Side of Nature, but I’m glad it did because this is another yet crown jewel in M.A.V.’s ever-growing discography. Giallo Point continues to be one of the best underground producers in the game today, as he provides a fantastic musical backdrop for M.A.V.’s gritty lyrics.

Score: 4/5