Ritchie with a T – “Quiet Warp Xpress” review

This is the debut solo EP from Phoenix, Arizona emcee Ritchie with a T. Emerging as 1/3 of Injury Reserve, the trio would release 3 mixtapes alongside a couple EPs & albums respectively until disbanding as a result of Stepa J. Groggs’ death. Ritchie & Parker Corey plan to continue to make music together as the duo By Storm introducing themselves the previous on the best single of 2023 in my opinion “Double Trio”. Triple Digits (112) was a great solo debut & Quiet Warp Xpress had me intrigued ahead of By Storm’s debut.

“Cc Me” is this sample drill opener assuring that he’s ready to roll since he been with it at this point in his career whereas the experimental “Toll” suggests to play your roll since shit’s been having a serious effect on him lately. “Binging”hooks up some distinctive sampling discussing getting back on his pesos while “How?!” featuring Niontay is taken from Ritchie’s debut from this spring. “Broke the Mold” featuring Feardorian himself gives their refreshing take on the Detroit trap scene & “All-Terrain” concludes the EP by working in these pianos & hi-hats talking about being in the future.

Triple Digits [112] still to me is a definitive moment for Ritchie with a T’s solo discography, but I still think what he brings to the table during the course of the Quiet Warp Xpress is more than enough to hold Injury Reserve fans off until the By Storm debut LP. Feardonian’s production pulls inspiration from cloud rap, sample drill, experimental hip hop & even a bit of lowend allowing Ritchie to giving everyone listening a glimpse of a period of time following the moment of speaking or writing regarded as still to come.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ritchie with a T – “Triple Digits [112]” review

Ritchie with a T is a 29 year old MC from Phoenix, Arizona notable for emerging as 1/3 of Injury Reserve. The trio would release 3 mixtapes alongside a couple EP’s & albums, respectively until disbanding as a result of Stepa J. Groggs’ death, with Ritchie & Parker continuing to make music together as the duo By Storm introducing themselves the previous on the best single of 2023 in my opinion “Double Trio”. However to build up anticipation for By Storm’s upcoming debut album, Ritchie’s setting out to try something different & going solo.

The “Wings” intro sets the tone of the album with heavy synthesizers singing everyone knows there’s so much more to know whereas “W.Y.T.D.?!?! (What You Tryna Do?!?!)” fuses industrial hip hop & rap rock with industrial rock, synth punk & even post-punk abstractly asking the titular question. “RiTchie Valens” goes for a cloudier approach additionally pulling from trap, neo-psychedelia, glitch hop & pop rap responding to those who’re starting to feel a lot more like a tenant just before “The Keepers” nocturnally calls out people holding the gate as if he ain’t trying to blow past.

After the “Only You” interlude, the title track brings the glitch hop vibes back rollin’ up & steppin’ in similarly to if the place was his own while “Dizzy” featuring Aminé mixes neo-soul with boom bap & once again glitch hop telling y’all to look who it is that came through. “Looping” swaps out the dusty undertones in favor of footwork as well as nu jazz & jazz rap trying his best to chance but after the “Your Worst Nightmare” interlude, “How?!” featuring Niontay blends cloud rap & drill talking about many saying you gotta plan it out.

“Get a Fade” goes minimal instrumentally so Ritchie can sing with heavy auto-tune slathering his vocals paying homage to 808s & Heartbreak a bit while “The Thing” featuring Quelle Chris finds the 2 rapping about how much shit you gon’ let stop the flow & block the money from stacking up. Lastly prior to the “[Credits]” outro, the final song “5onthe.” by By Storm finishes Triple Digits [112] with a 5-minute teaser of their upcoming debut together.

As an Injury Reserve fan, it was only a matter of time after Stepa’s passing that Ritchie would venture into uncharted territory by breaking free from the confines of group expectations & personal barriers. He details his journey of self-discovery acknowledging the pressure to meet the standards set by his previous collaborations & shattering these constraints by delivering a diverse blend of experimental sounds & infectious production, showcasing his true essence.

Score: 4/5

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Injury Reserve – “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” review

This is the 2nd & subsequently final full-length album from Arizona trio Injury Reserve. Originally coming together in 2013, it wasn’t until Floss & Drive It Like It’s Stolen where most people (myself included) really started tuning into them. It was really cool how the guys brought their own hardcore west coast sound to the table with a bit of an experimental edge that would later come full circle on their eponymous debut a couple years back. But with the unexpected death of Stepa J. Groggs last summer, Ritchie with a T & Parker Corey are coming back together for By the Time I Get to Phoenix.

“Outside” is a 6-minute opener dabbling in electronics saying they’ve been talking to ’em kindly whereas “Superman That” takes a glitchier route going on about how there “ain’t no savin’ me or you”. ZelooperZ tags along for the guitar-driven “SS San Francisco” with him & Ritchie expressing their desire to not want to be there anymore just before “Footwork in a Forest Fire” reveals itself as amongst my favorite Injury Reserve songs ever made, with them manically depicting an apocalypse ever so flawlessly.

Meanwhile on “Ground 0”, we get a deranged cut detailing how he “got my shit buss down” leading into the dissonant “Smoke Don’t Clear” putting their own spin on the idiom “when the smoke clears”. The drumless instrumental that “Top Picks for You” brings to the table is entrancing as Hell with Ritchie going on about how “your patterns are still in place & your algorithm is still in action”, but then “Wild Wild West” takes a more sporadic route sonically referencing the shitty Will Smith movie of the same name fittingly enough.

The song “Postpostpartum” psychedelically goes in about birthing motherfuckers while the penultimate track “Knees” takes a turn into experimental rock territory with the group asking if there’s any way they can grow. “Bye Storm” ends the tape with some blaring guitars & Ritchie saying the show must go on even though Stepa is no longer with him or Parker in the flesh.

Given the events that have transpired within the past year or so, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that By the Time I Get to Phoenix would become Injury Reserve’s darkest body of work to date. Parker Corey’s production is absolutely out of this world & Ritchie couldn’t have done a more excellent job at paying his final respects to Stepa.

Score: 4.5/5

Injury Reserve – Self-Titled review

Injury Reserve is a hip hop trio from Tempe, Arizona consisting of Stepa J. Groggs, Ritchie With a T & Parker Corey. I first caught wind of them in 2016 with release of their 3rd mixtape Floss. They then followed it up with their 2nd EP Drive It Like It’s Stolen & while both were equally dope, I was really curious to see what they would do on their full-length debut over here.

It all kicks off with “Koruna & Lime”, where the trio reflect on all it took to get where they are today over an deconstructed club instrumental. The next song “Jawbreaker” with Rico Nasty gets conscious over a vibraphone & some handclaps while the track “G.T.F.U. (Get The Fuck Up)” with JPEGMAFIA & Cakes da Killa sees the 3 getting confrontational over a beat that starts off gritty, but then transitions into something smoother.

After the “QWERTY” interlude, we go into the song “Jailbreak the Tesla”. Where the trio team up with Aminé to make a dedication to the titular car brand over a bassy instrumental. The track “Gravy n Biscuits” talks about how everything’s alright with a mellow piano throughout while the “Rap Song Tutorial” is a repetitive yet very clever cut teaching those at home how to make a hip hop tune.

The track “Wax On” with Freddie Gibbs talks about getting their money up over a meditative beat while the song “What a Year It’s Been” reflects on their newfound success over a chaotic beat. The track “Hello?!” is more of a unfinished yet melodic interlude while the song “Best Spot in the House” gets introspective over a somber beat. The penultimate track “New Hawaii” with DRAM is a peaceful love ballad & then the album finishes with “3 Man Weave”, where the trio get triumphant over a jazzy beat.

Overall, this was just as solid as their last 2 releases & it gives the new listeners a good glimpse at who they are. The instrumentals are well-put together, it sounds passionate & they continue to solidify themselves as fresh faces in the experimental hip hop scene

Score: 4/5