Ouija Macc – “Dirtbag” review

This is the 5th mixtape from Las Vegas, Nevada rapper Ouija Macc. Originally breaking out in 2017 off the strength of his debut EP Trashfire, this resulted in the Insane Clown Posse making him the final act to ever sign with Psychopathic Records later that year. Ouija has since been holding it down for the hatchet by dropping 2 full-length albums, 3 EPs, 4 tape, a greatest hits compilation & a collab EP with Starfoxlaflare. But after forming his own label Chapter 17 Records & dropping a collaborative mixtape with Young Money Entertainment signee Baby E a couple months ago, Ouija is enlisting the Floridian production duo Mythic Mindz for Dirtbag.

“Ain’t No Savior” kicks the door down by encouraging the listener to crank the volume up super high over a sitar-laced trap beat from Devereaux whereas the next song “Demon Seed” is a cacophonous depiction of a ritual. Ouija goes on to do a good job at melodically opening up about depression on the grungy “Route 17” & then “Killing Spree” brings in a chiming instrumental as the lyrics take a turn into horrorcore turf.

The track “Domino” brings in a bit of a country twang in the production to talk how this is the way it has to be while we get a bass-heavy ode to the kinky motherfuckers out there on “Nympho”. For “Did It Myself”, we get a Bollywood-flavored anthem about his grind before the Shaggytheairhead provides a dinky beat for Ouija to acknowledge his weirdness on “Walking WTF”.

Meanwhile on “La Cienega”, we get a quirky instrumental & Ouija bringing his speediest flows imaginable without making it sound cliche whereas “Thuggalo Slide” is a bassy anthem for the thuggalos to ride to. The song “Monster vs. Man” continues to bring in guitars as the lyrics tackle inner turmoil while “Not Enough” is Ouija talking about wanting more sex & drugs on top of a wailing trap beat.

The adrenaline-inducing “Die Like This” takes aim at his detractors whereas the electronic-influenced “Understand Us” is about how misunderstood juggalos are in the hip hop world. “I Don’t Know” doesn’t sound too bad for a cloudy love song while the penultimate track is a trap/rock fusion about burning it all down. As for the closer, “I’m Nowhere” talks about being a ghost over a sludgy instrumental.

This dude is just reaffirming his status as one of the most consistent artists in the underground today. He makes a great return to his normal style after the more commercial We Never Forgot & it’s cool to hear Mythic Mindz helping him out dabbling into new sounds.

Score: 4/5

Lil Yachty – “Michigan Boy Boat” review

This is the 5th mixtape from Mableton rapper & songwriter Lil Yachty. Skyrocketing to fame in 2016 by bringing a unique sound & personality to the trap subgenre on his debut mixtape Lil Boat, his subsequent pretty much took a nosedive from there. Why? Because he made a song on that breakout tape about never switching up & that’s EXACTLY what he did. But to pay homage to this reviewer’s home state, Yachty has amassed together some of the hottest rappers Detroit has to offer currently for Michigan Boy Boat.

“Final Form” is a ruthless opener with a hyphy instrumental from Helluva, but then Tee Grizzley tags along for the airy “Dynamic Duo” to talk about how his chemistry with Yachty is unmatched. The harp on “Concrete Goonies” shortly after is pretty cool except the fact that it’s a tad bit offputting hearing him start it off by saying he wants to fuck Kali Uchis. Meanwhile, we have Veeze & Baby Smoove jumping on a piano instrumental to brush off those who wanna fight for a print on “Don’t Even Bother” referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson whereas the song “G.I. Joe” with Louie Ray finds the 2 talking about being young cats who got it over a colorful beat from Buddah Bless.

“Never Did Coke” is one of my favorites on the project with it’s bongo & string-laced instrumental as well as Yachty’s chemistry with Swae Lee, but that same back-&-forth magic on the RMC Mike-featured “Ghetto Boy Shit” falls flat for me even though I like the grubby Carlo Anthony instrumental. Icewear Vezzo & Rio da Yung OG help him go into gangsta rap territory for “Plastic” while the track “Fight Night Round 3” with Babyface Ray & Veeze does it’s title justice by providing a lethal moshpit joint.

Sada Baby’s feature on the braggadocious “SB 2021” is cool, but his performances on the 30 Roc-produced “SB5” are much better if you ask me. Rio comes back into the fold for the glassily-produced “Stunt Double”, except his feature on here doesn’t stick the landing like it did on “Plastic”. The penultimate track “Hybrid” has these inauspicious keyboard melodies Yachty & Babytron both give flashy performances before bringing in some bells for the “This That One” cypher to finish things off with everyone except Slap Savage going off. YN Jay’s verse at the end referencing former 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion & the current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley was worth mentioning.

Coming from someone who’s lived in The Mitten his entire life, I’m a bit torn coming away from this. Even though Yachty doesn’t do the modern Detroit style all that much justice, I still admire the fact he took some of the hottest rappers the city currently has to offer & brought them all together.

Score: 2.5/5

Big Scarr – “Big Grim Reaper” review

Big Scarr is a 21 year old rapper from Memphis, Tennessee that broke out in 2019 off his debut single “Make a Play”. This would catch the attention of Atlanta trap pioneer Gucci Mane, who signed Scarr to his revived Atlantic Records imprint 1017 Global last year. The kid has gone on to release 6 singles since being taken under Wop’s wing & with the commercial success of Pooh Shiesty’s debut tape Shiesty Season that came out a couple months back, Scarr is next up at bat.

“Grim Reaper” is a to-the-point opener as Scarr hops on some sinister piano melodies & hi-hats to spit about being a murder, but then the next song “Get It In” is a violin-heavy follow-up about being a young legend. “Poppin’” is a doomy ode to his newfound fame whereas the braggadocio-induced “Frozone” goes into a more wintry direction sonically.

The track “Ballin’ in LA” links up with Gucci Mane & Pooh Shiesty to deliver a dark yet infectious dedication to the sunshine state while “Joe Dirt” goes into a more uptempo direction beat-wide as the lyrics detail going from the apartments to the mansion. “SoIcyBoyz3” re-enlists Shiesty & Wop alongside Foogiano to send a warning to their detractors over a glistening Tay Keith instrumental & the Baby K-featured “No Ball” literally has nothing going for it other than the Middle Eastern-inspired production.

Scarr returns to a more darker sound on the track “Don’t Stop” as he raps about beef, but then “IDL” showcases a cool lil chemistry between him & Enchanting as they paint an oxymoronic love story. The woefully produced “Pay Me” details being crossed so many times & on the contrary, “Traphouse” is a stern look-back on his days before rapping.

Meanwhile on “I Would Keep Goin’”, we have have Big Scarr detailing how heartless he is in a petrifying fashion referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle before he & Gucci Mane detail how they live life on the Zaytoven-produced “In Color”. The track “From the Jump” details about his greatness over a plentiful instrumental & the tape ends with the first 2 installments of the “SoIcyBoyz” series. The first one is kinda underwhelming & the 2nd one is much more improved.

Even though I came away from Big Grim Reaper with mixed feelings, I’m still very much looking forward to hearing what Big Scarr has to offer. The overall sound is middle-of-the-road, but I’m not gonna deny the ambition in his voice throughout a good bulk of the tape.

Score: 2.5/5

DDG – “Die 4 Respect” review

DDG is a 23 year old from Pontiac, Michigan who originally broke out in 2015 as a YouTuber. However after being interested in music at a very young age, he put out his debut EP Take Me Serious in 2018 & ended up signing to Epic Records. His profile continued to grow from there in 2019 off the Sorry 4 the Hold Up EP & the full-length debut Valedictorian but after spending last year forming his own label Zooted Entertainment & dropping a boatload of singles (the most notable one being “Moonwalking in Calabasas” of course), the kid is dropping his debut mixtape with Quality Control Music in-house producer OG Parker behind the boards from start to finish.

The opener “Hood Melody” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again finds the 2 talking about their homie’s dying because they don’t know life outside the trap over a piano loop & some snares whereas the next song “Treat Me Right” talks about wanting a bitch who respects him over a spicy beat. The track “Rule #1” with Lil Yachty sees the 2 talking about moving out of the hood after getting rich over a plinky trap instrumental while the song “Impatient” motivates his girlfriend to stay focused & Coi LeRay responds from her perspective over a pillowy beat.

The track “Get What You Want” with PnB Rock finds the 2 getting raunchy over an ample instrumental while the song “Way You Talk” talks about the way his girl drives him crazy over a summery beat. The track “Hakuna Matata” with Tyla Yaweh sees the 2 talking about going from broke to having Gucci over a guitar-tinged trap instrumental while the song “Let ‘Em Go” with 2KBaby finds the 2 talking about bitches who get out of line with them over a sluggish beat.

The penultimate track “Money Long” with 42 Dugg sees the 2 talking about their bread stacking up over an instrumental that sounds like it was made for Sada Baby & then the closer “I Need Security” talks about needing more protection over an acoustic/trap beat. However the bonus cut is a remix to “Moonwalking in Calabasas” with Blueface, which is mediocre in comparison to the original.

Not what I was expecting from DDG, but it’s a pretty good listen. He somewhat overdid it on the features, but his songwriting has gotten better in the last couple year as did his performances & OG Parker hones in on a more improved sound than DDG’s previous efforts.

Score: 3/5

ShittyBoyz – “4-Peat” review

The ShittyBoyz are a hip hop trio from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Babytron, Stanwill & TR Dee. Breaking out in 2019 off their debut mixtape 3-Peat after Lando Bando signed them to The Hip Hop Lab Records, the 21-year olds would begin to grow in popularity by opening for Danny Brown at his 6th Annual Bruiser Thanksgiving show as well as their No Jumper interview early last year. They dropped their full-length debut New Year, Same Scams pretty much right after that but as the 1 year anniversary of the album came & went over the weekend, the trio are reuniting for their 2nd mixtape.

The title track that starts things off talks about being the coldest group in Michigan over an electronic dance-flavored beat from Helluva whereas the next song “Boss Fight” references the current 2-time WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns alongside soon-to-be inducted 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 over some cinematic string-sections laced in the instrumental.

“War Zone” talks about the Dog $hit Militia putting bounties out over a much darker beat while the song “Ryan García” talks about multiplying bitches over a classy instrumental. The track “3-Man Weave” finds the trio going back & forth using the same rhyme schemes for 2-minutes over a glossy beat from Jakesand while the song “Terry Crews” talks about being cocky over what sounds like an animé sample.

The song “Jeez Relax!” talks about their newfound lifestyles over an opulent beat while the song “Rat Trap” claps back at those who try to stop their shine over some foreboding bells. The track “Scam GPS” of course returns to their scamming roots over a leaden beat while the song “10:20 at the Lab” talks about being gifted now over a flute-tinged instrumental.

“Pick & Roll” finds the trio pondering about a number of different things over some snares firing off like rounds while the song “Jack Frost” talks about how there isn’t many like them over a Danny G instrumental with some icy synth melodies. The tape then rounds out with “Metta World Peace”, where the trio get materialistic over a boisterous beat.

Like the ShittyBoyz said at the very beginning of the tape: “We’re the coldest group in the state”. Their production continues to get better & the way they bounce off one another in their verses is still as unique as it was when they first broke out a couple years back.

Score: 3.5/5

Baby E & Ouija Macc – “We Never Forgot” review

This is the brand new collaborative mixtape from West Coast rappers Baby E & Ouija Macc. One is a Lil Wayne protege signed to the icon’s Republic Records imprint Young Money Entertainment & the other is an Insane Clown Posse protege signed to their independently-owned Psychopathic Records. I don’t think the duo have ever worked together in the past, so I was very curious to hear how they would play off one another on We Never Forgot.

The tape kicks off with “Bands Won’t Stop”, where Baby E & Ouija talk about how the money will always come in over a trap beat with some teary piano melodies. The next song “Like Yuh” talks about keeping the drama away from them over a woozy instrumental while the track “(I Don’t Like Life) Anymore” talks about suicide over a crazed beat from Devereaux. The song “Different Mindset” gets romantic over a more voluptuous, poppy instrumental while the track “For Good” interprets the title in a few clever ways on top of an orchestral beat.

The song “1 for Me” talks about women who don’t know what they want from them over an acoustic guitar backed by some snares while the track “Overnight” talks about how Rome wasn’t build in a day over a rubbery beat. The song “It Be Like That Sometimes” talks about life being a carnival over a cloudy trap instrumental while the penultimate track “Mitosis” talks about killing everything in site over a monstrous Devereaux beat. The tape finishes off with “Got Somebody”, where Baby E & Ouija talk about being there when their homies are down over an acoustic-tinged trap instrumental.

Out of all the collaborative projects Ouija has put out in the past few years, this is easily my favorite of the bunch. It’s understandably a lot more melodic in comparison to his previous material & I commend him for stepping out of his comfort zone on that, but he & Baby E also do a good job of playing off each other. If these guys plan on working together more down the road, then I’m all for it.

Score: 3.5/5

Yung Rani – “Homecoming” review

Yung Rani is a 18 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who originally came out a couple years back off his debut EP Afterparty. However just a little over a year later, he’s returning out of the woodwork to drop a debut mixtape.

The tape starts off with “24/7”, where Rani talks about how people played him & now they bump his music all the time over a druggy beat. The next song “Loko” talks about this chick only wanting him just because he’s famous over an instrumental with some lavish keyboards while the track “Yeah Yeah” talks about handling business over a twangy trap beat. The song “Back Now” talks about going crazy as of late over a euphoric instrumental from the homie Mars while the track “5 Phones” talks about never holding a psycho bitch down over a weepy beat.

The song “Views” talks about excelling over a vibrant instrumental while the track “Envy” opens about feeling like he’s failing all of his goals over a cavernous beat. The song “Bando” talks about listening to your heart instead of your mouth over a flute & some monstrous bass while the track “Baddie” talks about not wanting to let anyone down over a depressive piano instrumental.

The song “Dime Piece” talks about not coming back to any of the fake people who surrounded him over a wistful beat while the track “Big Dreams” talks about his ambitions over a vast instrumental. The song “Mamacita” gets flirtatious over a DJ Mustard type beat while the track “500” gets materialistic over an instrumental with a modern Bay Area feel to it.

The song “Woah Woah” talks getting back on his shit over a gentle beat from Mars while the track “Pourin’” talks about a girl who told him to be himself over a drowsy instrumental. The song “Speechless” talks about someone taking him for granted over a stripped-back, syrupy beat while the penultimate track “Bad Vibes” talks about being unable to think straight over an acoustic instrumental. The album ends with “All I Ever Wanted (Breakfast)”, where Rani talks about how he doesn’t know where he’s going over a sluggish beat.

I honestly never heard of this kid’s music until my brother Jake introduced me to it a while bag & I gotta say, this is a pretty solid effort. The hunger in Rani’s lyrics are undeniable, the melodies he comes up with stick in your head & the production is pretty boisterous. Can’t wait to watch him get bigger as time goes on.

Score: 3.5/5

Pooh Shiesty – “Slime Season” review

Pooh Shiesty is a 21 year old rapper & songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee who broke out last spring off the single “Main Slime”. This resulted in trap pioneer Gucci Mane signing him to his Atlantic Records imprint 1017 Global almost immediately afterwards during the COVID-19 pandemic & coming off noteworthy appearances he made for the recent compilations the label’s put out showcasing their revamped roster, he’s dropping a debut mixtape of solo material to further establish himself.

The intro icily talks about seeing through fake shit whereas “Back in Blood” featuring Lil Durk finds the 2 tackling the subject of murder over an instrumental with some foreboding piano melodies. “Guard Up” acoustically looks to fuck up anyone in his way leading into “Ugly” featuring Gucci Mane talks about how everyone with them thuggin’ in their own way over a trap beat with some distressing keyboards.

“Neighbors” featuring Big30 finds the 2 talking about being certified gangstas over a wintry instrumental while the song “50 Shots” talks about getting it in at the trap over an elegiac beat. “No Chorus” pessimistically talks about death without the need of a hook if anyone couldn’t tell while the song “Box of Churches” featuring 21 Savage sees the duo talking about bringing the smoke to ‘em over a spectral beat.

The bassy, horn-woven “Making a Mess” featuring Big30 & Veeze finds the trio talking about romance & guns while “Choppa Way” speaks of staying the same despite being rich now over an ominous instrumental. Take a Life” featuring Foogiano sees the 2 talking about how people don’t know what it’s like to kill someone over an instrumental with a prominent woodwind sample while “Gone MIA” talks about all the pussies out there over a triumphant beat.

“Big 13 Gang” featuring Choppa Wop & Lil Hank cinematically talks about being a threat while “Drop Some Shit” cloudily speaks of trying to make it out before he gets locked up. “See Red” fuses trap & rock to talk about blood being around him & once the highlight “Master P” produced by Tay Keith compares himself to the No Limit mogul of the same name, “Switch It Up” featuring G Herbo starts the deluxe run discussing their operation being too major.

Lil Baby appears for “Welcome to the Riches” so they can take a few moments to get luxurious & warning to wet up those who move wrong without breaking a sweat while “See Me Comin’” gets in his Memphis bag recalling the harsh realities of his adolescence. “Murder School” talks about learning how to kill someone until embracing the gangsta lifestyle while “Certified” featuring Gunna links up confidently realizing they got muhfuckas figured out.

“Switches & Dracs” featuring EST G, Lil Durk & Moneybagg Yo joins forces to deliver a mild gangsta rap cut where Durkio has the strongest guest verse of the 3 while “No Clues” featuring Big Scarr talks about the Draco coming with shell catchers, leaving no clues behind when the crimes are committed. “Squeeze on ‘Em” featuring 42 Dugg gives us a Memphis/Detroit crossover Wheezy cooked up advising not to tempt them while “Narcos” featuring Baby K brags of their mob ties.

Gucci Mane & Lil Uzi Vert join Pooh over a Brandon Finessin’ beat during “Next Up” talking about the very reason they’re going so hard while “It’s Up” featuring Big30 provides more gangsta-infused lyricism. “Hunting Opps” featuring ShotOff spends a few moments likening their detractors to prey & once “7.62 God” featuring Big30 & EST G on the remix carries over the the gangsta themes, the final bonus track “SUVs (Black on Black)” featuring Jack Harlow ends with a conflicting self-assurance ode.

Of all the recent 1017 signings, Pooh Shiesty has stood out to me the most & I believe he can reach the heights previous artists like Waka Flocka Flame & Asian Doll have reached in terms of success. However, I came away from Shiesty Season a little torn with the final results although I’m confident of him possibly improving. Despite having a great presence & a distinctive songwriting style, a large chunk of the production left little to be desired & there were more guests than I would’ve initially thought.

Score: 3/5

Doc D – “Planetory Destruction” review

Doc D is a new pitch-voiced alter ego of Maryland rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & author Logic. The character was announced a little over a week ago & to celebrate Bobby’s 31st birthday this weekend, we’re already being treated to it’s debut mixtape.

After the intro, the title track with Big Lenbo sees the 2 talking about how they ain’t playing this year over a dust boom bap beat whereas the next song “Better Text Back” talks about having nuclear codes over an tranquil instrumental. The track “Green Juices” flexes his lyrical prowess over a hypnotic beat & after the first “Cosmos 105.7” skit, the “Double Sample” interlude heavily revolves around a sample of the classic Gil-Scott Heron joint “We Almost Lost Detroit”.

The song “Backstory” talks about doing this rap shit differently over an instrumental that I can’t help Joey Bada$$ rapping on top of on 1999 & after the second “Cosmos 105.7” skit, the track “Back to the Basement” with Silas, Tony Tone, Big Lenbo & Castro finds the quintent rapping about returning to their roots over a boom bap beat with a weepy loop. The song “Outer Space Gang” with J Mars & Like sees the 3 talking shit over a luxurious instrumental while the track “Butt Ass Naked” with Marc Rebillet & Black_Chocolate finds the trio talking about sex over a funky beat.

The song “Ready Player Gun” with Buddy & Like sees the 3 talking about smoking weed over a dreamy instrumental & after the third “Cosmos 105.7” skit, the track “20,000,000 Woolongs” is a solo Punch joint a introducing the listener to a bounty hunter over a jazzy beat. The penultimate song “Bounty Law” with Del the Funky Homosapien & Ghostface Killah finds the trio talking about being villains over an old school instrumental & after the final “Cosmos 105.7” skit, the closer “Death of Destruction” is a spoken word bit where the DJ tells the listener that the album is over.

From start to finish, it’s a decent tape. The features don’t really do much for me other then Del & Ghostface, but the sci-fi themed story is told well & the production on here is some of Logic’s best yet.

Score: 3/5

Heem – “Long Story Short” review

Heem is a 27 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who caught my attention earlier this year after becoming of a protege of Benny the Butcher & signing to his E1 Music imprint Black Soprano Family Records. He also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP that dropped over the summer but just a few more weeks until 2021, here we are with his debut mixtape.

The intro talks about how no one living like him over a dreary instrumental from Ice Rocks whereas the next song “All Eyes on Me” talks about wanting his roses before he’s gone over a symphonic boom bap beat from the late DJ Shay. “The Realest” with Benny sees the 2 talking about keeping it 100 over a hypnotic vocal sample while the track “Mayhem” with Boldy James finds the 2 talking about how they don’t play over a lush beat.

The song “More Money More Problems” talks about risking his life for this over a comatose instrumental while the track “Menace to Society” talks about going through Hell & back over a grimy beat from TrickyTrippz. The song “Sacred Nights” gets murderous over a cinematic instrumental while the track “It Could Happen” with Benny & Rick Hyde sees the trio pondering a number of things over a boom bap beat with a piano loop.

The song “My Diary” gives the listeners a piece of him over a exuberant instrumental from DJ Green Lantern while the penultimate track “Warring Ave” talks about what it was like on his street over a deranged beat. The tape ends with “Letter to Shay”, where Heem pays tribute to DJ Shay over a churchy boom bap instrumental.

Coming away from this tape, I’m pretty impressed with it. The production leans towards that signature Griselda sound, but you get a good look at who Heem is & where he’s at now. This is only the beginning for him if you ask me.

Score: 3.5/5