Joey Cool – “Old Habits Die Hard” review No

Joey Cool is a 33 year old rapper from Kansas City, Missouri that first gained attention as a long-time affiliate of local independent hip hop powerhouse Strange Music, releasing a total of 4 mixtapes & a studio album on his own before Tech N9ne decided to officially sign him to the Snake & Bat just about 2 years ago. He made his official Strange debut last May with his self-titled sophomore effort & as we approach the last quarter of this decade is coming around the corner, he’s back with his 3rd full-length album.

It all kicks off with “King Coolie”, which talks about his newfound success where some luxurious keyboards from Burna Music. The next song “Turn It Down” flexes over a dark beat from Leonard DStroy while the track “Pieces of Me” talks about being broken over a gloomy beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7. The title track talks about maturity over a downtempo electro beat while the song “I Got Dat” talks about the things he has over an atmospheric beat.

“‘Til Further Notice” with Krizz Kaliko sees the 2 claiming their spots to the throne over a grimy trap beat while the song “C.w.d.B. (Coolie wit da Bitches)” speaks for itself over a banger beat. After the “Put the Swank On It” interlude, the track “Come On” is a rowdy club banger while the song “Stop That” with King Iso sees the 2 going at studio gangsters over some twinkling bells & heavy bass.

The track “Decisions, Decisions” gets self-explanatory lyrically over a psychedelic beat Kato while the song “Remedial” with JL finds the 2 claiming themselves to be just that over a gritty instrumental. The track “Speak on It” with Emilio Rojas sees the 2 telling their naysayers to talk smack to their faces over a moody trap beat from Suli4Q while the song “Bye Now” is basically Joey saying he ain’t got tolerance for foolishness over a keyboard instrumental from Info Gates.

“I Can’t Remember” with UBI sees the 2 talking to this chick they thought they saw at the club the night before referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair over a woozy instrumental while the song “Above Average” with Maez301 sees the 2 getting lavish over a blissful beat. The track “Throw It” with Godemis finds the 2 tossing dollars & getting laid over an abrasive beat while the song “Head Case” with Stevie Stone sees the 2 wanting all the smoke over a somber beat with some rubbery bass.

The track “You Ain’t Know” talks about being in the middle of the map over a cavernous beat while the song “Bet It All” with Tech N9ne, JL & Zoo gets celebratory over a hyphy beat. The album then finishes with “Violent Contradictions”, where Joey pours his heart out over some low ranged piano chords.

Personally, this is tied with the self-titled album as Joey’s best work yet. In contrast the previous album being a proper introduction to a wider audience, he comes off as more mature this time around & I really welcome & respect that of him.

Score: 3.5/5

UBI – “U.B.I. (Under Bad Influence)” review

UBI is a 40 year old MC from Kansas City, Missouri who came up as a member of the CES Cru. A group that has had multiple members, but only he & Godemis have stuck around since it’s inception. They’ve made themselves at home with indie hip hop powerhouse Strange Music since 2012 & with Godemis recently talking a break from music due to personal issues, UBI has saw fit to deliver a full-length album on his own.

The album kicks off with “Gameshow”, where UBI talks about his prowess over a nocturnal boom bap beat from Kato. The next song “Lock Load Shoot” talks about his rise up over a trap beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 with some very smart old school samples while the track “The Quill” with The Palmer Squares sees the 3 talking about being underdogs over a cavernous trap beat from Leonard DStroy. The song “Read ‘Em & Weep” talks about UBI’s grind over a symphonic beat while the track “What If?” ponders the biggest mysteries of life over a funky boom bap beat from 7.

The song “Light ‘Em Up” is a hard hitting CES Cru reunion while the track “Missing Somethin’” talks about depression over a boom bap beat with some somber piano keys. The song “Double Yous” with Maez301 talks about being successful over a banger trap beat while the track “The Good Guy” is an endearing positivity anthem. The song “What It Takes” takes the listener through the things he’s done to get him where he is today over a demented Kato instrumental while the track “Involved” takes a jab at the frauds over an apocalyptic 7 beat.

The song “Pharmacy” talks about fiendin’ over a druggy trap beat while the track “Way Down” reflects on his past over a wavily settle beat. The song “Prey” gets into battle bar mode over a militant beat while the track “Madness” with Breaking Bad News sees the 3 speaking on just that over a funky bass-line with some sinister horns. The song “Get Busy” with Locksmith, King Iso & Jarren Benton sees the 4 talking about hip hop being their religion over a gritty 7 beat while the penultimate track “Bitty Betty” with Joey Cool & Karma Knows sees the 3 is a decent alcohol anthem. The album then finishes with a “Madness” sequel with Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko & ¡MAYDAY! that’s just as a raw as the original on all fronts.

All that being said, I really think Ubiquitous has really solidified himself as a solo artist on this one. The production is a lot better than it was on his 2012 mixtape Matter Don’t Money & you can really tell the dude you really put his heart into it.

Score: 3.5/5

Tech N9ne – “N9NA” review

This is the latest full-length outing from the highest-selling independent hip hop artist of all-time; the King of Darkness himself: Tech N9ne. If anyone is far behind in his catalog, the dude has made himself one of the hardest working men in the culture by dropping at least 1 or 2 albums a year since 2016 & his previous one Planet ended up being one of his best ones yet. However with a new tour starting earlier this week, he’s celebrating by releasing his 21st album.

After the “Le Horde” intro, we dive straight into the first song “Lord of Weird”. Where Tech pretty much proclaims himself as just that over a gloomy trap beat. The title track serves as a reintroduction for N9na’s new fans with MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7’s trunk-knocking production fitting like a glove while the song “Hit the Ground Running” with JL & King Iso sees the 3 talking about how no one can stop them over a trap beat with some acoustic strumming over an eerie beat. The track “Like I Ain’t” reflects on his accomplishments while the song “Green Lit” with Iso alongside Tech’s latest Strange Music signee Maez301 sees the 3 calling out people who double crossed them over an infectious instrumental.

The track “Chuki Fever” is a shot at everyone jealous of his success over a somber trap beat while the song “Fuckin’ Do It” with Futuristic & JL is a decent alcohol anthem with a skeletal trap beat. The track “Don’t Let Me Fall” is a boring diatribe of a 1-night stand with a simplistic beat while the song “You Line!” with Krizz Kaliko viciously attacks frauds with a perfectly suiting beat. The track “EDI’s” serves as a tribute to edibles with a monstrous beat while the song “Rata” takes a surprising direction in Latin territory & it somehow works.

The track “F.T.I. 2.0” serves as a vicious sequel to the iconic “Fuck the Industry” off his 2001 classic Anghellic while the song “She Fell” is a moody sex tune with a horrendous hook. The track “Sink” talks about depression with a gorgeous bass-line while the song “H.O.B. (History Of Bitches)” talks about crazy chicks trying to come back into his life over an atmospheric beat. The track “Ion Memba” recalls his past addiction with an average C-Mob verse over a spacey bass-heavy beat while the song “Active” talks about gang life over a nocturnal instrumental.

The track “EF U (Easier For You)” with Jelly Roll is a heartfelt dedication to the broken with a pretty guitar passage while the song “I’m Caught Crazy! (4Ever)” is essentially Tech embracing his insanity over a nocturnal instrumental. The closer track “I’m Sorry” is a triumphant ode to his family & then there’s the bonus track “Disparagement”, where he & King Iso diss their haters over a generic trap beat.

While I personally prefer Planet, this is still a solid listen. Of course Tech brings his A-game lyrically & I like how he kept the features minimal just like that previous album, but some of the production choices on this one in comparison could’ve been better.

Score: 3.5/5

GloToven – Self-titled review

Chief Keef is a legendary 23 year old rapper & producer from Chicago, Illinois who blew up onto the scene in 2012 with his Back from the Dead mixtape & his debut album Finally Rich. Both of which I highly recommend if you wanna get into drill music. He’s dropped a handful of projects since then & this new one with Zaytoven producing it from front to back really stopped me in my tracks.

The album kicks off with “3rd Person”, where Keef talks about how life is fabolous over an abrasive beat. The next song “Old Heads & Regretful Hoes” with Lil Pump sees the 2 talking about good dope over a somber trap beat while the track “Batman” spits that gun talk over an atmospheric instrumental. The song “Ain’t Gonna Happen” is an emotional piano ballad while the song “Fast” addresses fake cats over a spacious beat.

The track “Spy Kid” is a vicious diss towards 6ix9ine while the song “Fuck What the Opp Said” is self-explanatory over a flute-inflicted beat. The track “Petty” is a druggy auto-tune ballad that doesn’t go over very well while the song “Han Han” talks about money over a piano-inflicted trap beat. The track “Posse” gets confrontational over a glimmering trap beat while the song “Sneeze” continues the gun talk over a haunting beat. The album then finishes with “What Can I Say”, where Keef talks about hoes over a moody beat.

To be honest, this is Chief Keef’s best effort in a while. He sounds angrier than ever & Zaytoven provides him with some of the most hard hitting instrumentals that we’ve heard on one of his projects in years.

Score: 4/5

¡MAYDAY! – “South of 5th” review

¡MAYDAY! is a hip hop trio from Miami, Florida consisting of 2 MCs & a percussionist: Wrekonize, Bernz & NonMS. They signed to Strange Music as a sextet, dropping their magnum opus Take Me to Your Leader in 2012. They followed it up with 3 more albums & just 364 days since their last one Search Party, they’re coming back with their 7th full-length album.

After the intro, we go into the first song “Next to Go”. Here, Wrek & Bernz get motivational over a reggae instrumental. The track “Shelter” sees the 2 getting spiritual over a reggae/trap beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 while the song “We Ain’t Sleeping” is a love tune with a ska beat. The track “Run Up” with Tech N9ne sees the 3 advising to watch your step over a reggae/trap beat while the song “New Blessings” pretty much speaks for itself over a ska beat. The track “Unfamiliar” talks about this woman who’s changed into someone they don’t even know anymore with a moody beat while the song “Magic in the Smoke” talks about finding oneself over a funky beat.

The track “Lifetimes” talks about being held down by the world over an acoustic instrumental while the song “Damaged Goods” vents about their demons over some prominent drums. The track “Broken Mirror” then talks about feeling higher than ever over a guitar & finger snapping while the song “Time is Up” talks about haters saying the trio is done just to sway them over a soothing beat with punchy drums. The album then closes with “Close So Far”, where Wrekonize vividly reflects on his childhood & Bernz seeing the end coming over an instrumental with a prominently mellow guitar throughout.

I’m a little confused as to why the trio chose to release this at the end of the summer instead as opposed to the beginning off the summer but other than that, this is one of ¡MAYDAY!’s best albums yet. The lyrics are thoughtful & I find the way that they fuse reggae into their sound to be organic & really fun.

Score: 4/5

Chief Keef – “Mansion Musick” review

Chicago, Illinois drill pioneer Chief Keef is returning with his 20th mixtape a month after his Ottopsy EP. The opener “Belieber” talks about groupies over a beautiful yet unexpected set of piano chords while the next track “Rawlings” gets celebratory over some sub-bass & the hi-hats are going off like machine guns. The song “TV On (Big Boss)” gets charismatically braggadocious over a gritty instrumental while track “Uh Uh” is filled with gritty street bars over a druggy instrumental from Pi’erre Bourne. The song “Sky Say” talks about taking a vacation over a cloudy trap beat, but the Tadoe verse at the start doesn’t do anything for me.

The track “Hand Made” sees Keef bragging once again over a futuristic bass-heavy instrumental from Nard & B while the song “Get This Money” pretty much speaks for itself over a trap beat from some piano keys & plinky Atari-esque synthesizers. The track “Yet” gets sexual over an instrumental with strings & rubbery bass while the song “Part Ways” talks about flexin’ up over a gloomy beat. The penultimate track “Tragedies” talks about wealth over a chaotic instrumental from Keef himself & the closer “Letter” gets more introspective over some sole piano keys.

Overall, this was a solid tape. Some of the beats could’ve been better, but a lot of them are pretty hard & Chief Keef continues to sound more coherent with each recent project.

Score: 3.5/5

Joey Cool – Self-titled review

After being affiliated with Strange Music for several years, Kansas City MC Joey Cool finally signed to the label in October of last year. Now, he’s releasing his first full-length album with them. The album opens perfectly with “The Rhythm Lounge”, where Joey gets hungry for success over a tuba-heavy lounge music-inspired instrumental from Info Gates. The next song “Hard” with JL & Tech N9ne sees the 3 getting braggadocious over a decent trap beat while the track “I’m the Plug” has a nice bass heavy instrumental & the concept isn’t bad either, but the hook is kinda annoying.

The song “Change Your Life” is basically Joey’s success story over an eerie MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 instrumental while the track “Under Pressure” is about how he’ll never fold over some horns. The song “Handle of Jack” is an ode to alcohol over a relaxing beat and the track “Fall” is about Joey staying up when people try to bring him down over an atmospheric trap beat from Seven with some rubbery bass. The song “Divine” is a smooth sex jam while the cleverly titled “Stranger Things” with Ubiquitous gets conscious over a somber beat.

The song “Life Lessons” talks about never taking Ls again and I love the synthesizers on here. The track “One, Two” with the CES Cru sees the 3 talking about they have things they need to do over a gritty instrumental and the song “Secure the Bag” intelligently touches down on the subject of money over an abrasive beat. The track “Bottom Bitch” with Breaking Bad News talks about grinding over a settle beat & the closer “Family” tells intriguing stories his relatives over a gloomy trap beat.

As expected, this is Joey Cool’s best work to date. He sounds more passionate, hungrier, his lyricism is sharper and the instrumentals are some of the best he’s ever been given. A truly exciting new member of the Strange family and I’ll definitely be looking forward to more of him in the future.

Score: 3.5/5

Stevie Stone & JL – “Kontra-Band” review

With the release of Stevie Stone‘s 5th album Level Up & JL‘s Strange Music debut DIBKIS last summer, the 2 are now coming together for a full-length collab album. Things start off with “Groomed by the Block”, where the duo talk about their come up over an eerie instrumental. However, the PHresher verse at the tail-end was pretty generic to me. The next song “Lessons” talks about learning from all their losses in life over a laidback trap beat while the track “Trappin’ On the Hill” reflects on their drug dealing days over a gritty instrumental. The song “Too High Today” is a weed anthem with a gloomy trap beat from Seven & the track “She’s So Fly” is a decent love tune with a reggae-inspired instrumental.

The song “I Was Ready” sees the 2 going back & forth about being prepared for the feds over a piano instrumental while the track “Envy” is a message to their haters over some a cloudy backdrop with some rattling hi-hats. The song “Not One of Them” with Tech N9ne sees the 3 talking about hoes over a gloomy beat & the track “Boss Sauce” gets braggadocious over some monstrous bass. The song “Miles Davis” with Joey Cool sees the 3 ambitiously talking about success & the MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 instrumental is ok too, but the hook is too repetitive for me.

The track “Pluto” talks about realizing someone wasn’t who they thought they were over a spacey beat from Suli4Q & while the song “Cautious” is an aggressive & rapidly delivered message to the haters, the Flawless Real Talk verse is just average. The track “Bad Habits” with Krizz Kaliko talks about how everything will be ok in the end over some bass with a piano in the background & the Navé Monjo hook isn’t too bad either. The standard edition closer “Only a Man” is a reflection of where the duo are at now with a beautiful Adrian Truth hook & Suli4Q instrumental while the pre-order track “What You Gon’ Do” gets braggadocious over an haunting instrumental.

While I wasn’t expecting this, I did enjoy the album at the end of the day. Some of the features could’ve been better but the production mostly bangs, the song topics are delivered passionately & there’s quite a bit of chemistry between Stevie Stone’s huskiness & JL’s charismatic yet sharp lyricism. If they ever decide to make a follow-up in the future, then I’d be all for it

Score: 3.5/5

MURS – “A Strange Journey Into the Unimaginable” review

On the day of his 40th birthday, former Living Legends member MURS is celebrating by delivering his 11th full-length album & he has enlisted 7 to produce it in it’s entirety. The album starts off with “The Unimaginable”, where MURS vents about his recent divorce & the death of his newborn son over a gloomy acoustic guitar with some militant drums added halfway through. The next song “Melancholy” touches down on the titular feeling over a somber acoustic guitar & some live drumming while the track “‘Midtown” reflects on coming up from South Los Angeles over a twangy guitar. The song “Same Way” with Tech N9ne sees both MCs telling their loved ones they know that their families don’t like them over a laidback beat while the song “Powerful” takes a jab at the current state of hip hop over a woodwind-infused boom bap beat.

The song “G Lollipops” with Fashawn & Prof is a humble brag about their talents over an fun instrumental fit for the clubs & then the track “Superhero Pool Party” sees MURS telling a bedtime story to his son where he was at the fictitious titular party. It is filled with creative references to iconic superheroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman & The Incredible Hulk just to name a few. Also, Kanye West & Jean Grae are both mentioned as well. The song “Whiskey & Patron” with XV is a fun liquor tune with a druggy beat while the track “A Lean Story” recalls a time where he tried lean before a show in 2000 over a gloomy beat.

The song “Lo-Fi Nights” touches down on internal conflict & finding inner peace referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior over a beautiful instrumental while the track “So Far Close” is a heartfelt message to his ex-wife Kate over some somber yet jazzy instrumental. The song “Celebrate” is a smooth ode to all of the good memories in MURS’ life while the penultimate track “Vows” tells us how he met who I presume to be his new wife & where they are now over a beautiful piano instrumental. To be honest with all of you, this song almost made me cry the first time I heard it. The album finishes with “God Is the Greatest”, where MURS is getting in the faces of his critics over an eerie boom bap beat.

As a whole, I think this was a beautiful way to celebrate the man’s 40th birthday. MURS gets at his most personal lyrically & 7’s production suits him near perfectly. I’ve always wanted the 2 to work on a whole album together ever since MURS signed to Strange Music in 2014 & the end result is his best album with the label as well as being tied with …The End of the Beginning as the magnum opus in his solo discography

Score: 4.5/5

Tech N9ne – “Planet” review

After dropping 2 Collabos albums in 2017, the legendary & ever so hardworking Kansas City MC Tech N9ne is now dropping his 20th full-length album. The album opens with “Habanero”, where he talks about how hot he is over a futuristic trap beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 (who produced all but 5 songs). The next track “Fresh Out!” with Swisher Sleep sees the 2 going back & forth about not giving any more fucks over a skittering electronic beat from mR. pOrTeR & while the song “Kick It With Myself” does touch down on loneliness, both the 7 instrumental & the hook are just alright to me. The track “Drink Up” is of course an alcohol-themed club banger & the song “Don’t Nobody Want None” is an ode to the all the b-boys with an instrumental kin to the classic Afrika Bambaataa track “Planet Rock”.

The track “Bad JuJu” with King-I.S.O. sees both MCs getting confrontational over an eerie instrumental & the song “Comfortable” is basically about feeling just that over a spacey trap beat. Also, the sample during the hook is alluring. The track “No Reason (The Mosh Pit Song)” is basically about fucking people up over an eerie trap beat from 206derek & Frizz that kinda fits the vibe. However, the auto-tuned Y2 hook sound annoying, but the MGK feature is really trite to me. Especially with the corny Dr. Dre reference at the very beginning of his verse. After the “Brightfall Confession” interlude, we then go into the next song “Brightfall”. Here, Tech delivers a cool throwback to K.o.D. (King of Darkness) from the spiritual content to the orchestral strong-tinged production.

The song “Red Byers (Say Som’n Do Som’n)” gets conscious over some live instrumentation with some hi-hats & the track “Never Stray” talks about how far he’s come with his label Strange Music over an ambitiously atmospheric beat. The song “Sho Nuff” continues where the last one left off as it talks about about celebrating where he’s at now over a bouncy beat from Dem Jointz while the track “How I’m Feeling” with Snow Tha Product sees both MCs saying what’s on their minds over a dinky piano with some rattling hi-hats. The song “Not a Damn Thing” vents about having a day off from his usual grind over some ambitious keys with some funky guitars while the track “My Fault” addresses his supposed beef with the Insane Clown Posse along with a story about a legal issue revolving around the classic 816 Boyz banger “Areola” over a smooth beat. The song “Tappin’ In” recalls the story of a 21 year old Tech fucking his homie’s 40 year old girl & I absolutely love the way he incorporates Joey Cool on here as he delivers from the point of view of Tech N9ne’s friend. The penultimate track “Levitation” talks about succeeding over a beat that’ll make you feel like you’re in space & then the album finishes off with “We Won’t Go Quietly”, where he insightfully gets conscious again over some beautifully played keys.

To be honest, this is Tech N9ne’s best album since Special Effects in 2015. Aside from 1 track I could do without, you can’t deny that his pen-game is still deadly for someone who’s this deep in his career. Most importantly too: it’s mostly focused & consistent, both of which are what I feel like his last couple albums lacked. Just goes to show Tecca Nina isn’t leaving his place as the biggest independent artist in hip hop any time soon

Score: 4.5/5