Black Josh – “YSL Bootleg” review

This is the 8th studio LP from Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Black Josh. Known for being a member of the Cult of the Damned & LEVELZ collectives as well as 1/2 of the B-Movie Millionaires & the Super Sag Bros, he would make debut over a decade ago off an eponymous EP & the full-length debut Blick Flair’s Ape Mountain until signing to Blah Records. He went on to drop 6 more albums & 3 EPs under the London label, coming off Today’s the Day a couple years earlier with YSL Bootleg.

“Aw, Here It Goes” by the B-Movie Millionaires starts with them trading verses with each other over a Lee Scott beat fusing g-funk & boom bap whereas “CBA” co-produced by Sumgii talks about refusing to be assed when he tries hard replacing the g-funk elements with hints of cloud rap. “Flu Game” featuring Sly Moon maintains the boom bap vibes speaking of feeling themselves when they’re not exactly feeling themselves while “Drink Champs” featuring Stinkin’ Slumrok shouts out the mishaps making money.

King Grubb appears on the sinisterly dusty “Gutter” talking about good things coming to those who pull the weight just before “Mossy Tree” luxuriously talks about being ready whenever shit pops off, calling back to one of my all-time favorite Cypress Hill tracks. “Council Pop” featuring Sly Moon finds the 2 lyrically going back-&-forth with each other just before “Garfield” heads for a lo-fi direction instrumentally talking his bars wrapping his doubters up in a weed joint to light up, reserving the last 55 seconds for a jazzy synthesizer breakdown.

“Who’s on What” begins the final act hopping over a psychedelic boom bap beat talking about partying until the sun rises while the cavernously hardcore “Don Julio” likens himself to playing the role of a villain in a theatrical film & dismissing rappers who aren’t on Blah’s level of lyricism. “Yes, Man” featuring Sniff has this uncanny boom bap tone talking about getting whatever it is they ask while the closer “Tiger Blood” by the Super Sag Bros drumlessly makes a reference to Charlie Sheen’s infamous 2011 meltdown except they’re drinking Hennessy instead of a tiger’s actual blood.

The only complaint I have regarding YSL Bootleg was it being marketed as an extended play when it’s a dozen tracks & over a half hour long but nonetheless, I’d have to put it above Mannyfornia when it comes down to the greatest entry in Black Josh’s solo discography. Lee Scott’s production here captures Josh’s versatility better than Today’s the Day since it largely stuck to 1 unified sound & the latter sharpens his skills after opening for Danny Brown during the UK leg of the Quaranta tour for this next chapter of a career spanning over an entire decade.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Lee Scott – “La Scala” review

Here we have the 9th EP from Runcorn, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom emcee, producer & author Lee Scott. Introducing himself through The Wrong Bootleg Demo & the full-length debut Put on the Glasses over a decade ago under his own label Blah Records, some may even recognize him for his memberships with the Antiheroes, the B-Movie Millionaires, the Children of the Damned, Cult Mountain, the Cult of the Damned, Group, HAPPYPPL, Hock Tu Down, the Mcabre Brothers, Nobodies Home & the Supergang. Peppered Mouth Soup & Happy Sellout Shit were ok, but the sophomore effort Stupid Poignant Shit produced by Illinformed would become his most celebrated work following it up with Tin Foil Fronts as well as CactusOwlMoonGoat & the High Focus Records-backed Butter Fly being another favorite of mine. Nice Swan would become as beloved although Supergod5000plus & Oh, the Fun We’re Having weren’t as good as that or Lou Reed 2000 or Somewhere Between Here & There. I felt like Friend, Come to Me & Be Saved was alright, coming off Gates Click Shutalong with There’s a Reason for Everything & To Tame a Dead Horse to drop the self-produced La Scala.

“Cabin Roof” begins with a boom bap instrumental Lee made himself confirming Cult Mountain’s disbandment due to Milkavelli scamming people whereas “Acme Point” talks about not wanting to hear any bullshit. “Starfish” speaks of having no time for chit chat if it has nothing to do with the rhyme or if it doesn’t match the money on his mind while “Next Door” asks himself why the individual he’s thinking of wants to be exactly like him & the rest of the Cult.

The song “Merry Karma” continues the final moments of La Scala by giving the B-Movie Millionaires a few minutes in the spotlight responding to people telling them they need to slow down when they’ve only gotten on the road while “Intrusive Thoughts” talks about being too old to play the nuisance & make excuses, yet he still does & will continue to do so. “Cathedral Breeze” finishes by going for a more compositional approach, taking a backseat vocally so he can whip up a ghostly boom bap beat clocking at 72 seconds.

Marking a conclusion to his most recent solo output using these kind of tempos, Lee Scott writes & self-produces another hardcore philosophical ignorant UK hip hop extended play. His production focuses around the boom bap elements There’s a Reason for Everything had ditching the secondary influences of drumless & chipmunk soul for a 17 minute statement primarily themed around what he can only describe as an insatiable & sometimes inadvertently destructive compulsion he has to create.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Sonnyjim – “Ortolan & Armagnac” review

This is the 6th studio LP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 4 more albums as well as 14 EPs & a mixtape, most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income duology produced by Giallo Point or the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc & the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected. However, he’s signing to Blah Records & having its founder Lee Scott entirely producing Ortolan & Armagnac.

“Sakuraba” depicts himself as a former 10 pound drug dealer’s been trying to recover over a calmingly eerie beat whereas “Tommy Lee Scott” featuring Crimeapple finds the 2 kickin’ full-fledged facts together. “Lo Mein” featuring Heems & Your Old Droog strips the drums so all 3 of them can drop hardcore verses without the need of a hook leading into “Dude, Where’s My Car?” talking about building a house using his bare hands & fearing nobody.

Reaching the halfway point, we have Sonnyjim telling everyone to “Pay Attention” over a boom bap instrumental with some jazz influences leading into “Herb McGruff” featuring Beni Laylo & King Grubb bringing the trio together so they can talk about the mafioso lifestyle. “Barry McGuigan” goes off-the-top for 84 seconds over a piano-woven beat speaking of his specialization in enterprising while “Fetch My Mink” talks about doing what he wants whenever he pleases.

The title track featuring Lee Scott spends a couple minutes sharing the mic together dropping hardcore verses over a drumless loop explaining that you gotta defeat the man to become the man just before “Phonejacker” sends it all off with this psychedelically syrupy boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about people trying to call or text him for an entire week when his reasoning for not responding was because he shut his line off, eventually having to get a new number.

If you’re a fan of either of Sonnyjim’s previous output that I mentioned in the opening paragraph or the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa & the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions to name a couple more extended plays from him that I like, you can add Ortolan & Armagnac to the same A/S tier rankings of the Birmingham artist’s discography. I wouldn’t put it above White Girl Wasted either, but an entire full-length with him over Lee Scott production wound up becoming as dope as I would’ve thought.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Lee Scott – “There’s a Reason for Everything” review

Lee Scott is a 38 year old MC & producer from Runcorn, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom introducing himself through The Wrong Bootleg Demo & the full-length debut Put on the Glasses over a decade ago under his own label Blah Records. Some may even recognize him for his memberships with the Antiheroes, the B-Movie Millionaires, the Children of the Damned, Cult Mountain, the Cult of the Damned, Group, HAPPYPPL, Hock Tu Down, the Mcabre Brothers, Nobodies Home & the Supergang. Peppered Mouth Soup & Happy Sellout Shit were ok, but the sophomore effort Stupid Poignant Shit produced by Illinformed would become his most celebrated work following it up with Tin Foil Fronts as well as CactusOwlMoonGoat & the High Focus Records-backed Butter Fly being another favorite of mine. Nice Swan would become as beloved although Supergod5000plus & Oh, the Fun We’re Havingweren’t as good as that or Lou Reed 2000 or Somewhere Between Here & There. I felt like Friend, Come to Me & Be Saved was alright & he’s giving us his 8th EP almost 23 months since Gates Click Shut.

The self-produced “Views Through the Palisade Fence” turns his neighbor’s latest plot into Salem’s lot over this silky beat whereas “It’s Not Cricket” takes the boom bap route instrumentally lets the crowd know he wants to see their hands from the front to the back. “Raleigh Lizard” goes drumlessly talking about the wind being foreboding & traveling by foot until his bike’s fixed while the dusty, lo-fi “Long Gone Johnny” boasts his autobiography reads back to front.

“Council Home Linoleum” gets the 2nd half of There’s a Reason for Everything going advising not to worry about a thing just before “Ambassador Rum” takes a laidback boom bap approach talking about being everything they say you shouldn’t be, including a witty Jedi Mind Tricks bar during the final verse. “Dole Jelly Pot” suggests bringing a water pistol to a fire fight might be a right decision over a soulful sample & “Worra Day” ends with him talking about the best you’re gonna get isn’t a whole lot.

I Can’t Figure Out How I Figured It All Out was alright & Ffsman wound up being a little better, but There’s a Reason for Everything makes up for the mixed reception of both those extended plays with Lee Scott making one that tops Gates Click Shut joining the likes of Stupid Poignant Shit & Butter Fly in being some of the Blah Records founder’s finest material. There are much less features than his most recent output, saving more room for his razor-sharp wordplay & handling the production solely by himself.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Cult of the Damned – “Cultgangrapsh!t” review

Here we have the 3rd studio LP from England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned comprised of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & the sophomore effort The Church Of mostly produced by Nobodies Home was more rawer sonically. However, they’re returning to have Drae da Skimask solely produce Cultgangrapsh!t.

“SCOTTY2COMFY” by Bisk, Lee Scott & Sniff was a psychedelic boom bap intro talking about fathering MCs & breaking boundaries whereas “PUSSY2” by Bisk, Black Josh & Sniff featuring Jack Danz hooks up a piano sample mixed with kicks & snares so they can explain that you can’t be the greatest & a bitch. “FU” by the Antiheroes & Sly Moon eeriely brings the trio together over more key-driven boom bap instrumental for a hardcore hip hop track dismissing the need of a hook leading into “Belly” by Bisk & Black Josh featuring Jehst talking about life being a mess & controlling it all the way.

Stinkin’ Slumrok gets a solo joint of his own on the psychedelically raw “SLUMMY” looking to keep it going until the daylight comes prior to “JIM BEAM” by BeTheGun & Sly Moon going for a lo-fi boom bap vibe speaking of walking down the street & talking in their sleep at night. “DINOSAURFOOD” by Bisk & Black Josh jazzily finds the pair discussing less being more unless you’re short on the drawer while “Highlighted” lets Black Josh hold the fort for 113 seconds talking about having women on his mind over prominent vibraphone flip.

“Coffee, Pt. 2” by Bisk, King Grubb & Lee Scott nears the conclusion of Cultgangrapsh!t with a sequel to a standout off Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Gang Crew Syndicate making it known that there ain’t nobody like them while “Free Tony” by Bill Shakes, Lee Scott & Tony Broke references UFC middleweight Nick Diaz. “Kosher” by Bisk & the Super Sag Bros finishes the album with all 3 of them talking about stealing women & only seeing greatness whenever shutting their eyes at night.

Since its title implies that we could a sequel or 2, this inaugural entry of the Cultgangrapsh!t series could by the weakest of the 3 full-lengths that the Cult of the Damned have given us in almost a decade. That said: I still enjoy it, just not as much as their previous material collectively. Drae da Skimask’s production suits their whole style & Reklews’ engineering, but it kinda feels like a compilation considering the lack of moments where there are 5 members or more appearing simultaneously. I’d also like to hear Reklews & Sam Zircon returning to produce a Cultgangrapsh!t 2whenever the time’s right.

Score: 3.5/5

@legendswill_never_die on Instagram for the best music reviews weekly!

Cult of the Damned – “The Church Of” review

The Cult of the Damned are a hip hop collective from England, United Kingdom consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Properly introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & are getting back together for a sophomore effort.

“Ahem!” begins with this 5 minute posse cut asking over a guitar-driven boom bap instrumental from Nobodies Home if anyone listening has been picking this important signal whereas “Internal Error” talks about being the modern day No Limit Records & everyone else being their children. CLBRKS joins the Cult on “Worship” representing the crew with guns in their hands just before “WTH” finds the B-Movie Millionaires with BeTheGun & Milkavelli talking about them being sick in the head.

BeTheGun brings Sly Moon & Stinkin’ Slumrok besides him on the mic during the piano boom bap crossover “Rotation” realizing the has-beens they used to kick it with amounted up to nothing leading into “Norman’s Theme” talking about them being averagely normal as they come. “AB NO (Red Leicester)” dismantling little league MCs who want to battle them knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance while “W.Y.T.B. (What You Talkin’ ‘Bout?)” ends the 1st half with the Cult posing that very question to people flapping their lips.

“Gung Foo” hits us with another posse cut to start the 3rd quarter continuing to spit battle raps over a boom bap beat while “Skid Row” hilariously disses an adversary claiming to be all the knowledge when they don’t know a damn thing about them at all. “Step” featuring Danny Lover has a bit of a cloudier tone instrumentally talking about their need of succeeding & rewriting the whole game plan while “Good News” featuring Bang On! grittily obliterates rappers with basic penmanship.

To get The Church Of’s last leg going, “Castles” talks about being better off staying inside & smoking weed because of their bent-up whips while “Rear View” fuses jazz rap & boom bap so they can speak of seeing things a lot more clearer than they did previously. “Henny Shots” comes through with a 2-parter where the entire squad’s having a toast & “Brick Pelican’s Lament” finishes by having King Grubb holding down the outro for a solo track of his own.

Diminishing the grime undertones of Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate significantly, the 2nd album from the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor takes themselves beyond their self-titled EP & their previously mentioned debut for a great follow-up to the Cult of the Damned’s early output. The boom bap production’s darker than Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate’s, the inclusion of outside guest appearances was only a matter of time & every member’s verses remind me of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan in that they’re all unique swordsmen of their own category.

Score: 4/5

Bill Shakes – “Eh?” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Blackburn, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom emcee Bill Shakes. Formerly a member of the Children of the Damned collective & currently apart of it’s successor the Cult of the Damned, he would eventually sign to the London imprint Blah Records & have Reklews produce his 2011 solo debut EP For Goodness Shakes. However when I learned that Lee Scott would be handling all of Eh?’s beats by himself, I knew this return for Bill would be special.

The entrancing boom bap instrumental on “Chips ‘n’ Gravy” was a great way to grab listeners’ attention for an intro talking about taking everything he wants for free whereas “Smartprice” featuring King Grubb finds the 2 ruggedly speaking of being the kings of the most high regardless of the altitude. “Tugay Kerimoğlu” shouts out the retired Turkish soccer player of the same name alongside Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne leading into “Once Upon a Time in Blackburn” telling a story taking place in his hometown.

“Yeah Yeah” ends the 1st half of the LP showing a more aggressive side to Bill from the raw beat to the aggressively confrontational lyricism while “Uvavu Kart 64” featuring King Grubb reunites the 2 so they can assure everything will be ok, but it wouldn’t be alright. “The Legend of B-Town” recalls a hot summer day in 2002 where he was hanging out with friends blending elements of funk & boom bap while “11:30” dustily talks about an assailant running from law enforcement after failing to apprehend him.

Jam Baxter appears on “Lost S07E01” making their own continuation of The Walt Disney Company-owned ABC hit sci-fi adventure drama series that ended back when I was in 7th grade while “Funkpellybrick” featuring Sly Moon hooks up a downtrodden piano sample keeping their mind on others’ money. “U What M8” wraps up Eh?experimenting with hip house & probably has the most repetitive songwriting out of another other track I mentioned previously.

Catching onto Bill Shakes through guest appearances on projects like Leaf Dog’s sophomore effort Dyslexic Disciple or Eric the Red’s debut Caught Red Handed, he makes his comeback nearly a decade later with the most personal material he’s ever conceived. The production’s significantly darker than For Goodness Shakes’ was during my final year of middle school & lyrically, Bill uses this opportunity to thematically gives flowers to the Lancashire town that made him the man we hear in front of us today.

Score: 4/5

Supergang – Self-Titled review

The Supergang are a quartet from England, United Kingdom consisting of Runcorn, Cheshire, emcee/producer Lee Scott, London emcee Milkavelli, Sheffield emcee Sniff & finally London producer Sumgii. All of whom have cross paths with each other several times over the courses of each member’s careers, so them forming & introducing themselves as a unit by dropping an eponymous debut EP under Blah Records was understandable given the founder of the label’s involvement in many different side projects.

The g-funk instrumental on the intro “Zap” was a welcoming way to get the extended play started having each of them spitting hardcore verses without the need of a hook whereas “Yellow x Green” goes for a lo-fi boom bap vibe talking about dreaming in only those 2 colors. “GNGLVD” keeps the beats dusty making it clear the Devil Gang’s retaliation has begun while “Do It Twice” rawly yet slowly talks about living life do or die because of the rush they get out of it.

“I Confess” starts the backend of the Supergang’s self-titled debut admitting to pushing drugs on their Twitter feeds & being happier than a kid on Christmas Eve once they’re caught instrumentally experimenting with trap leading into the “Unofficial Anthem” coming through with their own 5 & a half minute theme song. “Bubblewrap” closes up shop with 1 last boom bap beat subduing it so all 3 lyricists can fire off 1 last hardcore verse of their own.

Making it their mission to become the UK hip hop scene’s next unstoppable force, the Supergang’s inaugural musical statement certainly does what everyone involved had set out to do & those who enjoy the Mcabre Brothers’ output or Nobodies Home’s debut EP ADHD Concerto 77 wouldn’t deny it. Sumgii’s production here sticks out amongst the funkiest he’s ever made & Lee handles the verse with both Milkavelli & Sniff by his side rather than either or.

Score: 4/5