Young Nudy – “Sli’merre 2” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Young Nudy back for his 10th mixtape. Despite being cousins with 21 Savage, he eventually carved a lane of his own in the last decade with his last 9 mixtapes (the most notable one being the Pi’erre Bourne-produced Sli’merre) & 3 full-lengths. Rich Shooter & EA Monster were the last projects of his that I covered, coming off Gumbo from a year & a half to reunite with Pi’erre for the highly awaited Sli’merre 2 ahead of his next album fully produced by Metro Boomin’.

“Come to My World” is this syrupy trap intro talking about Nudy being way too geeked up as it is whereas “Get Fucked Up” works in some synthesizers & hi-hats once again not shying away from making it known that he’s under the influence. “Money” pushes forward with an uncanny trap atmosphere instrumentally stacking his bread all the way up to the ceiling prior to “I’m Big Dawg” hookin’ the synths back up in order for him to flex his current status in the rap game.

Moving on from there, “Breakdown” kinda has this bubbly trap flare to the beat talking about doing shakedowns taking everything since he’s #1 & everyone else is right behind him just before “Bang Pistols” pulls a bit from the plugg scene showing off his mob ties. “Loaded” is another synthesizer-heavy trap joint boasting that he’s sitting on millions leading into “Splash” sampling “NEVEREVER” by Destroy Lonely addressing the theme of lust.

“10pc Teriyaki” kicks off the 2nd half of Sli’merre 2 on a playful tip maintaining a synth-trap edge talking about being a star in the subgenre & smiling at his opps while “Gotta Salute” flexing that his clique remains bulletproof on top of broke muhfuckas being unable to do what he does. The prominent woodwinds throughout “Save Myself” featuring BabyDrill are a uniquely distinct touch getting on their gangsta shit referencing current AEW performer & commentator as well as former 7-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion Paul Wight while “4Slime” cloudily talks being a stone cold killer.

Meanwhile on “Bloody”, we have Nudy beginning the final leg of the tape by cautioning that he’ll shut down your trap the second he pulls up speaking the truth on wax since it’s beyond rap while the synthesizer-driven “Hakuna Matata” gets down & dirty. The lead single “Right Now” remains in the trap house tryna beat it ’til it down & finally, “How It Be” ends with more synths telling everyone who ain’t getting money to get the fuck off his dick.

Over 5 years since the original, Sli’merre 2 recaptures the essence of what made Sli’merre the best mixtape in Nudy’s catalog since Nudy Land & joins it’s predecessor as one of the most essential bodies of work in his catalog. Granted you can never go wrong with Pi’erre’s 1-of-a-kind production style top to bottom, but I most importantly appreciate the fact Nudy got lesser guests than he did last time he did a tape with Pi’erre & mostly held it on his own.

Score: 4.5/5

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Matt Champion – “Slint’s Favorite” review

This is the 2nd EP from Woodlands, Texas rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Matt Champion. A founding member of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective, he also released a solo EP Harley in the spring of 2017 right before the classic SATURATION trilogy & Mika’s Laundryfrom this spring showed the versatility that he was very much capable of. 8 months later, Matt’s surprise-dropping Slint’s Favorite.

“Faye” fuses experimental hip hop, trap, cloud rap, alternative R&B, witch house & industrial hip hop to talk about being haunted while “Hacker”works in elements of alt-pop, neo-soul, alternative R&B & psychedelic soul singing that he wants a home run. “SPJ” produced by Romil Hemnani brings indietronica, alt-pop, minimal wave, alternative R&B & neo-soul together asking if everyone would erase their minds if it was easier prior to “Ash” featuring Deb Never finishing the EP pulling from bedroom pop, alt-pop, downtempo, alternative R&B, art pop, neo-soul & dream pop wanting to know why they don’t ask each other out anymore.

Ahead of his solo set at Camp Flog Gnaw this weekend, Matt whips up a 4-track EP that continues to demonstrate the artistic range prominently shown throughout Mika’s Laundry earlier within the year. Styles like experimental hip hop, trap, cloud rap, alternative R&B, witch house, industrial hip hop, alt-pop, neo-soul, psychedelic soul, indietronica, minimal wave, bedroom pop, downtempo, art pop & dream pop all shift into 1 another fluidly during the span of 12 minutes.

Score: 4/5

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A$AP Ferg – “Darold” review

Manhattan, New York emcee & songwriter A$AP Ferg finally releasing his 3rd studio LP. One of the most prominent members of the A$AP Mob, his 2013 solo debut Trap Lord & the debut mixtape Ferg Foreverboth cemented that further although the sophomore effort A.$.A.P. (Always $trive And Prosper) received mixed responses for its more commercial heavy-sound. Still Striving & Floor Seats both marked a return to form for Ferg although Floor Seats II got divided feedback during the 2020 COVID lockdowns, Darold based on the singles had me hoping it would be another step in the right direction artistically.

“Light Work” featuring Bloody Osiris & DD Osama starts off by dabbling with the New York drill sound telling everyone to go get their lights whereas “Thought I Was Dead” produced by Lex Luger & Mike WiLL-Made It works in some horns & hi-hats to talk about his return to music after so long. “Alive :(“ has a passionate tone altogether admitting he’s been trying to his find his passion for this rap shit lately prior to the lead single “Allure” featuring Future taking it live from Atlanta.

Denzel Curry joins Ferg on the energetic “Demons” to talk about being on the corner, making the hood go brazy just before “Messy” take the trap out talking about everything being disorderly & keeping it that way. “French Tips” has a bit of a boom bap vibe instrumentally keeping it hot, but then “Dead Homies” brings a soulful flare to the table remembering all of his friends who unfortunately can’t be here with us today.

“Casting Spells” hooks up a classy beat from Mario Winans, Lil Rod & disgraced Bad Boy Entertainment founder awaiting trial next spring Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy keeping the hate away from him wanting to live & take care of his family while “Pool” strips the drums completely hoping that one never changes on him. “Chosen” maintains a drumless edge pushing towards the final moments of Darold showing a bit of introspection, which the bombastic title track expands on boasting that he’s been outside.

A rich auditory experience, Ferg’s first full-length in nearly a decade echoes his enduring impact on hip hop combining seasoned artists & rising stars offering something for everybody. This goal is achieved by the production drawing inspiration from boom bap, trap, neo-soul, contemporary R&B, pop rap, hardcore hip hop & the New York Drill scene refining the personal themes of A.$.A.P. (Always $trive And Prosper).

Score: 3.5/5

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Latto – “Sugar Honey Iced Tea” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Latto returning for her 3rd LP. Winning the very first season of The Rap Game & eventually turned down a deal with So So Def Recordings because it wasn’t enough money, she eventually broke through a few summers back after signing to RCA Records & putting out a decent full-length debut Queen of da Souf. The sophomore effort 777 sure enough won me over & Sugar Honey Iced Tea named after a highlight track off Kelis’ 3rd album Tasty had me hoping she’d continue towards that trajectory.

“Georgia Peach” comes straight out the gate going drumless thanks to Pooh Beatz dedicated to all the baddies out in Georgia whereas the incredibly structured 2-parter “Big Mama” is a strong anthem from which self-assurance & success breathe & women show the clear capacity for self-support pulling from trap, hardcore hip hop, New York dril, pop rap, contemporary R&B & sample drill. “Blick Sumn” featuring Playboi Carti on the remix works in some synths & hi-hats letting it be known she don’t trust a man without his heater while “Settle Down” talks about the possibility of that happening & minding her business as opposed to bitches worrying over her.

Young Nudy joins Latto for “Shrimp & Grits” radiating a more enticing vibe from the beat paying homage to all the women in their city who be country thick prior to “There She Go” talking about going from being broke in the ATL to being on an island boasting that a real one has stepped in the building. “Brokey” hooks up chimes & hi-hats explaining that you supposed to drown when a real one hold you down & after the “Mimi” interlude, “H&M (Hurt & Miserable)” charismatically discusses the way hoes be envious of her.

“Copper Cove” featuring Hunxho has more of a mellow trap groove to it for a slut-me-out-spit-on-my-tongue song & the angelically produced “Ear Candy” with Coco Jones supplying one of my favorite hooks on Sugar Honey Iced Tea talks all the sweet things her partner says to her. Earl on the Beat laces Latto up with seductive instrumental for “Liquor” confessing that the harder alcohol turns her into an absolute freak while “Squeeze” featuring Megan Thee Stallion follows it up with a club banger for all the baddies that wanna get freaky.

Ciara levels up the chorus game on “Good 2 You” with it’s uptempo production & the romantic subject matter addressing those who they feel are the ones for them as does Mariah the Scientist on “Look What You Did” serving as a short but grand dedication to Latto’s bae. “Prized Possession” featuring Teezo Touchdown intoxicatingly talks feelin’ out their minds while “S/O to Me” is a soulful boom bap cut showing pride in herself.

The first of 3 bonus tracks “Put it on da Floor” featuring Cardi B on the remix brings the pair together has some cool Detroit trap undertones start to finish saying both of them have done done it all at this point in their respective careers & the other “Sunday Service” featuring Flo Milli & Megan Thee Stallion on the remix gets on their hardcore, Memphis, dirty south trap tip giving middle fingers to hoes because their men perfect. “Chicken Grease” ends the deluxe run on some dark trap shit refusing to fuck with broke guys.

Compared to 777, I came away from the follow-up liking it a little less than the predecessor although the highs outweigh the lows. I appreciate the fact that she elevates her work beyond “single-driven & club-driven” culture showcasing different sides & versions of her artistry recapping these last couple years of her life, I just think the production could’ve been a tad bit better.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kevin Abstract – “glue” review

Corpus Christi, Texas rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director Kevin Abstract following up his 5th LP Blanket with his 4th official mixtape. Making his debut in 2014 in the form of MTV1987, he followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic sophomore effort American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective the year after. Both of Kevin’s solo efforts afterwards ARIZONA baby & The Family were solid although I liked the latter more for being chipmunk soul heavy & Blanket improved by going indie rock. Now that the summer nears its final month, Kevin’s putting glue together.

“Dirty Boy Swag” produced by Quadeca starts off the tape pulling inspiration from Lil B & Kevin showing off his titular swagger whereas “Kobe” talks about adopting the late Lakers icon’s mentality over a cloudy & illbient instrumental. “Jefferson” finds Romil Hemnani sampling “ELEMENT.” by Kendrick Lamar feeling like his father truly loves him leading into the highly anticipated collaboration “Tennessee” featuring Lil Nas X fuses trap, pop rap, cloud rap, alternative R&B, dirty south & regalia with the help of Devstacks talking about meeting guys in the titular state.

Meanwhile on “Beautiful Dumb Boys”, we have Kevin taking it back to the Blanket era coming to the realization that he has to break up with this guy just before the creatively fun 2-parter “Diamondz N Cash” featuring HVN & Lil Yachty gets unearthed from the Beverly Daze sessions telling us what they think of when they wake up. “2am Halcyon” has a bit of a Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West influence aesthetically rapping over synths telling his new man that he knows he wants to be with him prior to the bubbling, low-key “Creek” serves as an official version of “Green” allowing Romil helping Kevin return to form telling us what romance is to him.

“You’re My Type of Pleasure” sings to his partner over some organ-like synthesizers he feels like they know something about me that I hasn’t even discovered yet while “Big Dog” blends pop rap, trap & hyphy with the help of Kevin himself, Romil, Quadeca & Popstar Benny talking about how it’s lights out for him. “Red Light” reunites with Ameer Vann on top of an outstandingly gorgeous Quadeca beat wanting their lovers to stay in their dreams with them & “I Love These Hoes, They Don’t Judge” drearily ends glue talking about feeling the most fake these days.

The people that thought Blanket was a disappointingly average stylistic departure gonna find themselves enjoying glue more than Kevin’s last album going from the indie rock sound of the predecessor back to his hip hop roots whether it be experimental hip hop, west coast hip hop, dirty south, alternative R&B, regalia, illbient, cloud rap, pop rap, hyphy, trap or even a small hint of indie rock. It’s already been well established that he’s by far the most talented member of BROCKHAMPTON & glue could very well be his most enjoyable mixtape yet.

Score: 4/5

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Childish Gambino – “Bando Stone & the New World” review

California actor, writer, rapper, comedian, singer, DJ, director, producer & former FX hit series Atlanta creator Donald Glover or Childish Gambino finally following up Atavista with his 5th & final full-length LP. In only 2 decades, he’s also put out a couple EPs & 7 mixtapes in addition to all his other albums. The 2 that stand out the most are the sophomore effort Because the Internet released on my 17th birthday & the 2016 follow-up “Awaken, My Love” pulling heavy influence from the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. 3.15.20 was randomly released during the beginning of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in an unfinished state only to be finalized & reissued as Atavista recently, which most people including myself decided they’d rather wait for Bando Stone & the New World.

“H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7¥” featuring Amaarae is a self-produced industrial hip hop opener dissing those who did him greasy & still being on whereas the lead single “Lithonia” works in elements of alternative rock, pop rock, post-grunge, art rock & glam rock telling the story of Cody LeRae. “Survive” featuring Chlöe is a beautiful hip hop/neo-soul crossover tryna save their lives since summer’s always coming leading into “Steps Beach” singing over a stripped back instrumental from Steve Lacy talking about wanting to walk the beach on a Saturday.

Amaarae & Flo Milli join Gambino to the trap joint “Talk My Shit” so all 3 of them can boast on the lyrical side of things just before “Got to Be” turns the industrial influences all the way back up talking about 2020 being his time. “Real Love” takes a electropop/dance-pop route to the beat hoping that everyone listening gets to feel genuine love at some point in their lives, but then “In the Night” featuring Amaarae & Jorja Smith fuses alternative R&B with alté as well as gqom & alt-pop singing about needing each other at night.

“Yoshinoya” concludes the first half of Bando Stone & the New World with a 2-parter showing a bit of a Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West influence sticking around similarly to the titular Japanese multinational fast food chain while “Can You Feel Me?” featuring Legend Glover is a heartwarming moment on the album where father & son singing together referencing the alphabet in every verse. The 8-minute rollercoaster ride “No Excuses” goes neo-soul singing about receiving cold love while “Cruisin’” featuring Yeat produced by DJ Dahi, Ludwig Göransson, Michael Uzowuru & Donald himself brings a synth-trap vibe to the table living their dreams since this dreamin’ ain’t enough.

Meanwhile on the atmospheric “We Are God”, we have Gambino singing about being inseparable flying through the dark while “Running Around” featuring Fousheé blends soul & rock going crazy during the weekend. The track “Dadvocate” goes for another stripped back approach tackling fatherhood & after the “Happy Survival” interlude, “A Place Where Love Goes” concludes the Childish Gambino chapter of Donald’s life with 1 more EDM joint going wherever love does.

In contrast to a lot of artists saying they’re gonna retire from music & later coming back, it really does feel like the end of Childish Gambino since it’s not fun for him anymore & what a way for him to go out. We get a concept album revolving around a singer named Bando Stone stumbling into a post-apocalyptic world before teaming up with a woman & her son to fight prehistoric creatures & try to escape from an unexplained phenomenon that seems to delete “chunks” of the world blending experimental hip hop, neo-soul, psychedelic soul, neo-psychedelia, rock music, electronic dance music, alternative R&B, alté, gqom & alt-pop.

Score: 4.5/5

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G-Eazy – “Freak Show” review

Here we have the 7th full-length studio LP from Oakland, California rapper G-Eazy. Breaking out into the mainstream with his 3rd album These Things Happen in 2014, this was followed up a year later with When It’s Dark Out as well as The Beautiful & Damned back in 2017. Scary Nights was a subpar prelude to These Things Happen Too, Everything’s Strange Here easily stands as his embarrassing body of work yet & the These Things Happen was only better by a small margin. Almost 3 years later, G’s bringing the Freak Show to our ears.

After a cringeworthy intro, the first song “Showbiz” has a general hardcore sound than what I typically expect from him describing his musical influences whereas the title track featuring French Montana is where shit really starts heaping up in piles gratingly talking about having 3 hoes each over an uninteresting trap instrumental. “Femme Fatale” featuring Coi Leray & Kaliii samples “Heaven & Hell’s on Earth” by the 20th Century Steel Band discussing feminism although Coi has the best verse, but then Lancey Foux washes G-Eazy harder than Coi on the grimier “Say Less” advising to do simply that.

“Backseat” clouding reminisces being in the backseat of a taxi in New York during the fall with an ex who left him asking if happiness is possible to achieve when it most certainly is while “W.T.F.D.I.K. (What The Fuck Do I Know?)” turns back into trap turf trying to persuade the audience he’s grown when he’s still dropping corny bars like he’s the Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley of hip hop when his music has never been enjoyable as either late artist prior to “South of France” returning to the boom bap asking what he is if he isn’t a star, which I can answer with a below average pop rap artist with a proving discography who went multi-platinum.

Leon Bridges’ hook on “1 Day” might be my favorite on the album nor do I mind the kicks & snares, it’s that I’ve heard the theme of giving his partner the world done better previously. “Love You Forever” produced by Apex Martin was a genuinely heartfelt single dedicated to Gerald’s mother while the 3rd installment of the “Love Killers” trilogy takes it back to his pre-fame roots. “Anxiety” atrociously ends the LP butchering a sample of the London Callingtitle track by The Clash like he wants to be MGK to talk about getting high to ease the pain away.

The Outsider & The Endless Summer have always remained as the most I’ve ever enjoyed any of G-Eazy’s output & granted both of those mixtapes are average at best, none of the EPs or full-lengths he’s offered us over a decade of mainstream popularity have been able to surpass them in quality by punching under their weight & Freak Show sure enough adds on to the pile. Gerald occasionally displays some cool personal moments outside of his usual corniness like “Showbiz or “Love You Forever”, the guest performances are 50/50 & the production makes me appreciate These Things Happen Too’s more by a hair.

Score: 1/5

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KAYTRANADA – “Timeless” review

KAYTRANADA is a 31 year old DJ, producer, singer/songwriter & rapper born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti albeit raised in Montréal, Québec, Canada starting as 1/2 of The Celestics alongside his younger brother Lou Phelps. For the past decade, he’s has been widely recognized as being amongst the most popular & in-demand producers in all of music working with everyone from Mobb Deep to Mach-Hommy. KAYTRA even has 2 solo efforts under his belt in the debut 99.9% through XL Recordings & the RCA Records-backed Bubba as well as the eponymous debut from KAYTRAMINÉ last summer. KAYTRADAMUS gained more exposure after opening for The Weeknd during the After Hours ‘til Dawn Tour & is capitalizing by releasing a 3rd album.

“Pressure” is an instrumental opener to the LP with synthesizers & danceable groove whereas “Spit It Out” by Rochelle Jordan sings about reflecting on what she had with a former partner of hers over a spacious beat. The Celestics team up on the tropical “Call U Up” admitting that they don’t wanna hit up their current romantic interests in fear of falling in love with them, but then the funky “Weird” by Durand Bernarr confronts his lover for acting strange around him.

We get some hip house vibes on “Dance Dance Dance Dance” for a couple minutes prior to Don Toliver poppin’ in for the atmospherically smooth “Feel a Way” confessing to being caught up in his ways & guarding one’s love. “Still” by Charlotte Day Wilson luxuriously & passionately professes the attraction that she still feels towards a man that she cries thinking of while “Video” by Ravyn Lenae brings the synths back into the fold telling her partner to show her which way he wants her to go & recording it.

“Seemingly” nears the end of Timeless’ first half sampling Don Blackmon just before “Drip Sweat” by Channel Tres turns the house music influences back up singing about a man who thinks he can come in the night telling him to jump off the ledge. “Hold On” by Dawn Richard asks if we go back to days when lights use to dance & when love wasn’t scared yet over a house beat ahead of the hypnotically entrancing “Please Babe”.

Meanwhile on “Stepped On”, we have KAYTRA going for a synth-based direction instrumentally so he himself can demonstrate his singing chops addressing something wrong with him while “More Than a Little Bit” by Tinashe has a dreamy alternative R&B flare to it talking about her heart being frozen. “Do 2 Me” by Anderson .Paak & SiR links the pair up for a charming pop rap/R&B hybrid that is until the summery “Witchy” by Childish Gambino sings his heart out about missing something for a while.

“Lover/Friend” by Rochelle Jordan was a solid deep house/R&B single head-on asking if this person really wants a relationship with her while the mellow “Wasted Words” by Thundercat starts the deluxe run encouraging to rise above it all. The song “Snap My Finger” by PinkPantheress is this danceable R&B jam getting an ex of her’s off her mind while the penultimate track “Stuntin’” by Channel Tres goes contemporary R&B feeling the best. “Out of Luck” by Mariah the Scientist ends the album futuristically singing about having no luck left.

Much has changed since Bubba nearly 5 years ago representing a shift in collaborations & his RCA sophomore effort here marks a superior return along with my new 2nd favorite full-length of his behind the debut. Primarily because Timeless has a stronger guest-list, the overall feeling of it takes inspiration from 80s new wave, he’s using newer equipment & expands his house/R&B sound to newer heights.

Score: 4/5

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Bring Me the Horizon – “Post Human: NeX GEn” review

Bring Me the Horizon is an alt-metal/post-hardcore band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom consisting of frontman & keyboardist Oli Sykes, bassist Matt Kean, guitarist/backing vocalist Lee Malia & drummer Matt Nicholls. Introducing themselves into late 2000s/early 2010s off their first 3 full-lengths Count Your Blessings as well as the Epitaph Records debut Suicide Season & There Is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let’s Keep It a Secret., it wasn’t until their RCA Records debut Sempiternal during my sophomore year of high school where I became a fan of theirs & I also enjoyed That’s the Spirit few months after I graduated for it’s departure from their metalcore roots. amo was a decent exploration of every aspect love has to offer & the singles building up their 7th album had me expecting it to live up to their best EP Post Human: Survival Horror.

After the “[ost] dreamseeker” intro, “YOUtopia” is a metalcore opener feeling dead inside whereas “Kool-Aid” fuses alternative metal, metalcore, industrial metal & nu metal to talk about the Jonestown Massacre. “Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd” moves on from there with the antithesis of “Follow You”, but then “liMOusine” featuring AURORA serving as the other side of the introductory song “YOUtopia”. “DArkSide” served as the official theme for this year’s Vengeance Day IV premium live event or pay-per-view from the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s developmental brand NXT exploring the darker side of the mind & the struggles you can have with yourself from within over an alt-metal, post-hardcore & nu metal hybrid just before “a bulleT w- my namE On” featuring Underoath is a thematic sequel to “One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest As You March Towards Your Death”.

Aftet the “[ost] (spi)rituals” interlude, “n/A” opens up about Oli’s addiction & his desire to break the habit just before the emo-pop, post-hardcore, hyperpop, easycore, pop punk & electronicore single “LosT” sings about not belonging on this planet. Meanwhile on “sTraNgeRs”, we have Oli tackling themes of depression & mental illness with an overall message of unity & togetherness over an emo-pop/post-hardcore fusion leading into “R.I.P.” singing about voices in his head that’ll never leave giving off a bit of an electronicore vibe instrumentally. The song “AmEN!” featuring Glassjaw frontman Daryl Palumbo & rapper Lil Uzi Vert takes it back to the band’s original heaviness with religious connotations within the lyrics mixing alternative metal, metalcore, industrial metal, post-hardcore & rap metal into 1 while “DiE4u” following the “[ost] puss-e” interlude blends pop rock, emo-pop, electropop, alt-pop, post-hardcore, electronicore to create a style described by Oli as “future emo” dealing with addiction from the perspective of a toxic relationship prior to “DIg It” ending the album talking about self-hatred.

Post Human: Survival Horror renewed my interest in the bad considering the mixed reception that Music to listen to~dance to~blaze to~pray to~feed to~sleep to~talk to~grind to~trip to~breathe to~help to~hurt to~scroll to~roll to~love to~hate to~learn Too~plot to~play to~be to~feel to~breed to~sweat to~dream to~hide to~live to~die to~GO TO & what I hear in NeX GEn is the band’s best album in nearly a decade. They expand beyond their alternative metal & metalcore sound in favor of emo-pop, electronicore, post-hardcore, hyperpop alt-pop, industrial metal, rap metal, electropop, easycore, pop rock, pop punk & nu metal to tell an intentionally buried & hidden story from the last EP.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bryson Tiller – Self-Titled review

This is the eponymous 4th full-length LP from Louisville, Kentucky singer/songwriter & rapper Bryson Tiller. Beginning over a decade ago off his debut mixtape Killer Instinct, he would eventually sign to RCA Records & release the ground breaking debut T R A P S O U L celebrating it’s 9-year anniversary this fall. The sophomore effort True to Self was underwhelming & A N N I V E R S A R Y proved to be a step in the right direction but coming off 4 more tapes & EP since (more recently the Slum Tiller trilogy, Bryson’s looking reintroduce himself & show the world what he’s capable of.

After the “http://” intro, the first song “Attention” is a spacey R&B opener singing about being drawn by a captivating woman whereas “Stay Gold” clashes the pop rap & R&B styles together to address the value of the relationship & willingness to make things work. “Persuasion” featuring Victoria Monét is a trap soul duet detailing a flirtatious encounter between 2 people, but then the standout “Ciao!” sings about being finically taken advantage of over a laid-back instrumental from Charlie Heat, FNZ & Leon Thomas III.

“Peace” continues to mix passionate vocals derived from contemporary R&B with nocturnal & atmospheric trap production to admit his need for peace just before another favorite “Rich Boy” finds Vinylz, Boi-1da, Ging & Allen Ritter sampling “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boy himself spending everything on his romantic interest qfrom the night. “R.A.M. (Random Access Memory)” brings some heavy synthesizers into the fold wanting the old him back that is until “No Thank You” blends hi-hats & lower register synths talking about an endured bond.

The summery guitars on “Find My Way” singing that believe in love except the problem is that he doesn’t know what else to call it while yet another highlight “Prize” fuses alternative R&B & pop rap to tell the woman in his life that no one ends can do it the way that she does. “Waterfalls” brings a psychedelic flare to the beat to sing about paintin’ waterfalls in his woman while “ÆON L U S T” goes afrobeats thanks to KAYTRANADA telling the story of being fascinated by someone special.

“Calypso” was a mediocre contemporary R&B choice of a single with additional elements of afrobeats & dancehall likening her body to Carribean music altogether while the cloudy albeit snappy “Outside” expresses his sexual desire to a freshly single woman who was unable to escape a disastrous previous relationship. “Undertow” strips things back saying he can feel her heartbeat in his chest while “F4U” flips ”Feenin’” by JoDeCi rapping his ass off. “Assume the Position” goes for a groovier approach telling her to put both her hands where he can see them prior to Whatever $he Wants” ending self-titled with a flavorful hybrid of pop rap, Detroit trap, alternative R&B & even hyphy music.

Decent album altogether, but the highs are high enough to the point where I’d actually put this eponymous effort right behind A N N I V E R S A R Y as my 3rd favorite LP of his. The production matches the caliber of that previous full-length combining contemporary R&B & none other than of course the trap soul sound he pioneered with pop rap, afrobeats, alternative R&B & electropop as Bryson invites listeners into a world where genre boundaries are not only crossed but reimagined in vignettes of his love life.

Score: 2.5/5

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