Mr. Cliffnote – “Duly Noted” review

This is the full-length debut solo album from Detroit emcee Mr. Cliffnote. Starting in 2006 off his eponymous debut mixtape, he would form the duo Sidenotes with the homie B-Side a little bit after that & went on to drop the sophomore tape Path to Notification followed by the Note to Self EP a few years ago, the latter of which I reviewed positively. Ahead of Path to Notification 2 however, Cliff’s celebrating his born day by releasing Duly Noted.

“New Jax” produced by Foul Mouth starts with a soul sample & Cliff mapping out the heart of the city instead of tryna party with the now disgraced music mogul Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy whereas “Built fa Dis” takes the boom rap route instrumentally thanks to Nick Speed welcoming y’all to his church & asking to sing him a hymn. “Gonzo Outside” works in more sampling talking about still collecting chickens when he’s dead & gone prior to the slow jam “What’s It Gonna Be?” discussing not hesitating to throw away the goldmine when it’s go time.

Meanwhile on “Win Man”, we have Cliff fusing elements of trap & soul together thanking the most high for collecting all the Ws in his career leading into “Dreamin’ Season” maintains the soulful chops & hi-hats to talk about now being time to put the effort in instead of daydreaming all day. “Would Not Pay” gives off a classy boom bap vibe telling the story of a woman who got him saying all types of shit he wouldn’t find himself saying, but then “We Don’t Know You” featuring Fat Ray & Stretch Money brings the trio together for a nearly 3-minute Detroit trap heater.

“Pose fa da Photo” jumps on top of this delicate sample pointing out that you can get popped in his neck of the woods hence why he always carries a .44 Magnum on him while “Fuck Shit” goes for a summery boom bap flare telling everyone coming at him as a result of Talib Kweli unnecessarily dissing him to get off his dick. “Strathmoor Kid” has my favorite Detroit trap beat on the LP courtesy of DJ Jewels cautioning not to trip when you pitchin’ & them fastballs hittin’ just before “Soul Proprietor” featuring Kuniva finds the pair giving y’all food for thought over a boom bap instrumental that Ilajide cooked up.

Pushing towards the final moments of Duly Noted, the song “Movin’ Up” returns to a Detroit trap sound flexing that they don’t make ‘em like him anymore even if Rich Starz’ auto-tuned hook does absolutely nothing for me with all respect & “Gold Chain” ends on the soulful boom bap note with the help of Sterling Totes telling everyone listening to do things for hip hop culture that others out here won’t even do for themselves.

Kweli going at Cliff was further confirmation of what I said in my Liberation 2 review about Talib & one of my top 10 producers Kanye West in the sense that both of them are established veterans with an insane amount of artistic talent who publicly make asses of themselves on the regular since the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree in the grand scheme of things other than Kanye having a bigger platform than Kweli does. Duly Noted though has now become Cliff’s best work. The production that Foul Mouth, Nick Speed, DJ Jewels & Ilajide offer a unique mix of old & new sounds within the Detroit landscape & Cliff steps up his A-game lyrically.

Score: 4/5

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Mr. Cliffnote – “Note to Self” review

Mr. Cliffnote is a 42 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up in ‘06 off his eponymous debut mixtape. He would then form the duo Sidenotes with the homie B-Side a little bit after that & went on to drop the sophomore tape Path to Notification only a few summers back. But with his born day coming & going almost a month ago, Cliff is dropping a debut EP to warn listeners up for Path to Notification 2.

“Godspeed” is a soulful opener going at the throats of wack rappers whereas “The Dirty Bomb” goes into boom bap territory about letting you hear some crazy shit. “Hello Nurse” incorporates some vocals harmonies awkwardly trying to get sensual just before “The Melody” weaves in an organ talking about being given the strength he needs.

Meanwhile on “When We’re Together”, we have Cliff taking another jab at a love joint except this one’s much better down to the DJ Dez instrumental while the song “Visit the D” smoothly talks about a bitch coming to Detroit just to kick it with him even though I’m not too crazy about the hook. The penultimate track “Live On” goes back into boom bap territory to get optimistic & “Gunz” rounds it out with a trap banger about gun control.

Coming away from Note to Self, it’s a solid prelude to Path to Notification 2. The more romantic cuts are either hit or miss but when he’s on his battle rap shit or speaking on real life, it’s actually really compelling. I also think range of sounds throughout the production is a pretty nice touch as well.

Score: 3.5/5

B-Side – “The Essence” review

This is the long-awaited debut EP from Detroit emcee B-Side. Most notable for being 1/2 of the duo Sidenotes, the man wouldn’t branch off until the release of his debut mixtape The Vertigo 1.5 in the summer of 2013. This was followed up the next year with A Side Called B & then B-Side Wins Again at the tail end of 2018. However, it’s been all leading up to The Essence right here.

“20 Million” kicks things off with a dusty boom bap instrumental from Foul Mouth & the amount B-Side wants until he retires whereas “Mission Statement” takes things into soul/electro turf with the help of Black Bethoven telling you to consider this as such. “Supply & Demand” is a bluesy Sidenotes reunion as if they never left leading into the almost jazzy & vivid story of the “Invisible Man”.

Meanwhile on “Listen Up”, we have Mr. Wrong & Tone Plummer coming into the fold to turn the track into torture porn with an almost funky instrumental just before he takes you on some “A.P.A. (Action Packed Adventures)” with a booming beat from Konnie Ross. The title track has a bit of a spacious feel with the help of Pig Pen reminiscing on his come up as an artist, but then “The One & Only!!” closes things out with a rock-influenced instrumental from DJ Los & lyrics about his uniqueness.

Been a long time coming, but I’m glad this day has finally come because you’re hearing B-Side at his best throughout The Essence. Dude’s pen-game is witty & I dig how he sticks to that vintage hip hop sound.

Score: 4/5

B-Side – “B-Side Wins Again” review

B-Side is an underground veteran from Detroit, Michigan known for being 1/2 of the duo Sidenotes. Last time we heard from him in a full capacity was his Vertigo 1.5 mixtape in 2013 but after a long hiatus, he’s following it up with a new compilation.

The opener “Righteous Anger” finds B-Side venting about being a best kept secret over a soulful boom bap beat from Foul Mouth & then the next song “We Don’t Fight Fair” is a lethal Sidenotes reunion. The track “Dangerous” with A.R.E.S. talks about being just that over a clunky instrumental while the song “Guillotine” showcases his sharp lyricism backed with a slick boom bap beat.

“The Funk” with Alius Pnukkl & Konphlict sees the 3 charismatically talking about how hot they are on the mic over an instrumental that suits the title while the next cut is a solid freestyle over Nolan the Ninja’s “Harvest”. The track “Don’t Say Shit” with Smoke the Motor City Menace sees the 2 talking about bums over a funky beat while “The Whole Crew” talks about knocking out his opponents over an instrumental with a vintage sample.

The track “Greyscale” with Faze Blue Le’Goon, Leif Erikson & Philosophy Cole is a deadly collection of witty bars over a jazzy instrumental while the song “Funk Worm” finds A.R.E.S. forming with Sidenotes like Voltron over a trunk-knocking instrumental from DJ Los. The track “Smash” flexes his prowess over a vibrant instrumental while the song “Burial” with Aztek the Barfly, Dadga & Foul Mouth sees the 4 talking about ending their competition over a gloomy beat. The album then finishes off with a dope remix of “The Vices”, which was my personal favorite song off The Vertigo 1.5.

This was a dope collection of tracks. The production is on point, B-Side sounds refreshed on the mic & the features add a lot into the equation. Really looking forward to his debut album The Essence at some point in the future.

Score: 3.5/5