Sada Baby – “The Green Tape: DX” review

This is the 18th mixtape from Detroit rapper/singer Sada Baby. Becoming amongst Detroit trap’s biggest names in 2017 off his first couple mixtapes Skuba Sada & D.O.N. (Day One N***a), he signed to Asylum Records for his 4th tape & major label debut Bartier Bounty to widespread praise in 2019 & has since put out 17 more mixtapes, with my favorites of being Skuba Sada 2 as well as both Bartier Bounty sequels & more recently The Black Tape: nWo. Almost 2 months later & The Green Tape: DX has arrived.

“Triple H” starts with a homage to 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 14-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s CCO whereas “Road Dogg Skuba James” references the 2-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, WWE Hardcore Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & WWE’s current Senior Vice President of Live Events.

We have the Detroit trap vibes carrying over on to “Pikkolo” throwing in a bar near the end referring to Rip Hamilton of the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons just before “HulkSmash” brings the bells in full effect talking saying no more because he ain’t saying shit. “X-Pac” gives his praises to the former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, GCW Tag Team Champion, TNA X Division Champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, 5-time WWE tag team champion & XPW Television Champion while “Limelight” featuring Hellboy Rodd was the weakest collab of the 2.

“Newport 500s” blends cloud rap & Detroit trap that goes well up until the cringey 94 second auto-tone outro while “Saibaman” featuring Lil Yachty continues to pull inspiration from ドラゴンボールZ referencing the creatures dwelling in the demon realm. “Billy Gunn” references the former AEW World Trios Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & 11-time WWE tag team champion leading into “Canada Dry” talking about pettiness.

The late WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE Women’s Champion “Chyna” gets a song dedicated to her while “Captain Planet” refers to the animated edutainment show on the Discovery Global-owned tbs created by WCW founder Ted Turner. My favorite beat on the tape goes to Helluva on “Hal Jordan” sampling “Who Run It?” by the Three 6 Mafia prior to “Shenron” delving back in the ドラゴンボールZ lore

“Celtics” starts the last leg of The Green Tape: DX with a nod to the 18-time NBA Champions out in Boston while the disco rap/Detroit trap crossover “Granny Smith” suggests to get away from him. “Sweet Spin Music (HBK)” shows love to 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 4-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion, the current WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development & head booker of their developmental NXT brand Shawn Michaels & “Beast Boy” ends with a reference to the Teen Titans character.

The Grey Tape: Smoke last month was simply ok in my opinion, but The Green Tape: DX joins Sada Baby’s debut for Hitmaker Music Group earlier this summer The Black Tape: nWo with another project filled with Easter eggs wrestling fans will easily catch on to not even 24 hours following the death of the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder, Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder & known racist Hulk Hogan.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jim Legxacy – “Black British Music” review

Jim Legxacy is a 25 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Lewisham, London, England, United Kingdom emerging off his first 3 moderately received extended plays: Dynasty Program: A Metrical Composition Inspired by the Nights Spent as the Raiider as well as BTO! & Citadel. His debut mixtape Homeless N*gga Pop Music in the spring of 2023 would mark a creative breakthrough for him, signing to the local indie label XL Recordings last fall. 9 months later, he’s ready to make bigger waves with a 2nd mixtape in preparation of the youngest RPW British Cruiserweight Champion Leon Slater becoming the youngest TNA X Division Champion this weekend.

“stick” after the “context” intro begins with a jerk, lowend, pop rap, alternative R&B, cloud rap & chipmunk soul single sampling “Going Through It” by Skepta talking about selling “Charli to the brats” whereas “new david bowie” flips “Wash” by Jon Bellion for a tribute to the late glam rock icon who passed almost a decade ago. “sun” featuring Fimiguerrero finds the 2 coming together for a tropical banger wanting to get drunk while “’06 wayne rooney” blends emo-pop, post-punk revival, pop rock, pop punk, jangle pop, jerk & dance-punk revival interpolating “Hey Ya!” by André 3000.

Things take a folkier during “issues of trust” singing about the death of Jim’s sister leading into the pop rap, lowend, jerk, chipmunk soul & conscious hip hop single “father” opening up regarding why it was like for him growing up without a dad. “d.b.a.b. (don’t be a bitch)” starts the 2nd half of Black British Music with a chipmunk soul jerk crossover sending that message clear as day while the Afrobeats-inspired “big time forward” sings about women shaking ass.

“sos” samples “Missing You” by Case so he can describe being in love with a woman who happens to be falling for a completely different guy but after “i just banged a snus in canada water” chops up both “brief” & Fortnite for a jerk/boom bap fusion refusing to let anyone treat him the way they did when he was younger, “dexter phonecall” comes across as a dexter in the newsagent solo cut talking about life not being what it used to be.

Dave joins Jim for “3x”, kicking off Black British Music’s final act bringing back the same atmosphere “sun” went for earlier explaining to their partners that they’d rather be alone while “tiger driver ‘91” references the late 5-time AJPW三冠ヘビー級チャンピオン, 8-time AJPW世界タッグチャンピオン, プロレスリング・ノア founder, the inaugural 3-time GHCヘビー級チャンピオン & 2-time GHCタッグチャンピオン三沢光晴. “brief” last but not least wraps up the tape singing about getting wasted & living life like he’s a heathen.

Getting a couple of 2025’s best singles out of this rollout, Black British Music properly introduces the world to Jim Legxacy both as a person & a creative mastermind whose debut album ranks amongst my most anticipated releases of 2026. His inventive production pushes boundaries of pop rap experimenting with jerk, alternative R&B, Afrobeats, lowend, alt-pop, emo rap, chipmunk soul, chillwave, boom bap, cloud rap, folk music, emo-pop, post-punk revival, pop rock, pop punk, jangle pop & dance-punk revival for a half hour sharing his appreciation for Black British artists entirely.

Score: 4.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Summertime Butch 2” review

Here is the 18th mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. We got Summertime Butch last August & only a couple months following Excelsior, a sequel to Summertime Butch has arrived.

“Jasmine” featuring Westside Gunn was a drumless opener immediately after the “Summer Feelin’” intro talking about the state of rap being the same since 2Pac got killed almost 3 decade ago over a Daringer beat only 4 days after West performed during the AEW World Tag Team Champions The Hurt Syndicate’s entrance at All Out IV last Saturday during their defense against JetSpeed & former AEW World Trios Champions The Patriachy whereas “Hood on Fire” featuring Bruiser Wolf finds the 2 coolin’ down their respective streets after they started getting hot.

Benny rubs his success in the faces of all his detractors on “Told You So with a Mike WiLL Made-It instrumental backing him & after the “Where’s Butch?” skit, “Summer ‘25” orchestrally boasts that you can find him outside. G Herbo joins Benny on the cloudy trap crossover “Why Would I?” wanting to find a reason for forgiving the people who’ve switched up on them as their popularity in music continued to grow just before “77 Club” keeps giving the middle finger to naysayers calling him washed talking about the analytics never lying.

“Gold Plated Leica” featuring O.T. the Real brings the pair together to flex their dope line from Pittsburgh to Austin while “In the Wall featuring Bun B gets back on the trap vibes thanks to Cory Mo talking about having drug money for everyone. “Pandoras” featuring Duckman & Elcamino begins the last 5 minutes or so of Summertime Butch 2 with the trio bringing up the fact B$F’s been making the whole rap game play follow the leader all decade up to this point trying to save a few regardless of the Everybody Can’t Go lesson while “Lo Lo’s” sends off the tape with a Bink! heater advising to trust what you see & let your eyes be the proof.

The original Summertime Butch EP still remains the most polarizing entry in Benny’s discography over 11 months since it initially came out because a large crowd of people felt like he was on autopilot that whole time, but Summertime Butch 2 clears both the predecessor & Excelsior as a result of more consistency within the production & a tighter list of guests compared to the previous EP he gave us over a couple months ago.

Score: 4/5

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Cactus Jack Records – “JACKBOYS II” review

This is a brand new mixtape from Houston, Texas label Cactus Jack Records founded by local rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & the honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott. The current roster includes Don Toliver, SoFaygo, Sheck Wes, Luxury Tax, DJ Chase B & Wallie the Sensei with both Smokepurpp & Malu Trevejo being signed at one point except neither one of them officially put anything out during their short time. They collectively dropped a JACKBOYS EP days following Christmas 2019 & have returned for a sequel since they’ve brought a few new artists on board since.

The first song “Champain & Vacay” by Don Toliver & Travis Scott after the “JB2 Radio” intro finds the latter subtly responding back to Pusha T with the “Made a hunnid off pushin’ T’s” line over some synthesizers & hi-hats whereas “2000 Excursion” by Don Toliver, Sheck Wes & Travis Scott finds Cardo mixing trap, pop rap, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & rap rock homaging the titular brand of Ford cars. “Kick Out” by Travis Scott gives me a gritty dirty south vibe until the switch-up during the last minute courtesy of T-Minus talking about getting the boot of shit gets complicated prior to “Dumbo” also by Travis Scott guaranteeing that the baddie he with is going stupid.

SoFaygo gets his own song with “MM3” shutting down the rumors of him being unhappy on Cactus Jack by giving us what we can expect on his forthcoming sophomore effort Mania rapping like the rent was due sampling “Ski Mask” by Project Pat just before “Velour” finds Don Toliver prominently singing a refrain & chorus with Sheck Wes providing a sole verse & Bugz Ronin musically backing them. “Contest” by SoFaygo & Travis Scott marks the first time they’ve collaborated with each other jumping over a rage beat talking about catching Ws their whole lives while “I.L.M.B. (I Love My Bitch)” by Sheck Wes & Travis Scott made for an average trap single with secondary hypertrap influences.

“Where Was You” by Travis Scott featuring Future & Playboi Carti produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying reunites the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren & Jalen Williams of trap so they can kill all these hoes wanting to eat their bones while “No Comments” by Don Toliver kicks the synths back in full gear to talk about sprinkling more hi-hats in the fold trying to get to know a woman. “Beep Beep” by Travis Scott ruins a self-produced instrumental by giving SahBabii the weakest feature on the entire compilation while “PBT” by Travis Scott featuring Tyla & Vybz Kartel feels like an outdated attempt at dancehall.

Glorilla’s appearance during “Shyne” by Travis Scott makes sense heavily pulling from Chicago drill & crunk referencing Matthew McConaughey in light of his upcoming appearance in the A24 Films thriller The Lost Bus & hitting the wiggly wobbly while “Outside” by Travis Scott featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again links the 2 up over synthesizers & hi-hats talking about stealing people’s bitches. “Can’t Stop” by Don Toliver & Wallie the Sensei brings both of them together to deliver a psychedelic tribute to ingesting all sorts of drugs & “Florida Flow” by Travis Scott featuring Kodak Black finishes the tape with them beat reflects on the Miami scene speedin’ people’s shit up the way H-Town slows shit down over a Tay Keith beat.

My favorite Travis Scott solo song is actually the one that starts off the deluxe run “Da Wizard” dropping braggadocio over Metro Boomin’ & TM88 production while “Trip Out” feels like a Yeat song featuring Sheck Wes considering Yeat’s all over it except for the final verse out-rapping Sheck & it’s catered to the rage sound Yeat became known for when his popularity grew. The final bonus track “110 South” by Luxury Tax & Wallie the Sensei marks Luxury’s only appearance on the entire compilation joining Cactus Jack’s newest member backed by a ghostly trap instrumental giving no fucks.

So much going down in Texas this weekend considering Adam Page became a 2-time AEW World Champion ending Jon Moxley’s 4th & worst reign, オカダ・カズチカ defeating his biggest 新日本プロレス rival Kenny Omega to become the new AEW International Champion, the longest reigning ROH Women’s World Champion Athena becoming the current 4-time AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm’s #1 Contender, the seeds being planted for a reunion between former 7-time WWE Tag Team Champions Adam Copeland & Christian Cage since the current ROH World Television Champion Nick Wayne turned on the latter and lastly the current ROH World Tag Team Champion & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion Dustin Rhodes becoming the new AEW TNT Champion because of Adam Cole vacating it due to career-threatening health issues at All In IV yesterday. Regarding the Let God Sort ‘Em Out & JACKBOYS II debate, Let God Sort ‘Em Out sweeps because JACKBOYS II feels reminiscent of Drake & 21 Savage’s collab album Her Loss.

Score: 3/5

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Harlem Heat – Self-Titled review

New collaborative EP from Buffalo, New York emcee & singer Elcamino alongside Stamford, Connecticut emcee Fuego Base. Both of whom have already been establishing themselves with Mino putting out an eponymous EP under Griselda Records in 2017 & of course Base garnering traction off the Say Dat trilogy. Being on Black Soprano Family Records together for a couple years at this point, they’ve decided to team up & take their duo name after WWE Hall of Famers as well as record 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champions & former RoW Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat the day after The Skyscrapers became the new MLW World Tag Team Champions.

“Promise” kicks it all off with a crooning sample boasting of not having to worry about the neighbors since they don’t even have any whereas “Hunger Games” shrugs off each & every one of the fools speculation of being in bad deals aside from a questionable Diddy line. “Free Griselda Ticket” works in a heavy piano sample to talk about being in the moving business before rap while “Luxury Dope” featuring Jay Worthy finds the trio guaranteeing the lean coming if a fiend standing straight. “Protect Me” strips the drums to get God to keep watching over them going forward & “Gave ‘Em Hope” ends by talking about holding hate not being an ideal way for them to live.

Figured we would’ve gotten a sequel to Moving Base O.T. since it came around this exact time a year ago, but Harlem Heat leaves enough of a lasting impression regarding what both parties can do together when paired. Fuego Base’s comparison of himself to current NXT commentator, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T is validated & the way Elcamino’s delivery compliments Fuego’s feels reminiscent of former RoW Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, WCW World Television Champion & 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champion Stevie Ray.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sada Baby – “The Black Tape: nWo” review

Sada Baby is a 32 year old rapper & singer from Detroit, Michigan becoming amongst Detroit trap’s biggest names in 2017 off his first couple mixtapes Skuba Sada & D.O.N. (Day One N***a). Fast forward to the beginning of 2019, he signs to Asylum Records for his 4th tape & major label debut Bartier Bounty to widespread praise. He has since put out 11 more mixtapes, with my favorites of the being being Skuba Sada 2 along with his final Asylum offering Bartier Bounty 2 & Bartier Bounty 3. A good potion of Sada’s output in recent memory since the evolution of the subgenre he helped popularize has left most divided & his 16th tape albeit Hitmaker Music Group debut had me hopeful that it would make up for some of the lackluster additions to his discography.

“nWo” named after the WWE Hall of Famers hops over a Detroit trap instrumental to talk about not having the opps in mind because he doesn’t have any whereas “Bloxkside” turns up the bass a bit flexing that he’s too real in the field to be faking shit. “Klip Hamilton” works in some bells so he can compare himself to Rip Hamilton with the stick until “Chuck Money” featuring Kamaiyah talks about knowing those who’ll die by the bankroll.

As for Konjunction Junction”, we have Sada over some pianos & hi-hats suggesting you better hit the road if you don’t pull up the show or studio if he invites you just before “Blood Kristie” refuses to fuck with the lame shit everyone else around him be celebrating. “Bitch” might have to be my least favorite track on the tape with the way he continuously repeats the word throughout leading into “Bloodmerikan Idol” keeping a gun on him since he won’t even budge to do shit the same way he did it.

“Kevin Nash” gives his flowers to the 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 5-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion bringing a funereal Detroit trap vibe to the table instrumentally while “Speed Run” talks about your death winding up on Google. “Spint” produced by Helluva sticks out as a highlight heavily basing itself around the concept of “slimes” being fake pieces of shit while “Eastside Orkhestra” talks about smoking a pussy with his dog.

The song “Tokyo Drift” sets of the encore of Black Tape nWo showing some Mobb undertones meshing that with the Detroit trap style he’s become widely known for bucking anyone around him who be tryna act tough when they really ain’t & after “No Lies Told” swaps out the secondary Mobb influences in favor of cloud rap counting up $150k until his phone blows up, “Malcolm Mays” atmospherically finishes with a comparison to Lou-Lou from Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

Couldn’t tell you when or if Sada plans to make a full-length debut studio album when you look at his mixtape catalog extending with the course of time, but Black Tape nWo improves on the average feedback Bridge Kard Blessings got over 2 months ago & contains some of the better material I’ve heard from the Detroit trap sensation in quite a while. The 1 guest he got compared to the 3 on the predecessor was all he really needed & he sounds the hungriest he’s been since leaving Asylum.

Score: 3.5/5

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PlaqueBoyMax – “5 Forever” review

West Orange, New Jersey recording artist, producer, audio engineer, media personality & streamer PlaqueBoyMax following up his Atlanta EP from last weekend with a full-length studio debut album of his own. Catching on to him at the beginning of the year after calling out DJ Akademiks for being a child groomer, he has since stayed busy by churning out 4 EPs in the quick amount of time he’s been in the spotlight. Interestingly, he’s taking the mic all by himself in light of signing with Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records.

“Yacht” blatantly rips off Lil Uzi Vert over a run-of-the-mill trap instrumental to start the tape whereas “Layflat” has a stronger trap vibe thanks to Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic even if the lyrics of falling asleep on a jet in the middle of an overseas flight are average. “Tank Davis” flexes that he’s fresh to death since every fit he puts on is fly in their own rights leading into “Sevan” talking about pouring up in a club at 2 a.m. in the morning.

Meanwhile on “Swag 2”, we have Max over a rage beat showing us the way he steppin’ out his new Bentayga just before “Rockstar” talks about the lifestyle he’s living on some Travis Scott psychedelic trap shit. “Dave” makes a decent reference to one of my all-time favorite comedians & the creator of the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central series Chappelle’s Show creator Dave Chappelle, but then “Yacht 2” redundantly continues the aesthetics of the intro.

“Paid For” heads for a cloudier direction showing off his wealth & wanting to see what this chick can do on the dance floor while “Pink Moscato” talks about waking up in a $1M crib & likening using the stairs in it to a workout. “SOS” asks God to help save this metaphorical ship of his from sinking while “East Coast N***a” reflects on going from New Jersey to the sunshine state over a Rio Leyva instrumental. “Casper” lastly ends the tape by talking about going ghost because a bitch was doing too much.

Starting the deluxe run, “2016” samples “Escapee” by Architecture in Helsinki talking about dropping a bunch of money on the New York streetwear brand Supreme as if they were at their peak almost a decade ago while “Yellow Lamb Truck” produced by Maajins remembers trappin’ on a Samsung whilst rockin’ all Balenciaga & getting paid to be on camera. “Swag” has a bubblier trap sound compared to the sequel talking about throwing bands in the strip club & the final bonus track wastes another Maajins beat poppin’ tags the day after getting lit at the club.

Wasn’t too surprising to hear many call the cloudy trap & rage production on this tape the best thing it has going for it because as I had already imagined, PlaqueBoyMax’s own performances leave little to be desired leaning heavily on his contemporaries such as Uzi or Travis. Not to mention I don’t find neither his flows or the subject matter on a good majority of 5 Forever to stick out all much either, staying optimistic of him possibly improving.

Score: 2/5

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Big Bye – “Paper Plates” review

This is the 2nd mixtape from Michigan rapper Big Bye. Originally known as byetimo, he released his first couple EPs Bye & Big Bye in the late 2010s/early 2020s until changing his moniker after the Bye’s successor at some point between 2022 & 2023. Coming off his debut tape The Big Lebyeski couple months ago, Detroit music executive Lando Bando has officially signed Timo to his own imprint The Hip Hop Lab Records & is letting him make his debut for the label with Paper Plates.

The title track is a creatively soulful jazz rap/Detroit trap hybrid talking about having bitches everywhere that only know him by his looks & only asking for grace whereas “Sparkle” boasts of him breaking weed down to particles as well his chain glistening. “Ballin’ Hard” featuring BandGang Javar finds the 2 talking about the za being so good that it’s like they’re smoking cigars while “No Tattoos” finds himself deciding not to get freshened up for the day.

“Waterboy” works in some pianos & 808s to suggest one should come to his suburbs if you wanna get a cup of lean while “Fat Packets” featuring Babytron cloudy trades the mic back-&-forth with each other for a couple minutes. “Big Yuck” featuring BYEVIXEN finds the 2 over a Jakesand instrumental talking about having gold in their teeth like popcorn kernels just before “Girl Next Door” works in some shimmering pianos from Danny G selling sunshine & happiness.

As for “Dick Dastardly”, we have Big Bye referencing the titular antagonist of the Warner Bros.-owned Wacky Races franchise over a sample & 808s meshing with one another leading into “Payday” featuring Certified Trapper dabbling with lowend a bit talking about lining their opps out in chalk as well as receiving the wages they’re owed within 24 hours & a reference to one of my favorite WRs of all-time Randy Moss.

“My 1st Rodeo” starts the final leg of Paper Plates with a bell-inflicted beat responding to weirdos calling him a rookie who won’t amount up to anything solely because they’ve done more than him musically while “Counting on Us” talks about going from rags to riches. “Rainman” wraps up the mixtape with Bye riding in the same Buick convertible as depicted in the 1988 road comedy-drama of the same name.

Straying further away from the pop rap influences of his earlier output, Big Bye’s inaugural release under The Hip Hop Lab Records further capitalizes on the Detroit sound of The Big Lebyeski only 9 weeks after it’s predecessor & cements Timo as a welcoming addition to Lando’s roster. 75% of the features are underwhelming, but Bye’s growth both artistically & personally within nearly a decade remains easy to hear.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tee Grizzley – “Forever My Moment” review

Detroit rapper & singer/songwriter Tee Grizzley continuing the Moment series going with his 6th mixtape. Originally a member of the quartet ASBH, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he would blow up off his first solo single “First Day Out” & earned a contract with 300 Entertainment. His profile would continue to grow by dropping projects like his debut mixtape My Moment, the debut album Activated, his 2nd tape Still My Moment, the Timbaland exec-produced sophomore effort Scriptures or my personal favorite: his 3rd mixtape The Smartest. Built for Whatever, Chapters of the Trenches, Half Tee, Half Beast & Tee’s Coney Island were generally mixed, coming off the sonically diverse Post Traumatic declaring it’s Forever My Moment.

The title track produced by Helluva boasts that he’s never done any hoe shit ever since being in the rap game for a little over a decade whereas “Customs” explains most people being aware of his life being different since the fame & not being broke in a grip. “They Shot at Trump” reassures the fact nobody is immune to being touchable regardless of money, power or fame over a Chopsquad DJ instrumental while “Overthinking” finds him becoming his own biggest critic.

“Jalen Hurtski” was a great choice of a single referencing the Philadelphia Eagles star QB Jalen Hurts in terms of how hard his shit stays hittin’ leading into “My God” making a plea for people to stay focused & not let be tricked out in the streets on top of him acknowledging his own imperfections. “Me Too” promises that that’s exactly what you’ll get hit with the second you try to press any of his buttons & provoke him, but then the lead single “Rick Jameski” talks about people being shocked at his status in Detroit trap.

It was only a matter of time until the bells made their way into the equation on “Stash House in Dearborn” letting y’all know you can find him wherever the racks are while “I Can’t Cap” finds him talking about never lying because he’ll always be blessed. “Beware of Dog” suggests that people should be more cautious regarding the sticks he has on him while “Pullin’ New Foreigns” describes the ways shit is different around his parts.

“Gone But Not Forgotten” takes 2 & a half minutes to remember the people in his life who’re no longer here whether it be his mother, his friend Charles Brown or the late PnB Rock telling God that he would give all this shit back to Him in a heartbeat to see either one of them 1 last time & the closing track is actually the 9th installment of Tee Grizzley’s prolific “Robbery” series, teasing a 10th entry down the line since he finished the tape by saying the saga’s incomplete.

Meshing confidence & gravity together, Forever My Moment feels like a full-circle statement from the Detroit star who changed the game almost immediately after coming home from behind bars 8 years ago. He gives nods to his beginning whilst making a testament to his artistic growth since My Moment was when most people heard him for the first time by channeling the hunger of his early days & the reflection of a man who’s lived through love, loss, loyalty & lessons.

Score: 4/5

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Lucy Bedroque – “Unmusique” review

Lucy Bedroque is a 19 year old rapper, songwriter & producer from Los Angeles, California notable for rising above the ranks as one of if not THE biggest member of the lumina collective rather quickly & understandably so. His solo debut Sisterhood in the summer of 2023 has quickly become a digicore standout, following it up with the EPs Amy & the LP highly acclaimed Fête de la Vanille. As a prelude to Musique along with his next full-lengths Svelte Child & Vanilla, syxxru’s putting out his debut mixtape under deadAir Records.

I felt that “Speakers Never Learn” was a great self-produced digicore intro to the tape talking about turning into a demon when the night is young whereas “G6 Anthem” works in some rage undertones continuing the glitchcore vibes homaging G6s in a way I haven’t heard in a commanding way since Far East Movement did 15 years ago. “Ultraviolet” featuring prettifun co-produced by 9lives maintains a hypertrap route instrumentally suggesting you’re on crack if the hoe loves you while “2010 Justin Bieber” mentions Playboi Carti with the “N****s 25 with personas. Somethin’ called a job, you ain’t no vampire” line.

“SmackDown” takes it’s name after the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s Friday Night secondary flagship show on the USA Network further referencing their primary flagship show Monday Night RAW on Netflix favoring a cloudier approach leading into “Fenty Face” turning the rage back up talking about this chick who thinks he looks good. “Made in Italy” finds him boasting that he got all the lights on him striking poses while “Tout Naturel” blends hypertrap & digicore talking about being unnatural.

jackzebra joins Lucy during the cloudy “Finish Him” produced by thr6x referencing the Fatality gameplay feature during the Warner Bros.-owned Mortal Kombat series of fighting games showcasing Jack as one of the nicest in the Chinese hip hop scene currently prior to “Ouija” showing a glitchcore influence again talking about running drills whenever he’s on the mic. “I’m Impossible” gets back on the hypertrap tip making reference to Family Guy on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property while “Cara Mia” talks about being desperate for motion.

“Ignorant” switches it up with a pop rap joint displaying his recklessness while “1 of Us is Lying” industrially talks about a relationship built on cap. The title track mixes trap & EDM looking to break eardrums with his style while “Cat’s Eye” talks about it being too late for this woman who let him down to make it right. “Yes, You May” concludes Unmusique with a melodically atmospheric cut running at 116 seconds making that his response to a girl who wants to ruin his life.

This tape has been making a lot of noise this weekend with many saying that it’s cuts above the new ApolloRed1 album Midnight Blassic marking his debut for his cousin Carti’s increasingly popular Opium imprint & finally getting to hear it for myself, I’d have to agree. Lucy prominently takes on an experimentally rage direction in favor of making the digicore & cloud rap that made a name for himself secondary influences, throwing hints of electronic dance music as well as industrial hip hop & pop rap in with them.

Score: 4.5/5

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