Puff Daddy – “The Love Album: Off the Grid” review

Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy & more recently Love is a 53 year old record executive, rapper, singer/songwriter, “producer”, entrepreneur, actor, television producer, sex trafficker & racketeer from Harlem, New York getting his start as the talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own label Bad Boy Entertainment. He would also have a huge role in the commercialization of hip hop culture on top of cultivating artists from The Notorious B.I.G. to Mary J. Blige & Usher. As for his own catalog, Puffy has dropped 5 solo albums in the span of 26 years despite the common knowledge that he doesn’t write his own lyrics or even produce. Although his debut No Way Out is widely considered to be the best, the next 3 he would put out Forever as well as The Saga Continues… & Press Play all received harsher reception in comparison. The last time we heard Puff in a full capacity was the winter of 2010 when he introduced the world to Dirty Money on the moderately received Last Train to Paris, but is returning after 13 years by signing a 1-&-done deal with Motown Records for his 6th album.

“Brought My Love” featuring The-Dream & Herb Alpert is a funky, R&B/pop rap crossover produced by Mario Winans & Stevie J of The Hitmen setting the tone of what’s to come with Puff dropping corny lines like “In the future, we’re both fine. I just gotta write a ticket with no fine” whereas “What’s Love?” featuring NOVA WAV finds the latter singing & P. Diddy rapping about what the purpose of love is if you can’t drown in it. “Deliver Me” by Dirty Money & Busta Rhymes is possibly THE best track on here since Puffy himself hardly appears on it letting Dawn Richard & Kalenna shine as well as the previously unreleased J Dilla instrumental drawing from electronic music & especially Busta’s verse at the end, but then “Stay Awhile” finds Diddy on mic once more with Nija asking to their significant others to stay with them for a bit longer over a groovy beat from Lil Rod.

Jozzy comes into the picture for “Homecoming” cautioning of a lover that’s not good to one another over a dreamy boom bap instrumental & Puff hilariously starting his verse by saying he kicks flows & busts down doors for her when everyone knows he’s never written any of his raps throughout his whole career just before “Pick Up” by Fabolous & Jacquees finds P. Diddy taking the backseat on the mic in favor of adlibs once again so Fab can outperform Jacq over slow instrumental talking about their partners being the ones they want. “Tough Love” by Swae Lee doesn’t have any Diddy presence whatsoever asking if it’s real or if she’s alone also with some twangy guitar licks & hi-hats leading into “Stay Long” by Summer Walkergoing for a magical sonic approach thanks to Timbaland & London on da Track talking about wanting nobody in her business.

“It Belongs to You” by Jozzy brings back the funk singing that her man knows that he has her while “Another One of Me” finds Puff back in the fold with French Montana, The Weeknd in what’s said to be his final feature ever & 21 Savage for a spacey trap jam declaring that part of them won’t come around again with the best verses going to Abel & 21 respectively. After the “Intermission”, the following song “Moments” by Justin Bieber sings over some live drums about how patient he’s been while “Need Somebody” by Jazmine Sullivan dives into mellower turf with co-production from KeY Wane singing that everybody needs somebody even if this shit ain’t right.

Kehlani & Ty$ share a heartwarming duet together on “Mind Your Business (Bosses in Love)” singing about doing whatever they want because they’re both bosses in their own rights & after the “Nasty” interlude from Jozzy, we have Coco Jones filling in Kehlani’s spot for “Reachin’” so she & Ty$ once again join forces on top of a cavernous trap beat encouraging one another to keep calling. Puffy returns with K-Ci from JodeCi as well as Kalan.FrFr for “Stay” jumping on top of pianos, gospel vocals & hi-hats for a pop rap cut pleading for their partners not to leave while “I Like” by Mary J. Blige sings about seeing him calling & is thankful he’s thinking of her over a sample-heavy beat.

“Closer to God” by Teyana Taylor fresh off her role in the A24 Films hood drama 1,001 sees the former Star Trak Entertainment/G.O.O.D. Music recording artist proclaiming she’s at peace when she’s with her husband Iman Shumpert over a blatant reggae instrumental while “Boohoo” by Jeremih proclaims it hurts when you’re gone but he still ain’t done with that over another funky beat. After the Burna Boy interlude, the DJ Camper co-produced penultimate track “Kim Porter” by Babyface & John Legend is a genuinely profound 7-minute tribute to P. Diddy’s first wife who passed away in the fall of 2018 with Timbaland behind the boards once more & “Space” by H.E.R. ends the album with bare pianos from Infamous telling her man to come her way.

Diddy doesn’t sing at all on The Love Album: Off the Grid as many including myself initially thought he would & only recites rap verses that people in the studio wrote for him on 6 of the 23 songs, so he’s pretty much playing DJ Khaled for the most part on here curating a bunch of mid contemporary R&B/pop rap hybrids after saying last summer that R&B is dead. The production truthfully isn’t too bad for both of those particular styles of music & unlike much of Khaled’s output, but the performances from the guests come with mixed results even though Puff gets washed on every song he raps on pretty much. I also feel that he called it Off the Grid to spite Kanye West since he went on IG last fall saying Diddy’s with the feds even though Ye technically wasn’t wrong.

Score: 2.5/5

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Quavo – “Rocket Power” review

This is the sophomore full-length solo album from Atlanta, Georgia rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Quavo. Rising to prominence in 2013 as 1/3 of the Migos with his nephew Takeoff & Offset, he would also form the duo Huncho Jack in late 2016 with Travis Scott & drop their only album thus far Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho to mixed reception. However with the 5 year anniversary of him becoming the first Migo to branch out on his own with a solo debut in the form of Quavo Huncho, he’s dedicating Rocket Power to his fallen Unc & Phew cohort Takeoff following his tragic murder few weeks after the release of their only album Only Built for Infinity Links last fall.

“Fueled Up” is an atmospheric trap opener produced by Kenny Beats & Murda Beatz declaring that it’s all love as he goes back to his old ways whereas “Patty Cake” by Unc & Phew finds the duo over some horns & hi-hats provided by DJ Dureltalking about being heavyweights as opposed to lightweights. “Mama Told Me” follows this up in the form of a synth/string trap hybrid discussing everything his late mother Edna Parker told him throughout his life just before “Who wit Me” comes through with a more vigorous atmosphere thanks to BNYX of Working on Dying & his brother BEAUTIFULMVN wanting to know exactly who’s on his side here.

After the “Narkedo Speaks” interlude, “Hold Me” hooks up a solemn loop & hi-hats so Huncho can plead to everyone in his life who’s no longer here with him to keep him strong leading into “Where Can I Start?” gives off a more mystic trap groove talking about looking up & getting to the guap. “Wall to Wall” goes into more futuristic turf instrumentally discussing a lil bitch who think she can be bought, but then “Turn Yo Clic Up” featuring Future was a mediocre choice of a single largely due to the cut-rate beat.

Unc & Phew get back together 1 last time on “Back Where It Begins” with Future only handling the hook this time so Wheezy can shoot for a more atmospheric approach behind the boards taking everything back to where it all started for them both in the ATL while “11.11” reflects on the darker nights he’s been having throughout the past 9 months even though the instrumental here is just ok. Pooh Beatz gives “Galaxy” a more piano-driven vibe that I enjoy a bit discussing the feeling you get when you pull up & kill ’em while the cloudy “Disciples” talks about refusing to play with motherfuckers this year.

“Focused” featuring Young Thug finds the 2 jumping on top in these sweet organ harmonies & hi-hats from Buddah Bless refusing to keep their eyes off their bankrolls while “Stain” featuring BabyDrill & Hunxho aims for a more vibrant approach to the beat with one of if not the most repetitive hooks on the album comparing it to Modern Warfare when they hop out the Lambo although both guest verses punch under their weight unlike Huncho.

The song “Not Done Yet” speaks on living out the vision with no regrets & the end being nowhere in sight over a synth-woven trap instrumental while the 2-part title track produced by Murda, BNYX & Dez Wright reminisces on kickin’ doors bright & early thinking about his late nephew. “Greatness” though ends Quavo’s sophomore effort by mixing pop rap & trap with pop reggae interestingly enough explaining how legends are made.

Given everything that’s happened within the Migos camp throughout the last year & a half, I went into Rocket Power expecting it to come from a more genuine place than Quavo Huncho despite it’s share of highlights to this day like “Workin’ Me” & “Rerun”. In the end, that’s exactly what my personal favorite member of the trio delivers. The production’s as tight as it was when we last heard him 5 years ago & you can truly hear how devastated he still is over Takeoff’s untimely murder 9 months later.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lil Yachty – “Let’s Start Here.” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Mableton, Georgia rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & actor Lil Yachty. Skyrocketing to fame in 2016 by bringing a unique sound & personality to the trap subgenre on his debut mixtape Lil Boat, his subsequent material since then has ranged from being mid at best like Summer Songs 2 or even his previous mixtape Michigan Boy Boat to absolute trash like Teenage Emotions & Nuthin’ 2 Prove. But when I heard that Let’s Start Herewas gonna be a complete stylistic departure for Yachty in contrast to one of my favorite singles of last year “Poland”, I was sold in checking it out.

“the BLACK seminole.” pretty much sets the tone for what’s to come as Yachty sings about his inner self & compares himself to the titular Native American-Africans part of the Seminole people over a Jimi Hendrix/Pink Floyd inspired psychedelic rock instrumental whereas “the ride-“ with Teezo Touchdown takes a more neo-soul route with the 2 singing about needing the special women in their lives by their sides. “running out of time” has a more summery twang to it addressing a relationship that pretty much ran it’s course at this point prior to Foushée tagging along for the atmospheric “pRETTy” singing about dying the pussy.

After the “:(failure(:” interlude, “THE zone~” to go into space rock territory admitting that Yachty feel at home up until he’s by his lonely with Justine Syke counter-parting him telling him she never meant to make him feel alone & asking if he’d put anyone else above her leading into “WE SAW THE SUN!” having a bit of a Tame Impala influence sonically singing about how shit don’t get better & to take picture for proof. The “drive ME crazy!” duet with Diane Gordon has a more synthpop flare to it as they profess their love for one another with Yachty dropping a cool reference to both Kanye’s “Jesus Lord” and later WWE Hall of Famer & unrecognized WWE Champion Ted DiBiase, but then “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!” is an otherworldly experience detailing a bad drug trip over an EPIC guitar riff.

“sAy sOMETHINg” brings back a more mellow vibe instrumentally living the dream & feeling like a teenager again while “paint THE sky” gives me a bit of an art pop feel to it singing about stalling for & overdosing on one’s love. The song “sHouLd i B?” treads the psychedelic pop waters admitting that he needs to do right by his lover & that he ain’t mad at what she did even though he’s unsure if he should be while the penultimate track “The Alchemist.” sings about living a good life over some warm rock production. “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” featuring Daniel Caesar is a 6 minute neo-psychedelic grand finale with them talking about filling a void.

If you told me 7 years ago that the same guy who made “1Night” & “Never Switch Up” would go on to drop a full-blown psychedelic rock album & actually manage to pull it off, I would’ve laughed at you. And if anyone can’t appreciate the artistic growth that Yachty shows throughout Let’s Start Here., then that’s your funeral because the most consistent body of work that I’ve heard from him in a grip. All the artists that he draws inspiration from mentioned throughout the review (i.e. Hendrix, Pink Floyd) have literally made some of my favorite music EVER & the fact that we got a body of work from him in those specific styles of music into his own after being called a “mumble rapper” early on in his career proves ANYTHING’s possible.

Score: 4.5/5

Smino – “Luv 4 Rent” review

Smino is a 31 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from St. Louis, Missouri who caught my attention in the spring of 2017 off his impressive full-length debut blkswn. This was followed up with his 2nd & 3rd mixtapes NØIR & She Already Decided, but is re-emerging in the form of his long-awaited sophomore album backed by Motown Records following his departure from Interscope Records & the formation of the supergroup Zoink Gang with Buddy as well as Guapdad 4000 & J.I.D in 2019.

After the “4rm da Source” intro, the first song “No L’s” is a smooth opener to the album with Smino confessing all this stuff on his mind prior to J. Cole tagging along for neo-soul/pop rap hybrid “90 Proof” talking about being a real one. Doechii comes into the picture for the groovy “Pro Freak” to describe their preferences in a partner referencing the 4-seater catchphrase of 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena, but then “Ole Ass Kendrick” has a more dementing trap vibe to it talking about who he was playing in his car as he & his girl got busy.

Moving on from there with “Louphoria”, we have Cruza joining Smino for an alternative R&B ballad about being obsessed with their partners to the point of being unable to get sleep just before “Blu Billy” has a bit of an abstract hip hop flare to it responding to those who say he doesn’t have the heat. “Matinee” makes a pretty accurate comparison to what the world really is over some pop rap/trap production with neo-soul undertones even though I personally found the “Broccoli Lesnar” bar to be cringe as fuck as a wrestling fan whereas “Modennaminute” with Lucky Daye & Phoelix returns with an alternative R&B/pop rap fusion talking about having one another on their minds.

“Defibrillator” has a more neo-soul/hip hop vibe to it confessing that he’ll be loved when no one’s around while “Garden Lady” embraces a groovier vibe talking about how shit’s wicked right now & a lot of it ain’t funny to him. “Settle Down” with Ravyn Lenae is an upbeat ode to still doing their best & being blessed while the Lil Uzi Vert-assisted “Pudgy” finds the 2 flirting wjth bitches accompanied by a jazzy trap sound. “Curtains” comes through with a 6 & a half minute futuristic trap banger talking about how he be speaking the truth with Lee & Love” being a soulful closer to the album expressing his desire to grow old with his soulmate.

“Plead the .45th” significantly increased my anticipation for this album considering how mid of a tape NØIR was 4 years back & I gotta say that’s even better than Few Good Things when SABA dropped it earlier this year. Smino continues to expand on his versatility by refining the sounds of that previous project & his songwriting gradually improving.

Score: 3.5/5

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Unc & Phew – “Only Built for Infinity Links” review

Unc & Phew are a trap duo from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of Quavo & Takeoff. Both of whom came up as 2/3 of the Migos with their cousin Offset & would see huge success during the early/mid 2010s, most notably when Y.R.N. (Young Rich N****s) & C U L T U R E both dropped. But as Offset prepares for a follow-up to the best Migos solo effort to date Father of 4 next month, the other 2 members have seen fit to form a duo of their own & put out a full-length debut.

“2 Infinity Links” opens up the album with a horn-laced trap beat from Buddah Bless describing the strongest links in the world bonded by blood whereas “Tony Starks” takes a more cavernous route thanks to Murda Beatz talking about putting holes in your chest kin to that of Iron Man. “Hotel Lobby” has a more twangier vibe to it dropping some braggadocio just before “Bars into Captions” samples “So Fresh, So Clean” by OutKast welcoming y’all to the ATL.

Meanwhile on “See ‘Bout It”, we have Unc & Phew bragging about stealing hoes over a hyphy instrumental from DJ Mustard leading into YoungBoy Never Broke Again tagging along for the slick “To the Bone” describing how bad their bitches are. “Not Out” shoots for a cloudier sound provided by DJ Durel talking about popping out, but then Gunna & Young Thug both come into the picture for the acoustic/trap-laced “Chocolate” getting in their hustler bags.

“2.30” has a wavier sound to it even though the Percocet-heavy lyricism just doesn’t do it for me personally while “Look @ This” fuses trap with orchestral talking about all the shit they got. “Mixy” with Summer Walker is a moody little trap/R&B fusion with the trio of course tackling the themes of love while “Messy” talks about the main reason why not to let a bitch in their crib over a glitchy trap beat with Quavo apparently airing out Offset for fucking his ex Saweetie along with a reference to Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Continuing from there, “Nothing Changed” was clearly made for Huncho Jack down to the psychedelic instrumental even though I don’t mind the subject matter addressing that ain’t shit change but the ice while the mellow “Integration” brags about having white everything. “Big Stunna” is a fun little boastful trap banger as Birdman comes through with a decent verse while the song “Us vs. Them” with Gucci Mane finds the trio aggressively talking about how it’s them against the world. The penultimate track “Hell Yeah” shoots got a more stripped back aesthetic as Unc & Phew chase a bag together with “Tools” though is a shimmering finisher encouraging you to spread the cash.

For as much shit that C U L T U R E III got last summer, I still think it was a more enjoyable listen than C U L T U R E II & that it would’ve been more well received if you got rid of 4-5 cuts. As for Only Built for Infinity Links, it’s a solid debut from Unc & Phew. Both Quavo & Takeoff manage to take it back to the basics are some more interesting ideas with the production this time around. Here’s to Blame It on Set next month!

Score: 3.5/5

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Vince Staples – “Ramona Park Broke My Heart” review

Vince Staples is a 28 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & actor from Compton, California who came as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future collective. He would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Recordings & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna, but the dude’s sophomore effort Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. But after linking up with Kenny Beats for his 3rd EP FM! & his eponymous 3rd album, Vince is looking to reach out to some outside producers for his 4th one.

“THE BEACH” kicks off the album with some organs talking about his G’s moving whereas “AYE! (FREE THE HOMIES)” follows it up with a guitar driven ballad dedicated to all his homies locked up. “DJ QUIK” takes a spacier route referencing my favorite diss track of all-time “Dollaz + Sense” in the hook just before the DJ Mustard-produced “MAGIC” works in some Bay Area influences talking about feeling like he’s floating.

After the “NAMELESS” interlude, we have Vince on top of a sample of “No Love” by Lyves for “WHEN SPARKS FLY” talking about them taking his girl away from him leading into Lil Baby tagging along for “EAST POINT PRAYER” to deliver some braggadocious trap. “SLIDE” goes into glossier territory talking about being shot at, but then “PAPERCUTS” returns to trap turf explaining that it’s all about the money.

“LEMONADE” is a cloudy declaration of life being bittersweet while “PLAYER WAYS” has a moodier tone talking about keeping it funky with the bitches. “MAMA’S BOY” compares his love for the game to the love he has for his own mother really well over a pillowy beat while “BANG THAT” returns with a gangbanger’s ode.

After the “SPIRIT OF MONSTER KODY” interlude, the penultimate track “ROSE STREET” mixes pop rap with trap to explain him putting his gang ties over hoes & “THE BLUES” closes out the album on a darker note encouraging the listeners to pray for him.

Every time Vince drops a project, I know I’m getting myself into some crazy concept & Ramona Park Broke My Heart lives up to if not surpasses the expectations set by self-titled this past summer. I love how he details his experiences of exploring the utility of home & how the overall sound of the album varies in comparison to his last couple efforts being heavy on Kenny Beats’ signature sound.

Score: 4/5

Vince Staples – Self-Titled review

This is eponymous 3rd full-length album from Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples. Coming up as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future crew, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna, but the dude’s last album Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. But ever since linking up with Kenny Beats at the tail-end of 2018 for the radio show-themed EP FM!, we’ve heard very little from Vince. So given the 3 year gap & him jumping ship from Def Jam to Motown Records, to say I was excited for him to finally make a comeback is an understatement.

“Are You With That?” kicks things off with a wonky trap instrumental from Kenny Beats (who produced the whole album start to finish) & Vince saying all he wanted was to be a thug growing up whereas “Laws of Averages” is much more slower in terms of production with lyrics about how “I don’t trust no bitch with my government”. Vince jumps on top of a slowed down sample on “Sundown Town” to talk about running wild before taking things into a murky trap direction for “The Shining”.

Meanwhile on “Taking Trips”, we go into more psychedelic territory for Vince to bug out over leading into an interlude entitled “The Apple & The Tree”. He later expresses homesickness with the R&B flavored “Take Me Home” while the penultimate song “Lil Fade” serves as a symphonic ode to all his homies in the pen. After the “Lakewood Mall” interlude, the closer “MHM” works in some synths & rubbery bass to spit that gangsta shit.

For the 3-year wait, I think this self-titled joint was well worth it. Wish it was longer than 22 minutes, but Vince takes through events in his life that he’s never put out there before & he sounds a lot better with Kenny Beats than he did on FM!. Looking forward to hear what route he takes for Ramona Park Broke My Heart.

Score: 4/5

Migos – “C U L T U R E III” review

The Migos are a trio from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of blood relatives Quavo, Offset & Takeoff. They’ve proved themselves as one of the biggest trap acts in recent memory ever since their 2013 smash hit “Versace” & this was exemplified with their 2017 sophomore album C U L T U R E, which is undoubtedly one of the best trap projects of the previous decade whether you like them or not. However, the sequel C U L T U R E II was a bloated rushjob & their solo debuts weren’t all that well received either other than Offset’s Father of 4. But after this 3 year gap, the Migos are reuniting to finish out the C U L T U R E trilogy.

“Avalanche” starts things out with DJ Durel & Quavo sampling “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations as the Migos look back on their early days but then there’s “Havin’ Our Way” with Drake, which has an symphonic instrumental from Kane Beatz as the quartet talk about getting theirs. The official WWE Day 1 theme song “Straightenin’” has an eerie instrumental with the lyrics detailing how “you don’t get shit straight if you don’t straighten it” while the Murda Beatz-produced “Type Shit” with Cardi B is a vigorous anthem about how this song might make you feel.

Meanwhile on “Malibu”, we have Polo G accompanying the Migos on top of a synth-horn loop detailing their adventures in the titular California city & I almost wanna say that the beat OG Parker whips up for “Birthday” has a west coast trap feel to it, backing the trio calling out a bitch lying to them about it being her birthday. “Modern Day” is a mystical banger that tells listeners to put respect on the trio’s name whereas the victorious “Vaccine” details them making money during the pandemic referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson.

Future tags along for the guitar-driven “Picasso” comparing themselves to the iconic painter of the same name leading up to them getting on some drug dealer shit for “Roadrunner”, in which the Zaytoven instrumental is tension-building as Hell. Following this, we have Danny Wolf taking the Migos into acoustic territory on the sensual “What You See”, but then “Jane” details the titular character working it for a Birkin bag with stellar Latin trap production from both Tay Keith & Gordo.

I thought the late Juice WRLD’s hook on the cavernous “Antisocial” is perfect given the lyrical concept of the track while “Why Not” finds the trio talking about getting money for fuck’s sake & the beat kinda has that cloud rap quality to it. The instrumental on “Mahomes” is incredibly dramatic as the Migos express their gratitude while OZ works in some synths & keys for them to “Handle My Business”.

The song “Time for Me” is an atmospheric cut about their bando days while the penultimate track “Light It Up” with the late Pop Smoke feels like a leftover from Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon given that it’s in Pop’s signature drill sound down to 808 Melo’s production. To finish it off, “Need It” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again touches down on self-defense & the way Buddah Bless absolutely killed it flipping “Get In My Car” by 50 Cent.

Although I had my doubts going into this album, I’ll argue that it’s what C U L T U R E II should’ve been because the Migos are back in full form on here. It’s only a half hour shorter than their last album was, you can tell the thing actually feels complete rather than spending 15 minutes to make each song & a good portion of them were fun to listen to.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Baby & Lil Durk – “The Voice of the Heroes” review

This is a brand new collaborative effort between Atlanta, Georgia superstar Lil Baby & Chicago, Illinois rapper Lil Durk. The pair have come together on a handful of instances throughout the last few years whether it be “How I Know” off the latter’s 2016 mixtape Just Cause Y’all Waited or even a little over a month ago with “EVERY CHANCE I GET” on the latest DJ Khaled album Khaled Khaled but given their documented history with one another, they’ve decided to take it to the next level by declaring themselves as The Voice of the Heroes.

The title track is a cloudy kickstarter to the album & even though I appreciate the message “2040” being about balling forever, the instrumental is just middle of the road. Travis Scott tags along for the synth-heavy “Hats Off” as the trio shout out those who be keeping it real whereas the Wheezy-produced “Who I Want” brings in some rich piano melodies as they talk about running trains on bitches.

Meanwhile on “Still Hood”, we have Baby & Durk reminding listeners of where they came from backed by a mellow beat from London on da Track before incorporating strings on the loyalty themed “Man of My Word”. We have Nick Papz working in some flutes for the duo as they link up with Meek Mill for the braggaodious “Still Runnin’”, but then “Medical” is easily the saddest joint on the whole thing as they’re crying for help from drug addiction & signing up for the streets instead of the Endeavor Group Holdings-owned UFC.

“How I Feel” doesn’t have much going on instrumentally despite the lyrics saying you’re not alone on feeling a certain way in certain situations while “Lying” angrily calls out wankstas on their bluff. The rapid keyboards on “Okay” are really cool as both parties talk about being stuck in their ways whereas the horn-inflicted “That’s Facts” finds them speaking their truths. The song “Please” is a more romantic cut down to the airy production from Turbo, but then Durk & Baby bring in Young Thug for the celebratory wealth anthem “Up the Side”.

They later acknowledge the fact that people look up to them on “If You Want To” & even though the guitars come in on occasion, they’re a really awesome touch. The song “Rich Off Pain” is a summery cut saying they became successful due to expressing their struggles while the penultimate track “Make It Out” expresses their desire to “rid this curse” over a dejected Murda Beatz instrumental. To round it out, “Bruised Up” is an emotional finisher pondering what they’d do if they got locked up.

A lot of mainstream collab albums this day in age tend to be hit or miss, but I think it’s safe to say The Voice of the Heroes is leagues better than Drip Harder was. Not just because the chemistry has improved, but the production choices are more refined too.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Yachty – “Michigan Boy Boat” review

This is the 5th mixtape from Mableton rapper & songwriter Lil Yachty. Skyrocketing to fame in 2016 by bringing a unique sound & personality to the trap subgenre on his debut mixtape Lil Boat, his subsequent pretty much took a nosedive from there. Why? Because he made a song on that breakout tape about never switching up & that’s EXACTLY what he did. But to pay homage to this reviewer’s home state, Yachty has amassed together some of the hottest rappers Detroit has to offer currently for Michigan Boy Boat.

“Final Form” is a ruthless opener with a hyphy instrumental from Helluva, but then Tee Grizzley tags along for the airy “Dynamic Duo” to talk about how his chemistry with Yachty is unmatched. The harp on “Concrete Goonies” shortly after is pretty cool except the fact that it’s a tad bit offputting hearing him start it off by saying he wants to fuck Kali Uchis. Meanwhile, we have Veeze & Baby Smoove jumping on a piano instrumental to brush off those who wanna fight for a print on “Don’t Even Bother” referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson whereas the song “G.I. Joe” with Louie Ray finds the 2 talking about being young cats who got it over a colorful beat from Buddah Bless.

“Never Did Coke” is one of my favorites on the project with it’s bongo & string-laced instrumental as well as Yachty’s chemistry with Swae Lee, but that same back-&-forth magic on the RMC Mike-featured “Ghetto Boy Shit” falls flat for me even though I like the grubby Carlo Anthony instrumental. Icewear Vezzo & Rio da Yung OG help him go into gangsta rap territory for “Plastic” while the track “Fight Night Round 3” with Babyface Ray & Veeze does it’s title justice by providing a lethal moshpit joint.

Sada Baby’s feature on the braggadocious “SB 2021” is cool, but his performances on the 30 Roc-produced “SB5” are much better if you ask me. Rio comes back into the fold for the glassily-produced “Stunt Double”, except his feature on here doesn’t stick the landing like it did on “Plastic”. The penultimate track “Hybrid” has these inauspicious keyboard melodies Yachty & Babytron both give flashy performances before bringing in some bells for the “This That One” cypher to finish things off with everyone except Slap Savage going off. YN Jay’s verse at the end referencing former 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion & the current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley was worth mentioning.

Coming from someone who’s lived in The Mitten his entire life, I’m a bit torn coming away from this. Even though Yachty doesn’t do the modern Detroit style all that much justice, I still admire the fact he took some of the hottest rappers the city currently has to offer & brought them all together.

Score: 2.5/5