Insane E – “E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History)” review

East Palestine, Ohio emcee & graphic designer Insane E celebrating his birthday with a brand new EP. Starting out as 1/4 of the No Clue Crew in the early 2000s, he branched out in favor of a solo career releasing The Fine Line at the very end of that decade & subsequently became the Head of Graphic Design for Majik Ninja Entertainment & a graphic designer for the label’s founders Twiztid in November 2013 only 11 months after the demented duo had departed from Psychopathic Records to do it themselves. Scales came a decade after The Art of Blaowww & became the Astronomicon graphic designer’s most fleshed out work, looking to speak on the E.A.R.T.H. as we know it today from a conceptual standpoint.

“Energy” opens with the trap metal experimentations that we got hear to Scales only 14 months ago pleading to feel again & be taken away whereas “Alchemy” finds Fritz the Cat instrumentally throwing it back to some of Twiztid’s earlier material talking about being out of his mind & from another time. “Reality” goes for a straightforward rap rock vibe thanks to Stir Crazy advising to stop & think of what you’re doing while “Technology” talks about humanity becoming infected by a disconnected system.

The song “History” hooks up a guitar passage & some occasional synthesizers appearing during the hook explaining that only love will remain with the past slowly fading away as time continues to slip faster as well as being open to the change once the system is broken while the closing track “With You” finishes E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History) off with an acoustic boom bap crossover talking about being in his car riding with the windows unsure of where his destination is.

In preparation for Insane E’s upcoming 4th solo LP Neon Jesus & the No Clue Crew set to reunite with new music of their own, E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History) offers a range of styles from the rap rock to trap metal influences within the production that we get on that previous album carrying itself over & holding down the microphone by himself for 23 & a half minutes or giving an open-minded or perhaps extra-terrestrial perspective on topics encompassing the state of our planet’s past, present & future.

Score: 4.5/5

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Insane E – “Scales” review

Insane E is a 39 year old MC & graphic designer from East Palestine, Ohio starting out as 1/4 of the No Clue Crew in the early 2000s before branching out in favor of a solo career releasing The Fine Line at the very end of that decade. Subsequently, he became the Head of Graphic Design for Majik Ninja Entertainment & a graphic designer for the label’s founders Twiztid in November 2013 only 11 months after the demented duo had departed from Psychopathic Records to do it themselves. And to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of E’s sophomore effort The Art of Blaowww, I was eagerly waiting for the Astronomicon graphic designer’s 3rd album.

“In the Balance” kicks off the LP on some rap rock shit produced by Fritz the Cat opening your mind & taking a look inside whereas “Tell Me Do You Really Care?” heinously talks about hoping everyone’s paying attention to him since the end is near. “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Me 2099” is a remix version of a highlight track off E’s solo debut The Fine Line, but then “Limitless” moves forward passionately talking about keeping your head up & giving it all you got.

The trap metal vibes on “Alien” suit the lyrical content of not fitting in or not belonging just before the anthemic “Chambers” featuring Zodiac MPrint finds Blaze Ya Dead Homie & The R.O.C. assisting E in running around circles chasing after what they’re looking for. “Get a Clue” takes an ominous trap route hoping that someone out there can hearing him crying leading into “Excedrin” marking a turn into boom bap territory talking about passing the over-the-counter medication to him.

“Welcome to My Gallery” fuses trap with metal once again coming to terms that he’s simply an artist searching for his inner self while “Brainwashed 2099” is another remix, this time of a Gemini Projekt track off the duo’s only album Experiment 17. “Scapegoat” brings a futuristic flare to the beat from Godsynth not giving a fuck about who hates him since he’s only moving faster up the ladder that he’s been climbing while “Bury It” featuring Jamie Madrox goes full-blown rap rock feeling like they’re losing their sanities.

We get more guitars & hi-hats on “Time” so E can ask how long will it take until Father Time starts crumbling down on us all while psychedelic “Life by Design” wants to know if everyone is living by default or design. “Let It Burn (No Return)” grimly talks about being past the point of no return while “Next Level” featuring Mr. Grey has this morbid trap groove to it discussing that they’ve been waiting too long to move up & move on.

“Homesick” nears the climax of balancing the Scales working in a stripped-back sound altogether with some acoustics courtesy of Stir Crazy talking about how there will always be a part of him back home & that the family he’s started meaning the world to him ahead of “Shift” properly concluding the album fusing electronic music & trap asking if you can feel him now.

Over a decade since we last heard from him on The Art of Blaowww & roughly 15 years that he began carving a path for himself as a solo artist, Insane E has returned to provide what I consider to be my new favorite solo effort of the 3 in his entire discography. It’s more well-produced than his last couple LPs were, he sounds focused addressing more personal subject matter & we get stronger feature performances on top of it.

Score: 4/5

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Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Songs of Samhain 4: The Liminal Space” review

Majik Ninja Entertainment is an underground hip hop label from Detroit, Michigan founded by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis in 2014 after departing from Psychopathic Records only 2 years before. However, they quickly built an empire or their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first comp showing off their roster Year of the Swordhas to be my personal favorite of the 4 thus far with all respect to Songs of Samhain as well as the Attack of the Ninjas compilation & Songs of Samhain 2: Haunted Record Player. But as that time of the year comes around again, MNE’s following up on Songs of Samhain 3: Cult of Night by taking a trip through The Liminal Space.

After the “Liminal Space” intro, the first song “I’m the Night” by Twiztid is a rap rock opener produced by Fritz the Cat making the comparisons of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide to darkness whereas “All My Friends Are Dead” by Blaze Ya Dead Homie jumps over some pianos & hi-hats from Grady Finch talking about his homies no longer being here with him. “Deluded Dead” by Jamie gives off an industrial rock vibe musically discussing the mislead deceased, but then the self-produced “6 Feet Deep” by the artist formerly known as Young Wicked himself James Garcia of the Axe Murder Boyz ominously looks to bury motherfuckers.

“Highest High & Lowest Low” by Bonez Dubb, Boondox & Insane E finds the trio over a dark trap beat explaining that things have changed as they look to plateau leading into “Last House on Dead Street” is the prelude to an album that Blaze has been working on for the past 15 years when he was still on Psychopathic from the morbid instrumental to the gruesome performances. “If I Return” by Jamie & Zodiac MPrint heinously declares what would happen if they eventually make a return accompanied by a grueling beat just before “Merciful Fate” by the Eastside Ninjas goes for a ghoulish atmosphere talking about voices invading their minds.

The song “Strangehold” by Alla Xul Elu & the House of Krazees puts the 2 generational horrorcore trios together for the first time ever cavernously spitting the wicked shit beautifully while the chaotic penultimate track “Collide” by Triple Threat talking about everything inside being a mess. “Wounded & Suffering” by Grady Finch & WackGxd ends the compilation with a decent ballad rooted in Oh! The Horror’s signature sound.

Cult of Night showed some considerable improvement over Haunted Record Player & the original Songs of Samhain so with Fright Fest coming up in a few days, the journey through The Liminal Space is once that juggalos will enjoy for future Halloween seasons. The performances are a tad more consistent as everyone displays their own artistic characteristics in their respective fashions.

Score: 3.5/5

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Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Songs of Samhain 3: Cult of Night” review

This is a brand new showcase compilation from Detroit underground label Majik Ninja Entertainment. Founded in 2014 by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis only 2 years following the demented duo’s departure from Psychopathic Records, they quickly built an empire of their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first showcase comp Year of the Sword is easily the best one they’ve put out so far given the strength of the roster at the time as solid as Songs of Samhain, the Attack of the Ninjas compilation & Songs of Samhain 2: Haunted Record Player all were. But ahead of the 18th annual Fright Fest a month from now, MNE’s warming everyone up in the form of Songs of Samhain 3: Cult of Night.

After the “Moon Glow is Upon Us” intro, the first song “Gospel” by the demented duo themselves Twiztid kicks off the comp by rapping about bringing you back to life over some rap rock production whereas “10-31” by Oh! The Horror & Twiztid is a creepy trap ballad paying tribute to the titular day. “Terrified No Fear” by Venomous 5 finds the quintent spitting the wicked shit over some a boom bap instrumental just before “My Head” by Triple Threat has a more upbeat sound to it talking about what’s inside the heads of I.S.I..

Meanwhile on “Curse of the Jack-O-Lantern” we have Boondox & the House of Krazees linking up over a dusty beat reminding everyone that nobody’s safe when the sun goes down leading into “Unclear” by Oh! The Horror & Twiztid following the “Nursery Rhyme from a Luminescent Time” skit for a trap rock ballad about being broken mentally. “P3.1” by the Axe Murder Boyz, Bukshot, Cody Manson, Insane E & Jamie Madrox sees the sexiest ruggedly confesses the things that they’ve been told that’ve fucked with their heads, but then “Parasite Paradise” by Venomous 5 works in a macabre trap instrumental talking about hating everything.

The song “Unreal” by Boondox & Triple Threat finds the quartet over a rubbery trap beat describing the way they’re feeling as such while the penultimate track “Mother Witch” by the House of Krazees having a more cinematic vibe to the production talking about a poltergeist. The closer “Soggy Pumpkin” is basically a melodic Jamie solo cut getting on his emo shit pretty much.

Of the 3 installments of the Songs of Samhain trilogy, I think Cult of Night has to be my favorite one thus far. I like how they minimized the amount of affiliates featured on here so the whole roster can make one another stand out in their own way providing the soundtrack to a juggalo’s Halloween.

Score: 3.5/5

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Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Attack of the Ninjas: The Album” review

This is a brand new showcase compilation from Detroit underground label Majik Ninja Entertainment. Founded in 2014 by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis only 2 years following the demented duo’s departure from Psychopathic Records, they quickly built an empire or their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first showcase comp Year of the Sword is easily the best one they’ve put out so far given the strength of the roster at the time, but that’s not to say Songs of Samhain wasn’t a respectable Halloween-themed EP. But to celebrate the 5th annual Attack of the Ninjas, everyone on MNE right now & the 2 acts on their Welcome to the Underground sub-label are uniting as one alongside a couple outside collaborators for an exclusive compilation given away at the event.

The opener “Are You Scared?” by Oh! The Horror & Twiztid is a pop punk/rap crossover telling their haters to say their prayers whereas “Each & Every” by Bukshot, Jamie Madrox & Lex the Hex Master finds the trio jumping on top of a west coast instrumental from Fritz the Cat saying they’re broken & don’t feel fine. Buk & Jamie stick around as they enlist Boondox & Mr. Grey to spit the wicked shit on “Horror” down to the Godsynth & Stir Crazy production, but then Gibby Stites & Blaze Ya Dead Homie come in for the atmospheric “Come Up” saying ain’t nobody doing what they’re doing.

“Let ‘Em Burn” by Anybody Killa, the Axe Murder Boyz, Bukshot, Crucifix & Monoxide come together on top of a trap instrumental from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to get in their arsonist bag just before the futuristic “Space Between Us” sees Zodiac MPrint reuniting to talk about a toxic relationship. “Kill” by Insane E, Jamie Madrox, Oh! The Horror & Redd goes into a rubbery direction with the help of Grady Finch saying no one’s on their level while “Chin Check” by Bukshot, Gibby Stites, Joey Black, Lee Carver & The R.O.C. encourages the listener to mosh despite the out-of-place forlorn production.

The track “We Are the Underground” by Boondox, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Gibby Stites & Oh! The Horror needs no further explanation lyrically diving into a trap/metal fusion whereas the final song “Boohoo” by Gibby Stites, Lex the Hex Master & The R.O.C. ends the comp with a boom bap-tinged shot at their detractors even though the hook is a bit tedious. The actual closer though is just a remix to “Maelstrom” off of Cabal’s most recent debut album The Watchers featuring the Super Famous Fun Time Guys & the Venomous 5.

I don’t expect all that much whenever a label puts out a project showcasing their artists & although I enjoyed the last 2 that MNE has put out, I’m a bit torn on this one. Some of the collabs on here come off to me as natural, but then there are others that seem hamfisted & in no way shape or form am I trying to be disrespectful to anyone because I’ve given a good share of positive feedback on the label’s output throughout the years like with /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ & Krimson Crow.

Score: 3/5