Tag: mixtape review

The Scythe – “Strictly 4 the Scythe” review

The Scythe is a Memphis rap/trap collective consisting of Denzel Curry, A$AP Ferg, Bktherula, Key Nyata, TiaCorine, iloveit!, BEAUTIFULMVN, Oogie Mane, ilykimchi & Swaggyono. All of whom had appeared on Zel’s most recent mixtape King of the Mischievous South 2 & the best example of that being the “Hot One” single despite everyone having their own individually established histories of making music already. Loma Vista Recordings would go on to sign them as a unit right when 2026 began & are looking to make their official debut with a new mixtape succeeding nearly half of it being already released as singles.

BEAUTIFULMVN & iloveit! produce the group’s eponymous intro with TiaCorine & Ferg talking about slicing anyone who fucks with the crew whereas “Lit Effect” by Zel featuring Lazer Dim 700 hops over a murky instrumental from BNYX of Working on Dying to speak of people beefing on the internet because they’re broke. “Phony” with Ferg & Key Nyata featuring Juicy J goes for a Memphis vibe talking about being numbers only, but then “Mutt That Bitch” featuring 1900Rugrat was the only single of the 3 that I wasn’t head over heels for.

“Hoopty” by TiaCorine featuring Smino gets the 2nd half of the tape going by making all the girls going crazy until switching up in favor of a lyrically repetitive outro while the Miami bass-influenced “You Ain’t Gotta Lie” by Denzel Curry featuring Luh Tyler & 454 finds the trio showing off their wealth. “Tan” gives Bktherula & TiaCorine a few minutes for them to shine together talking about heading out for a trip to Hawaii while “Up” by A$AP Ferg featuring Rich the Kid ends with the 2 asking their type of women if they wanna roll with them.

Putting aside the couple underwhelming guest appearances here & there, The Scythe’s inaugural mixtape expands on the creative chemistry each of the 5 artists & 5 producers all bonded over a couple summers ago when King of the Mischievous South 2 dropped & have confidence of them possibly outdoing themselves if they ever came out with a full-length debut. From the Memphis-style trap production that the Working on Dying members/affiliates cook up to every single rapper having a distinctive personality of their own, one of the newest & most popular hip hop crews today have made their arrival.

Score: 3.5/5

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slayr – “Half Blood” review

slayr is a 18 year old recording artist & producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania introducing himself in 2022 off the Lost Files, Destruction & B34 My Creation extended plays. Chaos: B4Gaia, the entire Gaia series, Stay Safe, 17, Enter My Mind for a Second & the debut album HeavenTunes all followed. The latter of which up until this point was considered to be the finest entry in his discography. However, his 2nd mixtape has been getting a lot of love compared to his previous material & a couple of noteworthy guests made me want to give it a shot.

“Love Blur” gets things going with this self-produced digicore intro describing a love blur he had experienced yearning to be the one she wants forever whereas “Demigod” talks about being the son of Zeus over a rage beat & opposing everyone. “Sloppy Joe” colorfully breaks down the nickname for his love interest the way she gives him brain leading into “Never Go Down” shifting towards a sonically quirkier vibe talking about Nicki Minaj being his dream hoe, which isn’t the best look considering she’s been actively protecting predators & more recently burning bridges with the LGBTQ+ community when they’ve literally supported her from Day 1.

ezcodylee appears on “Wipe Yo Nose” so they can serve crack like it’s the ‘80s combining both rage & digicore while “24/7” interpolates the Playboi Carti outtake “XTC (Cartier Lens)” from the Whole Lotta Red sessions talking about a woman who’s in his sights every day & hour of the week. “Phone” feels like more of a TJAYY song despite the Graduation/808s & Heartbreak vibes considering that slayr only appears during the hook, but “Power 4” boldly flips “What I Believe” by Skillet to break down all the things that come with fame.

“Holding” references the Warner Bros.-owned DC Entertainment franchise Hellblazer in the midst of the Paramount Skydance Corporation outbidding Netflix regarding the monopolizing purchase of WB while “Death by MP3” fuses digicore & hypertrap once again talking about making the 808s lose their minds. “The Sky” confesses to his partner that he wants her to focus on her own goals rather than piggybacking or gold digging while “Set in Stone” explores pop rap, rage, rap rock, 16-bit, digicore & new jazz referencing former 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena.

After the “If I Ever” outro, “Brain Fog” starts the deluxe run talking about his indecisiveness while “Hard Knock” interpolates both “On That Time” from Whole Lotta Red itself & “Holding” getting high whilst staying fashionably sharp. My only complaint regarding “Flashout” however would be him using a fascist regime when talking about the presidents in his pockets, which I suppose adds more context to the Nicki line near Half Blood’s opening moments. “Daytona” featuring Lucy Bedroque entertainingly unites 2 of digicore’s biggest artists within the last year to talk about their luxurious ways of living while “Toxic” comes through with a 2-parter admitting he has too big of a heart to fuck with the poisonous type of women.

“Eyesight” melodically reflects on his continued popularity & talking about following your heart while “Brand New” addresses someone who had him in his feelings for far too long as well as switching their energy now that he’s been going up. “Racks” produced by prettifun expresses his desire to see the light before it all gets worse for him & after “Paint a Picture” holds himself accountable for a previous breakup, the final bonus track “Died But Came Back” energetically sends off the tape taking inspiration from EDM to talk about his struggles with relationships & drugs.

HeavenTunes indicated a huge point in slayr’s career where his true artistic potential began to reveal itself & Half Blood takes it even further by crafting what will most likely be considered amongst the greatest mixtapes of this entire decade. The production refines his artistic range making rage, pop rap, digicore, electronic dance music, rap rock, new jazz & 16-bit transitioning into 1 another rather intricately & simultaneously upgrades his performing abilities whether it be the songwriting or vocally. Much like iyrus, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lil Uzi Vert signs this guy to their newly formed Roc Nation imprint Cor(e) when the time’s right.

Score: 4.5/5

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Babytron – “Out on Bond Again” review

New surprise mixtape & the 12th overall from Detroit emcee Babytron. Coming up as a member of the ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also branched out on an impressive solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. But the last couple years was probably his biggest yet landing interviews ranging from No Jumper to even Rolling Stone following the release of Luka Trončić until signing with EMPIRE Distribution later that same month & Bin Reaper 2: The 2nd Coming that same fall. Bin Reaper 3 ended the trilogy with a 2-disc effort, the bootleg Style EP wound up being disappointing & the full-length LP 6 made up for it as did Megatron 2. His collab mixtape Mario & Luigi with Certified Trapper wasn’t all that great either, Tronicles was cool, Luka Trončić 2 did a solid job of recapturing the energy of the original & now he’s Out on Bond Again only 24 hours away from former 3-time WWE women’s world champion AJ Lee ending Becky Lynch’s 2nd reign as WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion at Elimination Chamber XVI.

The title track sets it all off with a Detroit trap beat talking about recently getting caught with a controlled substance in Atlanta, Georgia whereas “Barkin’” includes a line about juggalos, alluding to the fact that Motown Rage fronted by his dad Mr. Sadistic was signed to Psychopathic Records almost 2 decades earlier. “2026” references former The Crash Mundial Pesocompleto Campeon & NXT Tag Team Champion Cinta de Oro leading into “JJ” talking about being a self-made millionaire.

Rio da Yung O.G. joins Tron for “911” produced by Danny G to spit some of that gangsta shit while “USA” talks about visiting almost every state in the country. “Tell Me” makes a reference to both former 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena and former CWA Heavyweight Champion, 6-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, TNA Wrestling co-founder & AEW’s current Director of Business Development Jeff Jarrett.

“Geek Time” featuring 1900Rugrat finds the 2 decently trading a handful of brief verses with one another while “Curtis Granderson” reaches the halfway point experimenting with a funkier vibe instrumentally talking about taking anyone’s money if they’re giving it away. “Goldeneye” refers to one of the greatest Nintendo 64 games of all-time while “iCarly” featuring BLP Kosher displays their chemistry with each other over a Pi’erre Bourne beat, including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson’s fight against former WWE United States Champion Logan Paul’s brother Jake.

Jorjiana appears on the single “Carhartt” talking about their experiences of being Michiganders but once “Offset” combines a cloudy backdrop & some 808s explaining that one’s life would be the cost of fucking with the Dog $hit Militia at large, “Say No to Drugs” hops over an uncanny Jakesand instrumental talking about people living in the past because of discontent regarding their lives in the present day & suggesting those who ain’t benching enough to get their weight up.

“Rice Street” featuring Scatz trades the mic back-&-forth with each other for the entirety of a singular verse referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 7-time WWE world champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker alongside 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 a.k.a. former 3-time WWE tag team champions The Brothers of Destruction while “Wondering” asks himself who’ll be there when shit gets sticky. “IDK?” ends the tape with him confessing to the uncertainty regarding of how he’ll pass.

The original Out of Bond extended play is widely considered by many Babytron fans to be the weakest entry across his entire discography & the sequel makes some slight improvements above it’s predecessor although I wouldn’t put it in the same category as Luka Trončić or the Bin Reaper trilogy. There are only a couple guests that I could’ve done without, but I’d love to hear Danny G or Jakesand produce an entire body of work for him since I feel like they’ve always been able to bring the best out of him & I appreciate that it’s a bit shorter than some of Tron’s latest output.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ricky Hil – “10,000 Grams” review

Ricky Hil is a 35 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Manhattan, New York who happens to be the son of fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. He also has 27 mixtapes & 2 collaborative efforts with Psychopathic Records subsidiary Chapter 17 Records CEO Ouija Macc in addition to forming his own label Limosa Nostra Records, recently signing to Atlantic Records for a distribution deal & had SosMula formerly of the City Morgue make his debut for the imprint Kamp Krystl Lake last Halloween. 808 Mafia co-founder Lex Luger has been said to be returning to fully produce a sequel to 500 Grams for about a year or so & it’s finally dropping ahead of Valentine’s Day weekend.

“Hell Valley” begins by hopping over a minimal trap beat talking about giving a fuck less if he dies because he’s dead already & nobody caring when his day comes whereas “Slut” works in some strings & hi-hats so he can continue detailing the gangsta lifestyle. Things go for a cloudier trap vibe talking about people selling “Pipe Dreams” near him & involving themselves with the drug scene than the club scene just before “U Like Me Dead” pulls from trap metal instrumentally talking about riding a foreign stoned

SosMula makes the first of 3 appearances on the 2nd & final single “Blow” aggressively depicting imagery of gangsta lifestyle together including drug use while “Amerie” blends cloud rap, trap & pop rap to tell the titular character he’s more interested in her friends than her herself. “Sephora” boisterously talks about living life his way giving a fuck he offends anyone just before “1,000 Poundz” featuring Omertà continues the 2nd half of the tape moderately makes it known they ain’t here to play with hoes.

“In God We Trust” featuring SosMula kicks off the 4th quarter demanding to have the the racks through the money machine handed over to them while “Turkey Bagz” featuring Niko G4 finds the 2 talking about having their own set of problems that won’t be resolved. “Oxycontin” featuring SosMula reunited the pair 1 last time making bodies drop with his posse beside him & after “13” featuring Clowny talks about trying to catch a buzz in the middle of the woods out of boredom, the title track atmospherically ends representing all the stoners & the next generation of shooters.

Next month will mark an entire decade since 500 Grams became my favorite Ricky Hil solo tape & I’d still consider 10,000 Grams to be the most I’ve enjoyed his individual output in quite some time even if my expectations weren’t fully met necessarily. The evolved chemistry between Lex Luger’s production & the Limosa Nostra founder’s distinct approach to songwriting can’t be ignored, but it does start to lose steam towards the backend of it partly due to the increase of guests than the predecessor.

Score: 3/5

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IDK – “Even the Devil Smiles” review

Bowie, Maryland by way of Clapham, London, England, United Kingdom rapper, singer/songwriter & producer IDK making his Rhymesayers Entertainment debut with his 5th mixtape. Beginning to make waves in the spring of 2014 off his first 3 mixtapes profile began to significantly increase in 2017 when he signed to Williams Street Records in order to put out a 4th tape IWasVeryBad to critical acclaim. He continued the grind by putting out a debut EP IDK & Friends as well as the full-length album Is He Real? & his 2nd EP IDK & Friends: Basketball County, but the sophomore effort USEE4YOURSELF was very underwhelming. Simple. however fully produced by KAYTRANADA wound up being his strongest body of work to date & F65 was a decent conceptual effort. Coming off BRAVADO + INTiMO a couple Halloweens ago, he’s reminding us all that Even the Devil Smiles.

After the JASON MiLLS” intro, the first song “HALO” produced by No I.D. hooks up some prominent synthesizers talking about how he keeps winning & stays running checks whereas “DEViL” jumps over a Madlib instrumental so he can warn everyone near him to run if they see him walking up to them. “P.O” featuring Black Thought takes the boom bap route thanks to KAYTRANDA beating up the block 24/7 leading into “CLOVER” featuring Joey Valence & Brae talking about the trio wanting to fall in love.

“C.O.P.” shifts back towards a boom bap vibe taking a more conscious approach to his songwriting giving middle fingers to the feds while “S.T.F (START TO FiNiSH)” aggressively sets out to make some paper because he’s a monster with it. “SCARY MERRi” keeps it dusty courtesy of Conductor Williams talking about every day being a holiday to him just before “Cell Block Freestyle (CD On)” drumlessly suggesting he’d make things heavier if his music career don’t take off.

As for “Flakka”, we have IDK talking about not resorting to violence & getting caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time while “MiSOYGNiSTiCAL” combines synths with kicks & snares explaining why he wants his first love to fail. “LiFE 4 A LiFE” featuring Pusha T grittily talks about everyone around their parts knowing neither of them fuck around but after “Everybody Knows :)” points out that we all know a fraud when we see one, “SCRAMBLED EGGS – TBC :(“ spends the last 3 minutes talking about being in situations others haven’t come back from.

Until I get to my closing thoughts regarding Even the Devil Smiles, I want to send my deepest thoughts & condolences to the people over at Rhymesayers Entertainment’s headquarters over at Minneapolis, Minnesota during these weird & scary times they’re experiencing right now. Regarding the music on here however, it’s easily the most I’ve enjoyed IDK’s music since Simple. & makes a great debut for a label that’s been on a run since 2025 that deserves the same respect Mass Appeal Records got. The production is a huge improvement over his last couple solo projects & the guests compliment him outstandingly.

Score: 4.5/5

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42 Dugg – “Part 3” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 3/5

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J Reno – “The Dirttape” review

J Reno is a 39 year old MC/producer from Windsor, Ontario, Canada introducing himself over 2 decades ago off his debut mixtape Ground 0 as well as the full-length debut Unleashed & the sophomore effort The Lunatic’s Back. He would follow it up with 6 more albums preceding Crossworm signing him to Dirtcore Music: Lost in the Dark, Politikilla, Into the Fire, Welcome Home, Blood, Guts & Boom Bap and Me & My Demons. Coming off Misery Coast’s eponymous debut EP this previous Hallowicked weekend, he’s making his official debut under Dirtcore with the inaugural entry of The Dirttape trilogy.

After the “Meet the Maker” intro, the self-produced “Exhumed” begins with an eerie boom bap opener talking about this whole saga of tapes coming with a curse whereas “Kill Flow 2” works in some strings & pianos for a sequel to one of the finishing moments off Lost in the Dark. “In the Ring” featuring Sleep Lyrical embraces the darker vibes even further talking about being undefeated for a reason while “The Juice” shrugs off him receiving hate because he’s got motion when they don’t.

“City of Fiends” talks about a once promising town shaping into it’s current form inhabited by zombies while “Should’ve Been” hints at him committing crimes instead of having a music career because we’re pitiful slaves to the rich. “NBT4LYFE” featuring Krimmy Van Skull decently combines boom bap & horrorcore lyricism despite Krimmy’s verse being alright to me personally while “Kill at Will” talks about acquiring a set of skills throughout the course of time that allow him to murder anyone at anytime.

After the “Voicemail” skit, “FU” contains what could most likely be my favorite beat here sounding like some 90s east coast shit explaining that rappers & their opinions are the only 2 things in the underground that haven’t changed at all while “Stand on Biz” featuring Bukshot finds the pair warning those who don’t take responsibility for themselves they’ll take everything plus interest. “What You Fighting For” goes full-blown rap rock talking about oligarchy prior to him discussing the kind of people who don’t know what it’s like to be “The Man”.

Shaping up to be the most ambitious body of work in J Reno’s solo discography with almost 26 more tracks spread across The Dirttape & assuming the next couple installments are gonna divide those songs, the beginning of this new era in his career makes some major improvements over Me & My Demons almost a couple years ago and it’s a great way for Dirtcore Music to kick off 2026 wiping a clean slate after a difficult 12 months. The production’s mostly boom bap centered other than a couple hints of rap rock & trap, there are fewer guests & the lyrics conceptually introduces us to a character named the Tape Keeper.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Horde – “Paradigm Sync!” review

This is the 3rd mixtape from southern horrorcore superduo The Horde consisting of Boondox & Bukshot. One hailing from Covington, Georgia signing to the Insane Clown Posse’s Psychopathic Records in the mid-late 2000s & the other puttin’ it down for Louisville, Kentucky since ‘97 by founding the independent hip hop label Mobstyle Music. The pair started worked with each other for over a decade now continuing to do so after the scarecrow left PSY to form his very own Krimson Crow Entertainment following his 4th album Abaddon eventually signing to Majik Ninja Entertainment couple years later whether it be their first 2 mixtapes Hell’s Kitchen & Paradigm Shift as well as their debut EP Overdrive or even their work with Claas as The Underground Avengers. Almost 3 years since their debut The End is Nigh, they’re linking back up for a Paradigm Sync! a few days after Izzi Dame became the NXT Women’s North American Champion & hours away from Drew McIntyre becoming a 5-time WWE world champion.

“Like Yuh” produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 opens up shop trading the mic back-&-forth with each other over this chaotic trap instrumental whereas “Fallen” warns those who want them to fail that they won’t stay down, vowing they’ll get back up. “Paradox” goes for a Hellish trap vibe opening the path to war because they stopped giving a fuck just before “I Stay Wicked” featuring Twiztid finds the quartet talking about repping the wicked shit for those who think they’ve abandoned their horrorcore origins.

Reaching the halfway point, “The Vanishing” goes for a boom bap direction seeing it in the eyes of their victims that their demise has come leading into “This Dope” featuring Seuss Mace talking about pulling up with chips on their shoulders. “Nothing” pulls from rap rock a bit talking about nothing breaking them & after “We Can Get Gangsta” paints imagery of the gangsta lifestyle, “Ain’t Going Out Like That” featuring Crucifix & Str8jaket ends on some hardcore shit with a cringey “mumble rap” line coming a decade late.

Assuming that we could get another full-length studio album from The Horde at some point in the future, Boondox & Bukshot begin the new year for the underground wicked shit scene reuniting to make a Paradigm Shift sequel that I could debate is better than the predecessor a little over a month succeeding when the ongoing decade had began. Paradigm Sync!’s production’s a lot harder, it has fewer guest appearances & they lean back towards the gangsta rap themes of Paradigm Shift rather than continuing The End is Nigh’s themes.

Score: 4.5/5

King Chip – “Gift Raps 2: Rapping Paper” review

King Chip is a 39 year old rapper from Cleveland, Ohio notable for being 1/2 of The Almighty GloryUS alongside KiD CuDi. In almost 2 decades, he’s also carved a path of his out by putting out 7 mixtapes as well as a couple full-lengths & EPs with the most recent being the 2023 sophomore effort Charles Worth. For his 9th mixtape however, Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids has locked in with Chip tha Ripper for a sequel to the latter’s most celebrated body of work on Christmas Day: Gift Raps.

“Take Your Turn” begins with a synthesizer-based boom bap instrumental drawing a line between either being with him or standing in his way just before Denzel Curry, Larry June & for some pointless reason MGK all join Chip for the 4th installment of the “Fat Raps” saga. “Don’t Ask Me for No Money” smoothly makes it clear that doesn’t want anybody coming up to him if the only thing they want is the cash while the funky “Jake” talks about not hanging around weirdos.

As for “These Days”, we have Chuck sonically shifting things back to a boom bap vibe so Chip can tell the audience how he’s been living lately just before “Put Your Seatbelt On” rambunctiously speaks of acting wild for an entire weekend. “I’m Like” featuring Symba takes the pop rap/trap direction in general going through their partners’ phones & after the “Cleveland Bih” interlude, “Toss It” pushes the 2nd half forward with an 109 second strip club anthem.

“Poison Around Me” talks about the difficulty of finding something to eat when he’s surrounded by nothing but toxins while “Ice Cold Night (Santa Save Me)” asks for St. Nicholas to come out & pay him for being so good as of late. “Serial Vibe Kiler” vivid takes a couple minutes to the story of a buzzkill & appropriately, the outro serves as a sequel to the original Gift Raps’ closer “The Bio” taking an introspective approach to the songwriting.

Charles Worth marked a decent return for King Chip a couple years earlier, but Gift Raps 2: Rapping Paper celebrates the holiday season with a successor to Chip’s most celebrated body of work that lives up to the hype of it’s predecessor during my adolescence when I was finishing up middle school. Chuck Inglish gives him the most consistent batch of beats we’ve heard the Cleveland artist rhyming over in quite some time & Chip tha Ripper’s at the hungriest he’s been all decade.

Score: 4.5/5

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Eddie Kaine – “12/24: The Night Before” review

Brooklyn, New York emcee Eddie Kaine celebrating Christmas Eve with his 3rd mixtape. Turning heads at the beginning of the decade off his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced debut A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the next couple albums Wonderful World of Kaino & Chosen were both moderately received until the Finn-produced Quincy Street Blues marked a return to form for Eddie in my opinion. Last Exit to Crooklyn was a mature sequel to his inaugural full-length, coming off Crown Me Kaine & the Play for Keeps EP by enlisting Wavy da Ghawd for 12/24 sequel The Nightmare Before.

After the “Winter’s Coming” intro, the first song “Don’t Count Me Out” jumps over a jazzy boom bap instrumental to get us started officially advising that he shouldn’t ever be doubted prior to “By the Window” dustily talking about heading towards another block if shit starts to get hot. “Rare Form 2” serves as a sequel to a highlight off the original 12/24 boasting that his pen’s truly 1 of a kind while “98” talks about the game looking like the late 90s from his perspective.

“No Replacement” works in some strings so he can clarify that he & his squad are unsatisfied living basically leading into “Ace Bailey” incorporates a soul sample to talk about having to toughen up because everyone he grew up around got popped referencing the Utah Jazz’ small forward. “We on It” featuring Wish Master comes together so they can speak of having things good in the US while the “Smoke Break” feels less of an interlude & more like a brief trap freestyle.

Kicking off the final leg, “Cabin Fever / Young Veteran 2” splits itself in 2 different halves & the 2nd part of it most notably picking up where another 12/24 song “Young Veteran” left off thematically while “Never Late” soulfully talks about always being on time. “24” spends the next 76 seconds asking who else out here’s going harder than him & “Snowy Nights” finishes The Night Before recalling the cold winter evenings he spent hustling solely so he could get by.

Celebrating 5 years of 12/24 to the very day, Eddie Kaine recaptures the holiday season themes of The Night Before’s predecessor by reuniting with Wavy da Ghawd for a sequel that takes every enjoyable quality the previous entry had going for it & pushing it forward. Wish Master has the only guest verse since the other 2 features handle chorus duties for their contributions unlike the previous chapter near 2020’s conclusion, but Wavy’s production boom bap production feels like a big improvement above Play for Keeps’ earlier this spring & Kaine does a solid job at recapturing the Christmas themes.

Score: 4.5/5

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