Ari Lennox – “Vacancy” review

Ari Lennox is a 34 year old singer/songwriter from Washington, D.C. introducing herself off her debut mixtape 5 Finger Discount & the debut EP Ariography. The latter of which resulted in J. Cole signing her to his Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records, where she would put out 2 more extended plays Pho & Away Message as well as the debut album Shea Butter Baby. Fulfilling her Dreamville obligations with her sophomore effort age/sex/location, she’s dropping off her 3rd studio LP to begin this new era of her career.

“Mobbin’ in D.C.” begins with this neo-soul intro produced by Elite singing that she’d cut off everybody around her for this guy she’s been talking to whereas the title track combines hip hop soul & contemporary R&B thanks to Jermaine Dupri & BoogzDaBeast wanting her partner to fill this gap in her heart. “Pretzel” goes for a laidback vibe courtesy of both Cardiak & Wu10 singing for her man to flip & fold her in bed just before “Under the Moon” fuses pop soul, neo-soul, doo woo & the Motown sound magnificently sampling “I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos.

Moving on from there, “High Key” gives off some trap soul undertones yearning to be this guy’s freaky lullaby leading into the contemporary R&B/trap crossover “Twin Flame” asking the person Ari’s with if he loves her the way she does him. JD flips “You’re What I’m All About” by New Birth during “Soft Girl Era” wanting to embrace the youth subculture aesthetics popularized that Ariana Grande popularized until singing about how “Deep Strokes” through her soul gets her high.

“24 Seconds” gets the 2nd half going luxuriously letting her romantic interest know he has that much time left to come get her ass while “Cool Down” heads for a more atmospheric direction instrumentally singing about showing her appreciation for whenever the person she’s been romantically involved with touches her patiently. “Horoscope” packs a bunch of clever zodiac sign wordplay into this tropical 4 & a half minute trap soul cut while “Wake Up” gets back on her bullshit after discovering her man has been seeing another woman behind her back, lying that he was alone when he’s been texting the other hoe.

The song “Company” featuring Buju Banton nears Vacancy’s final moments teaming up experimenting with reggae & R&B expressing a desire for their respective lovers to comfort them while “Dreaming” sings about seeing an ex of hers whenever she has dreams in the evening, wishing she could see him again so they can hold hands sitting on top of a roof & hitting a jacuzzi later. “Hocus Pocus” containing co-production from DJ Camper finishes the album confessing it’s too soon for her to want this man to be hers as much as she does.

I’m very happy Ari Lennox was finally able to get out of her Dreamville deal considering that she was constantly airing out her grievances towards them for shelving her music & Vacancy makes it’s case for being Ari’s greatest body of work yet, making it worth the 34 month gap between this & age/sex/location. The smooth contemporary R&B & neo-soul production feels reminiscent of Shea Butter Baby’s & the constant theme throughout Ari’s career of new beginnings or starting over takes on a whole new meaning of itself.

Score: 3.5/5

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42 Dugg – “Part 3” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper & singer/songwriter 42 Dugg back with his 5th mixtape. His breakout debut EP 11241 Wayburn in 2018 would catch the attention of both Yo Gotti & Lil Baby, who jointly signed him to their respective labels Collective Music Group & CBFW Records shortly after. Dugg’s profile continued to grow in a year later when he dropped his debut tape Young & Turnt, which was followed up last year by the sequel Young & Turnt 2& the mature Free Dem Boyz. He returned last summer dropping 4eva Us Never Them, closing out the 11241 Rayburn AND the Young & Turnt trilogies combining the final chapter of both throughout Part 3.

“I.D.B. (I Done Been)” moderately starts off talking about his experiences of previously being shot past muhfuckas whereas “Fake Friends” produced by 30 Roc taking shots at those specific type of people. “It Is What It Is” featuring Lil Baby & Rylo Rodriguez finds the trio talking about the real ones always catching Ws leading into “No Fakin’” featuring EST G reunites the 2 so they can give off more gangsta rap vibes lyrically although the Republican line at the end of EST G’s verse seems kinda tacky.

Reaching the halfway point, “Still on Dat” featuring G Herbo trades verses with one another without the need of a hook portraying the gangsta lifestyle once more just before “Thick One” featuring Skilla Baby joins forces over a Helluva beat talking about their preference in women. “We Not Done” makes it clear he’s still trapping’ even after his music career has taken off continuing to sell bricks & pints while “To the Side” featuring Glorilla employs a back-&-forth delivery again, except I like it more than “Still on Dat”.

“Going Through It” winds down the last few minutes of Part 3 taking a more introspective approach to his songwriting, talking about missing all of his friends & children admitting that he has no idea if he’ll get the chance of seeing a couple of them ever again while “It Get Deeper 3” featuring Doughboy Clay finishes with a Detroit trap cut where they’re sharing the microphone & trying to triple their bags since street money’s the only thing either one of them have come to know.

Being somebody who considers 42 Dugg to be amongst the greatest CMG signings alongside Glorilla & Mozzy, I have to admit Part 3 being the conclusion of the 11241 Rayburn and Young & Turnt series left me somewhat disappointed considering some of my favorite songs appear on those earlier installments although it’s very much average at best. I commend him for revisiting the concepts of that earlier material, but the overabundance of guests & some of the production choices can be somewhat spotty.

Score: 3/5

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TiaCorine – “Corinian” review

Winston-Salem, North Carolina rapper & songwriter TiaCorine coming off some of her biggest singles with an official sophomore effort. Blowing up earlier this decade with her debut mixtape The Saga of 34Corine as well as the debut EP & full-length debut I Can’t Wait, her last EP Almost There marked Tia’s major label debut after signing to Interscope Records & is looking to make her biggest waves yet with Corinian following a couple successful teasers.

Saweetie appears for the decent pop rap/trap intro “Pretty” talking about their bank accounts saying heavy as well as having too many men & bitches wanting to end them because of it whereas the 3rd & my favorite single “Ironic” makes up for it from the pluggy Kenny Beats instrumental to the more deadly lyricism. “Buttercup” crosses over some synthesizers & guitars from Kenny talking about being a pop star prior to “Lotion” featuring Flo Milli letting those who don’t know how shit goes around their parts.

“Fall in Love” was probably my least favorite single of the 3 although I do appreciate the funk-soul sample approaching the concept of love the same way she always has in the past while “Cutting Ties” cloudily talks about switching sides like it’s a remix severing all associations with the person she has in mind. “High Demand” featuring Smino trades verses with each other for a romantic pop rap duet leading into “Was Hannin’?” featuring Wiz Khalifa advise us to put your money where your mouth is.

Meanwhile on “Booty”, we have Tia taking aim at a bitch who stays doing anything except minding her own business while the lead single “Different Color Stones” produced by Pooh Beatz talks about being stacked up nowadays & for anyone broke to back the fuck up. “La La La” attempts at pulling influences from Latin trap & resulting in one of Corinian’s weaker moments while the 2nd single “Ate” boisterously talks about nobody being able to take her spot.

“Backyard” featuring J.I.D was another single that I was highly impressed with whether it be Hit-Boy experimenting with trap metal or the sexually energetic chemistry between both MCs while the cloudy trap fusion “Crush” refuses to put anyone before her money. “Iced Out Kirby” minimally paints images of her materialistic lifestyle & once “Damn Right” featuring Pouya shuts down those who ain’t about it, “Impossible Girl” closes with her giving it all she’s got.

Finishing a trilogy that I Can’t Wait began & Almost There bridged, Corinian lets the world inside of TiaCorine’s very own metropolitan utopia balancing grit & vulnerability to realize her full-potential almost halfway through the decade. Showcasing her sharp lyricism & capturing her evolution since signing to a major label, she playfully yet powerfully steps fully into the artist she’s always envisioned herself to be amassing some notable guests & producers along the way.

Score: 4/5

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Destroy Lonely – “</3³” review

The 3rd mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely finally arriving in time for fall. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 9 EPs & a couple mixtapes since originally breaking out through SoundCloud in 2019 prior to Playboi Carti signing alone to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records to surprise drop his last tape No Stylist in light of his ongoing tour with fellow label-mate Ken Carson last summer followed by the full-length debut If Looks Could Kill. Love Lasts Forever was disappointing in comparison & See U Soon </3 would make great improvements paving the way for </3³.

“ain’t hard” starts the tape with Lone & Bugz Ronin telling us that it ain’t that hard to be a boss & that the rest of his crew is merely getting started whereas “risk” flexes that he doesn’t need a stylist to this very day, hence the project that made him popular amongst Opium fans alike. “see no evil” produced by Cxdy of Internet Money Records & Vanguard Music Group boasts of him living the Top Floor life while “no pressure” flexes that he keeps 2 hands on the steering wheel.

As for “stfu”, we have Lone advising everyone around to him to keep their mouths shut entirely leading into “show u how” askin’ if he’s putting up whatever he’s gonna put down. “top flo” reunites with Clayco for a successor to “ss” off of A Great Chaos leading into “kansas” talking about moving like a demon & sending anyone who tries to snatch his chain to God.

“screwed up” ends the first half of </3³ with a homage to the late DJ Screw while “party n get high” gets the 2nd act of the tape going by talking about wanting to do those 2 things. “leash” finds Lone trying to put his ego to the side for a woman who can’t be tamed over a Toom instrumental while the single “jumanji” talks about moving so quickly to the point where everyone else behind him finishes last.

Meanwhile on “not the mayor”, we have Destroy Lonely flexing that he’s counting up green as if he went to Yale prior to “blowin’ smoke” linking up with Rafmade to talk about smoking weed in a black & white Maybach in addition to being overly locked in with his team. “kool on ya” makes it known that he’s cool with anyone who’s cool with him while the 2-parter “soooo high” talks about the way his money makes him feel.

“open it up” featuring Ken Carson gives us a taste of what’s to come from their collaborative mixtape calling for the mosh pits to be opened whilst paying respects to the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne while “leave u out 2 dry” caps off the tape with Lone talking about being too good for this chick he’s been speaking to. Serving as an epilogue, “what’s it gon take?” samples “The Way That Wind Moves” by Sons of the Morning telling all his homies he misses them.

Starting the deluxe run, “with my bitch” talks about riding around the whip with his girl while “sipped too much” admits to consuming more lean than he should’ve. “hide it” talks about going days without eating & sleeping searching for peace & after “exorcist” with Nosaint compares his chick to Sexyy Red, the final bonus track “rose gold ice” once again gets back to the habit of sippin’ on some sizzurp.

For me: The biggest flaw Love Lasts Forever had going for it was easily the production was more lackluster than If Looks Could Kill & No Stylist. Fortunately for us, </3³ resolves that issue & lands behind Music for the best project we’ve gotten from the Opium camp all year. Mostly because it’s a return to the sound of Destroy Lonely’s earliest material & it’s topics take on an introspective tone.

Score: 4/5

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untiljapan – “BornUnderPunches.” review

Here is the 6th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist untiljapan. Putting out his last 5 EPs & landing a feature on “light ice” off Sk8star‘s 2nd mixtape whole new meaning, it wasn’t until his own full-length studio debut album Safe Travels where he established himself as an up-&-comer in trap, emo rap, cloud rap, alternative R&B & neo-psychedelia that landed him a contract with Interscope Records. His sophomore effort Trompe-L’oeil almost 3 months since it dropped has become one of the most beloved trap albums of the year, uploading BornUnderPunches. on SoundCloud without any warning.

“SoClose” starts with a rage beat talking about being here to take the throne & all the hoes whereas “NeverForget” doesn’t shy away from admitting he’s got lot of drugs running through his body & wanting money instead of rules over a CXO instrumental. “AcceptingMyFlaws” produced by Clayco & OPM BABI finds himself wanting this woman he’s been seeing to be truthful for once while “SayPlease” talks about feeling like he’s living every day the exact same.

To begin the 2nd half, “Showin’” samples “You’re Always on My Mind” by SWV keeping rounds of guns & sluts on him while “FuckedUpPeople” talks about the people he grew up around. “GunPowder” speaks on seeing somebody for who they really are while “PeopleNeverChange” talks about his gang going crazy in the back. “RealFunk” finishes BornUnderPunches. sampling “Cha Cha Slide” by the late DJ Casper cooking down those playing with fire.

Rather than sticking to the rich lusciousness than made Trompe-L’oeil the beloved major label debut it’s been rightfully hailed as being almost 90 days after if initially came out, the production on this EP sees untiljapan taking a more firm direction regarding the modern trap sounds that’s caused many heads to be turned these past 23 months although the usage of samples are equally impeccable as the predecessor earlier this summer.

Score: 4/5

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J.I.D – “God Does Like Ugly” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee & singer/songwriter J.I.D releasing his highly anticipated 4th LP. Coming up 15 years ago off his debut mixtape Cakewalk & joining the Spillage Village collective lead by the EARTHGANG around that same time frame, he dropped a couple more tapes as well as DiCaprio after that & signed to J. Cole’s very own Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records in 2017. He has since made himself home there with The Never Story followed by DiCaprio 2 & more recently The Forever Story, having God Does Like Ugly precede JIDTRO fully produced by Metro Boomin’.

“YouUgly!” opens with J.I.D taking a ceiling challenge to shows he’s above his peers & a beat switch talking about not being the same as an individual tryna stand out in a crowd amongst fools whereas “Glory” produced by Lex Luger delves into his spirituality. “WRK” was a dope trap single talking about relentless hustle being required to achieve his ambitions while the crooning boom bap crossover “Community” featuring Clipse finds the trio looking back on their early days & wanting to shoot Bob the Builder.

Hearing “Walk” by Comethazine getting sampled on “Gz” was an unexpected welcome talking about car robberies while “VCRs” featuring Vince Staples continues the gangsta rap themes over a Jay Versace instrumental. “Sk8” featuring the EARTHGANG reunites the trio for an Atlanta bass cut talking about claiming your side whether it be north, south, east or west just before “What We On” featuring Don Toliver teams up for a psychedelic slow love song DJ Chase B helped put together.

6LACK appears for the tranquil “Wholeheartedly” wanting their partners to promise that they won’t ever switch up against them while “No Boo” featuring Jessie Reyez gives off a more cumbersome approach asking each other if they’re tired of being alone. After the “& We Vibing” interlude, “On McAfee” slaughters this nasty beat from Boi-1da, Vinylz & Cubeatz warning that nobody’s safe while the 3-parter “On Blue” featuring Mereba talks about finding a place to feel safe.

“K-Word” balances drumless & trap hopping over some strings to address the topic of karma prior to “For Keeps” chopping up a jazzy soul sample talking about the feeling he’s been trying to find for so long hitting him right when it seems like the mojo is gone & nothing having the ability to make him step away from the mic. The album officially finishes with an extended version of “Sun” featuring Anycia, which was previewed during his Dreamville Fest last spring.

Starting the “preluxe” run, “Behold” boisterously talks about giving 2 middle fingers in a picture so they don’t ever forget while “Beau” dustily compares himself to Rambo. “Knew Better” by the BlakkBoyz stands at the dawn of a new era while “Lisa” asks not for his high to get fucked up. “Animals” featuring Eminem fresh off the latter’s appearance in Happy Gilmore 2 with the longest reigning AEW World Champion MJF now becoming the new CMLL Mundial Peso Semicompleto Campeon and the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch reunites for a breakbeat “Fuel” sequel.

Prioritizing lyricism & artistry above everything else, God Does Like Ugly continues to exemplify J.I.D’s status as the best artist on the entire Dreamville Records roster with a supple prelude to JIDTRO & a virtuous successor to The Forever Story realizing the potential we initially heard almost a decade ago emphasizing the previous’ Christian themes. You’re still getting doses of trap, neo-soul, jazz rap & boom bap within the production except the Southeast Atlanta native’s wordplay keeps getting better with time almost a decade since his major label deal got inked.

Score: 4.5/5

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Amaarae – “Black Star” review

Amaarae is a 30 year old singer/songwriter from The Bronx, New York by way of Accra, Ghana independently releasing her 2017 debut EP Passionfruit Summers followed by the 2020 full-length studio debut The Angel You Don’t Know through her own label Golden Child Entertainment. The latter of which caught Interscope Records’ attention, who signed her for the highly praised sophomore effort Fountain Baby & looks to raise the stakes even higher with the 3rd LP becoming the most personal of them all.

“Stuck Up” opens with a reference to Spike Lee ahead of his upcoming A24 Films neo-noir crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest coming to theaters next weekend whereas the boldly audacious “Starkilla” sings about serving ketamine, cocaine & ecstasy. “ms60” contains one of my favorite instrumentals on the album from WondaGurl responding to those calling her stuff like bitch, villain & a controversial diva while “Kiss Me Thru the Phone 2” featuring PinkPantheress samples “Thong Song” by Sisqó for a homage to Soulja Boy.

As for “B2B”, we have Amaarae singing about bisexuality sampling “Maybe” by Toni Braxton just before “She’s My Drug” heavily interpolates “Believe” by Cher asking if one believes in love when sobered off the drugs. The lead single “Girlie-Pop!” however excitingly blends Jersey club, dance-pop, tamborzão, alté & alternative R&B embodying the feeling of a kiss from your favourite person in the world.

“S.M.O. (Slut Me Out)” combines dance-pop, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro & hiplife for a cross between Donna Summer & Control era Janet Jackson while “Fineshyt” makes for the 2nd & final track to be produced by BNYX of Working on Dying sings about her bisexual experienced wanting to buying the woman she’s currently in love with whatever kind of clothes she wants on top of the inability of leaving her by herself.

To get the 4th quarter’s clock winding down, “Dove Cameron” calls back to her previous LP singing about people referring to her as “Fountain” & showing off all the money she’s been making while “Dream Scenario” goes alternative R&B desiring for her lover to tell her what they want. “100drum” finds herself confronting the familiar feeling of paranoia brought on by an unnamed adversary & “Free the Youth” ties it all up by singing about not getting too pumped because she’s fucked up.

Familiarizing myself through her collaborations with the likes of KAYTRAMINÉ or Janelle Monáe to Bas & Childish Gambino, the 2nd major label offering in the Amaarae canon playfully embraces her Ghanaian heritage. It’s production leans heavier towards dance-pop & electronic dance music compared to Fountain Baby additionally pulling further inspiration from funk brasileiro, alternative r&b, house, alté, pop rap, African music, Afroswing, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro, hiplife, Jersey club, tamborzão & alté to confidently explore her identity as an artist & as a woman.

Score: 4.5/5

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Homixide Gang – “Homixide Lifestyle 2” review

Homixide Beno! & Homixide Meechie known together as the Atlanta, Georgia duo the Homixide Gang releasing their 4th LP. Bringing to turn heads off their debut EP Snotty World to the point where trap trailblazer/rage pioneer Playboi Carti made them the 3rd act to sign to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records following Ken Carson & Ken Destroy Lonely respectively, Homixide Lifestyle was a solid debut & Snot or Not wound up being a mixed bag of a sophomore effort. Their debut mixtape 5th AMNDMNT & their previous album I5U5WE5 were both received more favorably, looking to revisit the Homixide Lifestyle for a sequel.

“PC5” is a bombastic trap intro shows love to their homie Problem Child 5 presently incarcerated on murder charges whereas “Redrag” produced by Maaly Raw talks about shooting a lame in his face with the Glock. “1-800-555-OPIUM” blends trap & rock together so they can discuss the money callin’ them just before “Call in Me” links with Toom of Vanguard Music Group so they can compare themselves to walkie talkies being only a call away.

The way “Cherub Rock” by The Smashing Pumpkins was sampled on “5G” was pretty rad refusing to sell their souls while “PB&J” featuring Ken Carson finds the trio talking about their dangerous tendencies & trying to score as opposed to goaltending. “Soul-Fly” works in an unexpected soul sample to discuss their past leading into “Vice City” talking about having bitches go crazy over a Pi’erre Bourne beat.

“Frank Matthews” reflects over a Clayco & OPM BABI instrumental of wanting to become drug lords their whole entire lives while “Red Tails” references the greatest QB of all-time & 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. “Villain” conceptually dissects the Dark Knight quote “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” prior to F1LTHY of Working on Dying sampling “Downtown” by SWV during the highlight “Facet!me”.

ATL Jacob hops behind the boards for “Johnny Cage” referencing the character from the Warner Bros.-owned Mortal Kombat franchise prior to Homixide Mali appearing for “Sober” so the trio can get loaded. “Breeze” has a more laidback approach than what Homixide normally does boasting that they have more stripes on their backs than referees while “Watch Out!” bombastically talks about needing to stay geeked up.

“Going On” heads for a trap metal direction instrumentally to flex the kinda shit that pops off around them while “Headtap” talks about slangin’ the sticks with no aim & leaving blood everywhere. “Free Agents” touches base regarding their lifestyle & after “Shopping Bags” talks about hitting the store with them since they got everything y’all need, “State Property” playfully sees the pair getting money hungry.

To start Homixide Lifestyle 2’s final leg, “$$$ Problems” talks about having no issues regarding their finances returning to a trap metal sound while ”Nun 2 It” assures their respective girlfriends that they’ll go global effective immediately. “Gvnganati” talks about the subject of loyalty remembering the late R5 Homixide & “Nintend0” wraps up the LP with both of them playing the gamble of life using all cash.

Aside from Carti unsurprisingly not clearing his “Chopshop” verse hence why it didn’t make the final cut & Destroy Lonely only doing a hook for “Shopping Bag” instead of a verse, the Homixide Gang’s successor to their debut has a more general hardcore hip hop approach instead of gangsta rap although it very much expands on it’s rage/trap metal production minus the industrial hip hop elements.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pi’erre Bourne – “Made in Paris” review

South Carolina producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer Pi’erre Bourne finally making up for the 15-month delay of his 4th studio LP. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 10 mixtapes as well as a couple EPs & 3 full-length albums. Grails was a short yet highly favorable collection of Pi’erre’s most anticipated solo tracks & with the 2-year anniversary of that passing a couple months back, Interscope Records has at long last allows him to recount a trip to France he made in the form of Made in Paris.

Splitting the intro “Façade” into 2 different sections, the first “Inside” wishes his uncle who did the spoken word intro was still here to see him today & the other “Alone” remembers his late grandmother along with flexing that he has more Soss than Ragu. The warm synthesizers on “Le Vôtre” make for one of my personal favorite instrumentals on the whole entire album talking about 2 hoes never feeling right with him while “Bon Appétit” takes a pop rap turn wanting his partner to eat him alive.

“J.B.H. (Just Being Honest)” featuring Young Nudy pairs the 2 over a syrupy plugg beat feelin’ like people are still doubting them as artists leading into “La Loi, C’est La Loi” trying to tell this woman how much he misses her when she doesn’t wanna hear it over an accordion. “Bleu” hooks up these organs tackling the issue of not knowing he would leave a chick heartbroken after trying to save their love while “Temps de Chasse” talks about not wanting to fuck around with his life anymore & the grass not being as greener on the other side.

The 2nd & final single “Pop” opens up regarding the kind of relationships he’s had in the past blending pop rap & trap with cloud rap while “Retraite” combines the colorfully atmospheric Good Movie outtake “Kit Kat” with an original latter half “Playground” turning up the rage. “En été” digs up these fuzzy synthesizers flexing his gains not that he’s playing his cards right while “Rapunzel” recaptures the themes of lust once again.

“J’adore” addresses his current love life referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級王座, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle & “Toot It Up” might be my favorite song here only because of the plugg instrumental & NOT because of the Timbaland line due to his ongoing AI tomfoolery.

Reaching the final leg, “Violette” meshes these acoustics & quirky synths with one another making reference to Futurama in light of it’s upcoming 10th season on The Walt Disney Company-owned hulu later this summer until “Blocs” proved to be a fun pop rap/trap lead single talking about being on the block when he was younger. “L’amour” offers a bit of a pluggnb vibe speaking to a woman he seems completely dependent on & “Sait” promises to give his girl everything but a wedding ring.

Recharging from all the traveling & barely getting any sleep in part of making sure the visuals were presented in the best possible way he wanted, Made in Paris pushes Pi’erre back in the spotlight with the most vital album of his career & one that captures his growth more than Good Movie did. Inspired by a trip to Paris a year or 2 ago, he takes some ideas that he’s had going far back as 2019 or presently & uses them together resulting in the most consistent LP in his canon since The Life of Pi’erre 4 & The Life of Pi’erre 5.

Score: 4.5/5

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untiljapan – “Trompe-L’oeil” review

untiljapan is a 19 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia putting out 5 EPs & was featured on “light ice” off Sk8star‘s 2nd mixtape whole new meaning until his own full-length studio debut album Safe Travels established him as an up-&-comer in trap, emo rap, cloud rap, alternative R&B & neo-psychedelia. Diorvsyou most recently had untiljapan on “west” off his newest EP Paussus.99 few weeks ago, with the elusive underground trailblazer signing to Interscope Records & generating buzz surrounding a sophomore effort.

“Shoot for the Moon” was a regalia intro shouting out the people in his life who’ve shown him love & the women who took him in whereas “Yayo / White Paris” shakes it up with a 2-parter flexing that he made it snow out in France with all that white powder in the street. “More Moët” hooks up a crooning sample giving a glimpse of his $1M habits prior to “Born 2 Be Great” sampling “Bonnie & Clyde” by Tink talking about working all day.

Moving on from there, “Kiss tha Ring” works in another sample & turns up the bass to tell his girl he’s on a plane to go see her just before “Broad Day” cautions of the people around you who’ll eventually try & fuck you over in the end when you least expect it. “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” gets on some drumless rap rock shit unable to get the thought of homicide out of his head leading into “Watch Yo Back” talks about how sad it is the real players ain’t in the game no more.

“1 Helluva Drug” cacophonously gets in his breakup bag talking about an ex-girlfriend being a memory after she blocked his number while “Pyramidz” produced by Nosaint & ReidMD of Vanguard Music Group was a great cloudy trap single throwing a hint of alternative R&B in too talking about life moving fast with the squad. “Just Breathe” heavily builds itself around a harp & acoustics not showing away from sending shots to the soul if he has to while “Coast 2 Coast” talks about his colleagues being in the east & the west.

The song “Die Like This” begins the final minutes of untiljapan’s sophomore effort albeit major label debut sampling “Larabar” by Wet addressing individuals who didn’t like exactly how hot he broke out in the music scene & “Goodbye, Come Again” closes the LP with a Moses Ideka sample speeding on the highway since he’s in the fast lane along with blowing up the phone of a woman he told he loved on the verge of puttin’ him down.

“Mercedes. 2005” starts the deluxe run sampling “Indecision” by Sampha talking about having a close call & asking where he stands with a flight attendant while “Tightropes” flips “Ropes” by Scott James asking if she remembers the night he said he wouldn’t ever leave her. Clayco chops up “DNM” by Mk.gee & “enemy” by Charli XCX for my favorite bonus track “Old Vices. New Cities.” becoming my favorite 2-parter by a mile & “London Nights” samples “How Many Miles?” by Mk.gee looking for love during the evening riding around.

Often cited as one of the most promising artists in underground trap today, his major label debut elevates himself from his debut celebrating it’s 2 year anniversary this fall & catapulting himself in the same conversations as his Interscope labelmates Destroy Lonely & Nettspend. In terms of production, he completely comes into his own artistically & his feature-less performances are a testament to some of his recent guest appearances.

Score: 4/5

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