Tag: mixtape review

LIFEOFTHOM – “Driving Blind” review

New York emcee LIFEOFTHOM enlisting seasoned talent manager, producer, DJ, songwriter, audio engineer & record executive Plain Pat to produce his debut mixtape. Introducing himself off his first couple EPs Thomas & Robot Jesus, he would go on to release 3 more in Floor 11 as well as Room 44 & Cocotaso respectively. However, the singles that we got teasing Driving Blind & learning that the former KIDS SEE GHOSTS manager was solely handling all of the production.

“Wasted” was a passionate choice of an opener talking about risking it all for a plate & wanting a lot of stacks whereas the highlight “42nd St.” featuring Lørd Skø takes a jazzier yet soulful approach instrumentally representing the uptown. “Hands” featuring Wiki proves to be another favorite clllaboration of the 4 working in more sampling stripping the drums to talk about being the boss type while “Overthinking” tackles the theme of analysis paralysis.

Meanwhile on “Hittas”, we have THOM over a soulfully cloudy beat talking about the lesson that every journey has to have the kind of people who’ll stick knives in our backs just before “Night” hooks up a drumless guitar so he can get married to the game. “Cadillac” featuring jev. & Wiseboy Jeremy pairs the trio for a funky ode to luxury vehicle division of the General Motors Company while “Jeep” takes a more cavernous approach to the beat talking about his obnoxiousness.

“G.T.F.O. (Get the Fuck Out)” starts the final leg of the tape by addressing the people who want to see him out of bounds while “Lost in Vegas” featuring Swavay talking about being the type to snatch phones & log into finstas. “XO Tour Life” jumps over a boom bap instrumental with pianos speaking of money always coming his way & “Jumpin’ In” finishes the most important entry of LIFEOFTHOM’s discography leaping up out the edge of his seat for $100.

Reinventing the classic New York sound by blending classic boom bap rhyme schemes together with genre blurring melodies, Plain Pat helps take the meticulously thoughtful pen & use of experimental cadences/flows that’s skyrocketed LIFEOFTHOM’s popularity to a completely different stratosphere with no shade intended towards those early extended plays. Driving Blind’s refreshing production is unlike any of Thomas’ earlier work & firmly stands behind the homie Lørd Skø in helping pave a bright future for east coast lyricists.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jeezy – “Still Snowin’” review

Brand new mixtape & the 15th altogether for Atlanta, Georgia rapper, songwriter, trap pioneer & actor Jeezy. Emerging in the early 2000s off his full-length debut T.U.I. (Thuggin’ Under the Influence) & the sophomore effort Come Shop wit Me, his biggest breakthrough wouldn’t come until 2004 where he began a partnership with Def Jam Recordings that’s going on strong to this very day & dropped the classic Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It the following summer. Subsequent discography highlights would include Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration, The Recession, Thug Motivation 103: Hustler’z Ambition, Seen It All: The Autobiography & even The Recession 2 that came out the day after his Verzuz battle against longtime rival Gucci Mane during the COVID-19 pandemic. He went back to basics with the help of DJ Drama on Snofall fulfilling his Def Jam contract & is looking to do it again with Still Snowin’ a couple years since I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget.

The funky instrumental on the title track produced by DJ Toomp & Don Cannon took me by surprise to start the tape although Jeezy nonetheless comes correct flexing that he’s still making it snow whereas “Slide for Sho” turns up the funk to turn the clubs up. “Treason” works in some sampling so he can refuse to waste his time on the people who’ve betrayed him while “Snowman Party” has a bit of a jazzier tone talking about his parties being unique.

“Inside My Soul” continues the incredible choice of samples making his grandmother proud maintaining the plug motivation while “My Friends” brings back the funk talking about not being the kind to cheat on his homies. “Another Sad Song” discusses the truth of it taking a coward to shoot up a school referring to the Evergreen tragedy in Colorado earlier this month while “Bruce Wayne” likens himself to the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment franchise’s protagonist.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “The Whole Town” soulfully dedicates itself to all the 80s babies just before the funky “Don’t Play ‘Bout Me” cautions everyone to not fuck around with him. “Head to the Sky (You Can Win)” takes an optimistically uplifting approach conceptually over chopping up more soul samples while “Anything” returns to funkier territory taking aim at people who’ll say whatever about him.

“Hustler’s Paradise” hooks up some slick sampling to give some peace of mind since God has done him some favors over the course of his life while “Keep That Same Energy” talks about feeling like Kanye on the night of the 2009 MTV VMA Awards when he notoriously interrupted Taylor Swift’s Best Female Video acceptance speech & later put out his 2nd best album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy behind The College Dropout.

The song “Thug Life Again” nears the conclusion of Still Snowin’ soulfully making it known that he’s still living that Corporate Thug lifestyle now that CTE World is no longer distributed by a major label while the funky “Back for More” talks about his entrepreneurship. “If You Don’t Know Me” dabbles with drumless for 107 seconds to ends by reflecting on giving the streets everything but his life & time everything except for tears.

Commemorating 2 whole decades of both Trap or Die & Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It respectively, both Don Cannon & DJ Toomp give Jeezy a more jazzier sound than some of output in this current decade & it’s welcomed as much as I loved The Recession 2 alongside Snofall & I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll have to make a Recession 3 at some point within the next few years & if that’s the case, this is a mature prelude to it.

Score: 4.5/5

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Destroy Lonely – “</3³” review

The 3rd mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely finally arriving in time for fall. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 9 EPs & a couple mixtapes since originally breaking out through SoundCloud in 2019 prior to Playboi Carti signing alone to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records to surprise drop his last tape No Stylist in light of his ongoing tour with fellow label-mate Ken Carson last summer followed by the full-length debut If Looks Could Kill. Love Lasts Forever was disappointing in comparison & See U Soon </3 would make great improvements paving the way for </3³.

“ain’t hard” starts the tape with Lone & Bugz Ronin telling us that it ain’t that hard to be a boss & that the rest of his crew is merely getting started whereas “risk” flexes that he doesn’t need a stylist to this very day, hence the project that made him popular amongst Opium fans alike. “see no evil” produced by Cxdy of Internet Money Records & Vanguard Music Group boasts of him living the Top Floor life while “no pressure” flexes that he keeps 2 hands on the steering wheel.

As for “stfu”, we have Lone advising everyone around to him to keep their mouths shut entirely leading into “show u how” askin’ if he’s putting up whatever he’s gonna put down. “top flo” reunites with Clayco for a successor to “ss” off of A Great Chaos leading into “kansas” talking about moving like a demon & sending anyone who tries to snatch his chain to God.

“screwed up” ends the first half of </3³ with a homage to the late DJ Screw while “party n get high” gets the 2nd act of the tape going by talking about wanting to do those 2 things. “leash” finds Lone trying to put his ego to the side for a woman who can’t be tamed over a Toom instrumental while the single “jumanji” talks about moving so quickly to the point where everyone else behind him finishes last.

Meanwhile on “not the mayor”, we have Destroy Lonely flexing that he’s counting up green as if he went to Yale prior to “blowin’ smoke” linking up with Rafmade to talk about smoking weed in a black & white Maybach in addition to being overly locked in with his team. “kool on ya” makes it known that he’s cool with anyone who’s cool with him while the 2-parter “soooo high” talks about the way his money makes him feel.

“open it up” featuring Ken Carson gives us a taste of what’s to come from their collaborative mixtape calling for the mosh pits to be opened whilst paying respects to the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne while “leave u out 2 dry” caps off the tape with Lone talking about being too good for this chick he’s been speaking to. Serving as an epilogue, “what’s it gon take?” samples “The Way That Wind Moves” by Sons of the Morning telling all his homies he misses them.

Starting the deluxe run, “with my bitch” talks about riding around the whip with his girl while “sipped too much” admits to consuming more lean than he should’ve. “hide it” talks about going days without eating & sleeping searching for peace & after “exorcist” with Nosaint compares his chick to Sexyy Red, the final bonus track “rose gold ice” once again gets back to the habit of sippin’ on some sizzurp.

For me: The biggest flaw Love Lasts Forever had going for it was easily the production was more lackluster than If Looks Could Kill & No Stylist. Fortunately for us, </3³ resolves that issue & lands behind Music for the best project we’ve gotten from the Opium camp all year. Mostly because it’s a return to the sound of Destroy Lonely’s earliest material & it’s topics take on an introspective tone.

Score: 4/5

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TR Dee – “Trapped in My Bag 4ever” review

Detroit rapper TR Dee hitting us with his 8th mixtape. Notable for being 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz alongside Babytron & Stanwill signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also began carving a path for himself as a solo artist off his first couple mixtapes Trapped in My Bag & Made for This ahead of his debut album M.I.P. (Most Improved Player). He has since given us 5 more tapes in Trapped in My Bag 2, Crunch Time, Ice Trae, Trapped in My Bag 3 & Early Mornings, Late Nights followed by the sophomore effort The Greatest. His Evolution revealed itself last September & the Dog $hit Militia member is finding himself Trapped in My Bag 4ever.

“In My Bag 4Ever” was the most aptly picked choice of an intro talking about popping bottles because he’s scratching off goals whereas “Generational Wealth” cautioning that the reaper will come for any person who chooses to cross him. “Jabbawockee” goes for a cloudier direction instrumentally flexing that he’s hot enough to burn people’s eyes while “Hypnotized” talks about a woman not leaving him alone.

Meanwhile on “Death Note”, we have TR Dee talking about his days looking sunnier than they were prior to his music career taking off leading into “Island Vibes” knowing if one’s really from the trenches based on whether or not they’ve stolen a bike. “Larry Byrd” by the Dookie Brothers finds the pair giving a nod to the hick from French Lick himself just before “Saiyan” talks about always being in his bag because he’s stuck in it.

“Woosah” featuring Sada Baby & Stanwill takes the lowend route thanks to Certified Trapper promising that they won’t take back anyone who winds up leaving them while “Hawaiian Punch” talks about ignoring anyone who brings negativity his way. “Overtime” produced by Danny G speaks of never going against the grain & being the one who does the stuntin’ while “Mona Lisa” talks about tracking his whip if it’s stolen.

The 2nd act of Trapped in My Bag 4Ever begins to wind down on “Missed My Flight” venting his frustrations of a plane he was supposed to get on taking off without him because he was up the entire evening previously grinding until taking aim at everybody that stays talking shit about him & the squad, suggesting they should “Back It Up” since their flips won’t stop flapping.

“Pork & Beans” hooks up some pianos & 808s advises to run the tape up in preparation for an upcoming tour & the closer “Stone Cold Stunner” references 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Starting the deluxe run, “Not Gonna Learn” jumps over a Danny G & Jakesand instrumental talking about waking up those sleeping on him as if a thunderstorm’s occurring while “1 Man Army” featuring Org 6 suggests selling their catalog to prevent going broke. “Wake Up” hooks up some bells to talk about his jewelry dancing wherever he goes while “Icey Plunger” by the ShittyBoyz excitingly tosses the mic back-&-forth with each other.

“Durantula” was a welcoming attempt at Danny experimenting with lowend & TR Dee talking about D$M not being the ones to fuck with while “Let ‘Em Cook” compares himself to a chef the way he be cookin’. Roll Call” talks about possibly engaging in money fights even if it’ll last the entire evening while “Above the Rim” refuses to slide his mans let alone the people who gave him a hand when he needed it the most.

The song “Make It Quick” talks about not having any competition because they’ll all wind up getting lyrically slain by him & not going Hollywood because he isn’t done with music while the final bonus track “Kidz Bop” technically wraps things up wishing he had eyes in the back of his head to see who’s speaking ill of him when he’s not looking or who wouldn’t care if God forbid something happened to him.

You can’t go wrong with the first 3 installments of the Trapped in My Bag series although Crunch Time sticks out as my favorite TR Dee tape but anyway, I didn’t mind Evolution as others because his growth after 5 now 6 years in the game was right in front of us & that very much carries itself over onto Trapped in My Bag 4Ever. It’s like the same energy from the previous Trapped in My Bag entries is being recaptured with a different perspective.

Score: 4/5

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Westside Gunn – “Heels Have Eyes II” review

This is the 13th mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, curator & now professional wrestling promoter after forming the 4th Rope independent circuit promotion Westside Gunn. Proving his legend status & that he’s to be 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 promotion 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世界タッグチャンピオン, 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, releasing a sequel to Heels Have Eyes.

“Heel Cena” after the “Bommes des Garçon” intro references 17-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena’s short run as a heel over a vintage boom bap instrumental from CG whereas “Amira Kitchen” featuring Brother Tom Sos jazzily talking about everything working because God said it would. “Powerhouse Hobbs” featuring Benny the Butcher has to be one of the the grimiest moments here thanks to Denny LaFlare giving a nod to the current AEW World Trios Champion & former AEW TNT Champion alongside former 2-time AEW International Champion Will Ospreay leading into Conductor Williams sampling “Can You Lose by Following God” by Johnnie Frierson for “Mandela” & FLYGOD flowing all over it.

Stove God Cooks joins Westside Gunn on the Harry Fraud-produced “Brikolai Volkoff” referencing none other than the late WWE Hall of Famer & former WWE Tag Team Champion Nikolai Volkoff while “Aunt Gina” featuring Skyzoo dedicates itself to all type of people that they know from those in prison to brick movers. “Glowrealah” gives off a hypnotic boom bap vibe talking about possibly getting him a country chick just before “Prick” featuring Brother Tom Sos kicks the pianos back in effect talking about seeing dope fiends & broken dreams.

The song “Demna Left Balenci” begins the final leg of Heels Have Eyes II with DJ Muggs chopping up a soul sample & a bar referring to another current AEW World Trios Champion & former 2-time AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe in addition to his reign as AEW World Champion while “Blow Hendry” featuring MIKE drumlessly references former TNA World Champion & the longest reigning TNA Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Astronomicon 8 this spring. The tape finishes with a sequel to the “Love U” interlude off Hitler Wears Hermes VII being used as an outro this time.

In no way am I trying to discredit the projects that followed Hitler Wears Hermes X because I enjoy And Then You Pray for Me for his attempt at experimenting with trap & Hitler Wears Hermes XI this past Valentine’s Day even if I still maintain that it felt more of a Peace FLYGOD sequel, but Heels Have Eyes II contains some of Westside Gunn’s greatest performances since what was originally the concluding chapter of his infamous mixtape series that continues today going back & forth between drumless & boom bap production with 5 other guests whose pen-games are individually unparalleled.

Score: 4.5/5

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Dominic Fike – “Rocket” review

Dominic Fike is a 29 year old musician, singer/songwriter & rapper from Naples, Florida who Columbia Records signed in 2018 off his debut EP Don’t Forget About Me & later What Could Possibly Go Wrong? during the COVID-19 pandemic. He would later join the cast of the Warner Bros.-owned HBO series Euphoria during it’s previous season & the sophomore effort Sunburn was more well received than it’s predecessor. 14 Minutes last spring preluded his debut mixtape here to mixed feedback & he’s finally dropping it after the recent formation of Geezer this summer.

To get the tape going, “All Hands on Deck” comes out the gate by displaying his range singing & rapping about wanting to inhabit the safe zone of an individual he deeply cares for whereas “Aftermath” goes into an indie rock direction finding him trying to get over an ex of his. The cheerful atmosphere of “Smile” suits it’s lyrics about how it’s not what you’re missing or could’ve done better prior to the funky “Sandman” inviting this woman to be his drifter.

“Great Pretender” colorfully tells this influencer who always spoke so kindly that he sees right through their bullshit & that they do a really good job at making it seem as if their words are sincere while “$500 Fine” talks about having the feeling that he could’ve made the relationship work if he didn’t fuck up 3 times. “1 Glass” despite it’s underwritten structuring embraces the indie rock sound again advising to come get him if he’s lying while “Quite the Opposite” talking about the only thing he knows how to do is make songs that’re apologetic.

Reaching the 3rd & final act, “Upset & Aggressive” realizing that he’ll get rolled over every time he would come over to see this woman who would eventually cut him out while “David Lyons” references Gene Wilder’s character in the film See No Evil, Hear No Evil. The epilogue takes a more soothing route instrumentally singing about being left behind & astray while the self-produced “Still Feel It” ends by explaining that there’s no backstory or words used in vein.

Reflecting on recent life events whilst showing personal growth & maturity, Dominic Fike continues to seek beauty in harrowing-but-tender emotional bloodletting with the most deeply personal collection of ideas. The production here primarily focuses on bedroom pop aside from occasional detours into pop rock, indie rock, alt-pop & pop rap to provide a new perspective in light of him becoming a father.

Score: 3.5/5

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Babytron – “Luka Trončić 2” review

This is the 11th mixtape from Detroit emcee Babytron. Coming up as a member of the ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also branched out on an impressive solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. But the last couple years was probably his biggest yet landing interviews ranging from No Jumper to even Rolling Stone following the release of Luka Trončić until signing with EMPIRE Distribution later that same month & Bin Reaper 2: The 2nd Coming that same fall. Bin Reaper 3 ended the trilogy with a 2-disc effort, the bootleg Style EP wound up being disappointing, the full-length LP 6 made up for it as did his previous mixtape Megatron 2. His collab mixtape Mario & Luigi with Certified Trapper wasn’t all that great either & Tronicles was cool, cooking up a Luka Trončić sequel originally set for his born day couple months ago.

“Luka Magic” starts by showing love to his inner circle homaging the real Luka Dončić over a Detroit trap instrumental whereas the “Michigander” single referencing WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali talks about being proud of his identity. “77” flexes his ties with the Dog $hit Militia harking back to the Detroit techno days with a modern twist while “Ex 2 (BM)” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. expresses hope of their ex-girlfriends getting into a scuffle with fighters from the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division UFC.

The “Mukbang” trend gets used as a double-edged metaphor crudely discussing luxurious dining & once “Shithead” talks about his desire of becoming a billionaire reminding these dumb fucks who he is, “Cheat Code 3” produced by Pi’erre Bourne divides itself in 2 halves referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion & 2-time WCW World Television Champion “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

WWE Hall of Famer, 7-time WWE world champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker gets referenced at the start of “Chase the Money” featuring G Herbo following his confrontation with the current TNA World Champion Trick Williams a few days back just before “Dark Knight” talks about a body getting caught without a trace of it being left. The 4th installment of the “PunchGod” saga puts Babytron’s unique punchlines in the forefront leading into “2-Man” featuring VonOff1700 referencing WWE Hall of Famers D-Generation X.

Reaching the halfway point of the tape, “Retro Tron” responds to the crowd that wants him to make music reminiscent of his older material while “Sirloin” includes a witty bar about former WWE Champion, 8-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, the inaugural & record-tying 3-time AEW TNT Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, ROH World Champion & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes. “Caveman” shows off his punchlines again including 1 at the end popularized by the late Big L while “Belt Town” talks about figuring out what’s next.

“End-Zone” featuring NoCap will satisfy any hip hop head who loves sports due to the heavy amount of wordplay shouting out the late Junior Seau or Ben Roethlisberger while “Drugs, $ex & Murder” talks about the gangsta lifestyle maintaining the Detroit sound in the process. “BumpStockBoyz” moves on from there explaining that people would kill for his lifestyle while “Bol-Bol” reunites with Danny G to talk about the blunt caving your chest after a fat rip.

Certified Trapper, Luh Tyler, Trapland Pat & 1900Rugrat all join Tron for the underwhelming “Spring Break” dropping off brief verses albeit the best gets saved for last while “Demigod” talks about losing count of the times that he’s been counted out. “Whiteboy” references the current 17-time WWE world champion John Cena ahead of his title defense at SummerSlam XXXVIII this weekend & “Final Level” ends with switching the instrumental during each verse placing Jakesand first. 

Tronicles had it’s share of standout moments for being bloated as it was, but the original Luka Trončić could potentially be my favorite Babytron tape & the sequel here recaptures that same energy now that Luka Dončić himself was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this spring. Despite only a couple of the guests standing out to me, Tron’s memorable punchlines & the production make Luka Trončić 2 worth your 73 minutes.

Score: 4/5

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Metro Boomin’ – “A Futuristic Summa” review

St. Louis producer, DJ & record executive Metro Boomin’ finally dropping off his highly anticipated 2nd mixtape. Gaining notoriety in the middle of the previous decade as one of the most in-demand beatsmiths in hip hop today, he’s gone on to produce some of the best trap projects of the decade in their entireties including Future’s 3rd album D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2), Gucci Mane’s 53rd mixtape Droptopwop and the Offset/21 Savage collab tape Without Warning. It was until after Halloween 2018 when he put out his solo debut Not All Heroes Wear Capes & the 2022 sequel Heroes & Villains continued an ongoing trilogy by elevating his production game. A Futuristic Summa was announced earlier this month & we’re finally getting it weeks since the current 2-time World Heavyweight Champion Gunther retired WWE Hall of Famer, 4-time WWE world champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Bill Goldberg at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLI followed by former AEW Women’s World Champion Blake Monroe betraying former 3-time TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace & another former TNA Knockouts World Champion Naomi becoming a 3-time WWE women’s world champion by ending イヨ・スカイ’s 2nd reign as a WWE women’s world champion at Evolution II.

“I Want It All” by J Money after the “Black Migo Forever” intro starts with a decent futuristic swag opener talking about his desire for everything nice whereas “They Wanna Have Fun” by Gucci Mane, Quez & Young Dro co-produced by Zaytoven homages the Cyndi Lauper single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with Quez’ verse in the middle being my least favorite of the 3. “Butterflies (Right Now)” by Roscoe Dash & Quavo goes for an Atlanta bass vibe so they can talk about doing the crime & time of killing pussy prior to “Take Me Thru Dere” by Quavo & YK Niece inferiorly continuing the themes of lust. 

The colorful “Loose Screws” by Shad da God & Skooly blends pop rap & trap with the help of DK Spinz to discuss losing their mind if the baddies they’re seeing move in with them just before the first of 2 Young Dro solo cuts “Stealin’ All the Swag” cloudily talks about wanting his swagger back. “WTF Goin’” combines these pianos & hi-hats shrugging off the haters because they only add flavor to what he’s doing while “Issa Party” by Jose Guapo, Shad da God & Young Dro warmly talks about wanting hoes to hit their line to rock & move with them.

“Clap” has gotta be the most I’ve enjoyed a Waka Flocka Flame song in a minute putting his politics & that corny publicity stunt where he got “jumped” aside while the danceable “Slide” by Young Dro confesses he hasn’t been able to talk the same since meeting this woman he’s addressing. “My Lil Shit” by BunnaB, J Money & Meany throws it back to the ringtone era of late 2000s southern hip hop while “Still Turnt (Forever B$hot)” by Shad da God talks about still being lit to this very day.

J Money, Quavo & Waka Flocka Flame all link up on the synthesizer-woven “Drip BBQ” showing off their sauce as if they’re at a cookout while “I Go” by J Money holds the fort by himself to show off his wealthy possessions. “Make It Make Sense” by Rocko has a darker trap mood to it talking about shit being illogical if it it ain’t making any money while “I Like That” by Waka Flocka Flame & 2 Chainz despite Honorable C.N.O.T.E. producing it wasn’t too bad of a pop rap track.

“Birthday” by Metro Thuggin’ & Skooly uses a bunch of playful metaphors to speak about sex & confidence while “Don’t Stop Dancin’” by Lil Baby & Skooly talks about loving the way their partners dance. “U Deserve” by T.I. & Young Dro throws it back to Grand Hustle Records’ prime in the mid-late 2000s while “Overly Trimm” by Jose Guapo, Quavo, Shad da God, Skooly, Travis Porter & Young Dro made for a mild posse cut.

Future & 21 Savage deliver A Futuristic Summa’s smoothest moment “Partying & Drinking” talking about women who be acting like they’re single when having fun with their friends while “Jerry Curry (Love & Basketball” by Lil Baby & Yung L.A. references TKO Group Holdings co-founder Vince McMahon. The futuristic swag closer “I Need (Where U From)” by J Money, Lil Baby, Roscoe Dash & 2 Chainz sends off the tape with all 4 of them asking the women they’re dating about their sets.

Taking the aesthetics of early 2010s mainstream Atlanta hip hop & putting some modern touches on it, A Futuristic Summa will feel nostalgic to anyone like me who was in middle school when songs like “Lemonade” or “Hard in da Paint” were dominating the airwaves. Metro Boomin’s production easily sticks out as the best part of the whole thing diverting from trap to experiment with futuristic swag, plugg, Atlanta bass & contemporary R&B. However, the guests’ performances are more hit or miss compared to Heroes & Villains.

Score: 3/5

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WTM Miles – “Shortstop” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Miles releasing his long-awaited debut mixtape. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, his solo career began in the end of 2020 off his first couple EPs I Shoulda Been Dropped & Trappin’ n L.A. ahead of the full-length debut studio album Crackhouse Mafia. Born of his most recent batch of EPs Cross State Lines & Road Music would individually prelude Shortstop, which has arrived in the midst of what’s already shaping up to be a stacked week musically.

“Brick by Brick” comes out the gate with the Detroit sound to get on his off the planet shit whereas “Who I Am 2” picks up where the Cross State Lines highlight left off on some Detroit trap vibes not needing to say much because of his reputation. Homealone Drock & Prince Jefe join Miles on “Not Enough” with Jefe having my favorite guest appearance of the 2 staying committed to the bills prior to the self-produced “See Me Now” talking about waking people up.

We get another Cross State Lines sequel track, except this time it’s “Forever Hustling” explaining that nothing’s changed since while “Dame Time” blends some horns & 808s together referencing Portland Trailblazers point guard Damian Lillard. “March Madness” speaks on choosing to either go hard or go home just before “No Gimmicks” featuring WTM Solid talks about living the life they rap of.

“Daisy Navy Mafia” featuring Talibando & WB Nutty finds the trio coming together to press down keys without typing leading into “Code Talking” tells those on the consistent grind that their time will come with patience. “Mobsters” featuring Rafa unites both WRLD Tour members discussing turning Slam A Slut Records into a trend together while the Detroit trap/Mobb crossover “4am in the Raq” talks about not resting so he can tour.

Samuel Shabazz joins Miles on “Slow” to flex their own waves without Max B while “1 Strike” introspectively talks about his brother watching over him & trying to do him proud since everything gets bigger to him by the daily. “Fairy Odd Parents” heavily samples the theme song of the original Fairly OddParents, whose sequel series A New Wish is currently preparing for another season on the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Nickelodeon.

Money Man’s been teasing Shortstop for the past year at this point & for only a half hour tape, I enjoyed it a tad more than Road Music & it could plausibly rival Crackhouse Mafia if I had to pick a specific favorite or 2 out of the WTM Miles solo discography. He saves both the rap game & the road with tighter production than the last time we heard him, basically solidifying himself as the most recent AL Cy Young Award recipient Tarik Skubal of WRLD Tour stealing all the clientele.

Score: 4/5

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