Locksmith – “Wine & Circus” review

Richmond, California emcee Locksmith teaming up with New York producers The Heatmakerz for his 7th studio LP. Getting introduced to him through his Ski Beatz-produced debut album Embedded as well as the sophomore effort 1,000 Cuts & later Lofty Goals during my adolescence, his 2nd EP No Question produced by Apollo Brown later came out under Mello Music Group after I turned 21 & have been wanting him to match the same caliber of all those projects since. And considering the singles building up towards Wine & Circus, I was certain we were finally gonna get it.

The chipmunk soul sound that made Rrsonist blow up with Thrilla in the early 2000s bleeds all over the intro as the former Frontline member welcomes the underground to “The Greatest Show on Earth” whereas “Death by Temptation” works in a boom bap instrumental with a gospel sample to talk about honest guys getting demonetized now. “Culture” featuring Styles P gives a middle finger to the 2-party system for being flawed, which is a conversation many don’t want to have unfortunately just before the optimistic “Beautiful Day” talks about how great it is to be alive.

Joell Ortiz joins Locksmith for the soulful boom bap single “Closed Caption” sending a message directly towards the people who’ve been capping on their names noting that it’s too late for any apologies & once the drumless “Cons & Prose” gets on the conscious side of things lyrically, the sequel to “America” takes it a step further recapping the political climate of this ongoing decade. Interesting timing too because of Charlie Kirk being fatally shot last Wednesday, who was parodied by Cartman in the newest season of the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central hit series South Park last month.

“Under Pressure” delves deeper towards the final leg of Wine & Circus with some pianos taking shots at the type of people who’re scared to face their own issues because of power going to their heads & becoming increasingly arrogant while the title track talks about never being harmed once you understand your worth. Mysonne appears for the closing track “Culture 2” picks up right where the original highlight earlier during the first half with more drumless vibe than its predecessor retaining the politically charged lyricism.

For almost 15 years now, I’ve noticed that Locksmith is at his greatest form whenever he’s tapped in with a singular producer like he was on No Questions or even Embedded despite the latter’s generally mixed reception. As for Wine & Circus, there’s no question we’ll be speaking of it a long time from now when it’s all said & done ranking it amongst one of if not THE greatest album of his career. The Heatmakerz’ sample-heavy production is a breath of fresh air compared to some of Locksmith’s material since 2018 & the Bay Area lyricist’s words of wisdom hit much harder in light of recent events.

Score: 4.5/5

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Joell Ortiz – “W.A.R. (With All Respect)” review

Brooklyn, New York veteran Joell Ortiz is back for his 9th studio LP. Emerging after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine, he went on to sign to Aftermath Entertainment for a brief period of time before leaving to drop his official debut The Brick: Bodega Chronicles under MNRK Music Group. I also can’t forget to mention when Slaughterhouse rose to prominence off their self-titled debut, which led Eminem signing the supergroup to Shady Records a decade ago already. But sadly, their major label debut welcome to: OUR HOUSE that came out the next summer would unfortunately end up being their last & everyone has been doing their own thing since. 3 years since Autograph however, The Heatmakerz are jumping behind the boards throughout the duration of W.A.R. (With All Respect).

“W.A.R. Welcome” featuring I Born starts with a bluesy boom bap instrumental allowing them to open up our minds taking us to war with all respect whereas “Mamma Loves Me” moves forward with a passionate tribute to his mother, who helped pushed him further in his music career. “Fortune 500” keeps it 100 by talking about having 100 less friends since more problems emerge the more money you make, but then “Reaper Man” strips the drums completely telling the grim reaper he’s taken enough.

The atmospherically spacious “So Lost” works in more kicks & snares talking about feeling lost sometimes as of late just before “W.A.R. (Worry, Anger, Resentment)” featuring Styles P peacefully gives thanks to God since every single one of us are in debt to Him. “Imagine That” featueing Ransom soulfully flashes back & fast-forwards into the present doing all they dreamed while “WAR” featuring M.O.P. returns to the boom bap warning that y’all don’t want beef with them.

“Please” brings the soul vibes back for a ballad dedicated to his best friend/1 true love & after the “My Childhood” skit, “All the Years” officially wraps up Yaowa’s first solo effort since H.A.R.D. or the Housing Authority Rap District no longer putting out anymore duo projects with 1 more drumless banger reminiscing over the loved ones who can’t be with him today.

I personally prefer the Signature remixes that L’Orange did for Autograph even though I appreciate the highlights off the original version. Nevertheless, W.A.R. (With All Respect) is easily my favorite of Joell’s since Monday & will arguably go down as one of the best albums that he’s ever made period. The Heatmakerz’ production sticks to their signature, soulful boom bap & drumless sound & Yaowa’s performances are better than the last couple H.A.R.D. efforts.

Score: 4.5/5

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O.T. the Real – “The Irishman” review

O.T. the Real is a 35 year old MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who started out in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”. From there, his profile began to grow after showcasing his skills on radio stations as well as dropping an eponymous full-length debut & 2 EPs. His sophomore album Evil Empire just came out a couple months ago & to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the East Coast up-&-comer is dropping his 3rd EP produced entirely by The Heatmakerz.

“Non Fiction” is a heartfelt opener as O.T. spits about drilling it out with bars on top of an exultant instrumental & then the next song “Restitution” talks about waiting when he wanted what was his over a morose beat. The track “Carry On” talks about the hustle forever continuing on over an affluent instrumental while the song “Connected” with Jim Jones finds the 2 saying that it’s all about connections over some bongos & faint yet beautiful harmonizing.

The track “Losses” gets on the romantic tip over a stripped back instrumental while the song “Hold On” with Joell Ortiz sees the 2 asking who’s gonna be there when the laws & drugs are gone over a wraithlike beat. The penultimate track “Streets Again” talks about looking for a way to get back on his feet over some hypnotic vocal melodies & then “Relationships” finishes the EP off with some exuberant horn sections as O.T. spits about having 33 on him like Patrick Ewing.

Despite enjoying everything I’ve heard from dude up to this point, he really outdid himself on The Irishman. Not just because The Heatmakerz gave O.T. a more refined sound in comparison to his previous efforts, but the songwriting on here is the best it’s ever been before.

Score: 4/5

Jim Jones – “El Capo 2” review

This is the surprise 8th full-length album from Bronx veteran Jim Jones. Coming up as a member of The Diplomats in the 2000s. He’s released a total of 7 solo efforts since, with the last one prior El Capo going on to become his magnum opus. But after much anticipation, Jim is reuniting with The Heatmakerz for El Capo 2.

The album kicks off with “Election”, where Jim & Juelz Santana get political over a suspenseful beat. The next song “Anybody” is an R&B-flavored duet with Sandra Conte that goes over better than I originally anticipated it to be while the track “Chasing the Feeling” gets introspective over a lush boom bap beat. The song “M.M.T.C. (Mink Matching the Coupe)” with Vado sees the 2 getting braggadocious over some popping drums while the track “Father Forgive Us” with Maino finds the 2 talking about how the ghetto made then sin over a soulful instrumental.

The song “For the Better” talks about living like it’s no tomorrow now over a piano & gorgeous vocal harmonies while the track “Pardon My Thoughts” with Dave East sees the 2 painting some vivid street imagery over an amazing Evanescence sample. The song “Everything” talks about wanting it all over a savory instrumental while the track “Try Again” with Conway the Machine finds the 2 coming with some grown man bars over a beat with an old school Kanye feel to it.

The song “Been Like That” talks about coming back from any L over a heavenly loop while the track “Bad Boyz” with Nino Man & the late Fred the Godson sees the trio talking about being up to no good over an amazing EPMD sample. “A Monster Made It” talks about how it’s hard for him to leave the game over a hypnotic beat while the song “Finito” reunites with Fred the Godson to talk about slanging over a prominent organ. the penultimate song “Gospel” talks about preaching facts over a legimate gospel sample & then “I’m Alive” is uplifting positivity anthem to send the album off.

If you enjoyed the first El Capo as much as I did, then I don’t see why you wouldn’t enjoy this follow-up. Once again, Jimmy’s lyricism in comparison to his previous efforts continue to be a night & day difference as The Heatmakerz continue to bring the best out of him with the soundscapes they deliver to the table.

Score: 4.5/5

Jim Jones – “El Capo” review

Jim Jones is a legendary rapper from the Bronx who came up as a member of The Diplomats at the beginning of the decade. He released a few albums throughout the 2000s, but he went off the radar after 2011’s Capo. It wasn’t until last year’s Wasted Talent that he would make his comeback & now a year later, he’s delivering his 7th full-length album with The Heatmakerz producing it in it’s entirety.

The album kicks off with “Cristal Ocassions”, where he talks about his rise from nothing to fame over a soulful boom bap beat. The next track “Love of the Hustle” minimalistically recalls his drug dealing deals whereas “Make No Issues of It” brushes off ignorance over some harmonious background vocals. The track “NYC” with Fat Joe pays tribute to their hometown referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a joyous beat while the song “Good Die Young” is a tribute to all of the homies he lost over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “State of the Union” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting conscious over a mellow beat while the song “Pity in the Summer” with Cam’ron & Fred the Godson is a decent club banger. The track “My Era” with Maino reflects on their pasts over some prominent drums with a soul sample in the background while the song “Nothing Lasts” with Fabolous vents on some life issues over an infectious beat.

The track “Cocaine Dreamin'” with Dave East talks about how their lives a like a movie over a boom bap beat with a sped-up vocal sample. The track “Mama I Made It” with Cam is of course a triumphant success anthem with a nice church choir while the song “To Whom It May Concern” is a fantastic Dipset/Griselda posse cut.

The track “Sports Cars” is all about just that with a decent beat & a perfect Curren$y verse & while “Song Boxing” is short, it’s very cutthroat. The penultimate track “Bread Right” boasts about his money over a dreamy beat & then the album finishes with “Don’t Know What They Took Him For”, where Jim gets with Jadakiss & Philthy Rich to talk about death over a soulful beat.

Overall, this is easily Jim’s best work yet & really the album that I’ve always wanted to hear from him. There are way too many features, but a good chunk of them do their thing. And on top of that, Jim steps his pen-game up continuing the elevation shown on Wasted Talent & The Heatmakerz as Dipset’s in-house production team show why they’re one of the most underrated producers ever.

Score: 4.5/5