King Iso – “ghetto psycho” review

Omaha, Nebraska emcee/producer King Iso is back after 23 months for his 7th LP. Coming up as a protege of San Diego chopper Twisted Insane, he would only drop first 2 albums & The Insanity Plea & Autophobia under Brainsick Muzik. Shortly after, they had an unfortunate falling out & it prompted Iso to put out his next full-length DeMenTia independently in 2018. However, I was thrilled to see him sign with Strange Music the following spring & his debut on the Kansas City powerhouse World War Me has quickly become one of the label’s best albums ever. Get Well Soon as well as 8 P.M. Med Call & iLLdren all went on to be equally well received, taking us on a trip through the mind of a ghetto psycho.

“Law 6126” starts with a dedication to the ghettos worldwide talking about having to prove to the state of Nebraska that Iso isn’t mentally insane over a self-produced cloudy trap instrumental whereas the deranged “Element” discusses the environment he grew up around. “Butcher Knife” featuring Snake Lucci blends trap & rock talking about being in the middle of the map with pistols on their laps while “Hell’s Architect” featuring Matt Phoenix finds the 2 talking about keeping life in those who need them.

Starlito appears for “Giving Down” hoping to succeed for the sake of their seeds & after the “Top of the Morning” skit, “Check” gives off a ghostly trap vibe staring in the face of death to say “aye that’s twin”. “Beat Box” throws it back to the g-funk era a bit talking about those envious of his name ringin’ the way it’s been while the hyphy-tinged “Crash Out” featuring E-40 after the “Gas Station” skit finds the 2 speaking of uncontrollable anger.

“S.D.G.A.F. (Still Don’t Give a Fuck)” featuring Kuniva aggressively unites the pair so they can talk about giving 0 while “Trip” heads for an eerie trap direction instrumentally explaining the ways of craziness life has to offer. After the “Checking In” skit, “Bloody” radiates a doomsday atmosphere that I find to be suiting going through shit he wants to forget while the smoky “High” talks about smoking the finest blunts.

JB’s appearance on “Bad” doesn’t do a whole lot for me & nor does the topic of his woman’s attractiveness while “Concrete Boxspring” featuring Don Trip only slightly improves despite the theme of keeping their souls in tact. After the “On the Way” skit, “Travis O’Guin” gives his flowers to the Strange Music CEO himself & the founder of it’s subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment while “Talk to Me” explains to his woman that he’s going ghost to count paper.

“Normal” starts ghetto psycho’s final act by assuring that it’s usual for all of us to have our unusual quirks while the title track embodies the core theme of the album over a booming trap instrumental with some keys. “Against the World” takes a moment to deliver a heartfelt lyrical tribute to his whole entire family & “W.O.O.T.S. (Writ Out Of The Script)” featuring Taebo tha Truth ends with both of them advising not to be omitted from the game plan.

Pushing himself out of the darkness & ignites his own light, ghetto psycho simultaneously embraces King Iso creating his own sound handling the production much like the rest of his discography except he’s incorporating more live instrumentation & adding his own unique sauce to any different style of beat you’d want from him. Conceptually, what he considers to be the most important work of his career engages in lyrical homicide on a massive scale whilst his mask of sanity is slipping.

Score: 4.5/5

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Saigon – “Paint the World Black” review

Brooklyn, New York emcee Saigon finally releasing his 6th studio LP entirely produced by Buckwild under It Goes Up Entertainment distributed by Strange Music & Virgin Music. Breaking out in the early 2000s off his debut mixtape Da Yardfather, it wouldn’t be until 2011 when he would make his full-length debut by dropping The Greatest Story Never Told under Suburban Noize Records. The album would spawn a sequel to fulfill his contract with the Spade the following year & then a final installment on his own imprint Squid Ink Squad Records in 2014. He returned from a 6 year hiatus in 2020 by signing to It Goes Up/Strange & dropping the STREETRUNNER-produced EP 777: The Resurrection & fulfilling that deal on Pain, Peace & Prosperity the next spring. Following a quick trip back to The Jordan Era under Payday Records last spring, Da Yardfather’s linking up with Buckwild to Paint the World Black under It Goes Up Entertainment alongside Strange Music & Virgin Music.

“Yardfather Talk” after the “Over the Break” intro opens up with some horns & a guitar talking about his music being too analytic for critics while “Write Back (Hear Me Now)” after the “Dear God” skit working in some sampling to acting the exact same things he did last time. “Well Wishes” fuses gospel & boom bap talking about wanting nothing but the best for those who turned on him leading into the “Meet Raymond Riches (Fame & Riches)” skit.

We get a soul sample chopped up on “Whose 4 da Young?” providing words of wisdom to the youth & Saigon doing this music shit for them prior to the passionate “My Child” pleading God for him to let his kid grow up in the world due to the state it’s been at these past 8 months. “No Witness” featuring Benny the Butcher hooks up a dope flute sample throughout talking about being O.G.s on the lowkey while “2000Now (Crowd Go Wild) starting the 2nd half by showing us how he likes hip hop to sound.

“Toxic Love Story” blends pop rap & R&B together for a look at a relationship where he & his girl are constantly arguing with each other over & over again but after the “187.4 FM DJ Titty Toucher” intermission, “Bare Necessities” talks about his altruism contrasting the greed that these so called “ballin’” artists are so overcome by & “Dying Never Goes Outta Style” tells the story of a child running wild.

After the “Let’s Talk About Love” skit, “Any Love” winds down the last few minutes of Paint the World Black observing a whole lotta jealousy these days asking if there’s any love left in the hearts of the population & the closer is a sequel to “Yardfather Talk” talking about opportunity knocking at his door. Only for it to be Raymond Riches, who introduced himself during a skit midway through.

The Jordan Era was a big improvement over Pain, Peace & Prosperity as a love letter to the mid 80s/late 90s except Paint the World Black raises the stakes exactly how I thought he would because it moves 777: The Resurrection behind itself for the right of becoming Saigon’s best project of the 3 he has put out since signing to the It Goes Up Entertainment subsidiary of Strange Music. From the lyricism to the production, he & Buckwild are merely doing what they felt was normal to them & pulling it off excellently.

Score: 4.5/5

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Matt Phoenix – “Still Dreaming” review

Kansas City, Missouri rapper, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ & audio engineer Matt Phoenix releasing his full-length solo debut. Formerly a frontman for Anti-Crew & Sage N Sour, he has since become an in-house producer for Strange Music in recent years & later signed to King Iso’s newly Project Be Well Inc. distributed by the Strange subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment as a recording artist. Interestingly enough, Matt wants to make it clear he’s Still Dreaming only 24 hours from It Goes Up finally making up for the new Saigon album Paint the World Black produced by Buckwild getting continuously delayed.

After the “Awakening” intro, the self-produced title track fuses industrial hip hop with pop rap talking about him trying to keep a smile on his face when it’s harder than it seems whereas “Meltdown” switches things up with an explosive trap metal song & the screamed vocals can’t help but remind me of the late LINKIN PARK frontman Chester Bennington. “Let Me Be” featuring King Iso finds the 2 looking to do it their own way over a piano instrumental while “Primetime” featuring Joey Cool & Ubiquitous talks about being on their grind dabbling with trap.

“Sacrifice” wraps up the first leg of Still Dreaming giving off more pop rap energy talking about rather facing destiny than live off of someone else’s time leading into “Sober” featuring King Iso reunites for a poppy trap metal crossover hoping that they’ll kick the habit of drinking alcohol some day. “Unconditional” raps about criticisms of him writing for the Hell of it when he’s clearing his vision while “Lost” sings over some crescendoing guitar work that he feels stray.

The most surprising feature on Still Dreaming is none other than the Snake & Bat original and Ear House Inc. co-founder Krizz Kaliko during the poppy “I’m Not a Robot” exploring the struggle of feeling inadequate in a relationship filled with all kind of technological metaphors while “Identity” finishes Matt’s debut album with a synthpop button singing about him feeling like he’s a completely different person than he once was & that he’s ready to open his eyes.

From producing for the likes of former Strange Music acts like the previously mentioned Krizz Kaliko or the CES Cru to some or their current signees like Joey Cool or Jehry Robinson, it’s been shaping up to be a huge month for the Kansas City indie major & Still Dreaming emphasizes Matt Phoenix’s artistry to newer heights whether be his vocals fluctuating between rapping, singing & screaming or the eclectic production.

Score: 4/5

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¡MAYDAY! – “Justus” review

Miami, Florida trio ¡MAYDAY! surprise-dropping their 9th studio LP albeit the first under their very own label ¡MAYDAY! Music distributed by It Goes Up Entertainment & Strange Music. Formed in 2003 by keyboardist/guitarist Plex Luthor & emcee Bernz, the duo released their self-titled debut in the fall of ‘06 before adding 4 more members into the fold: emcee/producer Wrekonize, bassist Gianni Ca$h, percussionist NonMS & drummer L.T. Hopkins in 2009. Together, they would begin to rock the underground off 2 EPs & their sophomore album Stuck on an Island. This would catch the attention of Kansas City veteran Tech N9ne, who signed the group to his independent powerhouse Strange Music in 2011. They would go on to cement themselves as a flagship act on the label’s roster off critically acclaimed projects like Take Me to Your Leader, Thrift Store Halos, Believers & Future Vintage. However since 2016, ¡MAYDAY! has maintained it’s current lineup consisting of Wrek, Bernz & NonMS. Their first album as a trio Search Party was a decent sequel to Stuck on an Island & the heavily reggae-influenced South of 5th was slightly better, but Minute to Midnight wound up to easily be ¡MAYDAY!’s best in 6 years. They have since remained tied to Strange by forming ¡MAYDAY! Music & signing a distribution deal with Strange Music co-founder Travis O’Guin’s own subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment. Now as far of The Thinnest Line series, the independently released first installment is my favorite & the follow-up backed by Strange was simply decent. Minute to Midnight was a return to form for them & are returning a little over a year after The Thinnest Line III to drop Justus.

After the “Top of the World” intro, the first song “Just Us” produced by NonMS starts us off by asking what will happen when it’s only them left whereas “Black Lemonade” talks about refusing to ever ride the wave at any point in their career. “Unapologetic” reunites with Gianni Ca$h & Plex Luthor behind the boards to discuss their aptly mentioned mindset leading into the whistling “Acting Grown” talking about them simply acting grown & the inner child basically.

“Misinformed” goes for a bit of a melodic rap rock vibe observing coming down quicker than that of a middle just before the heavily melodic “Cold Shoulder” reunites with former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to sing about hoping one doesn’t forget now. “No One’s Around” gets back on on the rap rock tip telling everyone to turn up & get down, but then the acoustic “Silver Linings” featuring Mike SB finds them driving in the late night.

The song “Ain’t for Them” nears the conclusion of ¡MAYDAY!’s official It Goes Up debut responding to those saying that the group has been aging firing back by pointing out the mere fact of the world changing by each & every day that goes by while “I Don’t Wanna Know” featuring kaub decently brings a tropical flare to the table. “Ceilings” featuring Mike SB ends with them assuring that hard work does pay off in the long run.

All the singles we’ve dropped since starting ¡MAYDAY! Music as a fully independent venture has lead us to this moment & their debut under the It Goes Up/Strange distributed imprint retains everything that made the group so beloved within the underground scene to begin with the in-house production or Mike SB improving on his feature game & the versatility that they’ve always been known for whether it be rap rock cuts or the pop rap tracks.

Score: 4/5

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unConventionAl KingZ – “UKMF (AZ2KC)” review

The unConventionAl KingZ are a duo from Phoenix, Arizona consisting of High Deafinician & Lowkey tha Wizard known for their unique fusions of hip hop, rock music, country music & funk music. They appeared on The Bootleg Kev Podcast around this time a year ago to kick a freestyle that was so dope, that Strange Music founders Tech N9ne & Travis O’Guin signed the duo to their It Goes Up Entertainment subsidiary for their official full-length debut album following a total of 6 singles.

“Kingmaker” produced by Lowkey tha Wizard is a rap rock intro letting everyone listening know as to who the fuck they are whereas “I’m Down” takes a funkier vibe instrumentally talking about being down for whatever. “Round Me” featuring Taebo tha Truth finds the trio getting together to tell those who have negative energy they can hit the bricks whilst elevating while “Run Away” gets goes rap rock once again talking about making a runaway.

Mario Casalini brings a more playful vibe to “Up, Up & Away” showing a boastful side to the duo lyrically just before “Shadows” featuring Joey Cool & Lex Bratcher shows the rap rock influences once more talking about a free woman you can find in every city. “Ashes in the Wind” passionately maintains the fusion of hip hop & rock expressing the plans that were previously made burning, but then “Mexico” blends country rock & rap homaging the country it’s named after.

“Brown Skin Cowgirl” keeps the sounds of the previous cut in tact talking about the type of woman who’ll drive you wild while “Feeling Me” wanting to know why certain people can’t keep it real with either one of them. “Enemy Lines” asks who exactly does everyone else think they’re fucking with while the trap-rock hybrid “Execution” featuring Big Doobie & Tech N9ne talks about no one being able to handle the death of the condemned.

King Iso appears for “Iron Addicts (The Anthem)” venturing beyond rap rock in favor of rap metal as the trio pretty much give a middle finger to the concept of rehabilitation while “I’m Free” featuring X-Raided talks about the trio each having a strong sense of freedom. “We the People” featuring Lex Bratcher & Wrekonize points out not knowing what tomorrow brings watching out for evil while “U.S.A.” salutes those who’ve fought for our country whether it be past or present.

“Hustlin’” soulfully shows off the KingZ’ continuous grind referencing 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, United Football League (UFL) co-owner, TKO Group Holdings board of directors member & $7 Productions co-founder The Rock who appeared on the developmental NXT brand’s New Year’s Evil V last month while “W.A.D.S.A.N. (Work All Day, Smoke All Night)” featuring New Oracle talks about the relatable theme of keepin’ it movin’ & getting stoned at the beginning & end of each day. The song “Mary Jane” shows appreciation for marijuana over a trap rock instrumental while “The Way It Goez” talks about the industry turning friends into foes. “On My Mind” concludes the LP by melodically admitting they didn’t think they’d get this far.

It totally makes sense for a group as unique as the unConventionAl KingZ to sign with It Goes Up Entertainment & Strange Music because UKMF (AZ2KC) captures their whole style stronger than their Bootleg Kev freestyle did. Their production shows influences of all 4 genres that helped their name grow bigger in the underground, both past & present Strange Music artists all fit in with the duo fluidly & their songwriting makes their case as a dominant force in Arizona hip hop.

Score: 4/5

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¡MAYDAY! – “The Thinnest Line III” review

Miami, Florida trio ¡MAYDAY! preluding their upcoming 9th full-length LP albeit the first under their very own label ¡MAYDAY! Music distributed by It Goes Up Entertainment & Strange Music with their 5th EP & the 3rd installment of The Thinnest Line trilogy. Formed in 2003 by keyboardist/guitarist Plex Luthor & emcee Bernz, the duo released their self-titled debut in the fall of ‘06 before adding 4 more members into the fold: emcee/producer Wrekonize, bassist Gianni Ca$h, percussionist NonMS & drummer L.T. Hopkins in 2009. Together, they would begin to rock the underground off 2 EPs & their sophomore album Stuck on an Island. This would catch the attention of Kansas City veteran Tech N9ne, who signed the group to his independent powerhouse Strange Music in 2011. They would go on to cement themselves as a flagship act on the label’s roster off critically acclaimed projects like Take Me to Your Leader, Thrift Store Halos, Believers & Future Vintage. However since 2016, ¡MAYDAY! has maintained it’s current lineup consisting of Wrek, Bernz & NonMS. Their first album as a trio Search Party was a decent sequel to Stuck on an Island & the heavily reggae-influenced South of 5th was slightly better, but Minute to Midnight wound up to easily be ¡MAYDAY!’s best in 6 years. They have since remained tied to Strange by forming ¡MAYDAY! Music & signing a distribution deal with Strange Music co-founder Travis O’Guin’s own subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment. Now as far of The Thinnest Line series, the independently released first installment is my favorite & the follow-up backed by Strange was just decent. However since Minute to Midnight was a return to form, the latest entry had to be better in my mind.

After the “End” intro, the first song “Hate to Love You” is an incredibly catchy pop rap opener to The Thinnest Line III cooked up by NonMS coming to terms how hard it is to admit that they’re in love with these individual partners whereas “Warning Signs” takes the acoustic route thanks to MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 talking about having fun pretending what they had was permanent. “Pull Up” has a groovy self-produced instrumental as ¡MAYDAY! & Mike SB refuse to stop until they’re in the car with the windows down as Mike gives the weakest feature of the 2 but I still liked it, but then the futuristically funky “Last Night” picks things back up asking what you doin’ out here tonight. “At Least We Tried” shifts into summery turf refusing to say goodbye & “Hit My Line” featuring Trizz concludes The Thinnest Line III with an atmospheric trap flare advising to give ‘em a call.

This recent installment of the Miami trio’s trilogy has to be the best since the first one & it’s more than enough to hold fans off until their ¡MAYDAY! Music debut album because much like Minute to Midnight, what we have on The Thinnest Line III is another example of their recent output continuing to improve. The production’s more consistent than The Thinnest Line II’s was primarily due to letting one of their best collaborators handle 4 of the 7 tracks leaving the other 3 being in-house mixed in with versatile performances from ¡MAYDAY! themselves & 50/50 features.

Score: 4/5

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The Brazy Bunch – “Written n Blood” review

The Brazy Bunch is a duo from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of A-Wax & King Iso. We’ve heard them a couple times throughout the year with songs like “At All” by Taebo the Truth or even “Bag Up” & “Blemish” off of A-Wax’s latest solo projects but after a small debacle revolved around the pair’s full-length debut Written n Blood getting pulled within hours of it’s initial release over the spring due to proper procedures not being followed by Iso’s current contract with Strange Music, they managed to work everything out with Travis O’Guin & officially drop it under the It Goes Up Entertainment subsidiary of the renown Kansas City label.

The acoustic/trap-tinged title track opens things up about how it’s their lives whereas “Ran Up” works in some sirens to speak on being chased by the cops. “Helpless” is a guitar ballad saying that money multiplied their problems referencing Terence Crawford just before the spacious materialistic ode “Slimy”.

Meanwhile on “Spain”, we have The Brazy Bunch somberly talking about revisiting the past even though it’s hurtful leading into them telling motherfuckers to get out of their feelings for the misty “Mad For”. The pianos on “Go Brazy” are pretty cool as they come through with a riot starter, but then “Measure It” serves as an ominous coke pusher’s theme surprisingly.

“Tears Dry” has a minimal beat going on about their bitches try’na fix what isn’t broken while “Time” is a much more downtrodden cut detailing going from their harder days to where they are now. “Flooded” continues the darker vibes saying they can’t scrub the blood on their hands whereas “Corrode” is an atmospheric cut about being paranoid that everyone is with the feds.

The keyboard passages on “So Strange” fit well given that they’re telling us that fame came with a cost leading into “Omaha”, which is a decent lil homage to their hometown. The song “Trip” is a cloud rap banger about never wishing jail on their brothers while the penultimate track “Fuck It Up” atmospherically details getting these bitches to trust them again. “Packin’” finally ends things with a foreboding theme about running up checks.

If you’re expecting more of that World War Me shit, then you’re gonna be disappointed. However, I think this is a solid debut nonetheless. King Iso’s production goes into more of that trap shit than he did on the last album & the chemistry with A-Wax is pretty unique as well.

Score: 3.5/5

Saigon – “Pain, Peace & Prosperity” review

Saigon is a 43 year old MC from Brooklyn, New York who broke out in the early 2000s off his debut mixtape Da Yardfather. However, it wouldn’t be until 2011 when he would make his full-length debut by dropping The Greatest Story Never Told under Suburban Noize Records. The album would spawn a sequel to fulfill his contract with the Spade the following year & then a final installment on his own imprint Squid Ink Squad Records in 2014. He returned from a 6 year hiatus last summer by signing to Strange Music’s new subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment & dropping the STREETRUNNER-produced EP 777: The Resurrection almost right after but here we are 7 months later with Saigon’s 4th full-length album.

After the DJ Kayslay intro, the first song “Head Blown (Vitabudz Theme)” talks about vibing until his head is gone over an instrumental that hawks back to 80s electro while the track “2 for $5” makes multiple comparisons to the titular deal over a bountiful beat. The song “My Gun” talks about being strapped at all times over a boom bap instrumental with some sirens while the track “Blessings” pays tribute to those murdered by the system from Mike Brown to Sandra Bland over a bereft beat.

The song “People Next Door” talks about the person living next to him getting laid down the night before over a cinematic instrumental while the following track is a pointless remix to “Mechanical Animals” off of The Greatest Story Never Told 3: The Troubled Times of Brian Carenard. “The D” with Jay Varcity is a gross, lovey dovey disco tune while the song “Warm Honey” is almost as painful to listen to except the production on this one is more silkier.

The track “U Do Understand That, Right?” With Axel Leon finds the 2 talking about partying all night over a jazz/trap infused beat while the song “We Don’t Need You” talks about cutting off punks in his life over a Satanic instrumental. The track “Same Ol’ Me” talks about how he hasn’t changed after all these years over an inspiriting beat while the song “U Don’t Know Me” is a catchy bop calling out those who think they know everything about him.

The track “Buss It Down” with Bam Vito is a terribly written strip club anthem backed by generic instrumental while “The Streets” talks about how it ain’t no joke in the hood over an organ-laced beat. The track “It Goes Up” with Rough finds the 2 talking about firing at their squad if they take food out their mouths over a boom bap instrumental with some choir vocals while the song “Deeper” with O.T. the Real sees the duo talking about how deep they are over an exultant beat. After the “Saigon Speaks” skit, “The Co-Op Cipher” teams up with Cassidy to get on the battle tip over a sullen instrumental. He also takes the time to announce 2 more albums coming later this year, one produced entirely by Buckwild & the other with Jahlil Beats.

Even though I prefer 777: The Resurrection, I still think this is a solid album. There are joints on here that felt out of place like the “Mechanical Animals” remix & that cringey disco joint, but Saigon can still rip up mics like it was nothing & the production is pretty tight for a good deal of it.

Score: 3.5/5

Saigon – “777: The Resurrection” review

This is the 2nd EP from New York veteran Saigon. Despite being around for 20 years, it wouldn’t be until 2011 when he would make his full-length debut by dropping The Greatest Story Never Told under Suburban Noize Records. The album would spawn a sequel to fulfill his contract on Subnoize the following year & then a final installment on his own imprint Squid Ink Squad Records in 2014. However after a 6 year hiatus & a new deal with Strange Music’s new subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment, Saigon is enlisting STREETRUNNER for 777: The Resurrection.

The EP starts off with an touching sequel to the 2006 loosie “Pain in My Life” whereas the next song “Promise Ring” is an empowering heart to heart conversation with Saigon’s daughter over a glamorous instrumental. The track “Bullets-19” talks about gun violence over a boom bap beat with a perfectly incorporated sample while the song “Spooky” speaks on the rap game over a nocturnal trap beat.

“The Motherfuckin’ Effect” with Kool G Rap sees the 2 showing off their rapping prowesses over a harmonious loop while the penultimate track “Lil B.I.G.” is wordplay galore over a beat that has a bit of a 9th Wonder feel to it. “The Middle Finger Song” disses to a wide range of people from Saigon’s father to Hot 97’s Ebro Darden backed by a soulful instrumental.

If you wanna hear an East Coast legend make a strong comeback, then you’re gonna love this as much as I do. Not only does Saigon sound refreshed, but the way he brings a unique perspective to all the problems we‘re facing in the world today. As for STREETRUNNER’s production, there are A LOT of soul samples on here & he incorporates them into each song very well.

Score: 4.5/5