This is the 8th mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper Peezy, Coming up as a part of the Team Eastside collective about a decade ago, he would later go on to release about a dozen solo projects beginning with Mud Muzik in 2014 & subsequently became one of the most prominent figures that the Motor City’s distinct trap scene has to offer. Dude just got out of prison back in February for racketeering & is now celebrating his freedom by dropping Free Rio.
“The Intro” opens up the tape by saying life is good on top of a synth-induced trap beat & some bells leading into the grim 6th installment of his ongoing “I’m Good” series. “I Don’t Know” is a hyphy banger about how he don’t miss whereas the Pooh Beatz-produced title track calls for Rio da Yung OG to be released from prison. Meanwhile on “Build a Bear”, we get an stripped back trap cut about making it out the jungle just before the lively d-boy anthem “We Don’t Scam”.
He continues on to declare himself as the “Million Dollar N***a” accompanied by a glossy instrumental, but then “Perc 10” works in some strings & rubbery bass to talk about sex. The penultimate track “Rio Flow” speaks on taking over the game attached to climatic production with the closer “Good & Bad” speaks on life shit & having a more lavish sound.
He’s pretty much a hometown O.G. at this point & Free Rio most definitely has to be amongst my favorite bodies of work that Peezy has released yet. You should already know what you’re getting yourself into in terms of the overall sound on here since the Detroit trap sound has it’s own ring to it, but dude’s bravado is charming as Hell & is paying homage to the very first artist that he ever took hunger his wing.
This is the 4th mixtape from Detroit rapper Babytron, who came up just a few years ago as part of the trio ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records. Along the way, he’s also built up a solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. But to celebrate his 21st birthday, it’s only right for the general of the Dog $hit Militia collective to drop Luka Trončić.
It’s cool to hear him kick it off with a glossy, rubbery sequel to “Cheat Code” produced by Helluva as well as a dancy conclusion of the “Jugg Messiah” trilogy. Meanwhile on “Blitz”, we get some keyboards from Danny G as the recently released Peezy tags along to flex whereas “IG Captions” feels like a charming freestyle & the instrumental feels like something out of the 80’s.
“PunchGod 3” if you couldn’t tell by the title showcases his punchline abilities backed by an infectious high-pitched vocal sample while “Scam Stars” featuring Allstar JR gets on their scam rap shut over a piano-inflicted beat. We go into a more suspenseful sound on “Golden Ticket” as Babytron compares his rap career to such referencing the greatest WWE superstar ever; 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker before sounding off on his wealth on “$1M Thoughts” even though the instrumental is kinda plain.
The song “Where They At?” is more spacier cut where he says he feels like the late Blade Icewood, but then Stanwill & TR Dee unite for the electronic-tinged “Cold World” going at clout chasers. “Cowabunga” mixes some synth-strings & blobby bass for Babytron to start flexing lyrically & not only does he carry that topic onto “The Office”, but the way they sample the actual theme song from The Office is pure brilliance.
“Just In Case” is pretty much his own version of the Jahiem song of the same name while the synths on “Mr. Miyagi” sound off like laser guns as Babytron proclaims he has the magic touch. Since99’s verse on “Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy” is another weak spot on the album, but I do like how they compare themselves to the SpongeBob duo & actually sample their theme music much like on “The Office”.
The braggadocio continues on the entrancing “Playmaker” sampling “Since I Fell for You” by Apollonia including a reference to former IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion Owen Hart’s death at the latter promotion’s infamous 2nd & final Over the Edge pay-per-view prior to going back to that Bay Area sound for “Game Time” thanks to Jakesand, where Babytron raps about cranking the notch up just to prove a point since he’s phenomenal as current WWE World Tag Team Champion AJ Styles.
I love the haunting synth melodies accompanying the championing lyricism of “MVP Season” but then for the materialistic “$100 Rice Bowl”, the sound is like a cross between 80’s-like synths & hyphy. “Space Jam” has an EDM flare to it sonically as Babytron says he “got a Goon Sqwad like he’s Trick-Trick” while the eerie, bassy “Money Man” flashes his wealth.
The song “Untouchable” has a vintage sample throughout as well as lyrics about being that dude while the penultimate track “Bugs Bunny” is a glistening yet explosive cut about being up now. As for the closer “Early Bird”, there’s a plinky beat & Babytron rapping about how he can’t be fucked with.
Of all the tapes this cat has dropped, Luka Trončić could very well be his best one yet. I think the Hi-RNG undertones in the production is super unique in comparison to the more generic sounds you hear in modern day trap & Babytron’s continues to reveal himself as the most skilled ShittyBoy there is.
42 Dugg is a 26 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Detroit, Michigan breaking out a few summers back off the strength of his debut EP 11241 Wayburn. This 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 2019 when he dropped his debut mixtape Young & Turnt, which was followed up last year by the sequel Young & Turnt 2. However, it’s all been leading up to his 3rd tape over here.
The intro is a short, violin-laced trap banger much tells all his homies to call him whenever they need anything whereas the next song “Turnest N***a in the City” goes into a more hyphy direction as Dugg proclaims himself as such. The bragging continues on the brief, keyboard-laced “We Know” before he & Roddy Ricch hop over a Scorpions sample for “4 da Gang”.
Future tags along up on the atmospheric “Maybach” to talk about putting it on for their respective hometowns & the Einer Bankz-produced “Bestfriends” returns to a more Bay Area sound with the lyrics paying tribute to Dugg’s childhood friends. Lil Durk pulls up on the dreary “Alone” to express falling outs & being street cats forever & even though I like the heartfelt subject matter on “Still Miss My N****s”, the Rylo Rodriguez verse is atrocious.
The song “Free Merey” is a guitar ballad about how he & Merey will always be together while the Antt Beatz-produced “Quez Free” is a thumping anthem about what Dugg’s been up to lately. Right after that, “Please” is a cloudier cut saying that he’s “still got shit down” & then EST. Gee helps him get on the drug dealer tip on the grim “Rose Gold” produced by Carlo Anthony.
“Judge Please” is a 2-minute hyphy banger crying out for help while the Fivio Foreign & Rowdy Rebel-featured “Still Catching Cases” feels like an off-the-cuff drill joint. Taz Taylor incorporates a piano & hi-hats on “It Get Deeper Pt. 2” as Dugg goes on about how he can’t be outscored & then the Murda Beatz-produced “And I Gangbang” is a lively gangsta rap cut.
The next 2 songs are all homages to 42 Dugg’s friends Woo & Skeet with the production sounding eerily similar to one another, but then we go into Bay territory one last time on the closer “Free Me” which is him showing y’all how life works.
I think to safe to say that Free Dem Boyz is without question Dugg’s most mature effort to date. Pretty sure we all knew he was gonna stick with that signature modern Detroit sound à la Sada Baby, but the lyrics are a lot more personal than they were on previous efforts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
