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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Pradabagshawty – “Home Invasions” review

This is the debut mixtape from Columbia, South Carolina born albeit Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Pradabagshawty. Introducing himself in the spring of 2023 off Bloxk Addiktion, his popularity within the plugg subgenre of trap continued to grow last year by putting out 3 more EPs in 1 Love as well as his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut 10 Freak Ho’s of course debut Forever & After. His newest EP B What You B only 3 months after inking the Sony deal has quickly become the most popular entry of his catalog so far, returning a few months later to put out Home Invasions.

“She Tinder” kicks off the tape with a plugg instrumental from Dstarkel talking about being in love with his girl as much as he is with the kush whereas “Good Morning” continues to bring a mellow flare to the table referencing the greatest basketball player of all-time Michael Jordan. “Hands Up” feels more like a YounnMoh cut since Pradabag barely has any presence flexing over synthesizers about the bitch he just fucked while “Sweater Weather” refuses to snitch after landing in court unlike Akon.

As for “Hop Aht”, we have Pradabag over some quirky synth leads & hi-hats talking about popping out of the ride with the sticks on him leading into “Showered Up” keeps the plugg vibes going using the backdoor on any opp leaving them for death. “Lucky Charm” heads for a cloudier approach advising anyone who wants to fuck with him to go fuck themselves, but then “Duck” produced by WhyCeg talks about making people hide when he pulls out the Glock.

“3am Lobby” begins the final leg of the tape on a lo-fi trap note boasting that nobody’s doing it like him & riding around with guns on him while “Ruthless” talks about taking issue to people crossing over his squad showing them absolutely no mercy. ImSoMarcus takes up “Too Much” hanging with the slimes instead of lames & after “Shooting Star” lets off rounds at a cop car, “Do Re Mi” wraps it up letting the chopper sing some more.

Other than not being so sure why he takes a backseat in performing every time letting the features take up a good chunk of the tracks they’re on, Home Invasions takes Pradabagshawty even higher as an up-&-coming plugg artist maintaining the quality production of the EP that got me into him back in February breaking down more stories of his life being a gangsta trying to make it out of the trenches.

Score: 4/5

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Pasto Flocco – “March Madness 3” review

This is the 4th mixtape from Queens rapper Pasto Flocco. Coming up as an associate of Lil Tecca, he’s seen quite the success off his own once branching out on his own by dropping his first 2 albums March Madness & Dreams 2 Reality along with a debut mixtape Surf to Kill (SGBSTK) as a member of the Surf Gang collective. Pasto rang in 2022 by dropping sophomore tape R.O.A.M. (Rich Off A Mic) under his newly founded Ghetto Luxury Entertainment & continued to build upon the sample drill sound on March Madness 2 in the spring & then Walking Glitch. He returned to a plugg sound few months ago on Rebirth & is now looking to close out the March Madness trilogy.

“James Harden (Dancing with the Stars)” is a quirky trap intro to the tape referencing Avengers leader Tony Stark or Iron Man owned by The Walt Disney Company subsidiary Marvel whereas “GLE Troopin’” cloudily represents Ghetto Luxury for roughly 90 seconds thanks to J6. “They Know!” produced by Maajins talks about everyone knowing he got swag while the self-produced “Dance Through the Storm” doesn’t shy away from detailing his recent hardships.

As for “Laughing When She Lie”, we have Pasto turning up the psychedelic trap vibes a bit laughing off his girl tryna cap to him just before the cloudy “Cali Breeze” talks about a hoe showing him ass after pissing him off although he shows her the door. “Been Gettin’ $” speaks on him gradually making paper & hanging with him not being so cheap, but then “Saddle River” dabbles with plugg flexing he got 5 Guys if it’s beef.

“$ the Route to the Evil” starts the 2nd half of March Madness 3 advising to stay clear from a certain type of people while “Reggie Bush” talks about doing too much with all these racks on him. “Fuckin’ 4 Getback” heads for a rage-inducing direction to discuss women saying they love him only for it to be bullshit later on while “Zoom!” maintains a hypertrap flare talking about how funny it is that people try to use him.

To get the 4th quarter of the tape going, “Flocc Chamberlain” works in some synths & hi-hats courtesy of Swervo of Vanguard Music Group boasting how fly he is likening himself to Wilt Chamberlain obviously while “Pour4Me” heavily relies more on synths talking about getting fucked up with him under the influence. “Why Slime Me?” goes for a spacious trap approach shrugging off the idea of him getting tired of rockin’ & rollin’ while “New $ New Gunz” wants to know what the fuck you doing if you ain’t making bread.

March Madness alongside March Madness 2 are both individually important to Pasto’s discography in their own rights & even though I don’t understand why he released the trilogy chapter at the beginning of May unlike both predecessors coming out in the exact month the saga is named after, I still enjoyed it as much as Rebirth when he made his return after 2 years. He’s obviously grown both personally & artistically almost a decade later with the production reaching the mark his most recent EP had set.

Score: 4/5

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Krispylife Kidd – “Why Me Worry?” review

This is the 15th mixtape from Flint, Michigan rapper Krispylife Kidd. Since 2019, his popularity in the local trap scene has been gradually increasing since 2019 going on to release a total of his previous 13 tapes & 4 EPs all in that span of time. Icewear Vezzo even signed him to Iced Up Records during the pandemic & Lil Yachty who appeared at WrestleMania XLI this year had him featured on Michigan Boy Boat. Now I’d start with Krispylife 2 & The Art of Spice Talk trilogy if you wanna dive into Krispylife’s music, although Juice & B.A.G. (Born A Goat) each had their own individual standouts last year & now asks Why Me Worry? merely 3 months after the Stunt Life EP.

After the “Goat” intro, the first song “Back 2 It” is a bell-heavy Detroit trap opener refusing to let anyone hang around him unless you’ve caught a body whereas “Bottle Girl Scam” hilariously assumes that those going out their way for clout are fans & he shouldn’t be rapping since there’s nothing left to gain. “President Run” featuring Babyfxce E & produced by The World Famous D-Boy samples “Creep” by TLC so they can pass the mic back-&-forth with one another just before the lowend “Home Blesser” talks about paying a bitch’s rent.

“Life as a Hustler” moves forward showing y’all how he used to run it up on the blocks explaining what it was like for him being a go-getter leading into “Dope Man” talking about moving weight in the streets & making $100k off the drugs he be sellin’ & “Mile Count” featuring Tay B once again displaying a back-&-forth chemistry from both of them, except I feel like it was done much better on “President Run” a while ago & I’ve never considered myself a big Babyfxce E fan.

After the “Off the Rope” interlude, “Hell in a Cell” takes it’s name after the prestigious steel cage-based matches in WWE that most recently ended former 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time AEW World Champion, inaugural ROH Hall of Fame inductee, ROH World Champion, 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion & former UFC fighter CM Punk’s feud with 4-time WWE world champion, NXT Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & TNA World Champion Drew McIntyre last fall.

“Like Triple H” compares himself to the 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 since 2022 but after “$100K Pallet” responds to a group of people dissing him by bodying every single one of them in a cypher, “Knock It Off” claps back at a dude who wants beef by getting his own father involved with it

2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair gets homaged on “Figure 4 Leg Lock” since he was the one who had popularized the maneuver with others following suit for years to come while “What Motion” wraps up Why Me Worry? by telling everyone at home what motion REALLY is since they don’t have it the way he does.

Looking to continue catching up with his mentor, quite possibly my favorite signing on the IUR imprint Krispylife Kidd takes an opportunity during Why Me Worry? to take the throne as a larger than life living legend & undisputed champion of the world by himself other than a couple average features. Aside from that & preferring Stuntman Beatz’ production on the last EP a bit more, his imaginative approach to songwriting remains strong during the half hour.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lloyd Banks – “A.O.N. (All or Nothing 3): Despite My Mistakes” review

Queens, New York emcee Lloyd Banks celebrating his 43rd birthday by releasing his 20th mixtape. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted along with the whole Course of the Inevitable album trilogy gaining renewed interest in the PLK himself. Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hr came out roughly 6 months ago & is back already with the 3rd installment of the A.O.N. (All or Nothing) series.

“Determination” is this piano-laced boom bap intro talking about coming back moving differently & kicking ass whereas “If I Wake Up” suggests that he should already be dead with what he’s become in addition to the sacrifices made to be on top. “1982” featuring Ransom produced by Cartune Beatz aggressively reps the year Banks was born leading into “1 Life” shrugs off those never liking him with Haas Almahdi.

As for “Pick & Choose”, we have Lloyd talking about never following the paths of others since that’s why people end up taking Ls just before “Despite My Mistakes” featuring Styles P suggests shit happens for a reason & there being money to make. “Rolling” works in some horns to talk about always having to keep it moving regardless, but then “Endangered Innocence” featuring Ghostface Killah admits they wouldn’t change anything over a soulful Nicholas Craven instrumental.

“Art of Rap” returns to the boom bap giving his flowers to this culture that we’ve been calling hip hop for over 5 decades already just before “Perfect World” talks about taking your time still going for a hardcore vibe generally. TL TopOfDaLyne saves the tape’s weakest feature for “Dedication” although I very much respect the overall theme & the summertime feel to the beat while “Keep Pushing” once again delivers more grown man boom bap.

Moving on from there, “Traumatized” conceptually talks about everyone continuing to dream & them later justifiably regretting it if they don’t try at all while “Revolving Door” discusses the difficulty of looking at him when you know good & well he proved you wrong. “The Grudge” responds to everyone who thinks money can erase insecurities or reputation’s invincible until it bleeds while the highlight “No Info” talks about riding when the time’s right over an Olympicks beat.

“Upper Echelon” starts the final moments of A.O.N. 3: (All or Nothing 3): Despite My Mistakes on a jazzier note making it an effort to keep it moving with his back fully against the clock & getting back in his position whether people like it or not while “High Powered” officially sends off the tape with more jazz rap influences confessing the love he’s always had has been starting to change as of late.

Both of the previous entries in the A.O.N (All or Nothing) saga F.N.O. (Failure’s No Option) & L.I.U. (Live It Up) have quickly become amongst the most celebrated mixtapes of the previous decade, so finally getting Despite My Mistakes only 7 months after being announced didn’t disappoint because the hot streak he’s been on all decade since leaving G-Unit Records carries on.

Score: 4/5

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Ray Vaughn – “The Good, The Bad, The $1 Menu” review

Ray Vaughn is a 31 year old recording artist from Long Beach, California emerging in the summer of 2018 off his debut EP Blame Summer followed by the full-length studio debut Idle & 2 more EPs; Projects & Peer Pressure. The latter coming almost immediately after Top Dawg Entertainment had signed him to the label in fall of 2021, making up for the large handful of singles since by finally letting him drop a debut mixtape after being pushed back from last weekend to the last week of April.

“Flocker’s Remorse” begins the tape by talking about life hitting him hardly as of late whereas “XXXL Tee” takes the trap route instrumentally clarifying that the only thing he starts is business shit. “$1 Menu” discusses the Pop Out concert leaving the opps shook & them crying wolf just before “Flat Shasta” featuring Ash Leone talks about the woman he loves more than his own father.

Moving on from there, “3PM @ Dairy’s” keeps the trap vibes going painting an image of spending an afternoon at a local establishment that’s looked out for generations of local families leading into “East Chatt” featuring Isaiah Rashad asking to imagine what it’d be like if the gave a fuck. “Klown Dance” featuring Jay Rock talks about them continuing to plot & scheme leading into “Look @ God” featuring LaRussell going hyphy to boast making money daily.

“Janky Moral Compass” featuring Samara Cyn gets the final leg of The Good, The Bad, The $1 Menu talking about picking themselves up because they can feel themselves falling while “Miles Away from Heaven” heads for a stripped-back approach talking about showing you a better way. “Suburban Kidz” wraps things up by telling everyone listening who’s still in the suburbs to keep fighting & it’ll all work out in the end.

The Good, The Bad, The $1 Menu after 3 & a half long years in the making has to be the most conceptual body of work in Ray’s entire discography & an official TDE debut that many Long Beach natives will find themselves familiar with taking us on a journey from his adolescence to landing a record deal exploring both the positive & negative aspects of his career.

Score: 3.5/5

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