Ice Cube – “Man Down” review

This is the 11th full-length studio LP from Los Angeles emcee, songwriter, actor, film producer, CubeVision founder & BIG3 founder Ice Cube. The cousin of Del the Funky Homosapien & Kam, he started as part of the C.I.A. gained notoriety as a member of N.W.A until departing after their historic debut Straight Outta Compton. Cube later got his own Priority Records deal as a solo artist, teaming with The Bomb Squad for his own debut AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted & later Kill at Will. Death Certificate went on to become another west coast hip hop landmark due to some of its racially & politically charged content, with his Lench Mob Records debut The Predator mainly addressing a lot of on racial tensions in the United States at the time. Lethal Injection was more g-funk heavy and the War & Peace double-disc effort marked the end of the former Westside Connection member’s Priority contract. Laugh Now, Cry Later distributed by Virgin Music & EMI Records was a solid comeback in ‘06 after mainly focusing on acting during the first half of the 2000s & then Raw Footage had it’s highlights although it was decent as a whole. I’m the West became his most negatively received body of work & the Interscope Records-distributed Everythang’s Corrupt showed to be an improvement although still average, so hearing Man Down would be a I’m the West sequel had me hoping it would be far superior to the original.

“Rollin’ at Twilight” starts with a trap intro that Cassius Jay laced looking to make highlights with his real ones whereas “It’s My Ego” featuring Scarface on the remix takes the g-funk route instrumentally thanks to E-A-Ski talking about giving a demonstration in front of the nation. “So Sensitive” was the weakest single of the 3 decently giving Cube’s take on gender & modern etiquette, but then Mount Westmore gets together for the funky pop rap banger “She’s Sanctified” with October London on the hook discussing women.

Nottz gives “Not Like Them” more of a traditional west coast vibe to the beat feeling like the world doesn’t make sense this day in age while “5150” aggressively talks about this bitch being crazy. “No Cap” featuring Ishadon has to be one of the most underwhelming moments despite the Zaytoven beat & the theme of everyone doin’ boss moves in a cesspool just before the industrial/trap crossover “3 Lil Piggies” talks about 3 cops.

“Ghetto Story” strips the drums completely finding his glory & doing it all for the streets to get his bag while “Facts” featuring J-D of Da Lench Mob finds the 2 reuniting so they can talk about mobbin’. “Fighting for My Life in Paradise” featuring Kurupt hops over a soul sample explaining how good it feels living the lives that they do while the boisterous “Let’s Get Money Together” featuring B-Real goes back & forth with each other as they make paper.

As for “I’mma Burn Rubber”, we have Cube going from 0 to 100 over a hyphy instrumental prior to the self-produced “Especially You” hooking up some prominent synthesizers talking about needing everyone to head for the dance floors. “Break the Mirror” featuring Xzibit links up the pair for a hardcore west coast heater pointing out that nobody wants the truth anymore while “Talkin’ ‘Bout These Rappers” takes a jab at wack MCs over a Lil Jon beat.

“Scary Movie” pushes towards the end of Man Down by tapping in with Lench Mob Records in-house producers Hallway Productionz promising that breaking your shit is certain while “Take Me to Your Leader” moves like an eagle looking regal on top of a vocal sample that David Banner provides. The closer “Ego Maniacs” featuring Busta Rhymes & Killer Mike wraps it all up with an insane sequel to “It’s My Ego”.

Laugh Now, Cry Later was probably the last Ice Cube album that I enjoyed consistently top to bottom & Man Down over 18 years later as a dedication for all his Day 1s improves on his few LPs since 2008. The more consistent production than some of his past recent material eclectically ranges from g-funk to hyphy, trap & drumless enlisting a tight list of guests to help reaffirm his status as a west coast veteran.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Joell Ortiz – “W.A.R. (With All Respect)” review

Brooklyn, New York veteran Joell Ortiz is back for his 9th studio LP. Emerging after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine, he went on to sign to Aftermath Entertainment for a brief period of time before leaving to drop his official debut The Brick: Bodega Chronicles under MNRK Music Group. I also can’t forget to mention when Slaughterhouse rose to prominence off their self-titled debut, which led Eminem signing the supergroup to Shady Records a decade ago already. But sadly, their major label debut welcome to: OUR HOUSE that came out the next summer would unfortunately end up being their last & everyone has been doing their own thing since. 3 years since Autograph however, The Heatmakerz are jumping behind the boards throughout the duration of W.A.R. (With All Respect).

“W.A.R. Welcome” featuring I Born starts with a bluesy boom bap instrumental allowing them to open up our minds taking us to war with all respect whereas “Mamma Loves Me” moves forward with a passionate tribute to his mother, who helped pushed him further in his music career. “Fortune 500” keeps it 100 by talking about having 100 less friends since more problems emerge the more money you make, but then “Reaper Man” strips the drums completely telling the grim reaper he’s taken enough.

The atmospherically spacious “So Lost” works in more kicks & snares talking about feeling lost sometimes as of late just before “W.A.R. (Worry, Anger, Resentment)” featuring Styles P peacefully gives thanks to God since every single one of us are in debt to Him. “Imagine That” featueing Ransom soulfully flashes back & fast-forwards into the present doing all they dreamed while “WAR” featuring M.O.P. returns to the boom bap warning that y’all don’t want beef with them.

“Please” brings the soul vibes back for a ballad dedicated to his best friend/1 true love & after the “My Childhood” skit, “All the Years” officially wraps up Yaowa’s first solo effort since H.A.R.D. or the Housing Authority Rap District no longer putting out anymore duo projects with 1 more drumless banger reminiscing over the loved ones who can’t be with him today.

I personally prefer the Signature remixes that L’Orange did for Autograph even though I appreciate the highlights off the original version. Nevertheless, W.A.R. (With All Respect) is easily my favorite of Joell’s since Monday & will arguably go down as one of the best albums that he’s ever made period. The Heatmakerz’ production sticks to their signature, soulful boom bap & drumless sound & Yaowa’s performances are better than the last couple H.A.R.D. efforts.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

H.A.R.D. – “Tapestry” review

Hardcore superduo the Housing Authority Rap District also known as H.A.R.D. consisting of Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED are returning for their 4th & final LP. Both of whom have had notorious label issues at the start of their careers, but would go on to see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse along with Royce da 5’9” & Joe Budden from the late 2000s up until the mid-2010s. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe’s retirement from making music even though it wasn’t confirmed until 2 years later, but the other 3 members have been keeping themselves busy ever since. H.A.R.D. introduced themselves a couple months after the pandemic hit with an incredible eponymous debut EP along with 2 full-lengths: The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse and Harbor City. They dropped off their 2nd EP JFKLAX & their 3rd LP Prosper to more moderate reception, but are getting back together 1 last time on Tapestry in time for summer.

After the intro, the first song “Born” starts us off with an angelic sample talking about both of them being Heaven’s children whereas the soulful trap joint “Rap Music” tells us how much hip hop culture has saved their lives. “Here I Am” works in this gospel flip to talk about speaking life to them since death is of the tongue just before “Holiday” blissfully explains the harvest helped keep their people from starving.

“No Other Way” somberly sets out to make play after play without any options on the table for them leading into “Parental Advisory” goes full-blown boom bap to talk about doing it all so their hometowns of Brooklyn & Long Beach can eat now. “How Y’all Feel” energetically moves forward wanting to know the exact way the crowd out there be feelin’, but then “Fall Down” has an aggressive trap flare to the beat getting back up when they’re down.

The sampling throughout “Thorazine” is absolutely classy start to finish making something beautiful out of a straight up horror scene while “My World” brings the kicks & snares back inviting everyone to their worlds. “Yachts” calming discusses being unable to feel a hard left since it’s all ocean while the final song “Broadwalk & Park Place” prior to the outro pouring their hearts out describing where they were stuck between.

I genuinely think if these guys stuck with a singular producer throughout the entire duration of 1 more project like The Heatmakerz, they would give us their best offering since their eponymous EP or their full-length debut. Still though: the material they’ve given us from Harbor City onward still remains very much acceptable listens & Tapestry happens to be a solid conclusion of H.A.R.D.’s run. The production balances boom bap & trap so both MCs represent the east & the west.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

H.A.R.D. – “Prosper” review

Hardcore super-duo H.A.R.D. returning for their 3rd full-length LP. Consisting of Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED, both of whom have had notorious label issues at the start of their careers, but would go on to see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse along with Royce da 5’9” & Joe Budden from the late 2000s up until the mid-2010s. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe’s retirement from making music even though it wasn’t confirmed until 2 years later, but the other 3 members have been keeping themselves busy ever since. H.A.R.D. introduced themselves a couple months after the pandemic hit with an incredible eponymous debut EP along with 2 full-lengths last year: The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse and Harbor City. But coming off JFKLAX, they’re now looking to Prosper.

“The Tale of 2 Cities” is a groovy boom bap opener talking about coming from Brooklyn & Long Beach respectively whereas “Still” smoothly makes it known that both parties are out here grinding. “Dodgers 2” works in a sample, kicks & snares for a sequel to “Dodgers” off their latest EP just before & “War Outside” blends these strings with hi-hats to describing the harsh realities of the streets.

Moving on from there, “Sunroof” hooks up this alluring vocal chops from The Heatmakerz explaining why be so calm in the booth leading into the soulful title track as Crook & Yaowa come from a more introspective side of things looking live on & live long. “Wife Her (Snipe Her)” groovily gets romantic promising that no man could compete with them while “W.I.F.E.” blends these jazzy horns & crooning samples talking about having no one to grow with ‘cause they don’t know shit.

“Black Tie Affair” continues to push towards the end of the Housing Authority Rap District’s 3rd album returning to the boom bap boasting their top dog mentalities sipping champagne & lighting a cigar up until the soulful “No More” ends the album no longer staying humble paying homage to “Back in the Day” by Ahmed during the hook.

Harbor City & JFKLAX are still both enjoyable projects, but I know both of these guys can put out another body of work that’s on par with self-titled or Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse because they continue to show it a year & a half later. They’re both veterans & still have chemistry that’s no question, I just think they need more consistent production much like how Signature was better than Autograph itself.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

H.A.R.D. – “JFK2LAX” review

H.A.R.D. is a hip hop super-duo consisting of Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED. Both of whom have had notorious label issues at the start of their careers, but would go on to see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse along with Royce da 5’9” & Joe Budden from the late 2000s up until the mid-2010s. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe’s retirement from making music even though it wasn’t confirmed until 2 years later, but the other 3 members have been keeping themselves busy ever since. H.A.R.D. introduced themselves a couple months after the pandemic hit with an incredible eponymous debut EP along with 2 full-lengths last year: The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse and Harbor City. But as the 1-year anniversary of their debut album approaches next month, they’re retuning with the 2nd EP.

“Take Time” is a triumphant opener to the EP about the dynamic duo’s return & that getting paid doesn’t make sense whereas “Dodgers” has a more psychedelic groove to it paying homage to the team’s current home on the west coast & their roots in the east. The song “Foe or Friend” hooks up a sample of “Hey, What’s That You Say” by Brother to Brother’s with some hi-hats saluting Hov while the penultimate track “Stay Dangerous” has a more symphonic quality to it referencing current NXT commentator, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T. “Blue Magic” however is a touching note to tie things up on from the production to the sincerity in their performances.

These guys have really been working nonstop as of late & I just wanna say although I’m well aware this is an EP, I think I like JFK2LAX a bit more than H.A.R.D.’s last album Harbor City by a small margin. Only a couple questionable production choices every here & there, but I genuinely appreciate how both parties give their flowers to each state that they came from with a chemistry as exciting as theirs is.

Score: 3.5/5

@legendswill_never_die on Instagram for the best music reviews weekly!

H.A.R.D. – “Harbor City” review

This is the sophomore album from hardcore hip hop super-duo H.A.R.D. a.k.a. the Housing Authority Rap District. Consisting of Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED, both these guys had notorious label issues at the start of their careers only to see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse along with Royce da 5’9” & Joe Budden from the late 2000s up until the mid-2010s. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe’s retirement from making music even though it wasn’t confirmed until 2 years later, but the other 3 members have been keeping themselves busy ever since. H.A.R.D. introduced themselves a couple months after the pandemic hit with an incredible eponymous debut EP followed by their full-length debut The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse earlier this spring. But as the 3rd quarter of the year draws to a close in a couple weeks, Crook & Joell are taking the world through Harbor City.

After the “Rookie’s 1st Dead Body” intro, the first song “Heat Wave” kicks off the album with a gospel-tinged instrumental to get into their hardcore bag whereas “Welcome to Harbor City” takes a more airier route thanks to DJ Silk talking about the titular California location. “Energy” works in a deadpan beat to describe how they walked out of the projects, but then “Drip Club” fuses a piano & a hi-hat for a party anthem.

Meanwhile on “Holy Water”, we have H.A.R.D. officer a flute-heavy trap instrumental talking about having permission to take a higher road leading into AZ tagging along for “Vibrate Higher” over some crooning boom bap production provided by The Heatmakerz dodging all the bullshit. “Brooklyn” is a rock-flavored Joell solo cut paying tribute to one of the biggest cities in NY & after the “BK LB Blend” interlude, “Community Center” blends some strings & congo drums reflecting on the days where you used to find them.

“Long Beach Blvd.” is of course a rugged KXNG CROOKED solo joint talking about his neck of the woods while “Pawnshop Jewelry” shoots for a jazzier aesthetic bragging that they have a waterfall full of diamonds. After the “Officer Pirelli Schools the Rookie” interlude, “911” has a more chaotic vibe airing out the biggest gang in America while “1-800-Get-Hard” & “Stop Playin’ with Kim” are 2 skits going up back-to-back with each other.Continuing from there with “Don’t Forget About Her”, H.A.R.D. jumps on top of a high-pitched sample vividly describing a woman who’s unforgettable while “Dead Body” following the “Nahdeadassyo” interlude ghoulishly paints the image of a corpse floating besides themselves.

After the “Pirelli Doesn’t Like Us!” interlude, “Underground” is a soulful Yaowa solo cut talking about getting what you gotta get & staying clear while the track “Ocean Terminal” with Lin-Manuel Miranda dives into calmer yet melodic territory providing inspirational lyricism. And prior to the “Who Shot Ya?” outro, “Game Over” is a gully finisher calling for everyone to quit snitching on themselves.

Now if you loved H.A.R.D.’s self-titled EP & their full-length debut like I did as someone who was a big fan of Slaughterhouse back in my teen years, then you’re gonna wanna check Harbor City out because it’s their 3rd consecutive banger together. I think the production on here is a bit better than Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse, but I do admire that they took it back to the basics of self-titled as far as lyricism goes & I like how they bring in more features than they did on their earlier work. Also, I feel like the amount of “commercials” & “dialogues” were a bit excessive.

Score: 3.5/5

@legendswill_never_die on Instagram for the best music reviews weekly!

H.A.R.D. – “The Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse” review

H.A.R.D. is a hip hop super-duo consisting of Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED. Both of whom have had notorious label issues at the start of their careers, but would go on to see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse along with Royce da 5’9” & Joe Budden from the late 2000s up until the mid-2010s. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe’s retirement from making music even though it wasn’t confirmed until 2 years later, but the other 3 members have been keeping themselves busy ever since. H.A.R.D. introduced themselves a couple months after the pandemic hit with an incredible eponymous debut EP & with the 2 year anniversary of that approaching in the spring, they’re coming back in the form of a debut album.

After the “Birth” intro, the first song “Vacancy” is a gospel-laced opener produced by The Heatmakerz talking about putting the business in the back & get back in business whereas “Ain’t Nobody Mad” follows it up with an organ provided by DJ Silk addressing those who be asking them why they still be talking about that bullshit. “Backstage” takes a more soulful route wishing real life was like being in a green room just before “Flood Waters” mixes some sputtering drums with pianos talking about how paradise ain’t what it used to be.

Meanwhile on “Fukglasshouse”, we have H.A.R.D. pretty much shooting down any remaining hope of Glass House seeing the light of day over a catastrophic trap beat from DJ Pain 1 leading into a dope sequel to “Brother’s Keeper” off Yaowa’s 3rd album House Slippers. “Almighty” weaves some horns in to get on their battle rap shit, but then “Smoke” comes through with a more calmer sound talking about not doing all the industry functions.

“Coastin’” has a more tenser sound calling out someone who ain’t down to ride while the song “Still in My Feelings” is a worthy sequel to “In My Feelings” off Joell’s latest solo effort Autograph referencing the greatest WWE superstar ever; 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker. The penultimate track “Look Mama” serves as a touching dedication to both of their mothers & lastly, “Sorry” closes out the album with a chipmunk soul sample apologizing to everyone for the way Slaughterhouse ended.

I think the self-titled EP has better production, but Joell & Crook come harder on here lyrically. Coming from someone who was once a big fan of Slaughterhouse, it’s a little fucked up that they didn’t tell Royce or Joe about it until it was announced but I can’t deny how interesting it is to hear these guys looking back on their time in the group.

Score: 4/5

@legendswill_never_die on Instagram for the best music reviews weekly!