$uicideboy$ – “STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS” review

This is the 9th mixtape from New Orleans, Louisiana duo the $uicideboy$ consisting of Ruby da Cherry & $crim. The founders of G*59 Records have been releasing a plethora of EPs & mixtapes since 2013, but it wasn’t until 2018 that they made their full-length debut with I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS. Last time we heard from them was last May with the Travis Barker produced Live Fast Die Whenever EP & now 9 months later, they’re hitting fans with Stop Staring at the Shadows.

The opener “All Dogs Go to Heaven” finds the duo getting bloodthirsty over a bass trap beat with some Atari-esque synths & then the next song “I Wanna Be Romanticized” talks about being on the verge of killing themselves over a moody beat. The track “One Last Look of the Damage” talks about making it to 30 over a cloudy beat while the song “[whispers indistinctly]” talks about death over a woozy beat. The track “MEGA ZEPH” gets apocalyptic over an frightening trap beat while the song “Putrid Pride” speaks on time moving fast over a dreary beat.

The track “That Just Isn’t Empirically” talks about losing their minds over a bleak instrumental while the song “What the Fuck is Happening?” thematically picks up where the previous joint left off over an abrasive beat. The track “Bizarro” is a horrifically delivered drug anthem backed with an intoxicating beat while the song “Scope Set” talks about murder over some sirens & loud bass. The penultimate track “Fuck Your Culture” is a dedication to 2 of their late homies that appear on the refrain over a spooky instrumental then the closer “…& to Those I Love, Thanks for Sticking Around” reads off as a suicide note backed with a cumbersome instrumental.

While it’s not a cut above Eternal Grey & I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS as hyped up to be, this is still a solid tape from Ruby da Cherry & $crim. It’s a little too short running at only 26 minutes but both of them still go hard in terms of delivery, lyrics & their Three 6 Mafia-influenced sound.

Score: 3.5/5

B-Side – “B-Side Wins Again” review

B-Side is an underground veteran from Detroit, Michigan known for being 1/2 of the duo Sidenotes. Last time we heard from him in a full capacity was his Vertigo 1.5 mixtape in 2013 but after a long hiatus, he’s following it up with a new compilation.

The opener “Righteous Anger” finds B-Side venting about being a best kept secret over a soulful boom bap beat from Foul Mouth & then the next song “We Don’t Fight Fair” is a lethal Sidenotes reunion. The track “Dangerous” with A.R.E.S. talks about being just that over a clunky instrumental while the song “Guillotine” showcases his sharp lyricism backed with a slick boom bap beat.

“The Funk” with Alius Pnukkl & Konphlict sees the 3 charismatically talking about how hot they are on the mic over an instrumental that suits the title while the next cut is a solid freestyle over Nolan the Ninja’s “Harvest”. The track “Don’t Say Shit” with Smoke the Motor City Menace sees the 2 talking about bums over a funky beat while “The Whole Crew” talks about knocking out his opponents over an instrumental with a vintage sample.

The track “Greyscale” with Faze Blue Le’Goon, Leif Erikson & Philosophy Cole is a deadly collection of witty bars over a jazzy instrumental while the song “Funk Worm” finds A.R.E.S. forming with Sidenotes like Voltron over a trunk-knocking instrumental from DJ Los. The track “Smash” flexes his prowess over a vibrant instrumental while the song “Burial” with Aztek the Barfly, Dadga & Foul Mouth sees the 4 talking about ending their competition over a gloomy beat. The album then finishes off with a dope remix of “The Vices”, which was my personal favorite song off The Vertigo 1.5.

This was a dope collection of tracks. The production is on point, B-Side sounds refreshed on the mic & the features add a lot into the equation. Really looking forward to his debut album The Essence at some point in the future.

Score: 3.5/5

Ketch P – “Gift Certificate” review

Ketch P is a veteran from Inkster, Michigan known for being a member of the quartet Street Justice. He’s released a few solo mixtapes in the past like What Happened? & Motown is Back but with the help of Middle Finger Music, he’s returning from a 6 year hiatus with Gift Certificate.

The tape starts off with “Welcome/Whatupdoe”, where Ketch reintroduces himself over a classy soul sample. The next song “313” is filled with witty battle bars over an beat from Chanes while the track “Doap Pusher” compares himself to a drug dealer over a vintage beat from Peace of Mind. The song “Kareem & Shaq” finds Ketch liking him & his Bad News Brown cohort Foul Mouth to the legendary Lakers players of the same name over an alluring boom bap beat while the track “Ode to the Roots” pays tribute to those that came before him over an instrumental from Jimbo Slice with these Godly background vocals.

The song “Back Outside” with Finale & Vstylez sees the 3 talking about shutting shit down over an uplifting instrumental from Blizzard while the song “Middle Finger Trophies” with Bubba Rock & Rim finds the 3 getting bellicose over a soulful boom bap beat. The song “Boom Bap Shit” pays homage to the titular subgenre over a soulful instrumental while the track “Get the Money” with Isaac Castor talks about making dough over some claps & a fitting vocal sample. The song “Street Justice Nigga” with Jypsy sees the 2 reminding their competition who they’re dealing with over a boom bap beat with some strings & horns while the track “Death Soup” with Guilty Simpson & Paradime finds the 3 talking about Detroit being untouchable over another soulful boom bap beat.

The song “Top 10s & Buffs” talks about Middle Finger Music being in the house over a Foul Mouth beat with some eerie vocals looped throughout while the track “Poured Up” of course talks about alcohol over a wavy boom bap beat. The song “Like This” sees the 2 getting romantic over a delicate beat then the closer “Fish Grease” takes the opportunity to showcase Ketch’s lyricism 1 last time & not only do I like how the instrumental switches from being organ-inflicted to something funky, but I love how he speeds up his flow during the last 30 seconds.

I’ve been waiting for this all year & at the end of the day, it’s easily Ketch’s best work to date. Middle Finger Music has been reminding me for the past year now that they’re one of the best labels in the underground right now & this is no exception, as Ketch P’s lyricism has gotten sharper with time & the production continues to be grimier with each release the label puts out.

Score: 4/5

Westside Gunn – “Hitler Wears Hermes VII” review

This is the latest mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee & entrepreneur Westside Gunn, who first rose to stardom in 2016 with his debut album FLYGOD. This has been continued with a handful of mixtapes, his 2018 sophomore album Supreme Blientele & his own label Griselda Records even signing a distribution deal with Shady Records. Westside has a history of releasing new installments of his Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series on Halloween & despite being delayed a day, this is the 4th year in a row of that.

The opener “FCKNXTWK” finds Westside providing a very brief verse as DJ Drama’s pretty much talking all over some harmonious vocals in the back while the next song “Broadway Joes” is a self proclamation as the King of New York over a rugged beat. The track “Size 42” gets cutthroat over an eerie Daringer beat while the song “Connie’s Son” brags over a soulful beat.

The track “Banana Yacht” with Estee Nack finds the 2 flexing over a grand instrumental & while I like how menacing “GONDEK” is, it’s way too short. The track “Kelly’s Korner” with Fat Joe sees the 2 getting bloodthirsty over a jazzy beat from Statik Selektah while the DJ Green Lantern produced “Undertaker vs. Goldberg” named after WWE’s 2nd annual Super Showdown’s main event gets on the classic Hall ‘N Nash vibe.

The track “Whoopy” talks about wanting to be with this woman over a laidback instrumental while the Animoss produced “Love U” is a better continuation of the previous cut. The track “Kool G” is an epic Griselda cut where Westside, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher use the same rhyme scheme throughout with this raw Alchemist/Daringer beat while the song “It’s Possible” with Boldy James & Jay Worthy sees the 3 talking about making it out of the hood over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “Lucha Bros.” with Benny the Butcher & Curren$y named after the current HOG World Tag Team Champions & AAA Mundial Parejas Campeons The Lucha Brothers who’re also former Tag Team Champions in PWG & TNA Wrestling sees the 3 getting rowdy over a vintage Alchemist beat boasting that current AAA Mega Campeon as well as former PWG World Champion, KO-D無差別級チャンピオン, DDTエクストリームチャンピオン, KO-Dタッグチャンピオン, KO-D6人タッグチャンピオン, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン, the inaugural IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン & the only gaijin to win the G1クライマックス Kenny Omega whipped an extra brick while the song “Westside Gunn Day” goes at Westside’s competition over a symphonic boom bap beat from JR Swiftz. And before a spoken word outro from Keisha Plum, the final song “Kesington Pool” pays tribute to NY over a decent boom bap beat.

This is a lot better than FLYGOD is an Awesome God that came out earlier this year. Westside goes back to his roots more on this one in comparison to taking more risks on his last album. The beats are punchier & the pen game continues to flourish.

Score: 3.5/5

Flee Lord – “Loyalty & Trust” review

Flee Lord is a 36 year old rapper from New York that first came up in 2017 with the release of his debut EP Loyalty of Death: Lord Talk, which was followed up last year with his debut album I Want Out & his 2nd EP Loyalty of Death: Lord Talk 2. He just released his sophomore album Gets Greater Later this March & now just 3 months after his debut mixtape Later is Now, he’s continuing his hustle with a 9-track project as well as 38 Spesh producing it in it’s entirety.

The titular intro sees Flee pours his heart out over a boom bap beat that suits the vibe & then the next song “Contract Plus a Bag” with RJ Payne & Grafh pretty much speaks for itself over an amazing BADBADNOTGOOD sample. The track “Both Views” with Che Noir gets romantic over a smooth instrumental while the song “Kitchen Talk” of course gets on the drug dealing tip over a minimalist beat.

After the 20 second spoken word piece from Benny the Butcher, we go into the song “Perfect Plate”. Where Flee & Spesh get mafioso over a somewhat psychedelic boom bap beat. The track “Hoody Flee” is filled with gritty street bars over an alluring boom bap beat & while the song “Not for Fashion” with Termanology sees the 2 getting into some vivid storytelling, the instrumental on here might be the weakest on the entire project. The tape then ends with the titular outro, where Flee talks about his success over a haunting beat.

Despite the brevity of this project, it’s easily Flee’s magnum opus thus far. His lyricism is getting sharper & the production that 38 Spesh brings to the table is some of his best yet.

Score: 4/5

Ouija Macc – “Resistance: The Walk to Wasteland” review

Ouija Macc is a rapper from Las Vegas, Nevada who came up as the latest signee to the Insane Clown Posse’s label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records in 2017. He made a pretty solid debut last May with Gutterwater, following it up not too long after 2 mixtapes: Waterdamage & 50 Shades of Dead. However to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of his debut, he’s continuing his grind with his 3rd mixtape & longtime collaborator Devereaux producing it in it’s entirety.

The album kicks off with “Controller 17,” where Ouija is dissing an unknown rapper over an eerie beat. The next track “Infinight” talks about shooting out the sun over a druggy trap beat while the song “Lil Monster” gets murderous over a nocturnal trap beat. The track “1700 MPH” has a decent beat, but I love how Ouija disses his haters & that he speeds up his flow during the hook. The song “Dead Diary” is a horrific trap metal fusion & while the track “Randall’s Law” gets murderous, it sounds unfinished. The song “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” continues the lyrical themes of the previous cut over a haunting trap beat & while the track “Hater Exterminator” pretty much speaks for itself over an ominous trap beat, the hook is annoying.

The song “Gary in the Gravedigger” talks about hustling over an alluring trap beat while the track “Benz Boys” with R I L E Y showcases a pretty decent chemistry between the 2 over a Halloween-esque trap beat. The song “Friends” talks about being lonesome over bass-heavy trap beat with a haunting bell throughout while the track “Toxic Nephilim” talks about being a heathen over an atmospheric beat. The song “Jujitsu” gets boastful over a moody beat while the track “Error 404” is a short yet catchy banger where Ouija continues to brag. The song “Sonar Sizzle” talks about the things he’s seen over the course of his life over a somber beat & then “Chaos Spell” is an adrenaline pumping way to close out the tape.

This was a major improvement over Ouija’s last 2 tapes & it’s on par with Gutterwater for his magnum opus. Devereaux’s producer tags can get annoying after a while as they’re placed on every single track, but his chemistry with Ouija is stronger than ever on this one & I like how they kept features to a minimum. It’s not for everyone though, as they continue to put an old fashioned horrorcore spin on the trap sound that’s ever so popular right now.

Score: 3.5/5

Pi’erre Bourne – “Pi’erre & Cardo’s Wild Adventure” review

Pi’erre Bourne is a 25 year old producer, rapper, songwriter & audio engineer from South Carolina who became one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today due to the viral success of Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”. The year before though, he released a trilogy of mixtapes in 2016 called The Life of Pi’erre & is expected to make his full-length commercial debut by following these tapes up at the beginning of 2019. However, he’s giving fans his 8th mixtape to lead us up to the album & he has enlisted Cardo to produce it in it’s entirety.

The tape begins with “Ah Ah Ah”, where Pi’erre talks about how his life is great now over a chilled out trap beat. The next song “Home Improvement” talks about finding a better woman over some synthesizers & heavy bass while the track “Fiji” talks about a friend shooting up his own party over an spacey beat. The song “My Shooter” gets boastful over a cloudy beat while the track “Bearbrick” is filled with clever Justin Timberlake references over a druggy trap beat. The song “For the 2000” talks about blowing money over an atmospheric beat while the track “Death of a Funeral” charismatically brags over a laidback beat.

The song “Kevin Durant” is a moody love tune while the track “Quicksand” continues the vibes of the previous joint. The song “My Calendar” is an airy, unfinished boast while the track “Flex Washington” gets back to the sex themes over a dreamy beat. The song “Backseat” about living in the fast lane over a chilled out beat & while the penultimate track “Motorola” has a decent beat, the auto-tune is slathered to the point where it’s annoying. The tape ends with “Civil Rights”, where Pi’erre boasts over a sample from the previous cut itself.

Overall, this was a pretty solid prelude to The Life of Pi’erre 4. Even though Pi’erre himself is an immensely talented producer, he & Cardo chemistry is more on point than their loose singles in the past. However, I just wish it was longer than 34 minutes & the lack of features unfortunately make it monotonous after a while.

Score: 3.5/5

Conway the Machine – “Everybody’s F.O.O.D. 2: Eat What U Kill” review

Conway the Machine is an MC from Buffalo, New York who with his brother Westside Gunn & their label Griselda Records have been taking over the underground over the course of this decade. He just dropped his 9th mixtape Everybody is F.O.O.D. over the summer & now with the end of the year approaching, he’s decided to drop a sequel out of the blue.

The tape begins with “Fentanyl”, where Conway gets boastful over a chaotic Graymatter beat. The next song “224 May Block” talks about having murder on his mind over a dark beat from The Alchemist while the track “Painkillers” is filled with battle bars over a dreary boom bap beat. The song “Hide the Body” with Benny the Butcher pretty much speaks for itself over an eerie beat & after the “Corners” interlude, we go into the track “Cocaine Paid”. Here, Conway talks about the drug game over a surprising trap beat.

The track “G Money on the Roof” talks about people switching on him over a spacious boom bap beat while the song “Overdose” gets introspective over a minimalist instrumental. The penultimate track “Proud of Me” talks about people who expect something from him now that he’s famous over an upbeat instrumental & the closer “Piece of My Heart” is an ode to Benny’s brother Machine Gun Black over another soulful beat.

Overall, this is a fantastic sequel to one of the Machine’s best projects yet. It’s almost as raw lyrically & sonically but like the predecessor, I just wish it was a little longer. Can’t wait to see what Griselda is gonna do in 2019.

Score: 4/5

Westside Gunn – “Hitler Wears Hermes VI” review

Westside Gunn is a 36 year old rapper from Buffalo, New York who started with his brother Conway the Machine in the early 2000’s. However it wouldn’t be until this decade that the 2 would see success, eventually forming their own label Griselda Records & signed with Eminem’s Interscope Records imprint Shady Records. They’ve continued to put out a number of modern classics since, including Conway’s G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time) & even Westside’s latest album Supreme Blientele. But now to celebrate Halloween, Westside has delivering the 6th installment of his infamous Hitler Wears Hermes series.

After the “Black Hitler” intro, the first song “GiGi” sees Westside Gunn linking up with Benny the Butcher to vividly talk about drug the dealing game over an orchestral Alchemist instrumental. The track “Versace Will Never Be the Same” continues the themes of “GiGi” over an eerie boom bap beat from Daringer & while the song “Niagara Cafe” gets boastful over a soulful instrumental, it’s way too short. The track “Ready Made” talks about how he’s already been successful over a punchy Marco Polo instrumental. As for Keisha Plum’s poetry at the end, it’s just as insightful as always. The track “SLY (Slide Wit It)” talks about capping someone over a settle yet alluring beat while the “Big Luther Freestyle” with Benny sees the 2 returning to the drug dealer life over a clever Luther Vandross sample.

The track “Niggas in Puerto Rico” has some clever beat switches from The Alchemist throughout & while I do enjoy Westside Gunn’s verse as well as Benny’s, Flee Lord to me personally comes off as a Dollar Tree version of Westside Gunn. After the “Chyno Nyno Speaks” interlude, the song “Amherst Station 2” serves as a fantastically soulful sequel to one of my favorite cuts off of Supreme Blientele. The track “My First Drako” with Nick Grant sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a luscious boom bap beat while the song “Evidence Joint” is essentially Westside advising his competition not to fuck with him over a dreamy yet punchy instrumental from Evidence. The closer “John Bena” named after 16-time WWE world champion John Cena gets murderous over a dark instrumental from none other than DJ Muggs, but the Lil Eto verse at the start is kinda boring to me.

It’s obviously not superior to Supreme Blientele or even the last 2 installments of the Hitler Wears Hermes series, this was still a solid tape. Westside Gunn’s street tales are as intriguing as ever, but some of these songs could’ve been more fully fleshed out. Also, some of the production could’ve been better & the same goes to a couple of the features as well. But still if you’re a big fan of Griselda, you’re gonna enjoy a good chunk of what’s being presented on here.

Score: 3.5/5

Asian Doll – “So Icy Princess” review

Asian Doll is a 20 year old rapper from Dallas, Texas who first came onto the scene in 2015 with her Rise of the Barbie Doll Gang mixtape. She has released 5 more mixtapes since then & just over the summer, she landed a contract with the legendary Gucci Mane’s Interscope Records imprint 1017 Global with this 7th mixtape of hers being her 1st outing with Wizzop’s camp.

The title track that kicks the tape off gets boastful over a video gamely instrumental & the next song “First Off” gets confrontational over a gritty trap beat. The track “1017″ with Gucci & Yung Mal sees the 3 talking about wanting to “stun ‘em” over a downtempo instrumental while the song “Southside” is filled with gritty street bars over a suiting instrumental from the 808 Mafia co-founder with the same name.

The track “Traumatized” talks about murder & the beat is just ok, but her voiced is SLATHERED in auto-tune to the point where it becomes annoying. The song “Talk” is even worse, because it sounds like “Myself” by ΠΔV for God knows what reason. The track “Kit Kat” talks about how she’s above her competition, but it doesn’t sound fully fleshed out to me. The song “Rock Out” is a raunchy sex tune over an instrumental that you can hear on any new E-40 album while the track “Hardest Doll” talks about her new lifestyle since signing to Wop over a Southside instrumental with some icy synths & heavy-bass.

The song “Rich Guy” talks about needing the titular type of man over a thunderous trap beat with some sirens while the track “Facts” with Dreezy sees the 2 claiming they both speak the truth over a trap beat with some synthesizers that provide a bit of a futuristic vibe. The song “Running Man” with Smooky MarGielaa is about how money made them both new enemies over a sinister beat while the track “NASCAR” is another brag about the rich life over a bouncy instrumental.

The song “No Cap” is mostly nondescript, but the dude who’s featured on it named Go Yayo sounds EXACTLY like Young Thug. If Asian Doll wanted the REAL Thugger on this tape, I feel like she easily could’ve went up to Gucci & said “Hey let’s see if Young Thug can do a feature for this project”. The penultimate track “Check” energetically returns to the flexing tip over a trap beat with a decent keyboard lead then the closer “Headspin” while both Asian Doll & YBN Nahmir compliment each other pretty well, it sounds unfinished.

I was pretty intrigued from the moment I heard that Asian Doll signed to 1017 Global, but this was pretty mediocre. She definitely sounds a lot better than she did on her previous tapes, but some of the production & most of the features kinda weigh it down. I really think Asian Doll has the most potential out of everyone on the current 1017 Global roster, but this barely makes a dent through the wall unfortunately.

Score: 2.5/5