Jack Jetson – “Winter Forever” review

Here we have the 7th studio LP from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Jack Jetson. Introducing himself in 2012 off his debut EP High 5 & subsequent debut album The Adventures of Johnny Strange under Real Life Drama Records, he would go on to follow these up with his 2nd EP Lo 5 preceding Eric the Red from the Creatures of Habit & NLP signing Jack to his own label Lost Scroll Records in addition to having his brother Illinformed produce Strange Cinema in it’s entirety. Fountainhead, the Sofiamaniac EP & Umbrellahead were all poorly received although the Qway EP was tolerable. Reuniting with Illinformed for Camogodskin & Kobayashi Porcelain through Illin’ for Meds Records to stronger feedback, he’s following up the Alien Rehabilitation Technology EP with Winter Forever.

The title track starts off sampling a set of violins sprinkling kicks & snares in the fold talking about being born inside the coldest season of the year whereas “Auditoriums” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 breaking down their terroristic tendencies when it comes to the pen. “Newton” soulfully talks about his lyrical precision & has a bar honoring the late Nipsey Hu$$le prior to “No Mistakes” featuring Datkid boasts that no one’s moving the way they are.

“Pray” chops up more crooning samples airing out the idiots who think he stays saying random shit in his music leading into “Static” featuring BVA joining forces so they can talk about being ready for war. “Outside” gives off a luxurious boom bap vibe advising that shit ain’t what it seems looking in from an external perspective just before “Reality” featuring Datkid & Leaf Dog finds the trio talking about putting a lot more time & energy in real world situations.

To begin Winter Forever’s final act, the song “Broke Brain” ruggedly boasts that he’s still blowing more smoke than an old train while the soulful “Thug’s Passion” featuring 1jack cinematically cautions of leaving any & all threats in a past tense. The orchestral boom bap crossover “Frozen North” featuring Luso addresses so called friends who wind up snitching to the feds when it was the ones they least suspected & “Nothing Weird” soulfully finishes by talking about apocalyptic visions in his terrordome.

If I had to name my top 3 albums in Jack Jetson’s discography, I’d frankly have to put Winter Forever it above Strange Cinema & The Adventures of Johnny Strange since it’s replay value slips in the same discussions as those earlier full-lengths on top of it being the greatest thing to come out Illin’ for Meds Records so far. From the sharp lyricism Jack’s spitting to Illinformed’s boom bap production, it feels like a huge elevation compared to Camogodskin as well as Kobayashi Porcelain & Alien Rehabilitation Technology.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Sean Peng – “Insomniac’s Dream” review

Here we have the sophomore effort from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Sean Peng. Known for being 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP, he made his solo debut Crazed Conductor in 2016 under Lost Scroll Records & is coming off his Creatures brethren Illinformed fully producing his 2019 debut album Trips to the Medicine Cabinet succeeding the Controlled Experiment extended play preluding it in 2017 to run it back for a dissection of an Insomniac’s Dream through Illin’ for Meds Records.

“Inebriated Halfwits” featuring Jack Jetson starts with both of them over a jazzy boom bap talking about not seeing clearly regarding what they wanna do whereas “Stranger Than Fiction” stays in the basement instrumentally addressing the people who’re afraid to face the truth. “Broken English” takes a moment to represent the crowd of people who feel broken down leading into “Better the Devil” featuring Crossbow T marking my least favorite guest appearance despite the theme of Satan being a cloak within the mirrors & smoke.

Ramson Badbonez joins Sean on the jazzy “Sick Society” talking about people losing themselves all for a hit of notoriety just before “Hidden Messages” soulfully speaks of not stressing regarding the end because he’s already see the signs & symbols. “House of the Dead” spends 92 talking about being surrounded by zombies over more prominent kicks & snares while “Raw Syllabics” featuring O.A.B. soulfully compares their minds to timeless relics off psychedelics.

“Squid Games” featuring Jack Jetson references the popular Netflix series of the same name set to end after 2 more seasons in 2025 while “Rise of the Underground by the Creatures of Habit talks about underground hip hop becoming popular due to acts like Griselda being accepted by the mainstream for example. “The Abyss” brings a ghostly boom bap atmosphere to the table putting us inside the shoes of a person residing inside the pits & “Is This Real?” wraps things up asking himself if he’ll wait to leave behind the sadness in his life.

Almost 3 months after his Creatures of Habit partner-in-rhyme Eric the Red had made his Illin’ for Meds Records debut with his 4th album Painting da Town Red, it makes sense for Sean Peng to follow suit putting out a Trips to the Medicine Cabinet follow-up reaching the same bar it’s predecessor made still residing behind Caught Red Handed regarding Lost Scroll’s top 2 projects. Illinformed’s jazzy boom bap production feels unparalleled putting it against Sean’s last full-length, but it’s refreshing the latter moved on to newer concepts rather than still dissecting prescription drug abuse.

Score: 4/5

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

Eric the Red – “Painting da Town Red” review

Here we have the sophomore effort from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Eric the Red. Known for being the brother of Illinformed & Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls, he would also become 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP in addition to forming his own label Lost Scroll Records almost a decade ago. His compositional solo EP Basement Blues dropped in 2016 & the In My Element beat followed as did the Illinformed-produced debut album Caught Red Handed. Coming off Broken Ear Drum, he’s releasing Painting da Town Red under Illin’ for Meds Records.

“Need in Your Life” sets up shop with a jazzy boom bap instrumental reaffirming that his biggest goal is to be the highest man alive whereas “Same Day” featuring Jack Jetson works in some vibraphones suggesting they’re addicts for narcotics still carrying them in their pockets now. “DNA” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 siblings over a grungy boom bap beat talking about hip hop being in all 3 of the Leigh’s blood when that can’t be disputed while “Again & Again” jazzily flexes he’s on his grind again.

As for “Krylon”, we have Eric & Illinformed keeping it in the basement stylistically talking about how he’s still looking for a rooftop to climb on leading into “Day Shifting” ominously recalling him growing up around shoplifting. “Mind’s Gone” turns up the eeriness talking about the drugs filled a gap despite him losing his mind in the process while “Route 66” featuring Smellington Piff brings the pair together warns of the long way back from Hell’s gates.

“Danger” kicks off the final leg of Painting da Town Red darkly advising not to be a threat to your own health dismembering crews while “Lock & Key” featuring Crossbow T links up so they can cook up something monstrous although it’s not a favorite of mine personally. “Super Fiends” references the alter ego of the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment-owned Batman franchise until “Switching the Keys” finishes up by flying to the future using a hoverboard & cutting snakes in the grass.

Broken Ear Drum certainly has a good share of moments that’re absolutely worth going back to, but Painting da Town Red joins the same ranks as Caught Red Handed in being amongst Eric the Red’s greatest solo material & simultaneously could become one of my favorite projects to come out of Illinformed’s own label named after his solo debut album. The latter’s jazzy boom bap production here is a lot stronger than Broken Ear Drum, the guest list is kept to a minimum & Eric lyrically continues to set himself apart from Leaf exceptionally.

Score: 4/5

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