Gibby Stites – “Syndication” review

Millville, New Jersey emcee/producer Gibby Stites ending his 2024 by putting out his 6th studio LP. Starting in the music industry over a decade ago off his first 2 mixtapes Gillmatic & Broke n Local, he wouldn’t catch my attention until performing a set during Netfest On Your Couch during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. Later that fall, he signed to Majik Ninja Entertainment & I had the honor of interviewing him shortly after the deal was made public. The 13th Wonder pretty much showcased Gibby to the juggalos as Jamie Madrox’ protégé & Welcome to iLLViLLE several months later took listeners through exactly where he comes from, but decided not to renew his MNE contract to form his own label iLLViLLE Worldwide shortly after. Off Air from last summer marked his return behind the boards after 5 years & is so far my favorite thing he’s done since leaving Majik Ninja & Pariah earlier this year was centered around mental health. However only 4 months after he & Charlie Beans to take us to the Echo Chamber, it’s time for him to fully self-produce Syndication.

“Wait List” hooks up some pianos & hi-hats talking about taking the crown that was waiting for him whereas “MVP” takes the boom bap route instrumentally representing iLLViLLE & still ridin’ after a few losses. “Jersey Drive” featuring Brick City icon Redman goes full-blown jazz rap for both of them to represent their home state for 2 & a half minutes leading into the soulful “Never Fall” talk still feeling hungry even though he’s the same age as me.

ILLtemper joins Gibby on “April Showers” sampling soul music once again seeing the future knowing it’ll be theirs just before “Don’t Give Up” luxuriously encourages everyone to keep it pushin’ & staying focused on the mission. “Recoup” featuring Method Man returns to the boom bap talking about them equally being the type of people to regain, but then “Phuck It Up” featuring Insane Poetry brings a hypnotic trap flare to the table as they fuck up a couple bodies.

“Demon King” pushes further towards the end of Syndication by showing off his storytelling abilities refusing to let a victim go & making Dragon Ball Z references along the way while the closing track “Haunted House” featuring Gibby’s girlfriend Karah Beth finishes with this crooning boom bap beat talking about being on his grind & moving similarly to house inhabited by disembodied spirits of every single MC who wanted out.

Gibby hasn’t self-produced a whole project of his since the 2018 debut album Technical Difficulties, so for him to come off 2 of the best EPs he’s put out since starting iLLViLLE Worldwide & recapture the energy of that LP was all about timing. He’s grown a lot as an artist & as a producer in the 6 & a half years in addition to the small handful of features being are more consistent than Pariah & Echo Chamber with a couple of them being high profile.

Score: 3.5/5

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Gibby Stites – “Echo Chamber” review

I believe this is the 12th EP from Millville, New Jersey emcee/producer Gibby Stites. Starting in the music industry over a decade ago off his first 2 mixtapes Gillmatic & Broke n Local, he wouldn’t catch my attention until performing a set during Netfest On Your Couch during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. Later that fall, he signed to Majik Ninja Entertainment & I had the honor of interviewing him shortly after the deal was made public. The 13th Wonder pretty much showcased Gibby to the juggalos as Jamie Madrox’ protégé & Welcome to iLLViLLE several months later took listeners through exactly where he comes from, but decided not to renew his MNE contract to form his own label iLLViLLE Worldwide shortly after. Off Air from last summer marked his return behind the boards after 5 years & is so far my favorite thing he’s done since leaving Majik Ninja & Pariah earlier this year was centered around mental health, but is getting back with Charlie Beans to take us to the Echo Chamber.

“Wrapped Up” hops over a cutthroat boom bap beat to get us started kicking that iLL shit whereas “Work Ethic” keeps the kicks & snares in tact talking about his grind. “So Alone” featuring Charlie Beans himself finds the 2 sharing the mic together pointing out the loneliness that everyone’s been feeling these days just before the cavernous boom bap title tracks talks about being unable to hear a word.

Paradime joins Gibby for “Commotion” aggressively looking to both of their plans in motion leading into “Twist of Fate” throwing it back to the 90s instrumentally letting y’all know he’s chillin’ like he should be asking what’s good with you. “Durban Poison” psychedelically lets the listeners know exactly what type of shit he smokes & “To Whom It May Concern” ends the EP unbottling all the pain inside.

In comparison to STiLL iLL roughly 2 & a half years ago by now, Echo Chamber shows a significant amount of maturity from both Gibby Stites & Charlie Beans since each of them went through a lot of personal matters individually during the making of this & they channeled every single one of those hardships into a motivating 27 minute EP for the illvillains.

Score: 3.5/5

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Gibby Stites – “Pariah” review

Millville, New Jersey emcee/producer Gibby Stites coming off the 4th installment of the Family Tree series with a new EP. Getting his start in the music industry over a decade ago off his first 2 mixtapes Gillmatic & Broke n Local, he wouldn’t catch my attention until performing a set during Netfest On Your Couch during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. Later that fall, he signed to Majik Ninja Entertainment & I had the honor of interviewing him shortly after the deal was made public. The 13th Wonder pretty much showcased Gibby to the juggalos as Jamie Madrox’ protégé & Welcome to iLLViLLE several months later took listeners through exactly where he comes from, but decided not to renew his MNE contract to form his own label iLLViLLE Worldwide shortly after. Off Air from last summer marked his return behind the boards after 5 years & is so far my favorite thing he’s done since leaving Majik Ninja, so I was interested in Pariah after being announced a couple months ago.

The title track gets the ball rolling with a somberly self-produced trap instrumental talking about why he sets it off & that they won’t ever stop him whereas “Memory Card” works in a guitar & hi-hats admitting that he really doesn’t give a fuck about a brand. “Swerve” keeps the dreary trap vibes going hittin’ ‘em with the cold facts prior to “Real Life” featuring Lingo brings a summery atmosphere to the table talking about layin’ down more personal subject matter.

“The Business” featuring EnzoHard incorporates this orchestral sample from DJ Emaculate with kicks & snares as both of them discuss going up in the music industry essentially just before “Eastside 3.0” ominously represents the East Coast for 3 minutes. “Suffocate” closes Pariah by fusing trap & rock confessing that it doesn’t hurt him to say the space in his heart nowadays has turned vacant.

Juggalos are generally divided when it comes to Gibby Stites, yet it’s undeniable to me that this EP has to be one of the most meaningful entries in his discography. The production altogether is generally more mellow than anything he’s put out in the past & it has an interesting mental health concept throughout except it’s coming from his own perspective.

Score: 4/5

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Gibby Stites – “Off Air” review

This is a brand new self-produced EP from Millville, New Jersey emcee/producer Gibby Stites. Getting his start in the music industry nearly a decade ago, he wouldn’t catch my attention until performing a set during Netfest On Your Couch during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. Later that fall, he signed to Majik Ninja Entertainment & I had the honor of interviewing him shortly after the deal was made public. The 13th Wonder pretty much showcased Gibby to the juggalos as Jamie Madrox’ protégé & Welcome to iLLViLLE several months later took listeners through exactly where he comes from, but decided not to renew his MNE contract to form his own label iLLViLLE Worldwide shortly after. Now I’ll admit that it’s been over a couple years since I’ve covered Gilberto’s music track-by-track & that’s nothing personal at all because I know there are some juggalos out there that give him flack, but my morbid curiosity about Off Air got the best of me to make the time to break it down. Especially considering his return behind the boards for the first time in a grip.

The intro is a chilling, 75 second boom bap opener with Gibby talking about doing it for fuck’s sake that is until “The Man” works in some strings as well as kicks & snares admitting that he feels like that motherfucker now. “Heartbreak Kid” shifts into more summery boom bap territory opening up about being the one they start shit with just before “Blueprint” has a more weepier atmosphere instrumentally acknowledging that he knows for a fact that he’s the one.

“Made Men” keeps the kicks & snares in tact with a bluesier loop shaking the money tree to rake it all in leading into “Goosebumpin’” switching it up with a groovy trap beat talking about how people be sayin’ they gon’ do something to him & not actually go through with it at all. “Labels” brings back the symphonic undertones calling out the music industry for trying to stick him & “Ocean” closes out the EP with a powerful ballad promising not to let anyone down.

So this is Gibby’s 3rd EP albeit 9th project overall on iLLViLLE & I’m gonna have to be honest by saying Off Air is undebatably the best he’s sounded since leaving Majik Ninja to go his own way. The production is primarily grounded in the traditional east coast boom bap sound with a couple exceptions & he continues to take a step further into demonstrating how much he’s grown artistically within the last 5 years.

Score: 4/5

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Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Attack of the Ninjas: The Album” review

This is a brand new showcase compilation from Detroit underground label Majik Ninja Entertainment. Founded in 2014 by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis only 2 years following the demented duo’s departure from Psychopathic Records, they quickly built an empire or their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first showcase comp Year of the Sword is easily the best one they’ve put out so far given the strength of the roster at the time, but that’s not to say Songs of Samhain wasn’t a respectable Halloween-themed EP. But to celebrate the 5th annual Attack of the Ninjas, everyone on MNE right now & the 2 acts on their Welcome to the Underground sub-label are uniting as one alongside a couple outside collaborators for an exclusive compilation given away at the event.

The opener “Are You Scared?” by Oh! The Horror & Twiztid is a pop punk/rap crossover telling their haters to say their prayers whereas “Each & Every” by Bukshot, Jamie Madrox & Lex the Hex Master finds the trio jumping on top of a west coast instrumental from Fritz the Cat saying they’re broken & don’t feel fine. Buk & Jamie stick around as they enlist Boondox & Mr. Grey to spit the wicked shit on “Horror” down to the Godsynth & Stir Crazy production, but then Gibby Stites & Blaze Ya Dead Homie come in for the atmospheric “Come Up” saying ain’t nobody doing what they’re doing.

“Let ‘Em Burn” by Anybody Killa, the Axe Murder Boyz, Bukshot, Crucifix & Monoxide come together on top of a trap instrumental from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to get in their arsonist bag just before the futuristic “Space Between Us” sees Zodiac MPrint reuniting to talk about a toxic relationship. “Kill” by Insane E, Jamie Madrox, Oh! The Horror & Redd goes into a rubbery direction with the help of Grady Finch saying no one’s on their level while “Chin Check” by Bukshot, Gibby Stites, Joey Black, Lee Carver & The R.O.C. encourages the listener to mosh despite the out-of-place forlorn production.

The track “We Are the Underground” by Boondox, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Gibby Stites & Oh! The Horror needs no further explanation lyrically diving into a trap/metal fusion whereas the final song “Boohoo” by Gibby Stites, Lex the Hex Master & The R.O.C. ends the comp with a boom bap-tinged shot at their detractors even though the hook is a bit tedious. The actual closer though is just a remix to “Maelstrom” off of Cabal’s most recent debut album The Watchers featuring the Super Famous Fun Time Guys & the Venomous 5.

I don’t expect all that much whenever a label puts out a project showcasing their artists & although I enjoyed the last 2 that MNE has put out, I’m a bit torn on this one. Some of the collabs on here come off to me as natural, but then there are others that seem hamfisted & in no way shape or form am I trying to be disrespectful to anyone because I’ve given a good share of positive feedback on the label’s output throughout the years like with /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ & Krimson Crow.

Score: 3/5

Gibby Stites – “The 13th Wonder” review

Gibby Stites is a 25 year old MC/producer from Millville, New Jersey who’s been making music for about a decade now at this point. However, he didn’t come to my attention until last spring when he performed during Netfest on Your Couch. But after signing to Majik Ninja Entertainment a few months back, the kid is putting out a new EP introducing himself to all the juggalos

The EP starts off with “I Heard You Got Signed”, where Gibby & Jamie Madrox talk about 77% of listeners being fans & the other 33% being jealous over an intimidating boom bap beat from Str8jaket. The next song “Rain Rain” talks about floating on that reefer cloud over a mystical instrumental while the track “Express Lane” talks about being tired of going slow in life over a rock-flavored beat from Young Wicked. “The Mission” reunites with Jamie Madrox to talk about getting money over some keyboards & a set of militant drums while the song “Bad Company” talks about chilling on his lonely over a cloudy beat with some jazzy undertones to it.

The track “U Can Miss Me” with Blaze Ya Dead Homie & Boondox finds the trio talking about dodging bullshit over a perilous instrumental while the song “I’m Good” talks about how he doesn’t feel the way he should be over a malicious trap beat from Charlie Beans. The penultimate track “Make ‘Em Smile” with Jamie Madrox over a funky boom bap instrumental & then the closer “Feel This Way” finds the duo sticking together 1 last time to talk about mental health over a desolate beat from Stir Crazy with some heavy guitars during the hook.

I was curious to hear how this would turn out & it’s not a bad EP. The production is refined compared to Gibby’s previous output & his pen-game has definitely stepped up as well. Looking forward to see what MNE has in store for him in the near future.

Score: 3.5/5