Flatbush ZOMBiES – “now, more than ɘver…” review

The Flatbush ZOMBiES are a Brooklyn trio consisting of Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice & Erick the Architect. Coming up as part of of the Beast Coast collective, the group broke out in the early 2010s off the strength of their 2 mixtapes D.R.U.G.S. & BetterOffDead. Shortly after they formed the quintet Clockwork Indigo with fellow Beast Coast members The Underachievers & put out an eponymous EP, but it wouldn’t be until 2016 when they put out their fantastic full-length debut 3001: A Laced Odyssey. Last we heard from then was in 2018 with their sophomore album Vacation in Hell but fast forward a couple years later, they’re back with their debut EP.

Things kick off with “herb”, where the trio of course talk about weed over a psychedelic instrumental from Erick as always. The next song “iamlegend” is about how they’ve hustled all their lives over a cloudy trap beat while the track “quicksand” is a Meechy solo cut about his demons over a manic instrumental.

The song “dirty elevator music” talks about how they have the world in their hands now over a boom bap beat while the penultimate track “blessings” talks about how life’s too short over a sedative instrumental. The EP finishes off with “when i’m gone”, where the trio talk about death & Meechy pays tribute to Mac Miller over a mournful beat.

Overall, it’s a solid EP for the most part. It‘s focused, Erick’s production continues to evolve over the course of time & the lyrical topics that’re being brought to the table are amongst the group’s most introspective ones to date.

Score: 3.5/5

Flatbush ZOMBiES – “Vacation in Hell” review

A little over 2 years after the release of their debut album 3001: A Laced Odyssey, Beast Coast subgroup Flatbush ZOMBiES are finally returning with their sophomore full-length album. The album starts off with “HELL-O”, where they talk about how they came up & how they’re moving on with their newfound fame over an eerie beat. The next song “Chunky” sees Erick Arc Elliott & Zombie Juice talking about standing for something over a & leading the youth over a settle trap instrumental from Erick while the track “Vacation” with Joey Bada$$ is a fun celebratory anthem about making it while the track M. Bison talks about winning over a decent trap beat.

The song “Headstone” is filled with creative references to some of the trio’s influences over a gritty instrumental & while “Big Shrimp” talks about sex over a banging Kirk Knight beat, the hook is just alright. The song “Leather Symphony” with A$AP 12vy gets braggadocious over some piano keys & handclaps referencing 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena along with WWE Hall of Famers The 4 Horsemen while the track “Reel Girls” with Bun B gets sexual over some prominent drums.

The track “Facts” with Jadakiss is filled with battle bars over some keys & punchy drums while the song “Ask Courtney” is a reminder that love hurts over an atmospheric trap beat. The track “Crown” is about real music winning & their destinies over a druggy beat with a faint organ while the song “Proxies” gets ambitious over some creepy choir vocals. The track “U&I” sees the trio getting introspective over a smooth instrumental while “The Goddess” talks about the type of ladies they’re into including a reference to 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair over a laid-back boom bap beat.

The track “Trapped” is a beautiful love tune with a mellow acoustic guitar while the song “Best American” gets conscious over an atmospheric instrumental. The song  “Misunderstood” is about self-destruction over a twangy guitar & hard hitting drums while the penultimate track “YouAreMySunshine” is a Meechy Darko solo cut that pays homage to the late A$AP Mob founder A$AP Yams over some somber keyboards. The album finishes with “The Glory”, where the trio get with Denzel Curry to tell you that they want you to succeed & the instrumental sets the tone perfectly.

While I was initially worried about the album being incosistent, the ZOMBiES proved me wrong at the end. The production is banging as always & their content on here is a lot stronger than before

Score: 4/5