Niontay – “Soulja Hate Repellant” review

Niontay is a 26 year old rapper, songwriter & producer from Brooklyn, New York who introduced himself in 2023 off his first couple EPs Dontay’s Inferno & Demon Muppy. I was also impressed with his features across projects like MIKE’s 5th album Burning Desire or Ritchie with a T’s solo debut Triple Digit (112) & Mike Shabb’s sophomore effort Shabb Van Gogh, putting out a well received debut album of his own Fada<3of$ earlier this spring & returning 8 months later to drop off his debut mixtape.

“Rockoutcentury” produced by Dylvinci starts off with a cloudy Detroit sound talking about cracking the code whereas “100days100nights” made for an boisterous trap single getting geeked after being let out of the kennel. “3am@tony’s” featuring Lerado Khalil teams up over a dark Mobb instrumental from Harrison & Tony Seltzer talking about them doing no pretending leading into “Cressidaway! / Tpgeek” initially going for a plugg vibe & Earl Sweatshirt delivering my favorite guest appearance of the 3 until a cloudy beat switch during Niontay’s verse.

The tape’s final feature goes to Sunny on “Soulja Hate / Mr.havemyway X Mr.beatdaroad”, which is another 2-parter instrumentally taking it’s cues from the plugg subgenre of trap throughout both halves although I prefer the 2nd half over the other just before “Larizzy’s Laire” ends the 1st leg of Soulja Hate Repellant with some 808s & synths dismissing his “opponents” since they nothing like him. “Dadecountydates” pitches Niontay’s vocals enough to make it sound like he inhaled helium prior to getting in the booth refusing to fuck with people who pick sides while “April 7 (Westside Swanging)” goes full chopped & screwed.

“Mark William Lewis Flow” begins the 3rd & final act with a summery trap beat likening his cadence to the experimental artist of the same name while “Dreamin’ (of U ;)” incorporates some heavily drumless sampling talking about a person that’s been constantly appearing in his dreams as of late. “Neymar” experiments with Miami bass referencing the Brazilian soccer team Santos’ star forward & of course the closer “Free Luigi” calls for the freedom of Luigi Mangione ahead of his upcoming trial for murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Soulja Hate Repellant’s finishes Niontay’s breakthrough year refining a lot of the same production styles Fada<3of$ explored whether it be the Detroit sound or trap, plugg, cloud rap & drumless with small hints of chopped & screwed and Miami bass sprinkled in the mix transitioning into one another cohesively. He may also be my personal favorite act that MIKE has signed to his growing independent label 10k Global thus far, penning some of his most emotionally sharpest lyrics of his career & using a handful of a number of different flows in only a half hour.

Score: 4.5/5

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RRoxket – “Geek Monster” review

Here we have the 4th mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper RRoxket. Emerging in 2022 off his debut EP Rixhie Rixh & the full-length debut album R.I.P. RRoxket, he would go on to drop 3 more EPs Happy Birthday RRoxket as well as RRoxket Valentine and Red M&M ahead of his debut tape Red Ranger that was preluded by his last EP High School Flunky. He put out a fun self-titled effort last Black Friday after officially signing to Sony Music, coming off Rixhie Rixh II to tell the tale of the Geek Monster.

“Purple” starts with a plugg intro referencing the titular protagonist of the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment franchise Static Shock who was not only homaged during former AEW World Champion & AEW World Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland’s entrance at Dynasty II in April, but I can’t forget to mention Netflix’s reasonably controversial purchase of WB earlier this past weekend either. Anyway, “Last Sound” goes for more of a dark plugg vibe instrumentally talking about wanting money & wanting to go much farther.

Things go for a terror plugg approach on “Raiders” repping black & white like the Las Vegas Raiders although I’m much more of a Vegas Golden Knights fan personally prior to “WOAH!” produced by Cade sticking out amongst my favorite tracks here talking about sending shots at people’s families. “Trip” meshes gangsta rap lyricism with plugg production for a few minutes while “BLAAATTT” ends the 1st half talking about being able to quick-draw because of the Glock by his waistline.

“Rowdy” begins the 2nd act of the Geek Monster taking a moment to address his darling just before another highlight “RR” jumps over a pluggy Hariroc instrumental talking about his stick blowing up like it’s dynamite. “Sweet Angel” continues by heading towards a pluggnb direction getting more lustful in terms of lyricism while “Addy” works in a joyful plugg beat from boolymon so he can talk about taking both percocets & adderrall.

The song “2 Faced” pushes further towards the back end of the tape once again combining the gangsta lifestyle imagery & plugg instrumentation while “Fuxk Blueface” obviously serves as a diss track towards Blueface, who recently came home from a 2 year prison bid last month. “Lifeguard” finishes by blending synthesizers & 808s talking about putting motherfuckers in Lost & Found if they got a firearm on them.

Something that I think should be mentioned until I get to my closing thoughts is that RRoxket has likely completed his Sony deal when Rixhie Rixh II came out this spring, so for him to finish his 2025 with an independent tape that rivals the successor to his inaugural extended play almost 4 years ago already by continuing to solidify his status in the plugg, cloud rap & dark plugg subgenres of hip hop has me looking forward to this next chapter of his career.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Game – “Every Movie Needs a Trailer” review

Compton, California emcee, songwriter, actor & professional attention whore The Game linking up with Mike & Keys for his 16th mixtape. Originally taken under the wing of JT the Bigga Figga. His 2002 debut mixtape You Know What It Is would catch the attention of Dr. Dre & 50 Cent. Both of whom signed Game to a joint venture to their individually respective labels Aftermath Entertainment & G-Unit Records, distributed by Interscope Records. With their help, his debut album The Documentary the following year would go on to become a West Coast essential. However, a falling out between Game & 50 just months after the album’s release would result in Game moving over to Geffen Records to complete his 5-album contract. His next 4 albums Dr.’s Advocate, LAX, The RE.D. (RE-Dedication) Album & Je5us PiecE all showed that Game didn’t need Dre or 50 to make quality music. Once fulfilling his major label obligations, he went the independent route by founding his own label Numinati Records & showcasing the artists with a compilation entitled Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf in 2014. Game then put out an overloaded yet decent sequel to his debut with The Documentary 2+2.5 the next year as well as his previous album 1992 the year after & Born 2 Rap on his 40th birthday. Hit-Boy helped him come out of “retirement” again with the more consistent Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind, although it was DONDA levels of bloated. In preparation of The Documentary III after siding with Drake in his beef with Kendrick Lamar, I was hoping Every Movie Needs a Trailer wouldn’t carry over any of that corny “Freeway’s Revenge” energy.

After the chopped & screwed “Silver Lining” intro, the first song “Caviar x Cartier” begins with a jazz rap opener talking about how you can turn around & lose it all today whereas “Can I” passionately gives us a look at the way he writes his rhymes over a soulful instrumental. “Chrome Hearts” works in some sampling to talk about him rather being feared than loved leading into “Amerikkka’s Nightmare” addressing people praying on his downfall.

“🤡🤡” takes 2 & a half minutes to poke fun at all the cornballs who ain’t poppin’ like they thought they’d be just before the sample drill/chipmunk soul fusion “Good Enough” speaks of the thin line between fatherhood & his neighborhood. “Quarter Zips x Matcha” kinda has some jazzier undertones to the beat cautioning that this real life with him instead of some corny Druski shit while “Rotation” co-produced by Jason Martin formerly known as Problem ends the 1st half with a club-oriented pop rap joint.

To begin the 2nd act, “The Coast Guard” talks about breaking down anybody who speaks ill of the Bloods calling back to Game’s origins with the infamous street gang while “Head of State” soulfully lets the world know what he’d do if he was president. “The Assassination of Candace Owens” heads towards chipmunk soul turf instrumentally talking about how people would rather be lied to & live in a fantasy world while “Left Out” experiments with an industrial hip hop sound basically giving a middle finger to everything.

“Blood Tears” featuring Mozzy jazzily talks about keeping their experienced pain to themselves while “So Contagious” offers food for thought to digest. “Just Like Me” soulfully shouts out those who made it out the trenches similarly to him prior to O.T. Genasis ruining “Scheme” despite “New York, New York” by Kurupt being flipped. “Livin’” finishes up sampling “Ain’t It Fun”by Paramore for an outro dedicated to the west coast.

Putting aside his bullshit defense of R. Kelly & Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy at a private birthday celebration last weekend especially with The Reckoning documentary coming out on Netflix merely a few days ago, I have to admit that Every Movie Needs a Trailer was more of a stronger listen than Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind was a few summers previously. Obviously there’s a lot less filler on here compared The Game’s last full-length, but he only brings a couple guests on board to flow over Mike & Keys’ production mostly well.

Score: 4.5/5

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Big K.R.I.T. – “Dedicated to Cadalee Biarritz” review

Here we have the 15th mixtape from Mississippi emcee/producer Big K.R.I.T., who started out by releasing a few mixtapes from the mid to late 2000s. He eventually signed to Cinematic Music Group in 2010 & his 6th mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here that same year landed him a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings & a spot in the XXL Freshman Class in 2011. His first couple of full-lengths Live from the Underground & Cadillactica in 2012 & 2014 respectively continued to show his potential, but then he went on to form his own label Multi Alumni some time after. The inaugural outing under the new independent label being 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time, which is the best double disc hip hop album of the 2010s without question. Following that was the T.D.T. compilation & even K.R.I.T. Iz Here, which was an underwhelming sequel to K.R.I.T. Wuz Here given how excessively commercial it was in comparison to the rawness of the predecessor. D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die) wasn’t any better, so I went into Dedicated to Cadalee Biarittz hoping he’d return to form commemorating the 2-year anniversary of Regardless, It’s Still Timeless later this month.

After the “Cadalee Radio” intro, the self-produced “Old News” works in a sample & hi-hats talking about hearing at all at this point in his career whereas “Gotta Do It” blends cloud rap & dirty south looking to do things the way the playas did back then. After the “Grillz by Scotty” commercial, “Hi Def” shifts towards a pop rap vibe with a bit of a Zapp twist to it while “The Mileage” talks about crankin’ the volume in his big body.

“Not in the Whip” embraces a more aggressive approach in delivery refusing to touch base regarding politics or any petty bullshit thrown his way & after the “CJ Customs” commercial, “I-20” begins the 2nd half of the album with a hook reminiscent of Devin the Dude talking about spillin’ on the major east-west highway down south. “Elevated” brings a smoother beat to the fold speaking of his artistic altitude while “The Everliving Sub Knocker” featuring Karlous Miller talks about bass.

After the “Spokesnvogues” commercial, “So Far So Good” jazzily homages the late Roy Ayers while “Precious Metal” talks about appreciating life & rollin’ in a whip with old school candy paint bumpin’ the late DJ Screw. “In the Rain” dedicates itself to every sunbeam that wouldn’t leave him alone until Karlous Miller shines with a 44 second freestyle. “Celebrate the Line” featuring Killa Kyleon, Lil’ Keke, Paul Wall, Propain, Slim Thug & Z-Ro ends the album with a victorious Houston posse cut.

Shifting away from the commercialized sounds of K.R.I.T. Iz Here & D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die), this inaugural entry in the Dedicated to Cadalee Biarittz marks Big K.R.I.T.’s return to his dirty south roots & it has me highly looking forward to the way the rest of this series will pan out. His production also takes some inspiration from the Houston hip hop scene too & he’s a lot hungrier than he was compared to when he was forcing himself to appeal to a radio market that didn’t exist.

Score: 4/5

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redveil – “Sankofa” review

Largo, Maryland emcee & producer redveil starting the final month of 2025 with a brand new mixtape. Emerging at the tail-end of 2019 off his debut EP Bittersweet Cry, I wouldn’t get introduced to his music until 8 months after when a short-lived Twitter beef between him & the internet’s busiest music nerd himself Anthony Fantano broke out merely days after dropping his following EP Niagara. His debut mixtape learn 2 swim celebrated his 18th birthday elevating himself artistically, coming off playing with fire to put out Sankofa.

“Time (A Dream Deferred)” breaks the door down with soulful background vocals & a passionate verse about his feet telling him to call his roots whereas “Lone Star” takes a more conscious approach lyrically over an organ-based instrumental. “History” gives off a jazzier vibe talking about being historic from the get go while “Brown Sugar” featuring Smino pulls from neo-soul to show off a flirtatious side of themselves.

Meanwhile on “Or So I”, we have redveil leaning heavier towards the jazz rap side of things talking about how he’d rather die right here instead of being surveilled just before “Pray 4 Me” chops up a soul sample cutting off his phone for the last 18 hours he has in the west coast. “Mini Me” returns to a neo-soul direction singing about not wanting to hide his true self anymore leading into the drumless chipmunk soul track “Save” desiring to preserve himself.

“Stay the Night” begins the last leg of Sankofa with a drumless neo-soul track singing for the woman he’s in love with to spend the evening by his side while “Buzzerbeater / Black Christmas” starts off with a majestic trap instrumental prior to shifting towards jazzier territory during the last minute & a half talking about planning to take his own life since he was 13. “Glimpse of You” finishes with a tribute to his schizophrenic brother wanting to visit him for his birthday due to it being forever since they last saw each other.

Honoring his inner child as a beatsmith more so than anything else he’s ever made, Sankofacontextualizes a lot of the same feelings of anxiety & depression that’ve been interconnected between all of the projects redveil’s dropped for almost 7 years. He eventually hit a ceiling creatively by executing the styles of jazz rap, conscious hip hop, neo-soul, boom bap, drumless, trap & chipmunk soul a lot bigger than he has over the course of the decade promising a lot more exciting things in 2026.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lil Baby – “The Leak$” review

Here is the 5th mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & CBFW Records founder Lil Baby. Rising to stardom in 2018 off his debut album Harder Than Ever, his profile would gradually increase from there by following up with a collab project with Gunna entitled Drip Harder & his previous tape Street Gossip. His sophomore effort My Turn & the previous album It’s Only Me both came out to mixed reception as did W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?), cancelling Dominique in favor of unearthing a collection of Leak$.

“Mrs. Trendsetter” begins with an underwhelming trap intro talking about a woman who everyone else copies while “Guaranteed” produced by Wheezy makes for one of the few tracks I’d revisit, declaring himself as a certified dripper. “Try to Love” being the 2nd single wasn’t exactly the greatest choice whether it be the generic beat or the themes tiring themes of heartbreak leading into “Nasty Girl” talking about looking for a freak bitch.

The 4th single “Real Shit” continues with another mediocre trap single representing Zone 4 of his city just before “Violation” talks about being more than a 1 hit wonder & although that may be factually correct, it doesn’t excuse the low quality output we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. “Let’s Do It” featuring Playboi Carti feels like a leftover from the Whole Lotta Red sessions & “Forever Slime” ends the 1st half talking about being the same albeit in a better form.

“Middle of the Summer” starts the 2nd leg of The Leak$ with the 5th & final single that came out a week ago admitting he hasn’t gotten much sleep because he doesn’t want his dreams to fade away while “What She Like” has to be another favorite from the cloudy Murda Beatz instrumental to the wrestling reference midway through the 1st verse, nodding to the appearances he’s been making for the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE since WrestleMania XL & coinciding the news of their development brands NXT & EVOLVE’s partner promotion Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling announcing a TV deal with amc.

Lil Yachty, Lucki & the best signing throughout the CFBW roster by a mile Veeze all join Baby on the boastfully calm “Get Along” desiring to maintain their focus towards staying slimed while “Superman” contains one of the worst Young Thug features that I’ve ever heard not because he re-recorded a part at the backend of his verse that initially dissed Gunna, but because his vocals are slowed down to the point where it sounds silly.

“St. Tropez” featuring Bino Rideaux & Rylo Rodriguez hooks up a pitched vocal sample & some hi-hats bringing the trio together so they can talk about flying their lovers out to the commune in France while the 3rd single “Otha Boy” was my favorite of the 5 dissing Gunna, Offset, DJ Akademiks & YoungBoy Never Broke Again over a TM88 beat. “All on Me” featuring G Herbo finishes the tape with a lead single themed around the pressures of fame.

Initially teased this summer, Lil Baby finally drops The Leak$ to coincide with his 31st birthday & it doesn’t surprise me whatsoever that I came away from it liking it less than W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?) celebrating it’s 1-year anniversary next month. As somebody who’s been following him since Harder Than Ever, I’ll take it a bit further arguing it could be the worst thing he’s ever put out. Somehow, the production is worse than the last full-length & the CEO of CBFW Records himself sounds bored ahead of his imprint’s upcoming showcase compilation.

Score: 1.5/5

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Lloyd Banks – “Halloween Havoc VI: The 6 of Swords” review

Wouldn’t be a Halloween without the 21st mixtape from Queens, New York emcee Lloyd Banks. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted along with the whole Course of the Inevitable album trilogy gaining renewed interest in the PLK himself. 6 months following A.O.N. 3: (All or Nothing 3): Despite My Mistakes, it was only a matter of time until we got Halloween Havoc VI: The 6 of Swords.

“Addition by Subtraction” starts with a drumless chipmunk soul instrumental from Cartune Beatz talking about cropping pictures because some people don’t belong in them whereas “Eat What You Kill” promises to make the music split people in half like he’s slicing their faces with a razor blade. “Book of Records” goes for a bit a boom bap direction talking about not slowing down because he can’t afford to do so leading into the grisly “If Time Permits” looking to get everything on the table.

As for “Haddonfield”, we have Lloyd over a chillin vocal sample providing mayhem to the masses just before “Supposed to Be” hooks up a soul flip to talk about how things are meant to unfold from his perspective. “Die Slow” experiments with trap a bit explaining that he’d rather be living fast while “Save a Spot” profoundly finishes the 1st half talking about time continuously flying away & the race again against has all been by design.

“Made a Fool of Me” works in a boom bap instrumental that Haas Almahdi cooked up with some cumbersome piano chords speaking of disloyal people & love being cancelled to some while the cloudily raw “Changed Up” talks about people switching on him. “The Eye Test” brings some organs into the fold ready to 187 microphones for the 718 while “It Ain’t Going Well” confesses he hasn’t been doing all that greatly for him as of late because another problem occurring on the daily.

Starting the final act of Halloween Havoc VI: The 6 of Swords, the song “Talk About It Lata” caution that there’s consequences for people acting gangsta out in the streets while “Father Forgive” talks about him hoping that people will appreciate this last rush. “Happy Eyes Lie People” plays with the idea of him checking outta here for good & “What’s Your Purpose?” concludes by asking for our motives because those who don’t have one don’t have anything going for them.

With all of the praise I have for Lloyd Banks’ penmanship & I can appreciate him continuing the Halloween Havoc series because of the way shit’s been going for him, I feel like he needs to switch up his production a bit. No shade towards Haas Almahdi or Cartune Beatz because they’re both good dudes, but I’m confidently sure some of the greats like The Alchemist or Hit-Boy & Conductor Williams would love to work with him.

Score: 3.5/5

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Westside Gunn – “Heels Have Eyes III” review

Buffalo, New York emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, curator & professional wrestling promoter/booker Westside Gunn celebrating Halloween with the final chapter of the Heels Have Eyes trilogy. Proving his legend status & that he’s a force to be reckoned with all in nearly a decade whether it be running one of the hottest hip hop labels in recent memory to his first 2 full-lengths FLYGOD & Supreme Blientele. The success of the 4th Rope independent professional wrestling circuit has included 2-time RoW Heavyweight Champion Zilla Fatu becoming the inaugural 4th Rope Heavyweight Champion carrying on the legacy of his late father in former AJPW世界タッグ王座, FMWハードコアタッグチームチャンピオン and 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga as well as former 2-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion Real1 becoming the inaugural 4th Rope Flyweight Champion and even the current 4-time TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz becoming the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions, following up Heels Have Eyes II with Heels Have Eyes III instead of FLYGOD is an Awesome God III.

“Free Rolleys” featuring Benny the Butcher & produced by CG after an intro from former JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion Joshua Bishop begins with a boom bap instrumental & Benny dissing Freddie Gibbs whereas “Mankind” featuring Stove God Cook$ references WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley over a soulful Daringer beat.

We have Westside Gunn over a boom bap instrumental with strings during “Eddie Bauer” shouting out the titular outdoor recreation brand just before “Tito Santana” featuring Rome Streetz gives their flowers to the WWE Hall of Famer, former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion of the same name. The pianos Denny LaFlare works in during “Tiffany Blue” suit the Halloween timing & West lets off some insane rhyme schemes.

“R-Truth” salutes the former 2-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, 2-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, TNA World Tag Team Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion who recently made his foray into country music this summer while “Babas” gives off a lo-fi boom bap vibe instrumentally referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion Bob Backlund.

After the “Grey St.” interlude, the final song “Gus Smacker” featuring Brother Tom Sos provides a taste of what’s to come from the latter’s upcoming debut album in 2026 teaming up over this jazzy beat talking about how some people need to be using common sense & an outro from former JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion Joshua Bishop is what officially ends the Heels Have Eyes trilogy tying things up the way he started it only 25 & a half minutes earlier.

The insert of the Heels Have Eyes III states that FLYGOD is an Awesome God III will be released “soon” & whether that be within the next couple months or sometime the following year, Westside Gunn carries on his tradition of celebrating Halloween concluding what he started during WrestleMania XLI weekend curating 25 & a half minutes of the mafioso rap he’s become celebrated for with the production going from boom bap to jazz rap & drumless.

Score: 4/5

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Icewear Vezzo – “Purple Passion” review

Detroit trap veteran & Iced Up Records founder Icewear Vezzo celebrating his birthday weekend with a brand new mixtape. For over a decade now after appearing on the studded “Detroit vs. Everybody” remix, this dude has been making waves locally by releasing the Rich Off Pints trilogy of LPs & over a dozen tapes. The previous Paint the City hosted by DJ Drama preluded his Quality Control Music debut album Live from the 6, which had a sequel of it’s own & the Undefeated looks to discuss his Purple Passion.

“Regular” opens with a reference to 14-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & current the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s CCO Triple H whereas “GMB” featuring GT finds the 2 entertainingly trading verses with one another for almost 3 minutes. “Tesla” produced by Danny G could be my favorite track here even though the clean energy automotive company’s CEO, Twitter owner since 2022, SpaceX founder & Neuralink founder is a Nazi while “Heavy Metal” smoothly pulls up prices with the devil out in the ghetto.

Finesse2tymes’ appearance on “Trophy Music” is actually ok as someone who isn’t really a fan of him & the name does a solid job at matching that same vibe down to the horns until “Party on the 6” talks about shutting 6 Mile down for a block party. “High Fashion” glamorously expresses his appreciation towards haute couture just before “Status” featuring 2 Chainz taps into the Detroit sound whilst using a sample to talk about both of them getting everything they dreamt of.

Beginning the final act of Purple Passion, we have Vezzo atmospherically satisfied he’s “Having My Way” with things in his life as of late while “Supreme” gives a nod to the influential New York streetwear brand of the same name. “I Be Knowing” winds down the mixtape’s last 7 minutes with more sampling techniques talking about him being aware of the difference a woman & a hoe while the soulful Detroit trap outro “Free” talks about still being himself despite all his flaws.

Purple Passion preludes the next era of Icewear Vezzo’s artistry coming 2026 delivers the unique kind of raw storytelling that made the Iced Up Records CEO well beloved in his hometown & eventually the trap spectrum. Not only would I consider this tape to be an improvement over Undefeated because he’s elevated his style for the past decade, but also it’s heavy themes revolving around the hard work & dedication it took for him to be in his current position.

Score: 4/5

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Niko B – “Cheerleader” review

Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom recording artist Niko B following up his most recent EP earlier this spring with a debut mixtape of his own. Starting at the very beginning of this current decade off the strength of his debut single “Marry Berry”, his popularity began to grow exponentially a few months later after putting out his next single “Who’s That What’s That” & the full-length debut album dog eat dog food world last spring being well received enough where it was being recommended to me. people took a more optimistic approach altogether & only a couple months later, we’re finally getting Cheerleader.

“Beginner’s Luck” comes right out the gate with it’s best song from the cloudy New York Drill instrumental from Evilgiane to the hunger in Niko’s performances whereas the trap, grime & UK drill single “mongoose” talks about taking dustcaps almost 2 decades ago. The EDM-inspired “Shoebox” flexes that he’ll run figures with his shoes off leading into “Spawn Trap” talking about not knowing the party he’s in spending 40 on drinks.

Moving on from there, “X-Factor” has a cloudy UK drill vibe to it boasting that he’s the word around his city nowadays while my favorite collaboration “Bolbeck” featuring RealYungPhil turning dust into diamonds. “Polka Dot” instrumentally feels reminiscent of The Neptunes talking about talking about walking with patches on his knees just before “Sellit!” produced by Kwes. steps out of a Civic on Westbound dabbling with jerk.

“Ringing a Bell?” advises to check his wrist if anybody wants to know what he’s been on for the past 17 months & after the boldly boastful “Stunt Jump” experiments with rage for 85 seconds, “Take 5” featuring S5 pulls out more surprises with a fun regalia track. “Pop World” featuring Dimzy atmospherically celebrates their individual successes while “Hermes Stock” describes making 40 bands in a burglary. “They Could Fly” finishes with a glitch hop outro giving the listeners a special thank you.

Eschewing the pop rap & hip house influences of the people EP earlier this summer, Cheerleader is similar to dog eat dog food world from the standpoint of Niko B broadening his artistic palette ahead of a sophomore effort presumably coming next the year. His performances are fun as is the trap, UK drill, new jazz, cloud rap, New York Drill, jerk, rage, glitch hop & regalia production except the brevity of it makes it feel more like an extended play rather than mixtape.

Score: 4/5

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