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ヘビー級チャンピオン, 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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Destroy Lonely – “See U Soon </3” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely preluding his 2nd mixtape </3³ with his 12th EP. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 11 EPs 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 & hoped See U Soon </3 would at least surpass it.

“Nylon” produced by Clayco throws it back to Lone’s early days for an intro preluding his upcoming 3rd album Drop Dead Gorgeous whereas the cloudy “SDP” courtesy of Cade homages an interlude off Travis Scott’s sophomore effort Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight that I personally find the original version of being far superior to the shortened final version you can hear on whatever streaming platform you use.

The instrumental on “See Ur Face” kinda feels reminiscent of “Tryna Get Down” by Carti despite the themes of love while “Super Serum” keeps his head up after some personal stuff he dealt with in 2024 unbeknownst to the public. “SRTBBL” featuring Ken Carson finishes by showing a back-&-forth chemistry over a beat from F1LTHY of Working on Dying ahead of the 00pium Twins’ upcoming collab tape.

Some feel that Lone’s output since his label deal hasn’t really lived up to the hype </3 & most of those in his fanbase will find themselves satisfied with what See U Soon </3 has to offer giving a taste of what </3³ will sound like when he feels the time is right for him to put out the tape: A return to his roots musically except he has a new perspective of things since he’s gotten older & the popularity continually growing.

Score: 3.5/5

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Mozzy – “Intrusive Thoughts” review

In front of us is the 10th studio LP from Sacramento, California emcee Mozzy. Becoming a fan of in the summer of 2017 off his debut 1 Up Top Akh & he went on to be featured on the soundtrack for Black Panther only 6 months later & drop 6 more full-lengths through his EMPIRE-backed Mozzy Records prior to Memphis veteran Yo Gotti landing him a contract with Collective Music Group/Interscope Records. His major label debut Survivor’s Guilt was more poignant than what Mozzy had done previously & Children of the Slums last spring exemplified growth in his rap career & personal life, although Brash Dummies became a letdown. 8 months later, some Intrusive Thoughts of his are becoming let out in the open.

After the “$FlyMoney2X” intro, the first song “Press Play” is this nervous opener talking about never taking a weekend off & never leaving his dogs despite what people say online whereas “Death Before Dishonor” featuring EST G finds the 2 hoping a gangsta shot them if they happen to die in their sleep. “Under Oath” works in more traffic music influences talking about the slums having a hold of him while “Katta Clips” dabbles with Detroit trap throwing it back to a deep cut in his catalog “Dear XXL”.

Lil Poppa joins Mozzy on the sample-driven “Nightmares” talking about it being hard to sleep at night trying to be doing alright leading into the solemn although much necessary “Keep Callin’ My Name” getting some pain off his chest lyrically. “7 2’s” continues the introspection feeling fed up with seeing graduation pictures whenever he checks the news, but then “Role Model” talks about him not trying to become someone others should take examples from.

“Pac Proud” hooks up these prominent piano chords gives his flowers to the late west coast icon 2Pac & speaks on being unable to forget the trenches since he’s a child of it throughout while “Hella Hyphy” taps in with his Northern California roots embracing the hyphy subgenre Keak da Sneak pioneered. “Who Want War?” featuring Polo G gives off a bloodthirsty trap vibe asking if anyone wants beef with them while “10%” advises to ask him why he signed to CMG.

E Mozzy & Maine Musik appear for “Modify It” catchin’ somebody lying about catching a body while “Reputation Everything” featuring Celly Ru breaks down their name around the street being everything to them. “Blood Diamonds” featuring Peysoh blends nervous music & gangsta rap themes together for a collab that makes up for the latter 2 while Tsu Surf gets his own solo cut with “Free Surf” calling for his freedom. “No Fabrication” finally ends the album brushing off any notion that his life is all cap.

Similarly to his CMG debut, Intrusive Thoughts doesn’t shy away from the trials & tribulations that drive some of Mozzy’s most memorable recordings bouncing back from the mediocre reception of Brash Dummies with his best since Children of the Slums. He continues his journey towards inner peace attempting to silence his unquiet mind & move forward from his traumatic youth in Oak Park in addition to imparting some knowledge on how to keep your mind strong enough to navigate street life & emerge with your soul intact.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ken Carson – “More Chaos” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Ken Carson celebrating his 25th birthday with his 4th studio LP. Breaking out in the SoundCloud scene & becoming a protege of local trailblazer Playboi Carti as one of the first artists to sign to the latter’s Opium Records, he would go on to drop a total of 5 EPs prior to his full-length debut Project X & coming off the mature sophomore effort X which Anthony Fantano infamously gave a 0. A Great Chaos came in the fall of 2023 & is looking to stir up More Chaos.

“Lord of Chaos” featuring Ty$ on the remix starts it off with a rage-inducing instrumental from Outtatown talking about being a master of disorder whereas “Xposed” maintains a hypertrap flare shouting out the 808 Mafia since some forget the fact of him starting out as a member of the prolific trap production team. “Money Spread” blends glitch hop & trap to talk about his paper getting bigger while “Root of All Evil” locks in with 16yrold to discuss his current run he’s on bringing back the rage in the process.

Moving on with “K Hole”, we have Ken over a rattling bass-heavy beat with some horns making a nod to “K Pop” off Carti’s 4th album MUSIC that finally dropped month ago just before “Trap Jump” talks about getting the trap crazier than the greatest basketball player of all-time Michael Jordan himself. The 2-parter “Blakk Rokkstar” produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying dismisses the need for a diamond tester since his ice be blinging out leading into another 2-part song “LiveLeak” making reference to the current TNA World Tag Team Champion in his 3rd reign & the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy of The Hardy Boyz.

“Diamonds” keeps the 2-parters going refusing to trip over hoes who don’t reciprocate his energy while “Dismantled” gives those same bitches a middle finger since he’s getting money regardless. “200 Kash” with Four3va ends the first half of More Chaos airing out a supposed Blood he saw rollin’ with a rival Atlanta gang called the 60 Crips, but then “Down2Earth” talks about vacationing in Japan with a woman he’s sleeping with & encouraging her to bring a friend.

The rage continues to be turned up to higher levels on “Confetti” upping a million times on everyone else who look at him as competition while “Naked” talks about a wack relationship he found himself involved in & preferring to be solo since it’s that stale. “Kryptonite” displays a raunchier side to Ken feeling he & his girl the only 2 people in the world when they link up while “Psycho” opens up about him being as crazy as he is.

“Inferno” reunites with F1LTHY to stay true to himself & not fucking with too many people other than his Opium family while “Thx” confesses his fear of having his heart broken. “2000” represents the year he was came in this world on his 25th born day while “Evolution” talks about the overall growth in Ken since he began making music. Pi’erre Bourne saves another standout beat for last on the uncannily dark “Ghoul” homaging my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant when he hits a buck while “Off the Meter” featuring Destroy Lonely & Playboi Carti serves as an Opium posse cut referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Originally said to come out last Halloween & unsurprisingly being delayed 6 months later since that’s how the whole Opium roster has been moving when you really think about it in the grand scheme of things, More Chaos carries over the ethos of it’s year & a half old predecessor. The prominent rage production showcasing additional influences of pop
rap, hardcore hip hop, Chicago drill, digicore, industrial hip hop & experimental hip hop feels as if it’s a cut above the previous installment & Ken holds off from having any guests to hold the fort down on the day of his Silver Jubilee.

Score: 3.5/5

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2hollis – “star” review

2hollis is a 21 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Chicago, Illinois coming up as 1/2 of Mage Eternal & a member of OSX under the original Drippysoup moniker. Putting out a total of 7 EPs along with a couple mixtapes & 3 studio LPs, his last full-lengths 2 & Boy resulted in him signing to Interscope Records as a solo act this past fall. He’s now making a significantly bigger splash with his 4th album albeit major label debut a week out from the current 新日本プロレス President, former 8-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, 3-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, 新日本プロレス世界TVチャンピオン, 3-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, NEVER無差別級チャンピオン, NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン, GHCタッグチャンピオン, CMLL Mundial Parejas Campeon, CMLL Mundial Trios Campeon & RPW British Heavyweight Champion 棚橋弘至’s final US match.

After the glitchy “beginning” intro, the self-produced “flash” talks about a lot of the things he’s shown the woman on his mind have actually been illusions whereas “cope” homages the “Heroes” title track by the late David Bowie admitting he feels empty & asking if he can be trusted. “you” works in some house undertones telling this woman how good she is at lying to him leading into “tell me” embracing the EDM vibes heavier talking about being afraid of death.

“destroy me” gets back on the hip house tip hoping for this chick to tell him she loves him & needs him in her life just before “burn” pulls a little from the dubstep scene talking about his romantic interest continually sticking in his head. “girl” is a bass-heavy trap dedication to his girlfriend he doesn’t want to lose tryna make sense of her & after the “dream rain sports” instrumental interlude, “nice” samples “Household Goods” by the Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs” showing his generosity.

2hollis maintains an EDM flare on “nerve” admiring the way he & partner are nonconformists but after the “ego” interlude, the rage-inducing “sidekick” talks about never being a close associate or assistant to anyone else. “eldest child” acoustically speaks about what it was like from his experience of being the oldest of 2 children in his family & the minimal closer “safe” pleads for his lover to tell him that he’s safe.

star for a major label debut feels like a collection of feelings & meanings from someone chasing stardom finds it all coming true in the most beautiful ways despite it burning so badly . His production here takes cues from electropop, electroclash, hyperpop, electronic dance music & digicore taking us along for a hero’s journey after starting everyone on the enemies & trials ahead of the upcoming follow-up he’s already working on as announced earlier on during the week.

Score: 3.5/5

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Selena Gomez – “I Said I Love You First…& You Said It Back” review

Selena Gomez is a 32 year old actress, singer/songwriter, producer & businesswoman from Grand Prairie, Texas notable for emerging as Alex Russo on The Walt Disney Company owned Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place & & later the A24 Films crime satire Spring Breakers. She even put out 3 full-lengths Kiss & Tell, A Year Without Rain & When the Sun Goes Down under Hollywood Records with her band The Sceneuntil fulfilling her contract in the form of her solo debut Stars Dance & signing to Interscope Records thereafter. Revival & Rare were as decent as everything else she’s done, except her 4th LP produced by her fiancé benny blanco got my best interest even if people are more upset with Selena for crying on camera because of people being deported instead of Ye formerly known as Kanye West fresh off leaking his own album BULLY openly calling himself a Nazi.

After the titular intro, the first song “Younger & Hotter Than Me” produced with FINNEAS details self-hatred for thinking an ex of her’s was different & wishing she never loved him after moving on to someone younger & prettier whereas “Call Me When You Break Up” featuring Gracie Abrams co-produced by Cashmere Cat & Dylan Brady blends pop rock, dance-pop, synthpop & indie pop offering support to a friend after a breakup. Ojos Tristes” featuring The Marías samples “El Muchacho de los Ojos Tristes” by Jeannette for a Latin pop duet describing a boy with sad eyes finally finding a reason, but then “Don’t Wanna Cry” sings about finding another hand to hold.

“Sunset Blvd” was my favorite single fusing synthpop, bedroom pop, alt-pop, chillsynth & hypnagogic pop recalling her first date with benny just before “Cowboy” featuring Glorilla on the remix gets a little raunchier topically revolving around the themes of intercourse. “Bluest Flame” written with Charli XCX suggests a contrast or an overcoming of a set standard by evoking an intense & powerful feeling wanting to go insane all night leading into “How Does it Feel to Be Forgotten?” expresses hope that one will get to heal 1 day & asking what it’s like having her forget the individual that she has in mind.

After the “Do You Wanna Be Perfect?” interlude, “You Said You Were Sorry” opens up about a dream she had where someone finally apologized to her & them forgiving each other while “I Can’t Get Enough” dabbles with moombahton except it feels more like a J Balvin song. “Don’t Take It Personally” addresses a friend of benny’s that he used to talk to every day & things not being the same since she came around while “Scared of Loving You” is a folk pop, singer/songwriter & indie folk outro telling her fiancé that she’s afraid of losing him.

“That’s When I’ll Care” starts the deluxe run with a Rare outtake indifferently responding to those who’re so consumed about her personal life while “Talk” interpolates “Never There” by Cake yearning to have benny’s arms around her. “Stained” is another leftover from the Rare sessions singing about the damage Selena’s exes have inflicted upon her & the final bonus track “Guess You Could Say I’m in Love” featuring Greg Gonzalez puts their feet down regarding the pain that comes with love.

Growing up watching Selena Gomez on Wizards of Waverly Place during my adolescence, I could never get into really any of The Scene’s output or her last 3 solo efforts since it simply wasn’t for me personally. I Said I Love You First…& You Said It Back however went above & beyond my expectations for it beginning her impending hiatus from making music to focus more on her acting career by chronicling her & benny’s love story from around the time they first met to,l falling in love & looking to what the future holds showing influences of pop rock, dance-pop, synthpop, indie pop, bedroom pop, alt-pop, chillsynth, hypnagogic pop, moombahton, folk pop, singer/songwriter & indie folk.

Score: 4/5

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Playboi Carti – “MUSIC” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper, singer/songwriter, model & Opium Records founder Playboi Carti at long last releasing his 3rd full-length studio LP. Putting out 3 mixtapes & an EP under the original Sir Cartier moniker, he would become an affiliate of the A$AP Mob & sign to Interscope Records for an eponymous 4th mixtape & a groundbreaking debut album Die Lit that became some of the best trap music of the previous decade. Whole Lotta Red on Christmas 2020 birthed the rage scene, signing Ken Carson alongside Destroy Lonely & the Homixide Gang to Opium since. Ahead of Rolling Loud this weekend however, I AM MUSIC is here after it was initially set to be released last year as said in the “2024” single.

“Pop Out” is this rage-inducing opener talking about pulling up to the party only to fuck you up whereas “Crush” featuring honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott fresh off giving the current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes a black eye couple weeks ago accompanying The Rock ‘n’ Soul Connection & produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying works in some synths & hi-hats boasting that a hoe gonna let them smash. “K Pop” originally called “Ketamine” brings this suspenseful atmosphere to the table flexing he stays running checks & holding a knife since it’s a sport while “EVIL J0RDAN” discusses his lifestyle being out of control & referring to himself as an emo thug rather than a rockstar over a Cardo beat.

Moving on from there, “Mojo Jojo” takes it’s name after the primary PowerPuff Girls antagonist saying the only reason everyone’s nice to him now is because of his wealth leading into “Philly” featuring Travis Scott talking about having brand news eyes & noses. “Radar” brings a triumphant flare to the table courtesy of Metro Boomin’ discussing that he should be swaggin’ up just before “Rather Lie” featuring The Weeknd on the hook with co-production from Mike Dean talks about lying to his girl instead of losing her.

“Fine Shit” co-produced by Cash Cobain shows off how bad his bitch is to the point where she can’t even go outside anymore nor can she post online leading into Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West fusing trap & chipmunk soul during “BACKD00R” talking about raising some Dons with all 3 artists he currently has on the Opium roster & the title referencing his infamous Adin Ross stream. “Toxic” featuring Skepta ominously links both of them up observing the poisonous state of a mosh pit & them having too much profit these days prior to “Munyun” rightfully talking about those being unfamiliar with his voice living under a rock.

As for “Crank”, we have Carti telling a lil freak hoe to slow it up for him due to her having a free throat sampling “Fuck Taylor Gang” by SpaceGhostPurpp while “Charge Dem Hoes a Fee” featuring Future & Travis Scott teams up on top of a Wheezy, Dez Wright, Southside & Smatt Sertified instrumental so they can talk about charging these bitches some money. “Good Credit” featuring Kendrick Lamar has these prominent rage undertones cautioning of the hate only getting realer, making fun of A$AP Relli for snitching, addressing the Drake lawsuit & mentioning Los Angeles Lakers player Luka Dončić while the futuristic “I Seeeeee You Baby Boi” talks about his girl wanting to be the one to lie to him.

Travis Scott returns for the psychedelic “Wake Up F1LTHY” that BNYX helped laced with F1LTHY homaging the latter’s producer tag tryna to run some cake up with each other while the bouncy “Jumpin’” featuring Lil Uzi Vert talks about the way these drugs got them feeling. “Trim” featuring Future is a cloudy Mixtape Pluto outtake that he & Barti made with TM88 referring to themselves as the richest in their hoods until “Cocaine Nose” samples “Only U” by Ashanti to make a sick reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane.

“We Need All Da Vibes” featuring Young Thug & Ty$ finds the trio cloudily wants everyone listening to see the way that each of them be ballin’ while the sleeper-hit “Olympian” interestingly dabbles with glitch hop & trap wanting to know why he’s being stared at & shouting out Ricky Hil. Clayco gives “OPM BABI” a bit of a bombastic edge representing the very label that Carti launched 6 years ago & the in-house producer of the same name while “Twin Trim” featuring Lil Uzi Vert feels more like a back-&-forth interlude.

Carti gives his flowers to the New Orleans icon Lil Wayne on “Like Weezy” with a cool sample of “Bend Over” by the Rich Kidz showing up to this bitch off the rocks & fucking up his thumbs after counting so many hundreds while “Dis 1 Got It” mixes some hi-hats with a piano sample feeling like he’s invincible off the percocets. “Walk” homaging the late Bankroll Fresh wants all his Day 1s to know this’ll be a new beginning for them & the apocalypse for his opps while the Memphis-driven “H00DBYAIR” confronting hate he’s received throughout his career.

“Overly” continues to push further towards Music’s final moments with a simplistic Maaly Raw beat built around a piano likening the blue Bugatti he has to Sonic the Hedgehog stunning with the rest of the Opium squad by his side & “South Atlanta Baby” couldn’t have been a better choice of a closer whether it be DJ Swamp Izzo telling Carti that he’s in a whole new category when it comes to his artistry or the lyrics of growing up in the southern region of Atlanta.

Starting the deluxe run, “Different Day” shows ’em what the fuck he’s really been on going for a cloudy trap direction while “2024” was one of my top 10 singles of 2023 from Ye sampling “Jacob’s Ladder” by Yeo to Carti talking about putting anyone who poses as a threat to him on a mural & on the news. “BACKR00MS” featuring Travis Scott reunites the duo 1 more time to liken themselves as the quarterbacks of the rap game holdin’ bombs & throwin’ these hoes & the final bonus track “Fuck on My DJ” talks about women wanting to sleep with DJ Blak Boy.

Obviously it’s gonna be a while until we have the discussion of where this lands compared to both it’s predecessors, but I can easily tell you that Music was worth the continual delays since it feels like a mix of his old sounds & the new ones he’s been trying out since this era of his initially began. Some of the best collection of tracks in the trap & rage subgenres you’ll hear in 2025 showing influences of hardcore hip hop, cloud rap, pop rap & experimental hip hop assembling a high quality list of guests to join him.

Score: 4/5

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Lady Gaga – “Mayhem” review

Lady Gaga is a 38 year old singer/songwriter, actress & Haus Labs founder from New York City breaking out into stardom in 2008 off her full-length debut The Fame after signing to Konvict Kulture & Interscope Records. Her debut EP The Fame Monster & the sophomore effort Born This Way later inspiring the name of the Born This Way Foundation marked her final offering for Konvict, remaining on Interscope for Artpop along with Joanne & Chromatica. Her previous LP Harlequin was better than Joker 2: Folie a Deux itself, coming off the disappointing film for her 7th studio album.

“Disease” draws from electropop, dance-pop, midtempo bass, French electro & futurepop singing about making sinners into believers whereas “Abracadabra” works in elements of dance-pop, electro house, electropop, acid house, hardbag & French electro facing the challenge of life, the challenge of the night & finding the magic in it all. “Garden of Eden” produced by Gesaffstein maintains the dance pop vibes mirroring Adam & Eve’s biblical paradise prior to “Perfect Celebrity” serving as the theme song of the current WWE Women’s Champion & former NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton’s upcoming WrestleMania XLI match against 14-time WWE women’s champion, 2-time NXT Women’s Champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair making some stunning commentary on the manufacturing of those types of celebrities.

Moving on from there, “Vanish Into You” sings about wanting to merge into a singular identity of her partner’s in order to insulate herself from the worldly emotions just before the synth-funk “Killah” pushes herself out of her comfort zone swing herself as a killer both in a literal & metaphorical state. “Zombieboy” remembers her late friend Rick Gernest who passed away in the summer of 2018 with celebration of the nights when fun leads to feeling like a zombie the next morning, but then “LoveDrug” basically comparing the feeling of love to an addictive substance.

“How Bad Do You Want Me?” questions how much her partner loves her in the midst of him dreaming about another person while “Don’t Call Tonight” goes for a warm pop rock flare suggesting not to hit her line unless the targeted individual wants to cause her harm. The irresistibly catchy “Shadow of a Man” sings about not wanting to be under the darkness tonight & to have the light shown to her while “The Beast” shows her evil alter ego telling her partner to colloquially free the beast from within him.

The track “Blade of Grass” dedicates this moment to her fiancé Michael Polansky recalling conversations of proposals in their backyard & simply wrapping a blade of grass around her finger would be her act of grace until “Die with a Smile” featuring Bruno Mars ends fusing pop soul, pop rock, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock really crossing over “Shallow” off the A Star is Born soundtrack & Bruno’s work with Anderson .Paak of the duo Silk Sonic wanting to be with each other during the end of the world.

“Can’t Stop the High” starts the deluxe run mixes electro & grunge music for a harder successor to “Perfect Celebrity” while “The Dead Dance” meshes nu-disco, dance-pop, synthwave, synth-funk & electropop to sing about music’s ability to save the lives of others. The final bonus track “Kill for Love” finishes with somewhat of a spiritual successor to “The Beast” in the sense of the werewolf she was speaking of is replying back to her dismissing the idea of wearing it’s disguise.

Stemming from a period of deep introspection & personal challenges, Lady Gaga celebrates her love for music by bringing together a wide variety of genres, styles & different dreams from a place of joy. The production built around dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, pop rock, synthpop, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock, synth-funk, electro house, acid house, hardbag, French electro, midtempo bass & futurepop results in the most memorable songs that’s she’s written in roughly 15 years embarking on a transgressive journey through genres reflecting her diverse musical influences & life experiences.

Score: 4/5

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