Wildcard – “The Secret Tape” review

Here is a brand new mixtape from San Gabriel Valley, California emcee Wildcard. Coming up almost 2 decades earlier off the debut Dark Night of the Soul, he’d go on to build up an impressive discography for himself from there whether it be The Odyssey & The War or Shadow Work & Change in Cabin Pressure. His last couple albums Western Promises & The Zodiac Project produced by C-Lance have both become his greatest yet, returning to drop off The Secret Tape in time for spring.

“The Natural” comes out the gate with this sample-based trap instrumental explaining that he makes music for those specific kind of people whereas “Take Flight November” aggressively talks about growing up to become a screwup. “Janice Rossi” featuring Celph Titled maintains the trap vibes so they can get on their hardcore shit together lyrically while “Carmona Cocaine Phase” compares being talented & broke to a torture device.

Matty Boy’s appearance on “Ghost Light” was average to me although I appreciate the shift towards a boom bap sound & the reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson leading into “The January Flame” produced by Johnny Slash carrying over the rawness for a dedication to all the kids who’ve been through Hell & back. “Wine” on the other hand talks about all the things he tried to tell the person he’s addressing prior to “Half Moon Bay” finishing the 1st leg of the tape with a cloudier beat refusing to give up.

“Fire Ants” gets the 2nd half going issuing a warning of possibly winding up in prison after getting revenge on one’s enemies while “Abby” occasionally sprinkles some rock undertones in so he can make something that the woman who can be heard at the beginning can dance to. “Hitchcock” talks about another night cruising around his street feeling like an O.G. while “Smallpox” passionately assures that it’s never too late to make a fresh start.

C-Lance hops behind the boards during “Sunny Day in October” talking about not wanting to lose himself to the fray while “Endless August” treads the trap waters once again making something that any abused stepchild can relate to. “Adulthood” winds down The Secret Tape’s last few minutes passionately talking about the hardest travelled road being the changes made to what he knows while “The December Shelter” finishes with him detailing his & his wife’s experiences of having PTSD.

Gearing up for a 4-month national tour set to begin next weekend & lasting until the end of the summer, I wouldn’t consider The Secret Tape to be on the same pedestal as Wildcard’s last couple full-lengths were although that’s not to say I disliked it. It’s less conceptual than The Zodiac Project was & I like that he toned down the amount of guest appearances, but the primarily trap-oriented production feels less interesting compared to that or Western Promises.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pradabagshawty – “5 Problems” review

Brand new mixtape & the 3rd overall from Columbia, South Carolina born albeit Atlanta, Georgia rapper/producer Pradabagshawty. Introducing himself in the spring of 2023 off Bloxk Addiktion, his popularity within the plugg subgenre of trap continued to grow last year by putting out 3 more EPs in 1 Love as well as his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut 10 Freak Ho’s & of course and Forever & After. His last few projects B What You B as well as Home Invasions and Red Flags & Roses have become his most celebrated material thus far, coming off B45P to drop the main course.

“RL Gang” hops over a plugg beat to get things going talking about rocking out a sold out show with all of his homies whereas “I’m Upset” boasts of him having an X on his chest & only doing what he feels is necessary. “Drop Dat Bag” gets back on a lavish plugg vibe instrumentally talking about giving someone some cash only for them to come back & blow it all prior to “Beat It” fusing cloud rap & rage for a nod to the late Michael Jackson’s iconic single of the same name.

b4l.scrap’s appearance on “Hootie Hoo” doesn’t really captivate me that much despite returning to a pluggier sound & the gangsta themes Pradabagshawty’s become known for leading into “My Ho” talking about his girl pulling up whenever she’s feeling horny. “Chopstick” incorporates more hi-hats as synthesizers explain explaining that life’s too short to be pissed off daily just before “Ain’t Wok” talks about missing his high when he’s feeling low.

“Domain Expansion” kicks off the 2nd leg of 5 Problems observing a snake who’s desperate to hang out with his crew over a self-produced beat while my favorite single “I Know” produced by Whyceg talks about treating his bitches like gold & playing it cool the second they turn their backs on him. “I’m Scared” discusses the guy having a yerc waiting for him at their designated spot while “4Ever” references WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion, 8-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, The Crash’s inaugural Mundial Pesocompleto Campeon & アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン Rey Mysterio.

Rounding out 3rd, the song “What I Was Sayin’” talks about the fact he’s done a lot to get his career moving full motion while “Gun Kick” featuring yotti contains one of my favorite instrumentals throughout the tape thanks to Whyceg again doing an average job at depicting the gangsta lifestyle they’ve come to know very well. “Tin Foil” cloudily speaks of staying loyal to the streets after everything he’s done for his streets & after “Night Sight” clarifies to a woman who had her chance to be with him that she filed it up, “Lies” spends the last few minutes talking about his relationship experiences.

B45P still remains one of the weakest things Pradabagshawty has done ever since his Cegular Records deal came to fruition alongside 10 Freak Ho’s, but 5 Problems thankfully makes a couple of improvements although I wouldn’t rank it up there amongst his strongest output like Forever & After or Red Flags & Roses. The argument of him being the greatest artist on the label can still be made, although both guests leave little to be desired & the plugg production’s a tad bit superior than the prelude EP almost 2 months ago.

Score: 3.5/5

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J Reno – “The Dirttape 2” review

Here is the 3rd mixtape from Windsor, Ontario, Canada emcee/producer J Reno. Introducing himself over 2 decades ago off his debut tape 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. His debut for the Grand Rapids label The Dirttape came out a cool months earlier & the bridging portion of the trilogy has arrived.

After the “Press Play” intro, the first song “Consume” begins with this bloodthirsty boom bap beat talking about facing repercussions of playing haunted cassettes whereas “Fuck It Up” goes for a trap vibe instrumentally talking about him not being here to save a soul. ZOT’s appearance on “It’s Hip Hop” doesn’t really do much for me despite the topic of this culture running through their veins while “All In” somberly talks about the rap game being like a casino.

“Catch a Body” ends the 1st half continuing to embrace the influences of trap explaining that social media nowadays would be the new way of giving yourself a lobotomy leading into “Smoke” featuring Dr. Gigglez finds the 2 teaming up for an average stoner’s ballad. “In a Box” featuring Madd Maxxx would be my favorite collaboration of the 4 talking about people trying to pigeonhole them over a horn-inflicted beat just before “Eat You Alive” brings some orchestral influences to the picture warning that the struggle will consume all.

The track “No Compromise” featuring JxmesLxmb rounds out 3 talking about how there isn’t a check big enough for them to sell out & nobody having the power of being persuaded regarding what’s real while “Do Something” hops over some pianos for an attack directed at someone who isn’t anything like him & has no respect at all. “Step Back” ends by taking an introspective approach topically, feeling like a failure at wanting to give the ones he love an easier life than his own origins.

Now that there’s only a couple months left until the concluding chapter drops, The Dirttape 2would have to be my least favorite of this entire saga although the good moments outweigh the bad. Him carrying the concept of the series’ original installment revolving around the Tape Keeper forward & the increasingly varied production are both 2 of the biggest pros this sequel has going for it, but the guest list doesn’t make that much of an impression on me like the previous Dirttape did other than a couple of them.

Score: 3.5/5

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72 Reezy – “Slide or Get Slid On” review

New surprise mixtape from Detroit, Michigan underground trap musician, model & influencer 72 Reezy. Recording music when he was only 6 & becoming distinct in Detroit trap for his numerous flows, he caught the attention of the city’s biggest groups in recent memory the ShittyBoyz signed to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records & became a member of their Dog $hit Militia collective. His debut extended play Drop $hit Militia had its moments, but hearing Danny G was fully producing Slide or Get Slid On & Shadow Wizard Money Gang hosting it raised my expectations significantly almost a week after Izzi Dame became the new NXT Women’s North American Champion.

“Whole Lotta Bullets” featuring VampViolence starts us off by having both of them decently trading the mic back-&-forth with each other whereas “Coffee Cups” picks things back up with a Detroit trap instrumental talking about carrying that exact amount of cough syrup on him similarly to a canteen, which has never been my thing personally. “Get Yo Roll On” includes a great bar towards the halfway point honoring the late Detroit icon Blade Icewood leading into “Militia Bidness” featuring Babytron representing the D$M.

As for “CatDog”, we have Danny G bringing some bells into the picture for Reezy to talk about his preference for bisexual women because he’s a dog while “Chill Damon” featuring LOM Rudy decently brings both of them together to trade verses with each other. I wasn’t head over heels for “Whole Chirp” featuring Pooh Chedda & Plymouth WAN either although I do like the beat, but “Win Slow” picks things back up using some wordplay involving the Warner Bros.-owned Family Matters series.

“Gooner” wraps up Slide or Get Slid On’s last moments boasting that he has more chains than one of hip hop’s greatest storytellers in Slick Rick while “Fast Food” featuring $kid puts a psychedelic spin to the Detroit sound although $kid’s appearance would have to be my 2nd favorite right behind Tron of course. “Bambu” finishes the tape hopping over a rattling bassline talking about his joint being filled with dank & hearing that everyone else has been rolling swishers.

I stand by the praise I’ve given Danny G in the past for his production on TR Dee’s 4th mixtape Crunch Time and $weet-T’s 3rd album $weet & Silent Dan. That said: Slide or Get Slid On wound up leaving me on the fence a lot like WTF Daniel!? did this last Halloween. There’s nothing wrong with Danny’s production since he & Jakesand are amongst my personal favorite producers within the modern Detroit trap scene, although the features leave little to be desired for me other than a couple of them & Reezy’s performances have improved.

Score: 3/5

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billi0n – “Revenge” review

This is the debut mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper billi0n. A member of the ØWay collective, he would properly himself last year off his debut EP Heavy after signing to 10K Projects, he would follow it up with both Bravo Bill & then Not Playin’ in the summer, dropping the other 2 extended plays a couple months apart from each other. I also enjoyed his appearances on The XA Tape, returning 7 months after Not Playin’ looking for some Revenge this Friday the 13th.

“Skyrim” begins with him hopping over a hypertrap instrumental referencing the greatest entry across the entire Elder Scrolls franchise whereas “Elite” fuses hypertrap & psychedelia talking about making the baddest bitch pray to God. “Nøt Guilty” continues to hit us with more rage beats talking about his daughter casually chopping shit up with the glizzy prior to “The Grudge” blending some synthesizers & 808s so he can boast that he’s out in New York City.

Meanwhile on “Sleigh Bells”, we have billi0n talking about how all these muhfuckas can get it & he isn’t referring to the bitches at all just before “Jordan Belført” featuring diamond* sees the 2 throwing red & blue tips out the dumper together. “Max It” featuring Yung Fazo leans towards a futuristic trap vibe instrumentally talking about doing whatever it is they’re charged for leading into “Elephant” wrapping up the 1st leg boisterously breaking down his entire lifestyle.

“Sex Symbol” starts the 2nd half talking about a woman who has some kind of twisted power over men & being at the point in his life where’s starting to get fed up with smoking weed while “Impressed” fuses trap & chipmunk soul to explain that his pockets lookin’ stereotypical in as well as having no time to be tender. “10 Floors Up” featuring Diorvsyou & Tezzus finds the trio mobbin’ over an industrial trap beat while “Conditions of Love” talks about being ready to fuck heads up.

To kick off the 4th quarter, “Daydreamin’” chops up a blissful vocal sample admitting that he fell asleep whilst sippin’ paint because he stays dirty while “Spendin’ a Ticket (Adin Ross)” energetically talks about having no problems smacking up anyone who snitches on his crew. “Bonus Freestyle” goes off the top for a minute & a half flexing that he copped a bag without checking the price of it while “Øn the Road” saves the tape’s final verse for Pz’, praying that all the mobsters & killers keep it legitimate with him.

Receiving a co-sign from local trap trailblazer Young Thug yesterday & considering the fact that he’s already signed the Uy Scuti Boyz a.k.a. diamond* & Tezzus to YSL Records already, it wouldn’t surprise me if billi0n joins the label once he fulfills his 10K Projects contract & surpasses all of his early EPs he’s given us prior to this tape in terms of quality. He’s said to drop another LP later this year called Metalhead & if he continues to refine himself artistically like he did after getting his Revenge, then it could be a superior sophomore effort.

Score: 3.5/5

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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 produces 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 thanks to iloveit!, ilykimchi & Oogie Mane 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 an 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 & current Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) booker 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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