Joey Bada$$ – “Lonely at the Top” review

New York City emcee, singer & actor Joey Bada$$ making up for the delays of his 4th LP. Emerging as a founding member of the Pro Era & Beast Coast collectives, his debut mixtape 1999 under GoodTalk Records has gone on to become a classic & Summer Knights was a solid prelude to his full-length debut. B4.DA.$$ eventually came on his 20th birthday & lived up it to it’s expectations by expanding on the vibes of 1999, although the sophomore effort ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ unquestionably became the most political he’s ever been & 2000 would’ve been a perfect 10 if “Welcome Back” was left off of it. Set to come out earlier this month, Columbia Records has finally letting him tell the world what it’s like for him being Lonely at the Top.

“Dark Aura” produced by Chuck Strangers was a great gangsta/jazz rap single & a better intro choice talking about how nothing can be done regarding his return whereas “Swank White” featuring Westside Gunn works in some heavy sampling to reference former TNA World Tag Team Champion, 3-time IWGP USヘビー級王座 & IWGPタッグ王座 Juice Robinson of former AEW World Trios Champions & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club Gold a.k.a. the Bang Bang Gang.

The instrumental Kirk Knight cooks up on “Supaflee” feels reminiscent of the iconic N.O.R.E. single “Superthug” produced by the production duo of all-time The Neptunes & it’s a dope homage if that’s the intention prior to “Highroller” featuring A$AP Ferg teaming up over a boom bap instrumental from Boi-1da so they can talk about blowing the bag. “Ready to Love” combines pop rap & boom bap seamlessly with the help of Hitmaka leading into “BK’s Finest” featuring CJ Fly, Kai Ca$h & Rome Streetz repping their borough over a Statik Selektah beat.

“Underwater” finds himself occasionally feeling trapped & being unable to break free, which may or may not be related to Columbia Records delaying Lonely at the Top earlier this month. Regardless, “3 Feet Away” moves forward with a more trap direction instrumentally talking about putting trust in God just before “Speedin’ Through the Rain” gives off a jazzy boom bap vibe thanks to Jay Versace keeping his foot on the gas pedal traveling the road to riches.

The penultimate song & final single “Still” featuring Ab-Soul removes the jazzier elements of the previous joint talking about knowing that their artistic successes were destined while the title track homages the title track off Gang Starr’s masterpiece Moment of Truth. “ABK” deserves an acknowledgement too because of its fusions between hardcore hip hop, hyphy & boom bap even though it didn’t make the final cut. And of course Jelly Roll revealing the Lonely at the Top cover weeks prior to him tagging with former 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton at SummerSlam XXXVIII.

By far one of the craziest moments of 2025 was when Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly, Kai Ca$h, Jae’Won, Ray Vaughn, Reason, AZ Chike, Daylyt & Hitta J3 were all trading diss tracks with one another in May & the founding Pro Era member gears up for an upcoming album fully produced by Statik Selektah to come out of the vault with a tight collection of songs culminating in hardcore hip hop, boom bap, jazz rap, pop rap, trap & gangsta rap that are still worth your time even if it’s not up to par with 2000.

Score: 4/5

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Coyote – “yoteLAndia” review

Los Angeles, California duo Coyote ending the month with their 5th studio LP. Consisting of the Morales brothers LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco, they went on to gain traction in late 2022 off their debut album Thicker than Water noted for its witty punchlines & East coast influences. Their sophomore effort L.Aliens last summer quickly became their breakout project to the point where people were recommending to me & easily understood the appeal, eagerly waiting to hear yoteLAndia coming off their feature on the new Reason mixtape I Love You Again.

“Sea of Darkness” is a sample-driven boom bap opener talking about being in the end days whereas “Dodging Bullets” kinda has a Memphis influence instrumentally showing off how violent both siblings can get when necessary. “SLAng” featuring B-Real & Zoe Osama samples “Deep Cover” by Dr. Dre marking the debut of WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg breaking down the west coast lingo until “Drop Top Down” featuring Doeman & & Paul Wall dedicates itself to those in the lowriders.

Ab-Soul teams up with Coyote on the lead single “Runnin’ All Fades” hopping over a cloudy trap instrumental with some notable switch-ups talking about a blizzard going on outside while “Face Tatts” featuring Lefty Gunplay finds the quartet over some drum breaks from Jason Martin formerly known as Problem and Mike & Keys to talk about hearing everyone caught a fade. “Goon” featuring Bizarre on the remix pulls from Latin jazz at the start prior to changing in favor of some bass-licks howling at the moon together just before “L.A. Verses Everybody” featuring Sirrealist feels like it’s their city against the world.

“Run a Muck” brings the Memphis undertones back in the fold & putting a dirtier south spin on it behaving in an disruptive, uncontrollable fashion leading into “Minor Setbacks” talking about relatively small or insignificant hindrances they’ve come across in their personal lives & their music career respectively. “Best Served Cold” featuring NEMS finds the trio over a boom bap beat discussing the way they prefer to serve revenge, but then “Who Want Problems” mercilessly asks if anyone wants beef with them.

Kruk 1 appears for “Not Done Yet” bringing a bit of a Mobb vibe to the table talking about putting it down for hip hop culture with no end in sight while “Product of Immigration” profoundly tackles their upbringings in light of the mass deportations & increased discrimination towards immigrants this year. “redruM Backwards” featuring Tash keeps it dusty thanks to DJ Lethal thirsting for blood while “Barrel of a 9” gets on the gangsta rap tip maintaining a boom bap flare.

“Strike a Pose” featuring Young Drummer Boy dabbles with a nervous sound pulling up to the spot with the main goal to leave with pretty, young women stealing them from their men while “Footang” talks about chopping bricks & to be paid if you want to try the product. The sampling of Latin music suits “Ni De Aqui Ni De Aya” perfectly so they can both get some shit off their chests & “Meet the Lambs” ends with their version of “Meet the Grahams” by Kendrick Lamar.

Starting the deluxe run, “Nasty Work” kicks down the door with a boom bap instrumental talking about being shameless while the doomsday trap aesthetic ms of “Don’t Be at the Club” takes a moment to call comfortability a luxury. “California” featuring Xzibit unites for a tribute to the sunshine state while “A.M.H.S.D. (All My Homies Slang Dope)” featuring Fre$h talks about their friends moving weight.

“Fly Guys” featuring JuJu Flaco reminds me of something The Neptunes would’ve produced in the late 90s while “The Scoop” talks about the slim chances of making it out the hood because kids be flexing trigger fingers. The final bonus track “Idiocracy” properly finishes with the Morales over a drumless sample to confess they’ve been losing their optimism because of the world falling apart & adults justifying killing children.

Over 10 months since they broke out after their freestyle on The Bootleg Kev Podcast, there wasn’t any better option for LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco to capitalize on the success of their sophomore effort last summer than welcoming everyone to yoteLAndia. You still get palatable production like the predecessor whether it be boom bap, jazz rap, Mobb, nervous or trap in addition to the Yotes telling us their story & a list of guests joining them offering different perspectives in their world.

Score: 4/5

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Skaiwater – “#mia” review

Skaiwater is a 24 year old rapper & producer from Nottingham, England, United Kingdom who began in 2019 off their debut EP After God Fear Eve. The 4ersona member would go on to put out 3 more EPs along with a mixtape & a couple of full-length studio LPs, the most notable being their sophomore effort #Gigi from last summer under GoodTalk Records & Capitol Records fully realizing on the potential that was shown on their earlier material. 7 months later, Skai’s looking to prelude their 3rd album with their 5th EP.

The intro “pop” brings together trap, pop rap, alternative R&B, rage, pluggnb & industrial hip hop telling their bae that they’ve been hustlin’ extra hard for her as of late whereas “feral” talks about being the one to find a reason to run away. “by the moon” expresses the fear of losing the woman they’ve seeing currently just before “wolf” featuring Rada talks about a chick who hasn’t slept in 4 days falling in love with the drugs they doing not even knowing either of their names.

“You don’t feel the same.” reaffirms the love they still has for this woman & suggesting she must think they’re a clown when they’re far from it just before “maria” addresses an individual with that very name wanting to own their heart. “ur song” is a tribute to their soulmate loving her for the way she is just before “manicinamerica” ends the the EP by confessing they’re far from sober wanting to hold Mia in their bleeding arms & asking if they can be a home to their partner.

Young Skai managed to push themself artistically back in June & they prelude the next LP in their disposal with what’s definitely the most I’ve enjoyed an EP from them. The production takes the UK hip hop sound & fuses it with pop rap, plugg, jerk, electropop, trap, alternative R&B, rage, pluggnb & industrial hip hop once more leveling up their pen-game like Skai did previously.

Score: 3.5/5

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Joey Bada$$ – “2000” review

Joey Bada$$ is a 27 year old MC, singer & actor from New York City who came up as a founding member of the Pro Era & Beast Coast collectives. His debut mixtape 1999 just celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary last month & has gone on to become a classic, but Rejex was a decent collection of leftovers & Summer Knights was an solid prelude to his full-length debut. B4.DA.$$ eventually came on his 20th birthday & lived up it to it’s expectations by expanding on the vibes of 1999, but Joey’s sophomore effort ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ revealed it be unquestionably the most political he’s ever been. 5 long years later, Joey’s officially giving us a sequel in the form of his 3rd album.

“The Baddest” is a piano-tinged opener produced Erick the Architect with Joey referring to himself as the baddest motherfucker in all of NY whereas “Make Me Feel” goes into boom bap turf thanks to Statik Selektah confessing that the haters made him take a hiatus for a bit. “Where I Belong” keeps the dustiness going taking about takin’ risks every time he hits the door leading into Westside Gunn coming into the picture for “Brand New 911” to bring in a jazzy instrumental that Chuck Strangers has cooked up getting on their fly shit.

Meanwhile on “Cruise Control”, we have Joey over a cloudy trap beat from Mike WiLL Made-It & Cardiak talking about staying 10 toes down just before “Eulogy” returns to the boom bap shouting out all his homies that’re sittin’ on the big wheels. “Zipcodes” has yet another jazzier tone to the production provided by Kirk Knight talking about doing this with ease, but then “One of Us” with Larry June finds the 2 shooting for a smoother aesthetic calling out the people who wish they were them.

“Welcome Back” on the other hand is definitely the weakest cut on the album from the bland trap instrumental to the Chris Brown verse & the tepid subject matter while “Show Me” returns to a boom bap aesthetic talking about wanting to be proven that his lover cares for her. “Wanna Be Loved” with J.I.D has a more nocturnal sound to it expressing their desire to be appreciated while the song “Head High” is a jazz-inflicted ode to those who’re no longer here. The penultimate track “Survivor’s Guilt” comes through with a heart-wrenching tribute to Capital STEEZ & “Written in the Stars” sends off the album in glory rightfully talking about being a legend.

Some people tried to write Joey off because of “THE REV3NGE” & even I’ll admit myself that it was a Great Value version of the J. Cole single “Middle Child”, but I don’t see how anyone who loves 1999 as much as I do can dislike 2000. He really does an excellent job at recapturing the magic that made his debut mixtape one of the best of the 2010s & puts a more mature twist on it.

Score: 4.5/5

Mick Jenkins – “The Circus” review

This is the 4th EP from Chicago, Illinois emcee Mick Jenkins. Who rose to fame in 2014 with the release of his 3rd mixtape The Water[s]. He then released his debut album The Healing Component & now just a little over a year after his sophomore album Pieces of a Man, he’s taking listeners on a trip to The Circus.

The anti-industry anthem “Same Ol’” still slaps as hard as it did when it first appeared on Mick’s 2018 EP or more…The Frustration & then the next song “Carefree” talks about enjoying life over a smooth Black Milk beat. “The Light” with EARTHGANG talks about taking time & not rushing things over a cloudy beat while the track “Flaunt” of course sees Mick flexing over a druggy beat. “The Fit” gets more insightful over an intoxicating whereas the song “I’m Convinced” talks about how “people know the feelings” over a woozy instrumental. The EP then finishes with “Different Scales”, where Mick continues to show off his smart pen game over a somber boom bap instrumental.

As much as I enjoyed Mick’s last album, this EP was just ok. The rapping is fine, but the beats are hit or miss with me personally. Whenever his next album is coming, I hope the production choices are a lot better.

Score: 3/5

Mick Jenkins – “Pieces of a Man”

Mick Jenkins is a 27 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who blew up in 2014 with the release of his 3rd mixtape The Waters. He then released his debut album The Healing Component & after the release of a couple EPs since then, he’s ready to deliver his long-awaited sophomore album.

The intro “Heron Flow” starts off as a spoken word piece, but then a funky ass instrumental kicks in halfway through. The first actual song “Stress Fracture” tackles his inner demons over a mellow Black Milk instrumental while the track “Gwendolynn’s Apprehension” is about this person who isn’t on the same page as Mick another Black Milk instrumental albeit with a heavy J Dilla influence to it. The song “Soft Porn” is a decently slow sex jam while the track “Grace & Mary” is about how he wakes up praising the higher power over a bass-heavy beat with some keyboards & synths. However, it’s way too short.

The song “Barcelona” is a shot at lyrical cliches over a gritty beat & after the Percy interlude, the next song “Reginald” is essentially about not letting your partner count up your drug money over a relaxing instrumental. The track “Padded Locks” with Ghostface Killah sees the 2 wildin’ out over a KAYTRANADA instrumental with a prominent BADBADNOTGOOD sample while the song “Ghost” talks about his rise to success is over an instrumental with some jazzy keyboards.

The track “Heron Flow 2” is pretty much a reprise of the opener & the song “Plain Clothes” is an awkward attempt at going materialistic over a blissful trap beat. The track “Pull Up” vividly talks about a friend of his over gloomy boom bap beat while the song “Consensual Seduction” is another romantic slow jam. The track “U Turn” is about wanting to smack people who think they know him over another slow instrumental albeit with a prominent organ while the funkily KAYTRANADA produced “Understood” follows it up perfectly. The “Smoking Song” that finishes the album of course is about marijuana over some live bass playing.

For all the hype, this was totally worth it. I’d shave off a couple tracks, but it’s a lot more focused & the concept is more consistent than that of The Healing Component as is the jazz-influenced production that one can catch on Mick’s work in the past.

Score: 4/5

Joey Bada$$ – “A.A.B.A. (All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$)” review

After releasing his full-length debut B4.DA.$$ on his 20th birthday just a couple years ago, Pro Era member Joey Bada$$ is returning with his sophomore album. The intro track “Good Morning AmeriKKKa” is basically a minute & a half taste of what is to come. The song is basically Joey saying he wants to “free your mind” over a smooth instrumental from DJ Khalil. The next song “For My People” is a dedication to those who want a peaceful life & the saxes on here are just beautiful. The track after that “Temptation” talks about racism & the way he talks about it very personal. Especially when he starts asking for God’s help.

The track “Land of the Free” came out on Joey’s 22nd birthday as well as the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration & the content of how AmeriKKKa is full of free loaders is still relevant now. The production is has a somber kinda funky vibe to it, too. The track “Devastated” sees Joey reminiscing about his pre-fame days & how patience was the key to his success over a spacey beat.

“Y U Don’t Love Me? (Miss AmeriKKKa)” sees Joey basically asking why the government hates minorities & the gloomy beat goes PERFECTLY with what he’s saying. The song “Rockabye Baby” talks about how the system can’t control them over some ominous keys & I actually think ScHoolboy Q out-rapped Joey on here.

The track “Ring the Alarm” talks about the “resurrection of real” hip hop & while the bridge from Meechy Darko was executed decently, I really love how Joey’s fellow Pro Era members Nyck @ Knight are trading lines with each other in the final verse. The song “Super Predator” with Styles P is basically a retaliation to the term with the same name, but the hook was kind of a turn off for me.

“Babylon” talks about Joey’s desires to move far away from AmeriKKKa as possible over some militant drums as well as some saddening saxes. The Chronixx bridge fits in well, also. The penultimate track “Legendary” with J. Cole talks about how legends only multiply & the beat from Statik Selektah is jazzy as Hell. I also love how Joey inadvertently shouts me out during the hook too, lol!

The album then closes out with “AmeriKKKan Idol”, where Joey’s simply saying “fuck you” to white supremacy & how the government’s trying to start a racial civil war over a somber guitar as well as some EXPLOSIVE drums. I also really love how the hook interpolates the classic Nas track “The World is Yours”.

While I like the production on Joey’s last album a lot more, I’d say the content on here is WAY more superior than B4.DA.$$‘. Not only is it Joey’s most political work to date, but I think it’s much needed for us right now (especially with the very recent Syria missile strikes that occurred just the day before the album came out)

Score: 4/5