diamond* – “Bling Slime” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper diamond* making his official YSL Records solo debut with a brand new mixtape. A member of the ØWay collective, his full-length debut Nø Idøls last summer caught the attention of Young Thug around the same time he signed Tezzus & their eponymous debut as the Uy Scuti Bøyz a few months earlier was met with disappointingly mixed reception. The Resurrectiøn recently became Tezzus’ most celebrated material & Bling Slime looks to join the conversation.

“Man øn the Møøn” gets things going talking about being the flyest artist his age in the room over some synthesizers & hi-hats whereas “Almighty Dølla” has a more hypertrap vibe instrumentally boasting his thick pockets & his refusal of backing down. “WYD2” produced by both thr6x & Zaan gives us a sequel to a 2024 single the latter also produced just before “4s” featuring Young Thug talks about pouring up Sprite with the guy over more rage beats.

Pz’ appears on “Hedis n Pelles” to energetically put dope in the pot & let it marinate leading into “GG” embracing a bit of a pluggier sound talking about rocking out shows. “Hørsebit” featuring Lil Righteous references the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s Big 5 pay-per-view events the Royal Rumble while the cloudy “3 Wishes” lets Sk8star handle a bulk of the rapping, likening himself to Derrick Rose in the 4th quarter.

“STFU” winds down the last few moments of Bling Slime talking about not beefing with anyone because his squad likes to spin over a hypertrap instrumental with a pitched vocal sample while “Burgers n Fries” featuring southsidesilhouette finds the pair promising to kill anyone who touches their chain, which is ironic because of the recent incident between che & 9 Vicious. The outro “Matter øf Time” ends the tape talking about sticking to the script since it’s what got him here.

Bling Slime to me seemed like it had the possibility of dethroning Nø Idøls but even if that album still does a better job at displaying diamond*’s artistic range, it’s a still worthy prelude to his sophomore effort Jubilee next month. The production’s a lot less experimental & cloudy, maintaining the elements of trap along with rage & plugg. I also felt like a great deal of the guests other than an underwhelming selection or 2 delivered.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pz’ – “No Turnin’ Back” review

Yes, we finally have another extended play from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & fashion model Pz’. Emerging a couple years ago off the strength of his debut single “Sun”, he would eventually blow up last summer when “Hedis Bussin’” came out & has since collaborated with the likes of billi0n for his debut mixtape Revenge as well as the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ eponymous tape earlier this spring. B4NTB came out a few days ago & No Turnin’ Back has arrived after a 48 hour delay as promised.

“Never Gon’ Home” opens with a bassy intro explaining that it’s difficult for him to specifically say where he’s headed leading into “Live Strong” hazily talking about how he prayed for his success to come & all of his ØWay brethren playing their individual roles. “Dis Ain’t Right” speaks of being trained to kill along with smoking up all his weed because he can’t sleep at night while “Canes” talks about all this internet shit being a joke to him & coming from a city where all the artists are homegrown.

dragnutz makes the EP’s sole guest appearance on the synth-driven “No Ceilings” so they can discuss reaching new heights together just before “X Tape” talks about possibly changing this woman’s life after having sex. “Fête Feeling” experiments with Afrobeats observing that the woman he slept with has been acting strange around him & after “Claim to Fame” talks about constantly thinking of money, the outro “Maxfields” finishes up suggesting he might make a bag only to put it in his will afterwards.

No Turnin’ Back retains the similar trap & pop rap production that made B4NTB such an interesting prelude although there are more elements of rage being incorporated & a small dosage of Afrobeats towards the backend of it contrasting the previous EP’s futuristic swag undertones. Pz’ could potentially be the most versatile member of the ØWay collective the more I think of it & I already know his discography will only improve going forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pz’ – “B4NTB” review

This is a brand new extended play of solo material from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & fashion model Pz’. Emerging a couple years ago off the strength of his debut single “Sun”, he would eventually blow up last summer when “Hedis Bussin’” came out & has since collaborated with the likes of billi0n for his debut mixtape Revenge as well as the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ eponymous tape earlier this spring. Only a few days away from No Turnin’ Back however, he’s dropping off B4NTB.

“Track Meet” hops over this colorful trap beat making it known to anyone who ain’t makin’ a profit that they can’t hang with him whereas “Seals & Tags” acknowledges the ØWay collective’s increasing popularity to end the 1st half. My favorite track here “Tamagochi” embraces a cloudier vibe instrumentally talking about puttin’ muhfuckas on dinner plates & “Keep It Tucked” produced by Noah Mejia finishes with an outro that I’d consider a close 2nd compared to the previous track.

It was already known since the very beginning of the month that Pz’ would finally begin building a discography for himself following his standout guest appearances & singles, but him dropping B4NTB literally 24 hours in advance increases what anticipation I’ve had for No Turnin’ Back tomorrow with an impressively brief collection of trap songs taking additional inspiration from rage, cloud rap, pop rap & futuristic swag in only under 10 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tezzus – “The Resurrectiøn” review

This is the 9th extended play from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his 2024 debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape. He later gave us the Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso, Backrooms, King Phønk, I Phønk, U Phønk and Tezzy Pendergrass until Young Thug signed him to YSL Records following 9 Vicious’ departure. ##FilthyLikeMax was a solid debut for the label & the eponymous Uy Scuti Bøyz tape left audiences including myself divided, making up for the latter with The Resurrectiøn.

We have PROJECT4PLAY sampling “Cranes in the Sky” by Solange on the intro “Solange” talking about being rich after not having shit whereas “Aubrey” flips “Trophies” by Drake discusses sitting in the back of a car with an extendo. “Tezzus Mane LaFlare” hops over a sample of “Lemonade” by Gucci Mane talking about living what he raps while “Jeffrey Williams” interpolates “Halftime” by Young Thug demanding $250K to sit with him.

“Katy Perry” samples “Dark Horse” by the latter featuring Juicy J to kick off the 2nd half of The Resurrectiøn thanks to Rafmade talking about fucking a hoe in New York until she’s sore leading into the rage-inducing “Ye” sampling “No Mistakes” by Kanye West detailing money coming after praying for the fame. The penultimate song “Lil Røkk” co-produced by ilykimchi of Working on Dying gives off a generally cloudier trap vibe talking about his phone being on do not disturb mode & the outro “ØWay” sends off the EP flexing that he’ll have all his ice on him this summer.

Hopefully the reception of the Uy Scuti Bøyz tape a couple months ago was nothing more than a bump in the road because I truthfully got more enjoyment outta this than I did that or even FilthyLikeMax not too long after YSL signed Tezzus last fall, making The Resurrectiøn the best thing he’s done since joining the label. He’s basically catching up with us on how life’s been treating him & the sample-heavy production PROJECT4PLAY mostly handles results in some of the greatest beats he’s made.

Score: 4/5

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Uy Scuti Bøyz – Self-Titled review

The Uy Scuti Bøyz are a duo consisting of Mechanicsville, Virginia rapper diamond* & Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus. Both of whom have collaborated with one another a handful of times including songs like “Bada Bing Bada Boom” or “Pisces” & “Slime”. They’ve also achieved quite some success as solo artists, resulting in Young Thug signing them to YSL Records & resulted in 9 Vicious departing the label due to his feud with them. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time until they made their eponymous full-length debut as a pairing almost a week after The Conglomeration ended The Dogs’ brief reign as AEW World Trios Champions & Kevin Knight becoming the new AEW TNT Champion respectively.

“Uy Scuti” featuring Thug finds the trio over a triumphant London on da Track instrumental to get things going reporting live from the biggest star in the universe whereas “Ew” featuring EA TJ talks about not charging prices when they’re running through all the stores. “Trashcan” bombastically represents the ØWay collective both members are apart of for a couple minutes over a PROJECT4PLAY beat while “Baby” by Tezzus featuring southsidesilhouette & Yung Fazo talks about getting head over a Hariroc instrumental.

Biggs Money appears on “Slime for Years” so they can proclaim that both of them have been YSL long before they were officially signed just before “Stepchild” featuring HittMan talks about shit getting ridiculous to them out here, giving middle fingers to all of their opps & dismissing their attention-seeking. “Guess What” by Tezzus featuring skaiwater joins forces to brag that each of them knowing they would make it until “Da Fuck” also by Tezzus featuring Rylo Rodriguez & Young Thug talks about upping the score.

“Chill Øut” featuring Shawtyrokk reaches the halfway point advising to watch out for your hoes around them over a Goxan & Whyceg beat or else it’s case closed while “Ice Øn” embraces a heavy pop rap vibe to talk about love. “Head Øver Heels” feels a lot like a Pz’ track since neither of the Uy Scuti Bøyz have verses of their own despite him explaining that he’s in love with money while “J.Ø.T.P. (Jump Øut the Plane)” featuring EA TJ, Lil Righteous & Sk8star details their luxuries over a Richie Souf instrumental.

southsidesilhouette returns for “Møtherfuckers” to talk about flexin’ racks because they used to struggle in addition to pullin’ up on their bitches so they can fuck since they don’t do any of that cuddling shit & after “St. Claire’s” gives diamond* a chance to shine by himself talking about rockin’ his ice during the evening as well as likening the way he sees things clearly to light itself, “Løve Løst” expresses their disappointment in the way this person moves.

“I’m an Artist” winds down the last few moments of the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ self-titled debut talking about upgrading their ranks within the streets & baiting women with blue $100 bills while “Hell Yeah” featuring BSlime decently makes it clear that they’re talking business, hence why they don’t fuck around whenever either of them open their mouths. The only single “Duality” ends the tape with a rage-inducing trap outro taking risks to live the lavish lives that have now.

Becoming a fan of these guys early last year, I was excited to hear that diamond* & Tezzus had signed to YSL considering the high praise projects like Nø Idøls & Backrooms received last summer. However, I felt like the Uy Scuti Bøyz’ introductory tape was more average than I had expected although I firmly believe they can top this if they ever make a full-length debut (which I’m confident they will). Their chemistry isn’t the issue in any capacity earning comparisons to the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions & current 2-time HoG Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz or WWE Hall of Famers D-Generation X, but some of the production & features kinda weigh it down.

Score: 3/5

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billi0n – “Revenge” review

This is the debut mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper billi0n. A member of the ØWay collective, he would properly himself last year off his debut EP Heavy after signing to 10K Projects, he would follow it up with both Bravo Bill & then Not Playin’ in the summer, dropping the other 2 extended plays a couple months apart from each other. I also enjoyed his appearances on The XA Tape, returning 7 months after Not Playin’ looking for some Revenge this Friday the 13th.

“Skyrim” begins with him hopping over a hypertrap instrumental referencing the greatest entry across the entire Elder Scrolls franchise whereas “Elite” fuses hypertrap & psychedelia talking about making the baddest bitch pray to God. “Nøt Guilty” continues to hit us with more rage beats talking about his daughter casually chopping shit up with the glizzy prior to “The Grudge” blending some synthesizers & 808s so he can boast that he’s out in New York City.

Meanwhile on “Sleigh Bells”, we have billi0n talking about how all these muhfuckas can get it & he isn’t referring to the bitches at all just before “Jordan Belført” featuring diamond* sees the 2 throwing red & blue tips out the dumper together. “Max It” featuring Yung Fazo leans towards a futuristic trap vibe instrumentally talking about doing whatever it is they’re charged for leading into “Elephant” wrapping up the 1st leg boisterously breaking down his entire lifestyle.

“Sex Symbol” starts the 2nd half talking about a woman who has some kind of twisted power over men & being at the point in his life where’s starting to get fed up with smoking weed while “Impressed” fuses trap & chipmunk soul to explain that his pockets lookin’ stereotypical in as well as having no time to be tender. “10 Floors Up” featuring Diorvsyou & Tezzus finds the trio mobbin’ over an industrial trap beat while “Conditions of Love” talks about being ready to fuck heads up.

To kick off the 4th quarter, “Daydreamin’” chops up a blissful vocal sample admitting that he fell asleep whilst sippin’ paint because he stays dirty while “Spendin’ a Ticket (Adin Ross)” energetically talks about having no problems smacking up anyone who snitches on his crew. “Bonus Freestyle” goes off the top for a minute & a half flexing that he copped a bag without checking the price of it while “Øn the Road” saves the tape’s final verse for Pz’, praying that all the mobsters & killers keep it legitimate with him.

Receiving a co-sign from local trap trailblazer Young Thug yesterday & considering the fact that he’s already signed the Uy Scuti Boyz a.k.a. diamond* & Tezzus to YSL Records already, it wouldn’t surprise me if billi0n joins the label once he fulfills his 10K Projects contract & surpasses all of his early EPs he’s given us prior to this tape in terms of quality. He’s said to drop another LP later this year called Metalhead & if he continues to refine himself artistically like he did after getting his Revenge, then it could be a superior sophomore effort.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tezzus – “##FilthyLikeMax” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus making his YSL Records debut with his 8th EP. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. He’s given us the Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso, Backrooms, King Phønk, I Phønk, U Phønk and Tezzy Pendergrass until Young Thug signed him following 9 Vicious’ departure due to him & Tezzus beefing. Nonetheless, getting ##FilthyLikeMax a couple days succeeding Savior was still a welcoming surprise.

“Animal 🐕‍🦺🐍🐲” starts with an industrial hip hop intro likening himself to a beast whereas “I’m Røyal 👑🤴🏿👑” goes for a rage-inducing vibe talking about his royalty status. “Bacccarat 💁‍♀️🛍️💝” featuring Skaiwater & 1300SAINT finds the trio buying out a while Chanel store over a hypertrap instrumental but once “Krøssed Ø Gang 🚂🚫🖤” featuring billi0n & ShawtyRokk angrily refuses to argue with peasants, “Life øf a Dølla 🕊️❤️‍🔥🕊️” finishes by remembering maxon over a rage beat.

Thug continuing to shift his focus towards rebuilding YSL Records ever since Uy Scuti polarized both critics & fans alike couldn’t have been a smarter move & ##FilthyLikeMax properly introducing himself to the label over 84 hours succeeding his labelmate’s greatest body of work the previous weekend. The production is more prominently centered around the rage subgenre of trap as opposed to Tezzy Pendergrass’ blatant pop rap influence as he & all 4 guests pay tribute to maxon a week after his death.

Score: 4/5

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southsidesilhouette – “Untitled” review

Here we have a brand new mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist southsidesilhouette. Emerging in the SoundCloud scene of his debut EP Metanoia & later the full-length studio LP Diafora, he continued to build his discography from there whether it be ( ︶︿︶)_╭∩╮ & ♃ or the original Hits followed by the sequel & 2009. The final chapter in the Hits trilogy would drop almost 20 months ago, coming off Dream But Don’t Sleep earlier this spring for a new untitled tape on Halloween.

“Wet ‘Em Up” begins with a bit of a rage-inducing instrumental talking about giving no fucks & dying on that hill whereas “Can’t Pipe Down” colorfully reminds us that some people don’t make it that far in this industry. “Pop Out” featuring Tezzarain finds the 2 talking about it being another day instead of a phase just before “Every Other Day” featuring Rollinthrax flexes that their pockets are full of parmesan.

Meanwhile on “New Stick”, we have southsidesilhouette over this swampy trap beat talking about his new gun coming with a kick while “Yes” asks where the safe is so he can break the bank. “Die Lit” embraces a bit of an ethereal trap vibe to the beat talking about having everything he needs while “Changes” featuring Diorvsyou & 6bill psychedelically links up to speak of doing everything by themselves.

“Face the Music” starts the last act of Untitled with a glitchy rage instrumental talking about giving ‘em the belt when it’s time while “Loading” featuring Rollinthrax reunites both of them so they can discuss trying to take this shit off the map. “IDH8ME2” nears the end with a pluggier flare responding to his detractors while “Long Time” featuring Rollinthrax soulfully talks about it taking forever for them to get where they are.

Only dropped a half hour late, but at least Untitled didn’t wind up being delayed because I actually enjoyed this mixtape more than the Dream But Don’t Sleep EP. The monotony of the latter is broken off completely by the inclusion of all 4 guests, I feel like there’s more going for the production than this past spring although I’d love to hear him work with Internet Money Records or Vanguard Music Group again & southsidesilhouette’s flows remains amongst the most unique in the modern underground trap scene.

Score: 4/5

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Tezzus – “Tezzy Pendergrass” review

Here is the 7th EP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. Coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso as well as Backrooms & more recently King Phønk, we’re finally being tested to Tezzy Pendergrass a couple weeks following the I Phønk, U Phønk prelude.

“Gøtham Løve Støry” gets the EP going with a cloudy pop rap/trap intro confessing that he wants this woman’s affection & continuously making the money whereas “Permanently Stained” talks about shedding tears when looking back at how far he’s come. “Cadillac Whipping” produced by Feardorian flexes that he switches lanes more than his homies switch bitches leading into “Cøme Øn”, which is one of the more lyrically repetitive moments.

Yung Fazo links up with Tezzus on “High Fashiøn” giving a middle finger to the pigs confident that they won’t ever catch the 2 slipping just before “Main Høe” featuring Sk8star & tana finds the trio coming together for a cloudy pop rap/trap crossover talking about the way fame goes. “I See” expresses a desire for all of his opps to drop dead & thanking his mom for raising a star while the pluggy “Gangsta” featuring Pz’ talks about people doing shit for tends.

“By Yøu” starts the final leg of Tezzy Pendergrass heading for an atmospheric direction once again admitting that love never felt so real until he stood by the woman he had in mind writing this while “2night” advises the female she has in mind to stay away from snitches & that he stays strapped in the streets. I Løve U” appropriately sends off the EP by longing for his partner to be right beside him in bed.

Eschewing the rage subgenre of trap from a lot of his earlier material & more specifically the other 3 extended plays that he’s given us in the past 6-7 weeks or so, Tezzus puts his artistic range in the forefront for 25 minutes so he can reveal a sensual side to himself. It was a no brainer Tezzy Pendergrass would embrace a heavier pop rap vibe stylistically & the same goes for the romantic subject matter, but it feels authentically sincere rather than coming off as forced.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tezzus – “I Phønk, U Phønk” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus ending August with his 3rd EP of the month & his 6th altogether. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. Coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso as well as Backrooms & more recently King Phønk, he’s preluding his upcoming blues project by dropping I Phønk, U Phønk exclusively on SoundCloud.

“Who” featuring Baby Osama opens with a rage instrumental from tana talking about their partners calling them to come back home whereas “Woo” gives off an eerie trap vibe to assure that he’s coming for throats. “Lucid Dreams” fuses hypertrap & phonk so he can talk about the realistic dreams he’s been having of fucking this bitch leading into “Heartbreak King” rounds out the EP by dabbling with chopped & screwed.

Only less than 3 weeks away from his said blues project, Tezzus decides to experiment with sounds for a good 9 minutes venturing out from the both of rage & phonk styles he blew up off of to incorporate elements of standard trap along with chopped & screwed. For only 4 songs, it’s still a worthy testament to his bold artistry & knack for going outside of the box.

Score: 3.5/5

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