Babytron & Certified Trapper – “Mario & Luigi” review

This is a brand new collaborative mixtape from Detroit, Michigan trap sensation Babytron as well as Milwaukee, Wisconsin lowend rapper/producer Certified Trapper. One of whom rose to stardom in the late 2010s as a member of the ShittyBoyz & the other has been gaining popularity of his own landing a major label deal with Columbia Records. Both are managed by The Hip Hop Lab Records founder Lando Bando, so in that sense I can see why he brought them together for Mario & Luigi.

“iGlocks” starts with both of them over a Detroit trap instrumental telling you that shit’s bout to get intense when it’s really anything but referencing 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 whereas “Saucony” works in some interesting synth melodies with hi-hats further displaying a back-&-forth chemistry further revealing Tron to be the most interesting of the 2. “Rulebreakers” produced by Certified Trapper himself takes the lowend route so they can boast their mob ties leading into the murderous Detroit trap joint “Psychopaths” showing their psychotic tendencies.

Moving on from there, “Young Fly Muthafuckas” further emphasizes an eerier atmosphere to the beat flexing how young & fly they both are just before “Woulda Coulda Shoulda” jumps over ominous chords so they can portray the gangsta lifestyles. “So the Fuck What?” specializing in talking shit to the point where they need Mentos remaining in the Detroit trap realm, but then “Rescue Mission” returns to the lowend vibes warning to watch your mouth since they pop bitches.

“Blue $trip Bandits” brings a quirkier flare instrumentally thanks to Danny G calling themselves outlaws for the Ben Franks while “Bling Bling” once again goes lowend to be pickin’ plays up. The song “Day w/ TSF” featuring Peso Peso & Sauce Walka menacingly shows off their real g statuses with Tron & Sauce shining the most while “No Cameraman Around” talks about having $100K on them each. “Boogey Woogey Night” ends the tape with the best lowend track & maybe my favorite here.

I’ve given Tron his praise for already being one of the best from Detroit in recent memory, yet I could never get into Certified Trapper since I’ve heard the lowend style done better. Case in point: Polo Perks, AyooLii & Feardonian’s collab album A Dog’s Chance from a few weeks ago. Mario & Luigi on the contrary has some highlights of it’s own except it’s one of the weaker entries in Babytron’s discography. Their sounds mix well, except Certified Trapper himself on the mic feels as if he’s a Great Value version of his contemporary down to the flow.

Score: 1.5/5

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42 Dugg – “4eva Us Neva Them” review

Here we have the 4th mixtape from Detroit rapper & singer/songwriter 42 Dugg. His breakout debut EP 11241 Wayburn in 2018 would catch the attention of both Yo Gotti & Lil Baby, who jointly signed him to their respective labels Collective Music Group & CBFW Records shortly after. Dugg’s profile continued to grow in 2019 when he dropped his debut mixtape Young & Turnt, which was followed up last year by the sequel Young & Turnt 2 & the mature Free Dem Boyz. Now that he’s home from a prison stint, Dugg is making it clear on the 4th of July that it’s 4eva Us Never Them.

The intro is a soulful Detroit trap opener to the tape hanging with the killas whereas “Win wit Us” talks about everyone wanting to catch Ws by his side all of the sudden over a grisly trap beat. “4×4” featuring Meek Mill works in an apocalyptic sample & hi-hats ridin’ whips with engines that supply power to all 4 wheels instead of the usual 2, but then “Fresh From the Feds” takes the atmospheric trap route instrumentally to talk about needing a miracle & being down bad when he was incarcerated.

Rylo Rodriguez joins Dugg for the bell-infused “Case Closed” advising that a killa in their feelings is the summarization of a Drake song just before “Wrong Right” somberly talks about wanting everyone in his squad to live long lives. “N.P.O. (No Panties On)”featuring Sexyy Red brings the 2 together for an energetic sex anthem leading into “If I Can’t” bringing the Detroit trap vibes back into the fold talking about having everything & being gone.

“Megan” featuring Blac Youngsta menacingly boasting the lifestyles that they live while “Org” hooks up some horns & hi-hats to assure that he & his crew are still undefeated. “Catch 1” kinda has this orchestral trap flare to the beat talking about still being bad while the introspective “My Mama” starts the 2nd half of the tape by giving the audience game by telling them what she told & showed him in regards of having only himself & no friends.

EST. G joins Dugg for “Since When” to display a back-&-forth chemistry recapturing the essence of their collab mixtape Last Ones Left from a couple years ago while the menacing Detroit trap cut “Get in Your Bag” tells everybody out there to become 1 with whatever task you are trying to achieve. “BMF” featuring Jeezy is an excellent tribute to the Black Mafia Family especially since the Snowman knows Big Meech himself & the extended version of “Go Again” happens to be better than the original.

“No Love” featuring Lil Baby reunites the pair over a bell-woven trap beat from TM88 calling themselves the mob while “4eva Us” produced by Helluva aggressively details his street mentality. The song “Need You” provides a dejecting tone explaining shit ain’t been the same talks while the penultimate track “Still ‘Bout You” smoothly addressing a woman he cares for. Last but not least, the closer “Real Ones” fittingly ends by promising he ain’t ever going back to prison again.

Dugg has always been one of my top 3 favorite CMG signings alongside Mozzy & Glorilla but when it comes to the CBFW roster, not that many of Baby’s artists stood out besides Dugg other than maybe Rylo’s freestyle of the Wale/Bryson Tiller single “Love…(Her Fault)”. 4eva Us Neva Them reinforces all of it from the elevating production to the tight guest-list & Dugg reassuring his status a standout in the Detroit trap scene.

Score: 3.5/5

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Krispylife Kidd – “B.A.G. (Born A Goat)” review

Flint, Michigan rapper Krispylife Kidd continuing to apply pressure by dropping his 14th mixtape. 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 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. He put out his 4th EP Juice in February a few weeks after Vezzo released his Quality Control debut Live from the 6 & is staying in his B.A.G. (Born A Goat).

“Run That Down” begins by jumping over a sinister Detroit trap instrumental celebrating every time an opp gets killed & being all about the spinach like Popeye whereas the piano-driven “‘96 Bulls” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. finds the 2 likening themselves to the Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen of the subgenre that both artists hold it down for. “Stacks on Stacks” works in a soul sample & upbeat 808 percussion to flex his wealth while “Ain’t Enough” goes for more of a atmospheric trap vibe to the beat talking about not knowing too much.

Babyfxce E, Icewear Vezzo, RMC Mike & YSR Gramzall join Krispy for the dark 2 & a half minute Detroit trap joint “Just Talking” with Vez & Mike’s verses standing out the most amongst the 4 guests personally referencing the greatest WWE superstar ever; Hall of Famer, former 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker leading into “Gucci Jogger” hooking up some bells talking about catching him in traffic rocking the titular Italian luxury fashion house. “In the Air” featuring Cash Kidd interestingly fuses jazz music & Detroit trap together talking about being in love with the new Maybach, but then “Fanning” grimly cautions that nobody can duck all these shots he firing.

“Make Me Sick” flexes that he uses Flint water every time he whips up with tense keys & 808s backing him prior to “In That Case” taking another jab at a jazzy Detroit trap hybrid to hit his hood with 100lbs after his first deal. “Scratching Off” featuring AK Bandamont has an apocalyptic flare instrumentally explaining how foul they are while “Sheesh” warns y’all not to make him lose it over bells again. “King Griffeys” advises not to say the wrong shit to piss him off & “Today Was Bool” dissing all the divas.

Juice was a short yet fun bounce back from the moderate reception that 3-Peat & Krispylife 4 Life both received the previous year & B.A.G. (Born A Goat) further hammers home on that. There are more interesting ideas within the production than the EP we got from him 4 months ago (particularly the jazz-inspired cuts), I found roughly 60% of the guests’ performances to be enjoyable & some of Krispy’s lines on here are observingly funnier.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sexyy Red – “In Sexyy We Trust” review

One of the most polarizing, controversial & popular artists in hip hop today Sexyy Red coming straight outta St. Louis, Missouri ringing in Memorial Day Weekend by releasing her 3rd mixtape following her appearance on the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s developmental brand NXT. Getting her footing in penning a diss track towards an ex-boyfriend who cheated on her, she subsequently dropped her debut single ”1,000 Jugs” in 2018 & eventually her debut mixtape Ghetto Superstar on Christmas Eve 2021 to subpar reception. Last summer however was when she went viral as a result of her gamma.-backed sophomore tape Hood Hottest Princess, which received more mixed responses in the public eye including from myself on the contrary to Anthony Fantano giving it an 8. My interest peaked after learning couple months back that Tay Keith was fully producing her upcoming debut album since he & Sexyy Red have always brought the best out of one another much like Future & Metro Boomin’ since Tay laced some of her biggest hits such as “SkeeYee”, but is preluding it in the form of In Sexyy We Trust.

After the “Tim Talking” intro, the first song “She’s Back” is this admittedly obnoxious trunk-rattling opener about her return whereas “Boss Me Up” produced by Tay Keith really gets the tape started from the piano-driven instrumental to Sexyy’s boisterous lyrics. “U My Everything” featuring Drake uses the exact same sample Metro Boomin’ used for “BBL DRIZZY BPM 150.mp3” earlier this month further validating Kendrick Lamar’s line on “euphoria” where he said “When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see 2 bad bitches” leading into the synth-laced strip club anthem “Ova Bad”.

“Get It Sexyy” was a fun single mixing trap, crunk, Memphis rap & snap together so she can energetically do her dance while “Fake Jammin’” has a rubbery quality to the beat calling out everyone who ain’t jammin’ shit like they say they are. “Outside” hooks up some vibraphones & hi-hats courtesy of Mike WiLL Made-It not shying away from making it clear that she stays out here, but then VonOff1700’s verse on “Sexyy Love Money” is almost as laughable as Drake’s despite the ominous piano chords throughout & the lyrics breaking down everything that Sexyy Red herself loves.

Meanwhile on “Sport”, we have Sexyy talking about killing these hoes over one of the weaker instrumentals on the entire tape even with the weak reference to former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed that is until “TTG (Go)” bounces back eerily dropping braggadocio. The song “Lick Me” featuring Lil Baby richly talks about cunnilingus while the penultimate track “Awesome Jawsome” turns the bass up a bit more encouraging to shake your dreads between her legs. Funny enough, “It’s My Birthday” ends In Sexyy We Trust with what “Ratchet Happy Birthday” by Drake off Scorpion should’ve been.

People online tend to clown on Fantano for giving Hood Hottest Princess an 8 all these months later & even I myself would tell you that it’s a strong 5 to a light 6 on it’s best day, but I also find it ironic that literally every single redeemable quality he saw in that previous tape is EXACTLY what I see in this new one right here. If you wanna get into Sexyy Red, In Sexyy We Trust completely outshines her earlier work. Once you get past a few underwhelming guest performances, rhetorical production mostly handled by Tay Keith is a lot more detailed than what she’s done before & she can be humorous at times.

Score: 4/5

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Mike Shabb – “Sewaside III” review

Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee, producer & engineer Mike Shabb looking to round out the Sewaside trilogy for his 3rd mixtape. Coming up in the spring of 2018 off his full-length debut Northwave, he would continue to make his presence known by putting out 6 EPs & his last couple of mixtapes before gaining notoriety for engineering Boldy James’ 5th album Fair Exchange No Robberyalong with producing “Switches on Everything” off Hitler Wears Hermes X & enlisting his mentor Nicholas Craven to fully produce his 5th EP Shadow Moses from top to bottom. Mike just put out the Hood Olympics EP last summer & is now assembling an intriguing guest-list for the mostly self-produced Sewaside III.

The intro starts by jumping over a jazzy boom bap expressing his desire for bank money as opposed to a little stack & that he isn’t even in his prime yet whereas “Doghouse” takes an atmospheric turn instrumentally asking who let the dogs out as well as making sure you count up the bread & never leaving out your homies. After the “We Live in Montréal” interlude paying homage to “We Live in Brooklyn” by the great Roy Ayers, the soulful “Grinchy” strips the drums completely spitting that gangsta shit prior to “Autumn & Fall” jazzily stays solid & ready to take over the game.

Ankhlejohn accompanies Mike on “Free Cars” living & dying by the .44 Magnum over a slow albeit jazzy boom bap beat leading into “Ben Wallace” featuring Estee Nack going drumless once again talking about focusing on the gold referencing the titular Detroit Pistons center. “Free YSL” featuring Da$h brings a morbid atmosphere to the instrumental calling for YSL Records to be released from prison, but then “Hurry Up” returns to the boom bap flexing the super fat racks in his back pocket.

“Hey Young World, Pt. II” comes through with a groovy single to the loosie “Hey Young World” that he dropped exclusively on his YouTube channel a year & a half ago assuring that the world is still your while “Milk Crate” featuring Lørd Skø assembles 2 of the underground’s biggest up-&-comers with a jazzy beat accompanying them talking about being them dudes their whole lives. “Julie” slickly reminisces over rainy days & after the melodic “Transmitting Live from the Real World” interlude, “Free Jesus” featuring Navy Blue & produced by Nicholas Craven turns the jazz influences back up talking about Christ being a shooter.

Boldy James links up with Mike on the drumless single “Big Piranhas” likening themselves to larger versions of the omnivorous fish in a small pond while “Free Jazz” lives up to it’s name perfectly fusing hip hop & elements of the titular subgenre of jazz music breaking free from the conventions & patterns of it’s contemporaries through the use of dissonance, atonality & free-flowing rhythmic structures. “Echoes” strips the drums 1-last time in favors of synthesizers talking about still hearing the gunshots ringing out.

Shadow Moses was easily one of the best EPs from last year & if you still haven’t had an opportunity to check Mike out as an MC, I suggest you listen to that & even Sewaside III here since he just gave us what has to be my new favorite installment of the trilogy surpassing Sewaside II from over a couple years ago. The mostly self-produced offering expands on his drumless, jazzy sound bringing a tight list of guests with him to portray life in the Montréal streets.

Score: 4/5

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Moh Baretta – “RE:VAMP” review

This is the 5th mixtape from New York rapper Moh Baretta formerly of the Surf Gang collective. Who has a total of 7 EPs under his belt in addition to the previous 4 mixtapes that he’s already put out, with the standouts being his 4th EP #ThisIsNotADrill & his 2nd mixtape #ThisIsNotADrill2. Few months ago, Moh & Xang linked up for a collaborative EP called Exile & is looking to prelude #ThisIsNotADrill3 by giving us RE:VAMP following his alleged departure from the group as a result of a falling out with Evilgiane.

“Double Down” starts with a piano-trap instrumental warning to not fuck with Moh’s patience guessing that he’s doing well since the fans are saying he’s going places whereas “Slay Night” hooks up a calming vocal sample to talk ablut still being out here chasing dreams. “Expedited” keeps it cloudy explaining they can’t go place-to-place with him now that he’s found his fire just before “Givenchy Jeans” incorporates a psychedelic trap flare to the beat saying you can find him trapping in the streets.

We return to a cloudier sound on “Different World” with Moh talking about starting from the bottom & tearing it up to the top while “2024” looks to run shit up taking the world on at this point only for him to break it down. I love the haunting piano loop throughout the 105 second-long “Tuesday” & even the line towards the end about a dude shooting himself in the foot just like Cheddar Bob did, but then “Sturdy Up” finishes the 1st half of the tape talking about the best way to fight the demons that chase you through the next being to stop & turn around.

“Wilt Chamberlain 2” starts the 2nd leg of RE:VAMP euphorically cautioning whoever watching the throne that he’s getting ready to take the crown letting the bread pile up in the midst of counting it down while “Relinquished” shows them how he does it going for a hazy trap approach instrumentally. The calmly produced “Roxy Pippen” refuses to trip over any of the bullshit because it’s already been written living life with motion as it comes & go while “Lead by the Blind” luxuriously lets him show y’all what it means.

Nearing the end of the tape, “IYKYK ‘Bout Me” hops over pianos & hi-hats heading outside to make this money while the moody “Long as You Get the Message” talks about needing to get it together after seeing someone leaving on a stretcher. “Can’t Look Back” fuses more keys & hi-hats sitting back & rolling an L sometimes as a result of a lot going on up in his head ahead of “Until the Sun” futuristically rounding out RE:VAMP by keeping it real.

From what I understand: The chances of Evilgiane being involved with #ThisIsNotADrill3 are looking unlikely since apparently the reason why Moh Baretta is no longer a member of the Surf Gang is because of a falling out between each other & it’s a shame to hear if that’s the case. Regarding the actual music itself here, Fakekickin helps give him one of the best tapes of his career. Moh’s still very much an undeniably entertaining performer & fk gives consistently strong production in the plugg subgenre with additional elements of cloud rap & dark plugg.

Score: 4/5

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WRLD Tour Mafia – “Tourmania II” review

This is the 3rd mixtape from Detroit, Michigan trap group the WRLD Tour Mafia consisting of DaeMoney, Rafa, WTM Miles, WTM Re & WTM Solid. These guys originally formed in 2019 dropping their debut mixtape World Tour Mafia or Die a couple summers later followed by Tourmania the fall after that & most recently the Mob Ties EP from 7 months ago. However with Slae & Rafa coming fresh off Rockstar Lifestyle 2 & Good Girls Don’t Exist respectively, WRLD Tour’s getting back together for an official Tourmafia sequel as a way of celebrating 4/20.

“Tourmania” is a triumphant trap opener to the tape cautioning that trying their shit with them would be worst day flexing that they’re getting cake on a daily basis whereas “Pat Mahomes” gives me a psychedelic vibe instrumentally talking about their pockets looking like Teletubbies since the money coming in different colors. “WUTANG” might be my favorite on the project from the rage-inducing Carlo Anthony beat calling out everyone who be on some childish shit & keeping their heads up staying focused just before the cloudy Detroit trap cut “Citgo” talking about cracking back if you lackin’ in the field.

Luh Tyler joins WRLD Tour for the atmospheric “Money in the Bank” produced by LulRose getting in a different bag from what they had yesterday leading into “Halloween 2” serving as a sequel to a standout from the previous Tourmania almost a year & a half ago. “W.T.M.D.$.M. (WRLD Tour Mafia Dog $hit Militia)” featuring Babytron has a bit of a futuristic beat as WRLD Tour & Tron remind us why they’re amongst the best the D has seen in recent memory, but then “Jansport” fuses cloud rap with Detroit trap talking about grinding for everything you want.

“Degenerates” works in some guitars & hi-hats boasting that they run this shit while “Feel Like TC” hops over a hypertrap instrumental talking about the squad catching back-to-back dubs as if they’re the Golden State Warriors. The aggressively jumpy production on “SmackDown vs. Raw” named after the 2-main brands of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE is really fun admitting to feelin’ like A$AP Rocky as they need them Pesos & that Slam A Slut Records got girls all over the world much like Lloyd & Lil Wayne while the appropriately titled “Life of Tour” gives you an otherworldly look into their lives.

WB Nutty of Los & Nutty appears on “Daisy World” bringing a bassy Detroit trap sound to the table throwing some bells in the picture on top of it bragging that they’ll teach you how to flip it while “Ed Reed” takes a more serious approach generally talking about having to get your own & that you can’t depend on anyone else out here. The sample flip throughout “Cross $tate Brothers” is astounding to get on another fuckin’ level while the operatic/trap crossover “Kill” talks about how this life chose them rather than the WRLD Tour Mafia choosing it themselves.

“Boo Thumper” featuring Brooks goes into a piano-driven direction flat out warning everyone that fuckin’ with them will find you layin’ in the dirt while “B.O.D. (Brothers of Destruction)” named after the 3-time WWE tag team champions serves as an introduction to the greatest gang sampling WWE Hall of Famer Kane’s entrance theme. “Wise Guys” has these cool ass horns throughout showing off their real mob ties while “Bigger Dreams” follows it up with an atmospherical mob meeting. “Trilogy” is another heartfelt moment talking about those not knowing what comes with this shit & “Lenny Kravitz” wraps things up rockin’ out over strings.

In the past couple years of familiarizing myself with the WRLD Tour Mafia, they’ve really been outdoing themselves both from a collective & individual standpoint further solidifying themselves as one of the most exciting groups to emerge from the Detroit trap scene as of lately. Tourmania II much like Rockstar Lifestyle 2 takes it a step above the predecessor. The last one had a tighter guest list but anyway, there are some interesting ideas within the production & there are significantly more wrestling references than last time that I admire as someone who grew up during the Attitude/Ruthless Aggression Era.

Score: 4/5

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Duckman – “Black Soprano Eskimo” review

Anchorage, Alaska rapper Duckman releasing his debut mixtape through Black Soprano Family Records after making a name for himself in the Alaskan hip hop scene by putting out the full-length debut A Bag Boy Story: Welcome to the East in the summer of 2016 followed by the sophomore effort A Bag Boy Story II: Back to da East only 11 months later & his 3rd album The Slim Show the Christmas after that. He would subsequently put out 3 more LPs in The Adventures of Quack Poppa, Off the Grid & Off the Grid 2 until signing to B$F at the beginning of 2024 & is coming off of B.A.R.S. Murre’s comeback effort Jewelry Store Shootouts by introducing himself as the Black Soprano Eskimo.

The intro gets us started with a symphonic trap instrumental tellin’ those who’ve never been to Alaska not experiencing 20 hours of darkness & that he isn’t your average $1M person whereas “Ghetto Gospel” featuring Elcamino works in a ghostly sample mixed with hi-hats to talk about being on the brinks of being heirs to the throne. “Karma” takes the soulful trap route instrumentally talking about trying to get some paper out it leading into “Cost to Be the Boss” vibrantly getting boastful.

“I Did” has a bit of a Detroit trap flare to it admitting that he isn’t proud of a lot of the shit he’s done although he was standing on business just before the tape’s sole single “M.C.M. (Money Counter Music)” featuring Skilla Baby is a decent ode to counting your bread. “Cullinan” featuring Sauce Walka continues the soul sampling talks about losing it all only to get it right back while the cloudy trap fusion “Vlad TV” featuring Bonni Drip continues to run it up advising to stay out of the mix.

Fuego Base & Heem both join the Duckman for the penultimate track “High Noon” goes head-on boom bap telling a true story of violence & brutality revolving around the true Sopranos, but then “Locked” featuring Benny the Butcher & Rowdy Rebel properly concludes Black Soprano Eskimo with the trio over this exuberant Brooklyn drill beat talking about knowing people who eventually landed behind bars for making that dope money with the Butcher’s verse during the middle being my favorite amongst the 2 guests.

Quite probably the most exciting artist that I’ve ever heard out of the Alaskan hip hop scene has to be Duckman by far & his official B$F debut here takes himself to a higher level as an artist. Black Soprano Eskimo has a bit of a prominent trap sound to it with additional elements of Detroit trap, Brooklyn drill & a hint of boom bap discussing where he is now as well as his life involved in the biggest cocaine bust in Alaska history.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sugie – “#FreeMySlime” review

This is the 2nd mixtape from up-&-coming Atlanta, Georgia rapper Sugie. Introducing himself in the off his debut single “Numb” on SoundCloud in 2018, he would continue make waves in the underground by dropping more tracks until he saw fit to release his debut mixtape Second2None last summer. He just put out an EP In the Wind at the end of this past January & over 2 months later, the leader of the DarkHeartedWorld is looking to slow down anytime soon continuing to apply pressure in the form of #FreeMySlime.

“Life of Sins” starts off the mixtape with a booming trap instrumental talking about the life he lives & trying to win whereas “HTX” brings more of a rage-inducing vibe to the table spending all his racks on a fly hoe at the drug party. “Fashion Killa” works in a jangly guitar, explosive bass & hi-hats deflecting that he’s right back in his element just before “France” the psychedelic trap highlight flexes with this French model.

Meanwhile, “UK” has a trippy drill atmosphere talking about a bitch who’s been calling his phone & telling her that he simply doesn’t have time for no feelings leading into the title track brings back the rage beats to talk about the shit that he’s poppin’ being real & the streets being hotter than Hell at times. “Way2Slime” starts the 2nd leg of the tape staying in the hypertrap lane showing off just how slime he really is, but then the otherworldly “Sleep” talks about being unable to sleep at night without drugs.

“Granted” solemnly calls out someone Sugie knew that eventually took him for granted in the end while the sinisterly yet party-starting “Function” shrugging off those who’ve tried to do him dirty in the past. The rage-inducing penultimate track “Night Owl” talks about being a night owl himself which I can relate to since I myself can be the same way prior to “Southside” properly concluding the tape with a sample-laced trap instrumental boasting that he’s with a bitch from the south side of the ATL.

If you enjoy artists like Brezzo or even Sk8star & Zukenee (both of whom I’ve covered in the past. Most recently: the latter’s debut album Player Slayer the weekend before), then I don’t see how you wouldn’t come away from #FreeMySlime without getting Sugie’s best material to date out of it. The raging trap production is gradually refining itself, he sounds more focused & gives his strongest performances as a result of that.

Score: 3.5/5

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J. Cole – “Might Delete Later” review

North Carolina rapper, singer/songwriter & producer J. Cole surprise-releasing his 4th mixtape. At this point, I’m pretty sure everyone & their mom knows who dude is. Especially given the universal acclaim of projects like The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights, Born Sinner & my personal favorite: 2014 Forest Hills Drive. However, his last 2 albums 4 Your Eyez Only & K.O.D. were both released to mixed reception. Matter of fact: my review for K.O.D. is amongst my most controversial. I don’t get shit for it anymore but at the time when I gave it a 6/10, Cole stans were on my ass for the next 2-3 weeks. Even to this day: my opinions on that & 4YEO haven’t changed at all but that’s not the point. The Off-Season was the most I’ve enjoyed a Cole project since FHD, so Might Delete Later was an interesting surprise to me.

“Pricey” featuring Gucci Mane & Young Dro is a symphonic boom bap opener produced with T-Minus & Wu10 whereas “Crocodile Tearz” works in some pianos & hi-hats talking about The Fall-Off being like JAY-Z droppin’ Reasonable Doubtlast. “Ready ‘24” featuring Cam’ron flips I’m Ready by The Diplomats fittingly enough to get on their shit again just before the trap-inflicted “Huntin’ Wabbitz” with co-production from Charlie Heat references Elmer Fudd of the longtime Warner Bros. franchise Looney Tunes.

Central C joins Cole on the acoustic trap/pop rap crossover “H.Y.B. (Hide Your Bitch)” with FNZ behind the boards advising to hide your significant others from them leading into “Fever” continuing the pop rap vibes except it’s much more groovier courtesy of ATL Jacob talking about a woman he loves & needs. “Stickz N Stonez” is my favorite on the tape bouncing back from the 2 worst whether it be the dusty Alchemist instrumental or the lyricism declaring that no one wants smoke with him, but then “Pi” featuring Ab-Soul & Daylyt goes drumless to drop straight bars for 6-minutes other than the trans line.

“Stealth Mode” featuring Bas on the bridge talks about got a lot to get off their sternums over a summery drill beat while “3001” finds Mike WiLL Made-It & Pluss of all people dabbling with boom bap dedicated I was listening less than 1000 years from now. “Trae tha Truth in Ibiza” soulfully discusses his work ethic & the now deleted “7 Minute Drill” ends the tape with Conductor Williams sampling “Energy” by Drake so Cole can come through with an admittedly weak response to Kendrick’s verse on Future’s latest album We Don’t Trust You saying he’s “washed like The Simpsons” on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property albeit trademarked by The Walt Disney Company & he has since apologized for it officially backing out of the beef.

I’m just gonna come straight out the gate by saying both J. Cole & Drake don’t have an album better than good kid m.A.A.d. city or To Pimp a Butterfly, but I think Might Delete Later is a pretty solid tape for the most part. The overall sound is more trap oriented with some jazzy undertones and J. Cole actually does sound pretty hungry here as much as he did on the previous album a couple years ago other than a few unfortunate lows. Still very excited for The Fall-Off.

Score: 2/5

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