Canibus – “Kaiju” review

Canibus is 47 year old MC from Kingston, Jamaica who came up as 1/2 of the duo T.H.E.M. alongside C.I. back in ‘92. They eventually split up a few years later & Bis would blow up in ‘97 after appearing on the LL Cool J song “4, 3, 2, 1” that later resulted in a beef between both parties. He would then go on to make a lengthy yet consistent discography with albums like Rip the Jacker being breathtaking at best & then Mind Control being unlistenable at worst. Last we heard from him was in 2015 with the incredible Time Flys, Life Dies…Phoenix Rise fully produced by Bronze Nazareth & is now enlisting Body Bag Ben for his 16th full-length outing.

“Curmudgeon” sets off the whole album with a symphonic boom bap instrumental killing it for 4-minute about how bad-tempered he is whereas the “Entameta” remix sounds better than the original although the DMX feature is pointless because he doesn’t have a verse at all. “Hydra” takes a more dustier route ripping his opposition to shreds just before the production on “Live Action Role Play” seems ripped out of a horror flick portraying a dystopian future.

I have no doubt in my mind that “Travis Scott Concert” with Body Bag Ben himself & Born Sun was recorded before the ASTROWORLD Fest crowd crush that took place last month, but for him to keep it on the album just seems a little too soon if that makes any sense. However, “Animal Husbandry” picks things back up by declaring not giving a duck about much other than well-prepared bars on top of a dire beat. “COVID Santa” paints some incredibly vivid imagery having a more occult sound to it just before the intimidating “Kaiju Karaoke” continuing to slit doubters’ throats.

Meanwhile on “The Long Road”, we have ‘Bis on top of some dusty drums & shrilling synth melodies to take a ride out to the country side while the song “Verzuz”. As for the last 2 tracks: They’re both unnecessary remixes of the MF DOOM/Kool Keith loosie “Notebook 04” & “Desperados”, which was one of my favorites off Hus Kingpin’s last album The Firm.

For the 6 year wait, this is a fantastic comeback for the rapping scientist & arguably one of the best albums of his career thus far. He sounds incredibly focused continuing to rap circles around cats like it’s nothing & Body Bag Ben knocks it out or the park behind the boards.

Score: 4/5

KXNG CROOKED – “Gravitas” review

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KXNG CROOKED is a West Coast veteran from Long Beach, California that got his start signing to the infamous Death Row Records in the early 2000’s. Eventually, he left the label in 2004 after they shelved his debut & released a handful of mixtapes that helped grow his profile. This was enhanced by his membership in the now defunct supergroup Slaughterhouse, who would go onto release their 2009 self-titled debut with E1 Music as well as their 2012 sophomore album welcome to: OUR HOUSE with Shady Records before imploding on themselves in 2015. He has gone on to release 4 studio albums since then & for this new one, Bronze Nazareth has been enlisted to produce it in it’s entirety.

The “Emperor’s Arrival” intro finds Crook comparing himself to royalty over some triumphant horns while the next song “Outer Limits” with Hus Kingpin & Killah Priest sees 3 flexing their pen-game over a grimy boom bap beat. The track “From Slavechains to Handcuffs” with Bishop Lamont, Compton Menance & Ras Kass sees the 4 getting conscious over a boom bap over an alluring sample & after the “Still” interlude, the song “I Can Still Remember…” talks about the struggles of the hood over an orchestral instrumental with an intense drum loop. The track “Westside Willie” with P.U.R.E. & Planet Asia sees the 3 interpolating the 1999 Nas joint “Hate Me Now” over an instrumental that enhances the overall charisma while the song ” Change Ur Beliefs” with Bronze & the late Kevlaar 7 sees the 3 getting triumphant over a blissful beat.

After the “Precious Moments” interlude with WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg, the song “French Connection” with Bronze, La the Darkman & TriState sees the 4 getting mafioso over a vintage soul sample. The track “Soul Drenched” talks about having his 3rd eye open over a soulful beat & then after the “Get Me Rich” outro, we are treated to 3 decent remixes to 3 different songs that’ve been previously released. First one being Ghostface Killah’s “Buckingham Palace” off that Lost Tapes album he did with Big Ghost Ltd. that came out last October, second one being “King Kong” off of Forever MC’s self-titled compilation with It’s Different from last March & then “Fresh from the Morgue” off of Bronze’s 2011 sophomore album School for the Blindman.

This is a solid effort from Crook overall. There’s way too many features & I can do without the remixes, but Crook reaffirms his status as of the illest MCs to come out of the LBC whereas Bronze Nazareth accompanies him with rich & colorful production.

Score: 3.5/5

Ghostface Killah – “The Lost Tapes” review

Ghostface Killah is a 48 year old MC known for being a member of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. He’s easily the most consistent member of the group with albums like Ironman, Supreme Clientele, FishScale, Apollo Kids & 12 Reasons to Die just to name a few. Last time we heard from him was in 2015 when he dropped Soul Soul & 12 Reasons to Die 2 but now, he’s finally returning with his 14th full-length album & he has enlisted Big Ghost Ltd. to produce it in it’s entirety.

After an intro from Michael Rapaport, we go into the first song “Buckingham Palace”. Ghostface on here links up with Benny the Butcher, KXNG CROOKED & 38 Spesh to tell you to watch how you talk to his goons get over a soulful beat with some triumphant horns. The track “Majestic Accolades” with Hus Kingpin & Planet Asia sees the 3 bragging about their skills over an instrumental kin to the Wu-Elements while the song “Cold Crush” with Chris Rivers, La the Darkman & Ras Kass is filled with battle bars an eerie beat with a prominent grimy guitar-passage.

After the “Put the Ghostface on It” interlude, we go into the song “Saigon Velour”. Where Ghostface gets with E-40 & Snoop Dogg to talk about the code of the street over a soulful beat. The track “Constant Struggle” with Bishop Lamont & Killah Priest sees the 3 vividly describing life in the hood over a soul sample with thunderous drums while the song “Done It Again” with Big Daddy Kane, Cappadonna & Styliztik Jones gets romantic over a piano & some horns.

After the “Reflections or C.R.E.A.M.” interlude, the penultimate song “Watch ‘Em Holla” with Raekwon, Cappadonna & Masta Killa feels like a classically gritty Wu banger with some horns. And before things end with a Michael Rapaport outro, the final song “I Think I Saw a Ghost with Sheek Louch & Vic Spencer is a rap rock anthem that’ll make you wanna flip your table over.

While it is short & I wish there were a couple tracks where Ghostface is rapping by himself, this is another solid effort. Big Ghost Ltd.’s vintage production style perfectly suits Ghostface’s lyricism & the guest verses are great, too.

Score: 4/5