Snoop Dogg – “Missionary” review

Long Beach emcee, songwriter, media personality, actor, entrepreneur, record executive & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg reuniting with his mentor Dr. Dre for the 20th studio LP in his discography. His 1993 debut album Doggystyle is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. He purchased Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group days ahead of the Super Bowl LVI halftime person hence why he’s been B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) since, so it’s completely understandable that he & Dre are finally putting out Missionary through a historic joint deal between Death Row & Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records.

After the “Fore Play” intro by BJ the Chicago Kid, the first song “Shangri La” samples “Stakes is High” by De La Soul with the help of Sam Sneed talking about the time coming to start trouble whereas “Outta da Blue” featuring Dr. Dre goes back-&-forth with each other on the mic over Dre, BoogzDaBeast, Dem Jointz & FNZ sampling both “Saturday Night” by Schoolly D & “Scratchin’” by Magic Disco Machine. “Hard Knocks” finds Dre & Focus… flipping “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd to talk about taking the long way, but then the pop rap/neo soul crossover “Gorgeous” co-produced by Blu2th & Fredwreck doing the wildest shit at 6am.

“Last Dance with Mary Jane” featuring Jelly Roll heavily samples “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty suggesting to not even bother asking them giving up smoking weed just before “Thank You” aggressively talks about Uncle Snoop thanking everyone listening for letting him be himself. “Pressure” takes a funkier route instrumentally addressing the pussies getting frisky soon as the Dogg gets let out leading into the worst single “Another Part of Me” featuring Sting sampling “Message in a Bottle” by The Police to talk about both of them keeping money on their mind.

Method Man joins Snoop on “Skyscrapers” going for a triumphant flare altogether telling the young black entrepreneurs to turn their cap into capitalism stackin’ their bread high ahead of the groovy “Fire” referencing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and WWE Hall of Famer, the shortest reigning WWE Champion & former WWE Tag Team Champion André the Giant. “Gunz N Smoke” featuring Eminem & 50 Cent flips “Dead Wrong” by The Notorious B.I.G. also featuring Eminem flexing their street ties in Long Beach, Detroit & New York respectively while “Sticcy Situation” shows a brand new strategy.

“Now or Never” featuring Dr. Dre pushes towards the conclusion of Missionary by shooting for the stars with something so unforgettable & trying to leave something that’ll live forever while the song “Gangsta Pose” featuring Fat Money keeps the gangsta rap vibes going asking where were y’all when they were in the middle of a war & keeping it on regardless of that. “The Negotiator” wraps things up with a poker face & talking about his legacy being everlasting.

By no means necessary did I go into Missionary expecting it to be another Doggystyle like some of the delusional comments that I’ve seen on a few of Snoop’s social media posts in the last few months simply based on the 3 singles we got building up to it. However, I do think it’s on par with Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment in being one of the best albums that he’s put out since his debut. From the lyricism to Dre’s production, you can very much hear the maturity between them both over the last 3 decades & testifies to their longevities in the west coast.

Score: 4.5/5

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Nettspend – “Badass Fucking Kid” review

Nettspend is a 17 year old rapper & songwriter from Richmond, Virginia notable for being an affiliate of both the Novagang & 1c34 collectives. His debut EP KiCKDOOR was released a year & a half ago to mixed reception, although his subsequent singles have been skyrocketing his popularity in the jerk & lowend subgenres to the point where he landed a record deal with Grade A Productions & Interscope Records for his official debut mixtape with an interesting list of production credits that could make it clear the breakout EP.

“Growing Up” starts the album on some atmospheric trap shit talking about not wanting to grow up although Tyler, The Creator did the concept better on “Parade” off his only mixtape Bastard whereas “Leader” goes for a rage-inducing vibe instrumentally thanks to Kenny Beats & Ok talking about trying new things, which I’m all for. “Project Pat” keeps the hypertrap vibes going paying homage to the titular Hypnotize Camp Posse member & “Tommy” flexes his girl street slimin’.

Moving on from there, “Tyla” maintains the rage beats talking about needing a bitch as lit as the mononymous Queen of Popiano prior to “A$AP” incorporating some pianos & hi-hats making it clear to pull up soon as you can referencing Rocky’s upcoming 4th album Don’t Be Dumb. “Fuck Cancer” talks about being on the run like he’s Foxy Brown & his girl being on the daily grind, but then “Skipping Class” sampling “Genesis” by Grimes cuts straight to the chase that he’s done being bad with this specific person.

“Beach Leak” is another favorite of mine from the drill instrumental from Evilgiane to him likening himself to a Gen Z version of Future while “Shut Up” gets back on the hypertrap tip talking about feeling like it’s a glitch considering how big he is on ‘em & being the shit. “Bird Box” bombastically makes an interesting comparison to the 2018 film that it’s named after while “Drop the Blunt” playfully steadily stays smoking dope.

The song “Perc Soda” begins the encore of Badass Fucking Kid talking about lacing his pop with percocets & he’s the baddest kid of 2024 while the energetic penultimate track “Laughin’” wants to know exactly why these fuckboys be bluffin’ out here. The closer “Say Please” finishes Nettspend’s debut fusing cloud rap & drill talking about how it ain’t his fault he got as much swag as he does.

Announcing his arrival officially, the Virginia up-&-comer hailing from the same city that made Pharrell from the greatest production duo of all-time The Neptunes as told in Piece by Piece a couple months ago showcases his promising future with the production ranging rage to cloud rap, drill & trap in addition to Nettspend giving us a look at who some of his influences are musically.

Score: 3.5/5

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Juice WRLD – “The Party Never Ends” review

This is the 5th & final full-length studio LP from Chicago, Illinois rapper & singer/songwriter Juice WRLD. Quickly becoming a prominent face in the emo rap trend in the spring of 2018 off the strength of his commercial debut Goodbye & Good Riddance, this was followed up the next year with the sophomore album Death Race for Love & Juice sadly passed away after his 21st birthday from a drug overdose. Now even though I personally found both of those albums to be average at best before his untimely death, they eventually grew on me & the kid was undeniably talented. Case in point: “Lucid Dreams” & his astonishing 1-hour Tim Westwood freestyle. Legends Never Die during the summer of the COVID-19 lockdowns was a cool little tribute & 3 years after Fighting Demons tied-in with his Into the Abyss documentary nicely, The Party Never Ends is finally seeing the light of day.

The title track begins by hopping over a psychedelic trap instrumental getting the party started whereas “Misfit” gets on his emo rap shit talking about not fitting in. “All Girls Are the Same 2 (Insecure)” featuring Nicki Minaj is this pointless sequel to one of Juice’s biggest hits, but then the bassy “Lace It” featuring Eminem makes up for it reflecting heavily on substance abuse & Eminem giving one of his best guest verse in recent memory discussing the recent deaths of many rappers due to drug overdose.

“Cuffed” produced by from benny blanco, Cashmere Cat & longtime collaborator Nick Mira of Internet Money Records joyously celebrates Juice’s accomplishments as result of his position as an artist up until the point of his death while the cloudy trap joint “KTM Drip” talks about letting in the drugs that’re knocking on his door. “Love Letter” goes for a trippier direction to the beat once more telling the woman that’s on his mind that he wants to be with her forever just before “Condone It” tackles the lifestyle that he lived over this woozy Boi-1da instrumental.

The Kid Laroi who recently starred in the A24 Films teen flick Y2K hops on the mic throughout the entirety of “Goodbye” heading for a minimal sound & looking back on the time that he spent with his late mentor while the guitar-driven “Party By Myself” talks about nothin’ else numbing his pain like the pills & the weed. “Adore You” addresses his issues with love & drugs over more guitars while “Celebrate” featuring Offset has one of the best beats on the album thanks to Metro Boomin’ mixing Raf Simons & Rick Owens together

“Jeffrey” pushes further towards the 2nd half hooking up a rubbery bassline chillin’ with killers referencing Jeffrey Dahmer while “Barbarian” reuses the instrumental of “Red Dead” by Yung Bans, doing it better by professing his affection for codeine referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson. “Best Friend” featuring Fall Out Boy tediously fuses trap, pop rap & a hint of pop rock for a duet asking their soulmates if they could put a yellow diamond ring on their left hands while the upbeat “Floor It” boasts about his drug use as well as expensive materialism & his girlfriend at the time of him recording it referencing 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton.

The song “Oxycodone” has a cool rap rock flare courtesy of Purps talking about the drug addiction that he sadly lost his life to & Spend It” finishes the final body of work in Juice WRLD’s discography showcasing his wealth & the slow vibes that Zaytoven laced make it feel bittersweet. “Empty Out Your Pockets” though initially premiered during Fortnite’s Remix event falling back after needing millions over pianos & hi-hats until it was later added as an official bonus cut.

Shy of the 5-year anniversary of his tragic death in less than a couple weeks, The Party Never Ends fills the void for fans who grew up alongside the beloved rapper’s melancholy melodies in the form of misfit music running at 54 minutes. The familiar themes of doomed love, vicious cycles, numbing out & fighting demons sung in an anguished warble matched with the production blending emo rap, trap & pop rap ensures that the Chicago artist’s legacy will live on forever.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kendrick Lamar – “GNX” review

Compton emcee, songwriter & actor Kendrick Lamar surprise-releasing his 6th studio LP outta nowhere ahead of his Super Bowl LIX halftime show in a few months. Coming up in ‘04 off his debut mixtape Y.H.N.I.C. (Youngest Head N***a in Charge): Hub City Threat (Minor of the Year), he would go on to follow-up with 2 more tapes as well as an eponymous debut EP before breaking out in the fall of 2010 off his 4th mixtape O(verly) D(edicated) & then Section.80 that next summer. Then came him signing to Dr. Dre’s very own Interscope Records imprint Aftermath Entertainment, where Kendrick made himself home at for a decade. Especially given that good kid, m.A.A.d city & To Pimp a Butterfly have quickly become some of the most beloved hip hop albums ever made in their own rights for good reason whether it be gkmc coming off as a hood movie on wax or TPaB delivering relevant social commentary on top of jazzy, funky production. DAMN. however was definitely his most commercial one yet & I don’t listen to it as much as his other work, but it’s still a great listen nonetheless with its phenomenal duality concept. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers fulfilled his Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath contract with a mature 2-disc effort, resulting in pgLang signing with Interscope for distribution. His beef with Drake this year has been absolutely prolific on his side from “euphoria” to my favorite “meet the grahams” & of course “Not Like Us”, returning a week ahead of Thanksgiving by pulling up in a GNX.

“wacced out murals” is this trap intro talking about Drake fans fucking up a mural of his in Compton a couple months ago additionally refusing to squash it with Drake himself, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg reposting “Taylor Made”, feeling like his hard work let Lil Wayne down & Nas being the only person to congratulate him for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show whereas “squabble up” takes the hyphy route instrumentally to talk about walking in & later walking out both sides. “luther” samples “If This World Were Mine” by Cheryl Lynn & Luther Vandross thanks to Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington & Sounwave envisioning a world where pain & conflict are eradicated prior to the calming “man at the garden” talking about deserving it all when he absolutely does.

Meanwhile on “hey now”, we have Kendrick & Dody6 over a ratchet instrumental from none other than DJ Mustard boasting that they’re way too important just before my 2nd favorite track “reincarnated” flips “Made N****z” by 2Pac letting off concentrated thoughts on who he used to be & putting 100 hoods on 1 stage at the Pop Out show this summer. “tv off” serves as this 2-parter with the 2nd half standing out the most explaining that someone gotta do something about these muhfuckas actin’ bad out here with only a few real ones left, but then the atmospherically funky “dodger blue” with co-production from Terrace Martin talks about the westside getting the money.

“peekaboo” featuring AzChike & Dody6 nears the end of GNX by getting back on the nervous tip dissin’ everyone for talkin’ a whole lotta nothing while my personal favorite track “The Heart VI” serves as the real 6th installment of his famous “Heart” series disregarding that awful diss Drake put out this spring, sampling my favorite SWV song “Use Your Heart” to take ownership in a Black Hippy album never materializing & explaining why he left TDE. The title track by Hitta J3, Peysoh & YoungThreat gets together over some keys to talk about being the ones while “gloria” tropically finishes by addressing a fear of forever.

“Not Like Us” was a firm reminder that Kendrick is absolutely more than capable of making fun music rather than certain individual having him pigeonholed as a conscious artist & GNX being his first body of work after leaving TDE/Aftermath if anything expands on that. The production showcases his versatility with a decent list of lesser-known local guests prominently going for a west coast trap vibe with additional elements of ratchet music, nervous music, conscious hip hop, hardcore hip hop & pop rap.

Score: 4.5/5

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Gwen Stefani – “Bouquet” review

Gwen Stefani is a 55 year old singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & actress Fullerton, California most notable for being the frontwoman of No Doubt. She later embarked on a solo career by signing to Interscope Records, seeing huge success following the release of her full-length debut L.A.M.B. (Love.Angel.Music.Baby.) named after her fashion line & The Sweet Escape. A decade later, she returned to positively received This Is What the Truth Feels Like as well as the Christmas album You Make It Feel Like Christmas consisting of covers during the 1st half & original material for the other. However, country producer Scott Hendricks is now joining Gwen for her 5th studio LP.

“Somebody Else’s” starts with this country rock opener singing about her current state mind after moving on from her ex-husband Gavin Rossdale whereas the title track those for more of a traditional country flare explaining that her heart was broken when meeting her new husband Blake Shelton. “Pretty” goes for more of a stripped-back approach singing that she’s bloomed & the acoustic-heavy “Empty Vases” tells Blake that he filled this lonely space of her’s.

Meanwhile on “Marigolds”, we have Gwen going country pop explaining that the tears they cry brought them back to life just before “Late to Bloom” goes for a country rock vibe once again singing about how waiting for Blake took centuries from her perspective. “Swallow My Tears” mixes country, pop & rock into 1 feeling as if the past has been chasing her around wanting Blake with her leading into “Reminders” asking if she can stay in his shade when she’s scared.

“All Your Fault” pushes towards the final moments of Bouquet pulling from traditional country music once again singing about her previous ex-husbands making her feel broken putting all the blame on them & “Purple Irises” featuring Blake Shelton himself properly finishes the LP in the form of this country duet telling each other that they’ve never known I love like the kind they have picking the titular flowers that symbolize wisdom, respect & admiration.

Chock full of 70’s pop-rock radio gems with a prominent Nashville influence, Scott Hendricks helps Gwen make her foray into country music one that’s better than I had originally anticipated because I can definitely see myself going back to this more than This is What the Truth Feels Like or You Make It Feel Like Christmas. Scott was the greatest choice of a producer that the No Doubt lead singer could make since he’s worked with her new husband plenty of times & Gwen’s songwriting throughout is prominently based around her experiences with love.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ella Mai – “3” review

Mitcham, London, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter Ella Mai celebrating her 30th birthday with her 4th EP. Signing to DJ Mustard’s very own Interscope Records imprint 10 Summers Records, her first few EPs Time as well as Change & Ready were all solid preludes ahead of her acclaimed eponymous full length debut studio album. Her sophomore effort Heart on My Sleeve would also be well received & 2 years later, she’s dropping off a 3-track offering produced by Mustard.

“Hearts on Deck” is this infectiously catchy ass opener singing about how this person’s next move better be the best one whereas “One of Those” samples I’ll Be Around” by Gnarls Barkley frontman Cee-Lo Green of the Goodie Mob subunit of the Dungeon Family collective admitting that she can’t get her boyfriend Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics off her mind. “Little Things” ends the EP on some trap soul vibes wanting to take some time thank y’all & just let you know just how you make her proud.

Introducing a fresh chapter in Mai’s career now that her 20s are behind her, 3 finds her & DJ Mustard’s reinforcing her signature soulful sound bringing listeners into a journey of love, connection & self-awareness. It also mirrors her personal growth & evolution, aligning beautifully with the themes of maturity & discovery reflected throughout the course of a 10 & a half minute listening experience without any features whatsoever.

Score: 4/5

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Glorilla – “Glorious” review

Memphis rapper Glorilla following up her 2nd mixtape EhhThang EhhThang with her full-length debut studio album. Breaking out off the viral & undeniably fun single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” couple years ago, the ultimately resulted in local veteran Yo Gotti signing her to his Interscope Records imprint Collective Music Group a little over a week before they dropped their 2nd showcase compilation Gangsta Art a few months later, making her the very 1st female recording artist on the label. Anyways, Life’s Great… continued to have her presence felt & EhhThang EhhThang was ok, but all roads trace back to Glorious.

The intro has a gospel sample mixed with hi-hats that I find myself enjoying quite a bit promising it’ll always gonna be what it is until the very end whereas “Hollon” produced by FNZ takes the crunk route instrumentally talking about these muhfuckas wanting to bag a stupid bitch these days. “Procedure” featuring Latto pulls from the Mobb scene a bit thanks to Supah Mario telling y’all what to do when a bad bitch walk in the room & I found myself appreciating “T.G.I.F. (Thank Glow It’s Friday)” in the context of the LP blending influences from the Memphis scene with cloud rap & crunk music turning up on a Friday evening.

“Whatchu Kno ‘Bout Me?” featuring Sexyy Red works in some synths & hi-hats so both of them can carry on the theme of partying prior to the rubbery “Stop Playing” that Timbaland laced telling everyone listening to stop fuckin’ with her. “Don’t Deserve” featuring Muni Long kinda has this trap soul admitting women all go stupid for men at one point in their lives while “Rain Down on Me” heads for a gospel trap direction showing a spiritual side to herself.

Meanwhile on “Glo’s Prayer”, we have Glo continuing the themes of religion over a cloudy trap beat just before “How I Look” featuring Megan Thee Stallion gives off a Detroit trap vibe instrumentally showing off their mob ties together. The horn-heavy “I Ain’t Going” continues to detail the gangsta lifestyle she lives, but then Bossman DLow has the weakest guest verse on “Step” despite a return to the Detroit trap sound matched with the lyrics about hoppin’ on 385 & do the dash pass these bitches.

“Let Her Cook” hooks up these hi-hats & a horn sample courtesy of both Coupe & Pooh Beatz displaying a complimentary no fucks given attitude during the 2 & a half minute run while the pop rap-flavored “I Luv Her” has a bit of nostalgia to it from the DJ Montay beat to the T-Pain hook. “Queen of Memphis” ties up Glo’s long-awaited commercial debut rightfully taking the throne as the most dominant force in Memphis right now.

Regardless if I wasn’t big on Anyways, Life’s Great… or EhhThang EhhThang, I still considered Glorilla to be one of my personal favorite artists on the entire CMG roster & Glorious dethrones her last 2 projects as the most essential body of work in her career thus far. The glow-up in comparison to the predecessors is real, nevertheless let it be known that the reigning queen of crunk is still hanging out the window with her ratchet-ass friends when the opportunity arises.

Score: 3.5/5

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Destroy Lonely – “Love Lasts Forever” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely returning for his sophomore effort. 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 last summer. Another year passing & the most versatile Opium artist looks to remind us that Love Lasts Forever.

If you really think about it, “Forever” pretty much gets the ball rollin’ in the form of the title track telling us love as well as money & his particular lifestyle being eternal sampling All Saints whereas “Love Hurts” featuring Lil Uzi Vert finds the 2 telling us the downsides of romance going for an atmospheric trap instrumentally. “Luv 4 Ya” was a fine choice of a lead single waking up too rich while “Crystal Clear” goes for psychedelic approach admitting to not understanding that some of his homies ain’t here & bitches being unforgivable. The latter being odd considering the domestic abuse allegations couple months earlier & he responded by saying “hoes mad” & nothing more.

“Baby Money” moves on from there with an atmospheric trap flare to the beat flexing the newest nickname that he’s received prior to the quasi-pluggy “Say That” reuniting with Lone’s longtime collaborator Clayco telling it’s only life as opposed to a lifestyle of it’s own. The symphonic trap vibes of “Pimp Talk” happens to be a cool change of pace portraying himself as an actual pimp just before “Cadillac” shows off the 200 on his neck over a decent FNZ instrumental.

Nearing the end of Love Last Forever’s first half, “Syrup Sippin’” produced by Toom of Vanguard Music Group brags he got weed blowin’ strong similarly to that of a speaker & that he does in fact sip lean while “Lock In” talks about a bitch tryna skate all on his ice thinking she Frozone from The Incredibles trilogy. “Doubt It” refuses to a miss a single dollar further embracing the Baby Money persona, but then “Wish You Well” has one of my favorite beats on the album courtesy of Wheezy so he can talk about the legitimate trappin’ he does.

“Ship Her Off” once again portrays himself as a pimp droppin’ an entire check with his clothes refusing to switch up his flow reconnecting with Cxdy of Internet Money Records while “Honestly” opens up about a breakup wishing an ex-girlfriend of his was still here with him since shit’s been getting real & he’s been bigger than big lately. “Take a Trip” brings an energetic quality to the table getting in his young rich bag for 3 & a half minutes while “Extra High” talks about feeling safe once he’s higher than he normally is.

Meanwhile on “Amerika”, we have Lone over a somber trap sound making everything black & “Thrill” featuring Ken Carson reminds us of the strong chemistry between Opium’s first 2 artists. “About Money” starts the bonus track run making it clear he’s got his mind on the paper over rattling bass while the uncanny atmosphere of “No Worries” co-produced by Taurus shrugs off any concerns. “Pass Me the Keys” lastly closes shop talking about being high to the point where he shouldn’t be driving.

“The Bounce” officially starts the deluxe run rockin’ 5 star since stylin’ ain’t so hard for him over a cavernous trap instrumental from BryceUnknwn while the trippy “Make a Sound” talks about shawty fallin’ in love with Baby Money leaving $100s peakin’ out & his cross is upside down representing the Opium clique. “See You Tomorrow” cloudily sets out to pop a bottle & call up the models the next day since there ain’t no time for sorrow while “Meet the Boss” chaotically boasts that he doesn’t know another young dude out here like himself. “Bling” entrancingly shows off old school bling puttin’ on for the ’99 & 2000s paying homage to the Juvenile hit “Back That Azz Up” servin’ crack like the 80s named after the Cash Money Millionaires single “Bling Bling” off B.G.’s 4th & best album Chopper City in the Ghetto.

“Smoking” remains locked in with all his dogs rockstar trippin’ in a bassy, hallucinatory fashion while “Healing” turns the atmosphere back up referencing UFC Hall of Famer, the inaugural UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, 3-time WWE women’s world champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Ronda Rousey formerly of both TKO Group Holdings divisions. “Forgot My Name” hazily further continues expands on the theme of getting stoned while “LSD” with Y3rip energetically gets extra lit every single night without getting exhausted making bar mitzvah money. “Money Anthem” is a whole theme song dedicated to the bread wanting naysayers to say something leaving their main bitches mouth full unable to say shit & the physical exclusive “Bangaz” featuring Don Toliver otherworldly talks about liking the way their bitches twist their fingers. “Get Right” goes rage again standing tall & “Prettiest One” cavernously cops a Chanel bag for the prettiest bitches.

I’d like to start the final paragraph of this review by apologizing to all my Opium fans reading this because I’m well aware of the fact I’ve gained a following within their fanbase not too long after Anthony Fantano’s scathing criticism for my support of them & even if Love Lasts Forever has it’s highlights, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did No Stylist or even If Looks Could Kill. It’s understandable the most versatile signing on the Opium roster would want to take a break from having Clayco produce a large portion of the LP since they have that Metro & Future chemistry, it’s that a lot of this production feels repetitive as a result.

Score: 3/5

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Lil Poppa – “Wee Are Who We Are” Review

Lil Poppa is a 24 year old rapper from Jacksonville, Florida emerging in 2019 off his full-length debut Almost Normal followed by the sophomore effort Blessed, I Guess to more mixed responses. Heavy is the Head & Half Man, Half Vamp went on to be received more favorably to the point where Yo Gotti signed him to his Interscope Records imprint Collective Music Group & is making Poppa’s 4th album his official major label debut.

“Reintroduction” is a melodically drumless opener to get us started reintroducing himself to the CMG fanbase whereas “Wee” take a summery trap route instrumentally showing a more carefree side to himself. “Stop Grieving” featuring Baby Drill cloudily talks about the fact that bitches will leave with you nothing in the end just before the guitar-driven “Nowhere Fast” confesses to putting up with her bullshit because he wants her.

Meanwhile on “Bust Fire”, we have Poppa turning the rock trap hybrids up to 11 thanks to Dez Wright acknowledging that things’ll never be the same again & he knows it leading into “Feel the Same When You’re Sober” featuring DeJ Loaf has this pop rap ring to it tackling the themes of romance. “Pin a Tail” hooks up these piano chords throughout flexing that he got bulletproof car doors like Pablo Escobar, but then “Untamed” featuring a reunited Boosie Badazz & Webbie breaks down the untamable personalities all 3 of them possess.

“Quiet Storm” finishes the 1st half of the album on some delicate trap shit putting his trust in these guns while “More Than Enough” talks about feeling the stab wound from being betrayed getting deeper. “No Sympathy” drearily reveals he’s the reason these pussies be laid out on the ground while “IDK What to Say” featuring Blac Youngsta & Spinabenz keeps the trap vibes going promising the streets ain’t safe.

Nearing the end of Wee Are Who We Are, the song “Scared of It” hops over keys & hi-hats talking about showing love to those who might bust his head while “Xoxo” gives hugs & kisses assuring he don’t love these bitches. “3am in Baltimore” featuring YG Teck finds the 2 telling us what goes down in the early hours of the titular Maryland city while the 2-parter “New You < I Hate Poppa Too” breaks down the new him & people who hate him. Lastly, the closer “Letter to Jook” finishes the LP with an open letter to Poppa’s homie.

Poppa as of me writing this happens to be the most recent addition to the CMG roster & his debut under Yo Gotti’s mentorship refines himself artistically compared to his earlier material. The southern trap & pop rap production that the Floridian artist became known for gets refined conceptually building itself around understanding & acceptance.

Score: 3.5/5

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Eminem – “THE DƎATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE)” review

This is the 13th full-length LP from Detroit emcee, songwriter, producer, record executive, actor, Shady Records founder, the white guy from D12 also known as Slim Shady or mostly Eminem. What can be said now about him at this point in his career that hasn’t been said already? His debut Infinite produced by his now hype man mR. pOrTeR & backed by Web Entertainment showed his potential with a heavy AZ influence & The Slim Shady EP resulted in a deal with Aftermath Entertainment & Interscope Records. His first 3 major label albums The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP & The Eminem Show are considered by many to be the holy trinity in his discography, but I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with ƎNCORE since it had great production except you can tell he was heavy on the drugs. RELAPSƎ came to grow on me from 2018 onward because you have to get past the accents to enjoy the production & really the last we’ve heard the Slim Shady persona until now. I have a love/hate relationship with RECOVƎRY to for the opposite reasons as ƎNCORE & after the decent The Marshall Mathers LP 2, things have been quite rough for Em in the last 7 years. RƎVIVAL was unquestionably one of the worst albums of the 2010s, which he would vent his frustration with on his last 2 full-lengths KAMIKAZƎ & MUSIC TO BE MURDERƎD BY. 3 & a half years after MUSIC TO BE MURDERƎD BY 2: SIDE B however, Slim’s returning after 15 years to meet his ultimate demise 2 & a half years after the Super Bowl LVI halftime show.

“Renaissance” produced with Luis Resto starts Em’s first offering in 4 years apocalyptically explaining how his music has changed since his sophomore effort albeit commercial debut 25 years ago already in addition to criticizing everyone who was hating on Kendrick Lamar’s final TDE/Aftermath album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers for not having any bangers when it certainly did whereas “Habits” works in some kicks & snares prior to a switch up throwing it back to like mid-2000s era. “Trouble” ruggedly tries to get himself cancelled thanks to Aftermath in-house producers Dem Jointz & Fredwreck just before “Brand New Dance” feels like a successor to “Same Song & Dance”.

Don Cannon & Cubeatz give “Evil” a boom bap flare centered around his Bad Meets Ǝvil persona & after the “All You Got” skit, “Lucifer” reunites with Dr. Dre behind the boards hypnotically talking about TikTok & Twitter trying to get him kicked off. “Antichrist” featuring Bizarre likens themselves to the sons of Satan wishing they’d go off the deep end like Ye formerly known as Kanye West over vibraphones asking if you really want to dance with the devil until a dusty beat switch from Foul Mouth, but then the mR. pOrTeR-laced “Fuel” featuring the future of Dreamville Records himself J.I.D with both Grip & Westside Boogie on the remix goes head-on trap saying all their homies gonna ride with it asking what’ll happen when their fuel runs out & Em dissing Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy. “Road Rage” returns to the boom bap discussing coddled groups in society until a Dirty South switch-up at the end trying to get even & referencing the [adult swim] block of the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network while the lead single “Houdini” serves as a fun sequel to “Without Me” sampling “Abracadabra” by Steve Miller.

After the “Breaking News” skit, we get a devilish rap rock boom bap sequel to “Guilty Conscience” except that Dre isn’t on the mic this time around welcoming himself to his last hoorah bidding goodbye attempting murder suicide while “Head Honcho” featuring Shady/Aftermath’s newest artist Ez Mil ruggedly talks about money coming from their flows getting it on the pronto over some boom bap shit. “Temporary” featuring Skylar Grey serves as a tearjerking pop rap open letter to his daughter Hailie Jade Mathers who just got married to Evan McClintock a couple months ago for her to hear when he’s gone while “Bad One” takes a Middle Eastern trap approach trying to not sound arrogant in any way shape or form brushing off corny white rapper culture vultures like Tom MacDonald.

“Tobey” featuring Babytron of the ShittyBoyz & Big Sean with co-production from Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett was an experimental hardcore trap fusion talking about being bitten by goats rather than Tobey McGuire getting bit a spider & after the “Guess Who’s Back?” skit resurrecting Ken Kaniff, the final song “Somebody Save Me” featuring Jelly Roll bids farewell to the Slim Shady character once & for all asking to be saved from oneself over a flip of “Save Me” off the 2nd & final It Goes Up Entertainment/Strange Music album in Jelly Roll’s discography Self Medicated that benny blanco & Emile both cooked up apologizing to his daughters & being proud of the way they turned out. After a Steve Berman skit, “Kyrie & Luka” featuring 2 Chainz starts the bonus track run letting DJ Premier sample “Move the Crowd” by Eric B. & Rakim comparing themselves to Kyrie Irving & Luka Dončić additionally referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & 8-time WCW World Tag Team Champion Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat while the other “Like My Shit” ends the deluxe calling out those biting his style over a trap instrumental d.a. got that dope supplied him.

Say what y’all want about the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, but I grew up on his first 3 major label albums & both D12 albums. They made me who I am today: And if you including myself whose first concert was Eminem on The Monster Tour thought that RELAPSƎ would be the last time we’d ever hear from Slim Shady, we were wrong because he traced the character’s life story & eventual downfall to the point where I can say what I’ve listened to is a genuine top 5 album in his discography. He discusses where he came from & where he is as we stand today with an interesting musical hodgepodge of ideas & influences. Rest in peace, Shady! Thanks for everything.

Score: 4/5

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