Esham – “The Golden Age” review

This is the 24th studio LP from Detroit emcee/producer & Reel Life Productions founder Esham. Widely acknowledged as the godfather of horrorcore alongside his former Natas cohorts Mastamind & the late TNT, his run from 1989-2005 (particularly the albums KKKill the Fetus, Closed Casket & Doubelievengod?) would go on to lay out the groundwork for subsequent horrorcore acts such as the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His output from Sacrificial Lambz onwards (essentially after his 2-album deal with Psychopathic Records from 02-05) has been a little hit or miss even though I love the single “S.S.M.D. (Stop Selling Me Drugs)” & Dichotomy respectively. Psyops however was a creative detour for Esham as he self-produced the whole thing for the first time in what seemed like a while conceptually revolving around what it was like for him living in Minneapolis during the George Floyd protests & a more rap rock inspired sound. He escaped Purgatory & preluded The Golden Age by serving up his 8th EP Amuse-Bouche, ushering the new era in 17 months later.

“The Golden Hour” sets up shop talking about rappers with no hope needing to cleanse their souls & introducing me to Count Tracula whereas “Power of Love” incorporates a vintage self-produced instrumental explaining that you don’t really want war with him. “CEO Killer” talks about hating liars & thieves more than being on welfare when he was growing up leading into “30 Gucci Purses” admitting he has no regrets of the amount of cash he’s spent.

Meanwhile on “Rain Drop”, we have Esham bringing back the boom bap vibes talking about the hate coming with the way he puts it down for the city since he does it so big while “F.I.L.A. (Fall In Love Again)” blends trap & pop rap tackling themes of romance. “Run It Back” goes for a smoother approach to the beat telling his lover there ain’t no slowing down since he has a lot speed while “Sexy” experiments with hip house interpolating “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred.

“Omg” starts the 2nd half of The Golden Age returning to the boom bap thanks to Dead Heat talking about being more insane than the wicked clowns themselves while “Narcissist” keeps things in the basement instrumentally speaking to himself showing y’all what wealth really is. “Slush” meshes a piano with kicks & snares talking about his heart being way too cold while the title track flexing that his paper’s too tall to fold.

Nearing the conclusion of The Golden Age, the song “Killing Time” finds himself waiting for a sickness to take him away while “A.M.F.D. (All My Friends are Dead)” combines dubstep production with horrorcore lyricism that winds up leaving me somewhat torn about it personally. “I Miss You” talks about the voices that he was hearing in his head was the money this whole entire time & “The Truth” finishes us off with a 2 minute rock outro showing off The Unholy’s singing chops.

Looking back at how reckless he was with his words when he was younger & cringing at it because the godfather of the wicked shit has obviously gotten much older, The Golden Age thematically opens up in regards to chasing what Esham thought success looked like whether it be industry recognition or respect from his own peers. Him continuing to do his own production again brings a smile to my face since that’s where a lot of his post-Psychopathic material until lately has lacked, recalling everything from the anxiety & depression to conquering Hell.

Score: 4/5

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Insane Clown Posse – “The Naught” review

Detroit horrorcore duo, Juggalo Championship Wrestling founders & the longest reigning 2-time JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions Insane Clown Posse have officially unveiled their 17th studio LP & the final Joker’s Card of the 2nd Deck. Consisting of JCW Commissioner Violent J & the shortest reigning JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion Shaggy 2 Dope, many don’t know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, they also gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow until they wanted to focus more on their own legacy. Commemorating the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos or the Gathering of Legends kicking off tomorrow & The 2 Day War between JCW & Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) beginning later this weekend, The Naught will explore the afterlife in a concept differing from The Wraith’s exhibitions of Shangri-La & Hell’s Pit.

The title track produced by Shaggytheairhead after the intro opens with a trap song breaking down the titular character’s meaning whereas “Watch Me” reunites with longtime collaborator Mike E. Clark talking about the wicked shit splitting your shit up throwing it back to the Bang! Pow! Boom! & The Mighty Death Pop! days instrumentally. “Everybody Dies” moves forward with a 6-minute rap rock-influenced Violent J solo cut picking up where Everybody Rize” off my 3rd favorite Joker’s Card The Amazing Jeckel Brothers left off just before the semi-boom bap influenced “Happy Fun Day” uses wordplay for the Duke to ask what exactly others find wrong with him in having bloody fun referencing former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Television Champion, IWGPタッグ王座, WCW Hardcore Champion & 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion Bam Bam Bigelow.

“Only Wicked Shit” goes for an EDM trap direction thanks to Brian Kuma so both of the clowns can represent their style of music they’ve been making for over 3 decades & after the “Flashback” skit, “Dead Kelly” blends these bells & hi-hats together to tell the story of the titular character. Shaggy 2 Dope getting his own track with the carnivalesque “Here We Go” looking to tear the place down alongside the rest of his hatchet family while the playfully humorous “Cinnamon Pigtails” describes a tale of Violent J meeting a woman on Instagram who turned out to be a catfish.

Devereaux helps ICP dabble with trap metal on “I’m Still Breathin’” talking about their gratitude of being alive despite the chaos in the world while “Pop Out” continues the 2nd half of The Naught with another 2 Dope solo joint that DJ Clay makes more trap oriented than the last one angrily making the speakers jump while the disco rap-inspired “Throw ‘Em Up” after another “Flashback” skit talks about throwing your hatchets up. Violent J responds to 1 Man Kru’s disses these past couple years by calling him a “Softy Pillow Man” using a prominent tuba within the beat leading into the occult “I’m Fallin’” talking about them thinking no one should try to die.

Expressing some kind of resolution from the conflict inferred from the rest of The Naught, the iconic Toto single “Africa” gets heavily sampled throughout “While It Lasts” ending the 2nd Deck of Joker’s Cards structured similarly to “Low” off Fearless Fred Fury where the Duke’s singing during a good bulk of it & Shaggy drops off a brief rap verse. Wasn’t one of my favorite songs off FFF personally but “While It Lasts” is conceptually stronger than “Low”, basically talking about enjoying the time we all have on this planet.

Common complaints regarding Yum Yum Bedlam from what I’ve heard amongst juggalos is that it felt like a mixtape than a Joker’s Card or the producer tags, neither of which I had any issues with personally because I appreciated it being the first female character in the Dark Carnival mythology & it’s themes of loyalty. The Naught however has to be my 3rd favorite Card of the 2nd Deck, with #2 being Bang! Pow! Boom! & of course The Mighty Death Pop! at #1. The production feels like a throwback to the carnival sound even with Kuma & Mythic Mindz finishing the 71% that Mike E. Clark had yet to complete because of him moving & the clowns themselves answering the question of if one was ever alive at all if there’s no afterlife when we die.

Score: 4.5/5

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Twiztid – “Nickel Bag 2” review

In front of us is the 17th EP from Detroit, Michigan’s demented duo Twiztid. Consisting of Jamie Madrox Madrox & Monoxide, both of whom originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as who they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day) & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 7 albums & 9 EPs on their own label, my favorites of which being /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/, Glyph & more recently the Zeuss-produced Unlikely Prescription sequel Welcome to Your Funeral. Their own pop culture convention Astronomicon had it’s 8th annual event at the beginning of the month with appearances from the current TNA World Champion Joe Hendry, former AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker and 5 WWE Hall of Famers; Sting, Lita, Trish Stratus, Kevin Nash & Bret Hart. However to coincide with 4/20 weekend, they’ve whipped up a Nickel Bag sequel.

“421” is this hardcore hip hop intro produced by Fritz the Cat talking about getting down every single whether there’s a party going on or not with absolutely 0 fucks given whereas “Tarantula” takes a slower route instrumentally suggesting to keep it pushing getting high on the daily. “422” goes for a glitchier trap vibe thanks to Grady Finch talking about losing hope & control at the same time until the closing track “By Myself” maintains a darker trap edge courtesy of James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked asking not to let them smoke by themselves.

The original Nickel Bag was known for it’s collection of remixes & only a couple newly recorded songs, but the sequel here outdoes it’s predecessor by completely ditching the need for any remixes in favor of more refreshing compositions other than “420 Premium Quality” being included on the Electric Lettuce deluxe. Fritz handles the production again other than James & Grady’s individual contributions, marking a return to Twiztid’s hardcore hip hop style after the heavy rap metal/nu metal influences during Welcome to Your Funeral.

Score: 4/5

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Jamie Madrox – “More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like” review

This is the 4th solo LP from Detroit emcee, singer/songwriter, Astronomicon co-founder & former Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) commentator Jamie Madrox. His start as 1/3 of the House of Krazees alongside The R.O.C. & Monoxide, the latter of whom would join Mr. Bones in signing to Psychopathic Records in late 1997 as Twiztid & becoming one of the biggest acts to emerge out of the label that runs beneath the streets under the Insane Clown Posse’s wing for 15 years until forming Majik Ninja Entertainment to do it themselves. Jamie briefly went solo in the mid-90s off his debut EP The Demon Inside & the full-length debut Sacrifice, returning over a decade later for the Psychopathic-backed sophomore effort Phatso & a couple months ago on The November Brain. And with Twiztid getting ready to drop their 17th album Welcome to Your Funeral produced by Zeuss a couple weeks from now on Valentine’s Day & Juggalo Weekend, the multiple man has More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like.

“This Ain’t No Safe Space” is a solemn boom bap intro produced by Fritz the Cat welcoming y’all to the story of The Great Skull & the Graybow whereas “Man on the Edge” takes the trap route instrumentally courtesy of Grady Finch not giving a fuck what they gotta say. “Frazzled” fuses boom bap, rap rock & trap thanks to James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked giving middle fingers to everyone above the criticism prior to the drum-&-bass “Free Fall” not wanting anyone to think he isn’t afraid because he is.

Moving on from there, “Sunny Always Forever” serves as another trap/rap rock hybrid talking about having enough problems being himself rather than wondering what it’s like being you while the only single “Fairy Tale” switches it up with a rock ballad singing that he wants things to go back to the way it used to be. “Am I Allowed 2B Me?” gets back on the hardcore hip hop vibe wanting to know if he can be himself just before “Fallin’ Out the Sky” returns to the boom bap talking about there being a lot of stories between here & greatness

“Rotate” begins the backend of More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like by experimenting with the Detroit trap sound explaining that it’s always the same fate when it’s him against them while “Until I Become Dirt” brings a morbid trap flare refusing to stop grindin’ until the wheels fall off. “☠️ Don’t Like Me ‘Cause I’m Already ☠️” ends the LP showing his versatility once again singing on top of this upbeat instrumental feeling alone.

It’s only been a couple months since The November Brain initially came out & despite me still enjoying it more than Phatso due to both the rawness of it & the amount of guests, More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like goes above & beyond the predecessor. The production mostly handled by Grady Finch & James Garcia is more consistent pulling from boom bap to hardcore hip hop, trap & rock music with Jamie showing his versatility as an artist by rapping stronger of even a couple tracks highlighting his singing abilities.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jamie Madrox – “The November Brain” review

Jamie Madrox is a 49 year old MC, singer/songwriter, Astronomicon co-founder & former Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) commentator from Detroit, Michigan getting his start as 1/3 of the House of Krazees alongside The R.O.C. & Monoxide. The latter of whom would join Mr. Bones in signing to Psychopathic Records in late 1997 as Twiztid, becoming the biggest act to emerge out of the label that runs beneath the streets under the Insane Clown Posse’s wing next to Ouija Macc subsequently 2 decades later shortly after Majik Ninja Entertainment & PSY severed ties. Jamie briefly went solo in the mid-90s off his debut EP The Demon Inside & the full-length debut Sacrifice, returning over a decade later for the Psychopathic-backed sophomore effort Phatso. To celebrate Black Friday however, the multiple man’s returning for his 3rd solo LP to end his birth month.

“The Dice” is this melodic trap opener wondering if he can save himself again or being destined to die now whereas “Tell Me When” takes the tropical trap route instrumentally continually telling himself he’ll be fine with everything on his mind. “❤️ Me Then She ❤️ Me Not” samples one of my all-time favorite Sublime songs “Doin’ Time” letting this chick know that he’s a sure shot rather than a catch prior to “Mind Games” morbidly talking about your mind playing tricks on you.

The Green Kid a.k.a. Big Vin Dustin & Insane E join Jamie for “On the Spiral” giving off more of a hardcore hip hop vibe admitting that they’re over the edge & out of control while the grisly lead single “Dirt Sandwich” talks about self-happiness being the vibe that he promotes although I prefer the Stir Crazy remix. “G4” featuring G-Mo Skee shifts into boom bap territory for both of them dropping straight bars for 102 seconds just before “More Problems Than Yesterday” keeps the kicks & snares in tact wanting to know why his problems have increased.

“G9” featuring Boondox brings a trap flare back in the equation leading into “Blockin’ Out the Haters” featuring Blaze Ya Dead Homie returns to the boom bap talking about brushing off their detractors. “G6” featuring Hyro the Hero goes for a jazzier direction with the beat refusing to stop until the city goes down, but then “Can U Hear Me Now?” by Twiztid discusses being a part of the progress & dominating playlists.

Meanwhile on “G1”, we have Jamie & Young Wicked aggressively encouraging everyone to listen to their music on repeat when they both have material worthy of doing so while the soulful “Just a Little More” shows a mature side to the multiple man on the lyrical front. “Natural Born” featuring The R.O.C. hops over another boom bap instrumental displaying their murderous tendencies & “Impossible” somberly addresses the impossibility of life. “Ty (4Real)” finishes The November Brain with what feels like a successor to “You’re the Reazon” off Mirror Mirror.

You can only get The November Brain physically through the MNEStore because Jamie was jackin’ for beats from smaller & lesser-known underground producers. Either way, I still enjoyed it almost as much as The Chainsmoker II roughly 9 months ago & can say both halves of Twiztid put out their best solo efforts ahead of Welcome to Your Funeral this upcoming Valentine’s Day. The production although left uncredited in the hard copies more eclectic than Chainsmoker II going from boom bap to trap, jazz rap, hardcore hip hop & horrorcore introducing us to The Great Skull & the Graybow.

Score: 4/5

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Esham – “Amuse-Bouche” review

Detroit emcee/producer & Reel Life Productions founder Esham back for his 8th EP ahead of his 24th full-length. Widely acknowledged as the godfather of horrorcore alongside his former Natas cohorts Mastamind & the late TNT, his run from 1989-2005 (particularly the albums KKKill the Fetus, Closed Casket & Doubelievengod?) would go on to lay out the groundwork for subsequent horrorcore acts such as the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His output from Sacrificial Lambz onwards (essentially after his 2-album deal with Psychopathic Records from 02-05) has been a little hit or miss even though I love the single “S.S.M.D. (Stop Selling Me Drugs)” & Dichotomy respectively. Psyops however was creative detour for Esham as he self-produced the whole thing for the first time in a while conceptually revolving around what it was like for him living in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the George Floyd protests & a more rap rock inspired sound. But coming fresh off escaping Purgatory last summer, East Side Hoes & Money is looking to serve the appetizer before the main entree on Amuse-Bouche.

The first song “Détroit (De-twah)” is a grimy self-produced trap opener to the EP talking about being stuck in the trap trying to get this cheese & after the first “French Lesson” interlude, “Back 2 Detroit” goes straight up boom bap charismatically telling the story of The Unholy himself. After the “Ahmooz-Boosh” interlude, Stretch Money went from growing up listening to his uncle playing Dead Flowerz & KKKill the Fetus to teaming up with the acid rap inventor himself on the single “Transmission Fluid” with it’s cloudy atmosphere & hi-hats repping 2 different generations of the east side, but then we’re treated to a surprising sequel to the title track of Esham’s first EP Erotic Poetry.

“Death by Snu Snu” named after a quote from one of the best Futurama episodes advising that “they don’t take sex styles back broken” & after another “French Lesson” interlude, “X-Men” featuring Jack Frost & Mastamind gives me a jazzy boom bap vibe instrumentally thanks to Dead Heat nearing the conclusion of the EP by having all 3 MCs explaining that some of y’all out here need to learn how to keep a different hoe & “I.G.S.O.I.D. (I Gotta Stop Or I’ll Die)” officially wraps up Amuse-Bouche talking about drug addiction & having to actually try to break the habit or else he’ll lose his own life.

Keeping in mind that Esham has a whole new LP coming down the pipe at some point in the near future, I completely understand why put banged out 7 new songs & sprinkling only 3 interludes in-between until then. In fact, this EP makes me excited for the new album since it further continues towards the trajectory that Psyops started & Purgatory traveled further down in the sense he’s gradually making better projects again. His production balances old & new sounds, the very few guests are fine represent different generations of motor city & the godfather of the wicked proves he’s still very much a capable storyteller.

Score: 3.5/5

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Monoxide – “The Chainsmoker II” review

Monoxide is a 50 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan getting his start as 1/3 of the House of Krazees alongside The R.O.C. & Jamie Madrox. The latter of whom would join Hektic in signing to Psychopathic Records in late 1997 as Twiztid, becoming the biggest act to emerge out of the label that runs beneath the streets under the Insane Clown Posse’s wing next to Ouija Macc subsequently 2 decades later shortly after MNE & PSY severed ties. Some may not even know Twiztid sporadically wrestled during the early years of Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), later inviting multiple wrestling veterans to their annual Astronomicon pop culture convention since it’s 2018 foundation. Mono was actually the last of the demented duo to go solo, with Chainsmoker turning 20 this fall & Jamie already being established as a solo artist almost 3 decades ago. So with that in mind as well as the 10 year anniversary of Majik Ninja Entertainment’s founding & how much Monoxide has gotten better lyrically as time has gone by, it makes sense to put out a sophomore effort on Leap Day produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to hold off until Welcome to Your Funeral produced by Zeuss.

After the intro, “F.A.F.O. (Fuck Around Find Out)” is an eerie trap opener to the album based on that whole entire mentality whereas “Blown Away” works in pianos as well as kicks & snares cautioning that y’all don’t want this smoke. “I See Everybody Dead” gets in his wicked shit bag reminding that no one listened to him about the issues he has & after the “You Said It” skit, “Smoke Train” featuring Blaze Ya Dead Homie & Joe Black of Alla Xul Elu unites the trio for a ghostly ballad dedicated to smoking weed.

“Not Normal” by Twiztid finds Jamie & Mono over vibraphones & hi-hats feeling the abnormalities in their chests but after the “Is That You?” skit, “Anxiety” featuring Boondox & James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked is this badass trap metal cut that’ll definitely get the pots going. “Bad Medicine” gives off an ominous trap vibe encouraging to light a doobie & enjoy the ride since life’s too short, but then the rap rock “B.M.A. (Baddest Motherfucker Alive)” by Twiztid featuring G-Mo Skee references WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion Rikishi.

The House of Krazees get back together for the penultimate track “Night They All Died” which is actually one of my favorite songs that they’ve done with each other in recent memory reminding that the horrorcore trio are still out here over 3 decades later & “Turn the Lights Off” concludes The Chainsmoker II fusing rock with trap talking about wandering for way too long.

Jamie was my favorite of Twiztid up until Monoxide started elevating his pen game in the late 2000s & considering the amount of insane verses he’s been dropping as time goes on, I went into The Chainsmoker II thinking it would be better than the album he put out on Psychopathic almost 20 years ago & that’s exactly what we got. 7’s production is more tighter than the original Chainsmoker, you can hear Hektic’s lyrical evolution & the features from the MNE roster all maintain his level.

Score: 4.5/5

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Esham – “Purgatory” review

This is the 23rd full-length album from Detroit emcee/producer & Reel Life Productions founder Esham. Widely acknowledged as the godfather of horrorcore alongside his former Natas cohorts Mastamind & the late TNT, his run from 1989-2005 (particularly the albums KKKill the Fetus, Closed Casket & Doubelievengod?) would go on to lay out the groundwork for subsequent horrorcore acts such as the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His output from Sacrificial Lambz onwards (essentially after his 2-album deal with Psychopathic Records from 02-05) has been a little hit or miss even though I love the single “S.S.M.D. (Stop Selling Me Drugs)” & Dichotomy respectively. Psyops however was creative detour for Esham as he self-produced the whole thing for the first time in a while conceptually revolving around what it was like for him living in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the George Floyd protests & a more rap rock inspired sound. But after having the honor of meeting him personally last fall & coming fresh off the 3-Headed Monster’s full-length debut Obliteration last month, East Side Hoes And Money is looking to escape Purgatory.

“Active Shooter” is a rap metal opener with the acid rap pioneer can discuss the issue of kids killing kids whereas the self-produced “Circle of Proud” goes into a more groovy trap direction talking about “white noise”. More specifically: the far-right. “Circle of Wraith” shifts gears into rap metal territory again talking about sacrificing a goat, but then the first of 2 tracks featuring Jack Frost called “Circle of Avarice” has a rawer, drearier approach instrumentally to speak on greed.

Jack makes his 2nd consecutive & final appearance on the album with “Circle of Gluttony” over a bloodcurdling beat to habitual greed just before “St. Detroit” gives off a more angelic flare musically produced by the Drunken Master to pay homage to the 313, the city where they’ll eat motherfuckers for dinner. The title track embraces a more boom bap sound detailing the place we all fear leading into the acoustic heavy “Circle of Sloth” talking about all your pieces going back in the box when you’re done with the game of life.

“Bro” makes it clear that he don’t fuck with no rats over some twinkling keys & hi-hats while “Watch Me Do My Dace” kinda has a quirky trap appeal instrumentally telling everyone to witness him do exactly that. “Big Motion” is a synthesizer/boom bap crossover provided by the homie Dead Heat talking about rappers out here being way too dry while the glamorous trap cut “Me” featuring Mastamind getting on the more wicket side of things.

The dejecting piano chords & hi-hats on “El Sicarios” featuring Mastamind for the 2nd consecutive & final time comparing themselves to hitmen while “I Can’t Believe” is a sample-based boom bap joint talking about how wack is wack is regardless of what the streaming stats are which I agree. The song “Woke Up Quick” gives more of a synth-trap feeling doing exactly that simply because he’s from Motown while the atmospheric penultimate track “O.T.B. (Old Thing Back)” takes a trip down memory lane. “It’s a Vibe” is a fun closer celebrating that he’s still alive out here & that they gon’ ride.

Psyops being a step in the right direction for Esham as it was had me anticipating Purgatory a bit more than I’ve done so with some of his material within the last 15 years truthfully & he continues to move towards that trajectory a year & a half later. The political rap metal influences from that previous album makes it’s way here dashed with boom bap & trap detours too so the Unholy can take us through uncovering the secrets lying beyond the intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification.

Score: 3.5/5

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Insane Clown Posse – “WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo” review

The Insane Clown Posse are a horrorcore duo, the founders of Juggalo Championship Wrestling & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope. However, very few know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. I was a bit worried about their latest album Yum Yum Bedlam given that the prelude EP Yum Yum’s Lure was panned by fans when it came out a couple Juggalo Days back but when Halloween came around, they proved me wrong with what I believe to be my 3rd favorite card in the 2nd deck. They then began a trilogy EPs last year called the Seeds of Yum Yum by letting Wicked Vic the Weed blossom during the first quarter of the year & Pug Ugly the Stink Bud at the Gathering of Dreams, but took a break to J can put out his sophomore full-length solo album Bloody Sunday on this year’s Juggalo Day & even 2 Dope’s 3rd EP The Quest for the Ultimate Groove on the 6th year anniversary of F.T.F.O.M.F. (Fuck The Fuck Off MuthaFucka). But ahead of the 6th Joker’s Card in the 2nd Deck, they’re closing out the trilogy on their 19th EP.

“Out the Sky” after the intro is a ruggedly futuristic opener produced by Chapter 17 Records/PSY in-house producer Shaggytheairhead with Violent J referencing to lucha libre popularized by the Lutteroth family-owned Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) & it’s rival promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) owned by the Peña–Roldán family whereas “Elly May” has that old school carnival sound courtesy of none other than Mike E. Clark so both of the wicked clowns can toss the mic back & forth with one another telling the story of the titular character. “Keep on Choppin’” dives into rap rock turf as the Duke dismembers bodies while the track “Banshee” gives off a more thunderous approach instrumentally so both of them can talk about piledriving motherfuckers through a table. And until the Mike P. remix of “Something to See”, the final song “Average Joey” is a Shaggy 2 Dope solo cut with a somber boom bap beat knowing he can’t be fixed that’s on par with the material on Quest for the Ultimate Groove.

It’s been almost 3 years since the Yum Yum era began & not only would I consider WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo to be a solid closer to the Seeds of Yum Yum trilogy, but it has me anticipating the 6th & final Joker’s Card of the 2nd Deck even more. Much like Pug Ugly the Stink Bud, the production is a mix of ICP’s past & present sounds as both of the Clowns play to their strengths in the midst of reminding everyone how strong their chemistry is over 3 decades deep in the game for those who thought they were disbanding. The Yum Yum era will always hold a special place in my heart because the first time I went to a Gathering was in 2021 only 2 months before the album came out on Hallowicked even though I’ve been down with Psychopathic since they were a roster full of artists in 2011 as a 14 year old outcast starting high school.

Score: 3.5/5

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Shaggy 2 Dope – “Professor Shaggs & the Quest for the Ultimate Groove” review

Shaggy 2 Dope is a 48 year old MC, producer, DJ, former professional wrestler, podcast host of The Shaggy Show, Juggalo Championship Wrestling co-founder & the shortest reigning JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion from Detroit, Michigan who formed the Insane Clown Posse with his late older brother John Kickjazz alongside his best friend Violent J & the late Kid Villain. But for the past 3 decades, the Southwest Strangla & the Duke of the Wicked have spread the word of the Dark Carnival whether it be the first 6 Joker’s Cards or the label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records. However, it is widely known that 2 Dope was the first of the Clowns to go solo with his 1994 debut EP Fuck Off! produced by Mike E. Clark as a prelude to the shelved full-length Shaggs the Clown. He eventually returned on his own in ‘06 with F.T.F.O. (Fuck the Fuck Off) & here we are on the 6 year anniversary of his DJ Clay-produced sophomore effort F.T.F.O.M.F. (Fuck the Fuck Off MuthaFucka) witnessing Stretch Nuts returning over 4 years after Gloomy Sunday by dropping his 3rd EP.

“Clown Boi” is a trap opener produced by Shaggytheairhead with Bazooka Joey talking about the only 2 words that he knows are seek & destroy whereas “Illuminati Don’t Want Me” works in some synthesizer patterns & hi-hats to make it known that he ain’t weak or snotty whatsoever which has been historically proven. “Defy” is an electro-trap hybrid talking about disobeying or resisting everything from love & hate to gravity with a fresh reference to both “Stomp” off my 2nd favorite sideshow EP Tunnel of Love during the first verse & WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon on the other just before “Done Giving a Fuck” takes a cloudier route with the title saying it all that he’s doesn’t have any fucks to give anymore.

Meanwhile, “How Ya Been” begins the final leg of the EP with a smooth trap ballad with Shaggs warmly declaring that everyone’s welcome here while the song “This Ain’t That Bitch” has an eerie vibe courtesy of his lil brother Tre Lb & a Carnival of Carnage title track sample during the hook calling out all the bitch boys. The penultimate track “The Quest for…” has some crazy beat switches throughout courtesy of DJ Clay & 2 Dope talking about looking for the ultimate groove of course, but then “The Ulimate Groove” ties things up with an EDM closer.

It breaks my heart to see people trying to slander the Duke’s name as a juggalo kid from Detroit & as much as I appreciated Bloody Sunday for being darker than J’s previous solo efforts, solo Shaggy never disappoints & he once again proves his point here. The production is eclectic in sound & he continues to expand on his lyrical elevation as shown on the Yum Yum Bedlam era output as phat as he’s always been. Fuck all the toxicity & drama, everything boils down to the music at the end of the day & that’s the only thing that matters to me until I’m dead in the ground.

Score: 4/5

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