Childish Gambino – “Atavista” review

This is the surprise 4th full-length album from California actor, writer, rapper, comedian, singer, DJ, director, producer & former FX hit series Atlanta creator Childish Gambino a.k.a. Donald Glover. His 2011 debut album Camp was pretty mediocre, but he would show his artistic growth on his next 2 projects R O Y A L T Y & Because of the Internet. Last time we heard from Donald in a full-length capacity was in 2016 with “Awaken, My Love!”, which was an awesome throwback to the days of Parliament-Funkadelic. But after leaking Atavista as 3.15.20 on his website in its entirety just a week ago, he’s now officially putting it out on all streaming services.

After the “0.00” intro, the self-produced title track gives off a bit of a Weeknd vibe singing that the high is low if the drug is faint whereas “Algorythm” finds Donald talks about partying over an enticing instrumental. The track “Time” with Ariana Grande sees the 2 talking about how life is moving fast over a synth-heavy beat from Jai Paul, Donald himself, Ludwig Göransson, DJ Dahi just before the 6 & a half minute “Psilocybae (Millennial Love)” featuring 21 Savage inspired by The Neptunes instrumentally gets romantic.

“To Be Hunter” industrially talks about what it is to be beautiful leading into the shimmery “Sweet Thang” getting flirtatious. The country-inspired “Little Foot Big Foot” featuring Young Nudy tells the story of a young drug dealer referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, but then “Why Go to the Party” is just Donald harmoniously singing a capella. “The Violence” funkily talks about how cruel the world can be & “Final Church” euphorically ends Atavista with Donald talking about finding love.

Starting the deluxe run, “32.22” finds Donald whispering & then singing in auto-tune over an instrumental kin to Kanye West’s 6th album Yeezus & the final bonus track “Feels Like Summer” fuses contemporary R&B, neo-psychedelia, smooth soul, alternative R&B, chillwave, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic soul, bossa nova & downtempo covering various issues facing our world today.

If this is truly the 2nd to last Gambino album like he’s been saying over the past few years, then I’m not mad because it’s his most esoteric body of work to date. I can see why some other people may not like it because of how weird it can be but I like that the production draws from neo-soul, contemporary R&B, psychedelic soul, experimental hip hop, art pop, funk music, alternative R&B, neo-psychedelia, synth-funk & his vocals have continued to get better over time.

Score: 3.5/5

G-Eazy – “Scary Nights” review

G-Eazy is a 30 year old rapper from Oakland, California that broke 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. But to prepare listeners for the sequel to the album that got Gerald where he is today, he’s giving fans an appetizer with his 4th EP.

The title track that kicks the EP off whines about how they don’t want him to shine over a sinister Boi-1da instrumental whereas the next song “I Wanna Rock” with Gunna finds the 2 boasting over a dime a dozen trap beat. The track “Full Time Cappers” with Moneybagg Yo is as generic as it gets both musically & lyrically while the song “Big Ben” with Preme sees the 2 flexing over a comatose instrumental.

“K I D S” with Dex Lauper talks about how neither of them ever sleep over an airy instrumental & even though the song “Hittin’ Licks” makes sappy Bonnie & Clyde comparisons over a banging instrumental from Charlie Heat. The penultimate track “Demons & Angels” with The Game sees the 2 talking to their significant others over a soulful boom bap instrumental & then the closer “A Very Strange Time” talks about losing his mind over a tasteless trap beat.

Even though this might be his darkest work yet, it’s still not very good. I understand Halloween‘s around the corner & that Gerald’s in the holiday spirit which isn’t a bad thing, but his trite lyricism & bland production from his past material all remain intact to the point of boredom.

Score: 1.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “GINGER” review

This is the 5th full-length album from San Marcos, Texas hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON. They first came together with an average debut mixtape in 2016 called ALL-AMERICAN TRASH, but it wouldn’t be until the following year that we saw them completely reinventing themselves by dropping the near-perfectly creative SATURATION trilogy. Then there’s the infamous sexual misconduct scandal revolving around the boyband’s most popular lyricist Ameer Vann last May, which resulted in him being kicked out of BROCKHAMPTON. A decision that to this very day is still polarizing by many. However, I think they managed to pull through shortly after with their last full-length album iridescence. Fast forward 11 months later, here we are with GINGER.

The album kicks off with “NO HALO”, where the boys sans de facto leader Kevin Abstract venting about personal issues over an acoustic instrumental from Jabari Manwa. The next song “SUGAR” gets romantic over another acoustic instrumental while the track “BOY BYE” talks about each member’s highs & lows over a quirky beat from Romil Hemnani & Q3. The short “HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU” is a completely random slowthai song while the track “ST. PERCY” finds the boys charismatically bragging over a bassy instrumental & I absolutely love the Missy Elliott/Timbaland vibes during the hook. The track “IF YOU PRAY RIGHT” gets spiritual over a prominent tuba with Dom McLennon starting it off in a charming fashion while the song “DEARLY DEPARTED” addresses Ameer Vann’s dismissal over a cavernously melodic beat.

The track “I BEEN BORN AGAIN” talk about their newfound fame over a minimalist beat while the titular song finds Kevin teaming with Matt Champion & bearface to get a bit darker on the topical end over an inebriating beat. The track “BIG BOY” sees Kevin, bearface & JOBA recalling their childhood experiences over a dream-like instrumental while the penultimate song “LOVE ME FOR LIFE” finds everyone from then previous joint getting with Merlyn Wood over a lively yet subdued instrumental referencing SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO & Neuralink founder Elon Musk. The album then finishes with “VICTOR ROBERTS”, which is an introduction to a rapper with the same name over a bare piano instrumental.

This is the boys’ weakest album so far, but it’s still solid. Of course each song stands out in it’s own way, but it kinda lacks in catchiness both rapping-wise & instrumentally. Hopefully, they’ll step it up on the next effort.

Score: 3.5/5

A$AP Ferg – “Floor Seats” review

A$AP Ferg is a 30 year old rapper from New York City that came up as a member of the A$AP Mob. He made his debut in 2013 with Trap Lord, which was a a fantastic display of himself to the mainstream. This was followed up the next year with the Ferg Forever mixtape & that was succeeded by the excessively commercial A.$.A.P. (Always Strive And Prosper) in 2016. Then came Still Striving in 2017 which returned to his Trap Lord roots, but was overloaded with features. 2 years later, we’re finally getting new music from Ferg with his debut EP over here.

It all starts with the title track, where Ferg charismatically brags over a trap beat with some prominent party horns. The next song “Jet Lag” talks about how fly he is over a grimy trap beat while the track “Wam” talks about killing his competition over an alluring beat. The song “Wigs” with Asian da Brat sees the 2 getting raunchy over a hyphy beat while the track “Butt Naked” with Rico Nasty is a tongue-in-cheek sex anthem with a synth-heavy instrumental.

The song “Pups” with A$AP Rocky sees the 2 talking about their friendship over a fantastic B.T. Express sample while the track “Hummer Limo” flaunts over an intoxicating Timbaland beat. The penultimate track “Ride” is a mediocre R&B crooner & the closer “Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies” with Brent Faiyaz continues to get raunchy over a spacey Salaam Remi beat.

For the 2 year wait, this was just ok. I get that he‘s fusing elements from both of his albums, but obviously the cuts that’re in vein of A.$.A.P. (Always Strive And Prosper) don’t do anything for me at all.

Score: 3/5

MadGibbs – “Bandana” review

MadGibbs is a super-duo consisting of the renown Oxnard, California producer Madlib & Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs. The 2 started out releasing a handful of EPs throughout this decade, but it wouldn’t be until 2014 that saw the release of their iconic full-length debut Piñata. 5 years have passed & the duo have released their long-awaited sophomore album.

After the “Obrigado” intro, we go into the first song “Freestyle Shit”. Where Freddie pretty much raps about wanting it all over a jazzy beat. The track “Half Manne Half Cocaine” canes about the things he deserves over a surprisingly banging trap beat that later switches into something more nocturnal while the song “Crime Pays” of course talks about drug dealing over a soothing instrumental. The track “Massage Seats” flaunts about his new lifestyle over a prominent with a female vocal sample while the song “Palmolive” with Pusha T talks about making money & the sample that Madlib incorporates into the cut is alluring.

The track “Fake Names” tells the story of someone who was like a brother to him over a somewhat funky boom bap beat that later switches up into some relaxing woodwinds while the song “Flat Tummy Tea” gets mafioso over an intoxicating boom bap beat that later switches up into something more atmospheric. The track “Situations” talks about being a representer over a meditative beat while the song “Giannis” with Anderson .Paak sees the 2 spitting some game to the youth over a Middle Eastern sample. The track “Practice” is dedicated to the mother of his child over a luscious soul sample while the song “Cataracts” gets charismatic over an uplifting instrumental that later switches into more orchestral.

The track “Gat Damn” is a heart-wrenching ode to one of his fallen homies over a boom bap beat that suits the mood while the penultimate song “Education” with Yasiin Bey & Black Thought sees the 3 giving the listeners just that over a luxurious beat. The album finishes off with fireworks on “Soul Right”, where Gangsta Gibbs talks about getting his life together over a synth-heavy instrumental.

There seriously isn’t a single second of this album that I personally dislike, I really think MadGibbs just came through with the best album of 2019 & one that’s just as equally flawless as Piñata was 5 years ago. Madlib’s production is more dynamic than the last album, yet it maintains a unique sound that makes a perfect musical background for Freddie’s coke raps in the vein of an incredible blaxploitation film for the second time in a row.

Score: 5/5

Kevin Abstract – “ARIZONA baby” review

Kevin Abstract is a 23 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director from Corpus Christi, Texas who made his debut in 2014 with MTV1987. He followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & then the following year, he rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the best boyband since 1 Direction themselves BROCKHAMPTON. However after a rough 2018, he’s back with his 3rd full-length album.

Things start off with “Big Wheels”, where Kevin raps about his personal demons over a synth & some hi-hats from Jack Antonoff & Romil Hemnani. Not a bad opener, but it sounds unfinished. The next song “Joy Ride” melodically reflects on how he would never listen over a some soothing horns while the track “Georgia” talks about being at peace over a relaxing instrumental. The track “Corpus Christi” raps about feeling like a loner as well as addresses Ameer Vann being kicked out of BROCKHAMPTON over a prominent synthesizer while “Baby Boy” is a full-blown psych-rock that touches down on an ex.

The track “Mississippi” is a somber R&B cut telling his loved ones not to get it twisted with him while the song “Use Me” reflects on going from growing up rough to being successful over an atmospheric beat. The track “Peach” by Geezer is a psychedelic tune about a past relationship while the song “American Problem” literally sounds like a leftover from Childish Gambino’s last album “Awaken, My Love!”. The penultimate track “Crumble” is a guitar ballad about getting back to his lover & then the album finishes with “Boyer”, where Kevin talks about how he & this guy can’t run forever over a banger beat.

While it’s no American Boyfriend 2, this in my opinion is still the 2nd best release in Kevin’s solo discography. He continues to show how diverse of an artist he is & the production is detailed, but he drowns in his influences on some of these cuts to the point where it’s distracting. Noneless, it’s still worth checking out if you’re a big BROCKHAMPTON fan.

Score: 3.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “iridescence” review

BROCKHAMPTON is a hip hop “boyband” that originated in San Marcos, Texas in 2015. They dropped a flawed yet decent mixtape in 2016 called ALL-AMERICAN TRASH but in 2017, they completely reinvented themselves by dropping 3 near-perfectly creative albums with the SATURATION trilogy. However, things this year looked bleak for them in part of Ameer Vann (who was featured on the cover of all 3 SATURATION albums) was kicked out in May due to sexual misconduct. They then dropped 3 solid singles over the summer but now, they’re finally returning with their 4th full-length album.

Things start off with “NEW ORLEANS”, where they talk about how they’re calling their own shots over a gritty beat. The next track “THUG LIFE” sees the boyband’s de facto leader Kevin Abstract linking up with his older brother Dom McLennon alongside bearface to talk about depression over a beautiful piano instrumental while the song “BERLIN” sees Dom getting with Matt Champion & JOBA to talk shit over an abrasive beat. The “SOMETHING ABOUT HIM” interlude is an endearing tribute to Kevin’s husband Jaden Walker with a smooth instrumental from Romil Hemnani & Q3, but it sounds unfinished.

The track “WHERE THE CASH AT” sees Merlyn Wood & Matt Champion talks about their new rich life over a bouncy beat while the song “WEIGHT” is a heartfelt look into the boyband’s inner demons over some strings, but then it constantly switches from drum & bass with a piano to just simply punchy drums. The track “DISTRICT” is a club banger over a video gamey beat & after the “LOOPHOLE” interlude, we go into the song “TAPE”. Here, the boyband talks about their insecurities over a gloomy beat with skittering drums. The track “J’OUVERT” talks about success over a chaotic beat & while everyone’s performance on here was great, JOBA’s angry verse stood out to me the most.

The song “HONEY” gets braggadocious over an electro-funk beat while the track “VIVID” talks about how they’re making money now over an eerie electronic beat. The song “SAN MARCOS” is a guitar ballad about wanting more out of life while the penultimate track “TONYA” talks about unstable stardom over a prominent piano. The short switch up during Kevin’s verse & JOBA’s bridge was just ok, though. The album then finishes with “FABRIC”, where the boyband talks about still being depressed despite their newfound success & I absolutely love how the beat constantly switches throughout.

Being one of my most anticipated albums of the year, this did not disappoint. BROCKHAMPTON continues to be the most unique group in today’s hip hop landscape as their sound on here is refreshingly different than that of the SATURATION trilogy & I’ve also noticed that the chemistry between every member has improved.

Score: 4/5

A$AP Rocky – “TESTING” review

While he’s been dropping a project every 2 years since 2011, A$AP Mob member A$AP Rocky had a noticeably quiet 2017. However, he’s been trolling the public eye with his 3rd full-length album up until this point with some awful “dummy” singles & alas here we are.

The album starts off with “Distorted Records”, where Rocky brags about his place in the current hip hop landscape over a glitchy yet bass heavy instrumental. The “A$AP Forever” remix sees Rocky paying homage to the Mob while KiD CuDi’s verse talks about overcoming his depression over some symphonic strings with thunderous drums while the next song “Tony Tone” is a humble brag over a psychedelic guitar that FNZ hooked up while the track “Fukk Sleep” with FKA twigs sees the 2 talking about going from being poor to being successful over a murky electronic beat while the track “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” with Skepta vividly talks about criminal activity over a bouncy woodwind beat.

The song “Calldrop” does have a beautiful acoustic guitar, I just wish it was structured better. Also, I found the Kodak Black feature to be pretty redundant. The song “Buck Shots” gets confrontational over a synth-heavy trap beat & while I do like the Playboi Carti’s verse as much as Rocky’s, the Smooky MarGielaa verse doesn’t really do much for me. while the track “Gunz N Butta” talks about wealth over a cloudy trap beat with a prominent chopped & screwed sample of “Ridin’ Clean” by Juicy J throughout. The song “Brotha Man” with Frank Ocean sees the 2 talking about fighting for something over a beautiful instrumental with prominent keyboards & occasional strings while the song “OG Beeper” reflects on his drug dealing past over a dinky yet bouncy beat.

The song “Kid$ Turned Out Fine” tells the world just that over an laidback electric guitar & hi-hats while the track “Hun43rd” talks about hustling over a cloudy synthesizers. The song “Changes” talks about an ex over an acoustic guitar that gets more layered as it progresses. There’s also a point where it switches up into something more atmospheric for about a minute & it’s not too bad either. The penultimate track “Black Tux, White Collar” talks about shining through it all over a cloudy trap beat from none other than Clams Casino & then the album finishes off with “Purity”, where he & Frank Ocean talk about finding a peace of mind over an acoustic guitar.

Like most people, I was pretty worried about this album based on a vast majority of the singles Rocky dropped leading up to this but at the end of the day, I think he came through. It’s definitely more experimental than his past efforts & yet, it’s just as equally fun as his last 2 albums

Score: 3.5/5

Tinashe – “Joyride” review

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It’s been 3 years of waiting & 2 years since preluding it with Nightride in 2016 but now, Tinashe is finally delivering her highly anticipated sophomore album. After a 1-minute intro, we go into the first song with the title track. It’s pretty much about kickin’ it with an ex over a thumping electronic instrumental from Hit-Boy. The song “No Drama” with Offset sees the 2 talking about how they don’t want any bs over an electro-trap beat while “He Don’t Want It” is pretty self-explanatory with a moody instrumental with some punchy drums.

The track “Ooh La La” is about a guy loving her so good that she’ll be singing all night over an acoustic guitar/trap beat with a surprisingly nice “Dilemma” sample in the background while the song “Me So Bad” is basically about how attractive Tinashe is over a tropical beat & while I did enjoy the Ty$ verse, I found French Montana’s to be redundant. After the “Ain’t Good for Ya” interlude, we go into the song “Stuck with Me”. It’s both Tinashe & Little Dragon singing about having this guy with him for the weekend, but the instrumental is just ok.

Then after the “Go Easy on Me” interlude, we go into the song “Salt”. It’s basically about a guy who had sex with her at a hotel & left her shortly after over an atmospheric instrumental. The track “Faded Love” is about Tinashe wanting a guy to come home with her to have sex over an electro-club instrumental & the Future verse at the back-end is just ok. The song “No Contest” is about Tinashe wanting only her in her man’s lane over a smooth electro instrumental & then the closer “Fire & Flames” is about wanting to stay the night with this guy over a bare piano that sounds pretty.

As a whole, I was as satisfied as I’d hoped to be. I wish it was a tad bit longer, but her vocals sound as beautiful as ever & the album as a whole sounds a lot more focused than Nightride was

Score: 3.5/5

Justin Timberlake – “Man of the Woods” review

With his 37th birthday passing this Wednesday, former *NSYNC member Justin Timberlake is celebrating with his 5th full-length album. The opener “Filthy” is a sex tune over a messy, techno-pop instrumental from Timbaland & Danja. The next song “Midnight Summer Jam” gets celebratory over a funky instrumental from The Neptunes (who produced a bulk of the album surprisingly) with an acoustic guitar & some fiddles.

The track “Sauce” gets playful over a funk rock instrumental from Timbo & Danja while the title track is a dedication to his wife Jessica Biel over a Neptunes best with some rubbery bass along with a twangy guitar at the beginning that later progresses into something more funky. The song “Higher, Higher” talks about Jessica yet again over a guitar & the keyboards on here are vintage Neptunes. The track “Wave” sees JT basically telling Jessica to come away to an island with him over some acoustic guitars while the song “Supplies” talks about how they’ll be living like The Walking Dead over a sitar.

The track “Morning Light” is a duet with Alicia Keys about how they wanna spend 1 more night with each other over a smooth yet funky instrumental while the song “Say Something” is a decent country-rock duet with Chris Stapleton about being caught up in the music. After the “Hers” interlude, we then go into the next song “Flannel. However, it’s pretty much JT impersonating what sounds like if R. Kelly made a country ballad. The track “Montana” gets romantical over a vintage Neptunes beat with an acoustic guitar & the song “Breeze Off the Pond” uses nature similes over an instrumental that kinda reminds me of Pharrell’s last solo album G I R L.

The track “Livin’ Off the Land” talks about being a man doing his best over some predominant bass & twangy guitars. The strings near the end are nice touch as well. The penultimate track “The Hard Stuff” pretty much tells Jessica how much he loves her over a laidback country instrumental while the closer “Young Man” pays tribute to JT’s son Silas over a Timbo instrumental with mostly guitars & organs.

While it’s not even close to a Justified sequel or anything like that, I think this is big improvement over the 2nd disc of Justin’s last album The 20/20 Experience. The lyrics are mostly endearing & the production is funky as ever, but I should point out the fact that Justin incorporates more country elements on here & it actually works out pretty well given that he’s from Memphis. Sure it isn’t reinventing the wheel, but I really love hearing JT’s maturity on here

Score: 3.5/5