SoFaygo – “Mania” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Cobb County, Georgia rapper SoFaygo. Cementing himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes in recent memory, he’s since gone on to drop over a dozen EPs & it’s even resulted in Houston trap trailblazer Travis Scott signing him signed to Cactus Jack Records for his long awaited full-length debut Pink Heartz couple years back even though reception towards it was generally mixed. He coincided with the 1-year anniversary of both him making it on the XXL Freshman Class & the release of B4Pink with Go+, ready for some Mania roughly 54 weeks since applying Pressure.

“Open It Up” starts off by atmospherically talking about losing his appetite & getting his paper situation corrected whereas “Bankrolls” hazier trap approach instrumentally thanks to BryceUnknwn promising that he’ll be keeping stacks on him until the very end. “Outside” produced by Cardo could be my favorite of the bunch from the ethereal beat to the lyrics about being in a different dimension prior to “Back in the Mix” discussing his return a bit more over a glitchy sample.

Faygo’s plugg origins talking about every single day being a new payday for him just before the rage-inducing “Notice Me” courtesy of Ginseng referencing my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant although I wish Hardrock had a verse. “Relocate” boisterously talks about female rockstars being his type & getting more geeked up than a zombie until thr6x brings back the rage during “Extreme” feeling like he’s running out of time.

“Challenge” yearns to take his lovers to where the millions are over these fuzzy, grungy synthesizers telling his girl that he understands that people are jealous of him because he’s on a whole different level while the trippy “Monster” kicks off the 2nd act by asking his partner if she loves the madness & the action. “Figure Me Out” cloudily talks about a woman intrigued by his lifestyle while “Mission” makes reference to my all-time favorite basketball player Michael Jordan over an Ayelavish! beat.

Internet Money Records in-house producer Rio Leyva jumps behind the boards for mind-altering “Count Up Fast” poppin’ tags with more rocks than the Warner Bros.-owned Flintstones franchise while “Wasted” runs it back with thr6x to talking about consuming lean to the point of feeling numb. The only single “Money & Clothes” explains that those’re the only 2 things he knows while “Grow” talks about prioritizing his career & counting bread daily.

The song “Crash Out” begins Mania’s last 7 minutes incorporating more synths popping out in a Rick Owens fit & calling out the frauds pretending they solid when they’re disloyal in actuality while the cloudy “Safe” gets on demon time thumbin’ through his bills chillin’. “See Me Shine” finishes with another throwback to SoFaygo’s pre-Cactus Jack sound advising to not waste one’s time on how he’s been doing.

Go+ quickly silence the crowd that thought SoFaygo had become washed after signing to Cactus Jack Records & if the divisive reception of Pressure had anybody thinking that we were in for a sophomore slump, you’d be sorely mistaken because this is the best he sounded since he got a label deal & his strongest full-length of the 2. The production is a mix of old & new sounds he’s explored throughout his career, recapturing the energy of “MM3” off Jackboys II.

Score: 4/5

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Cactus Jack Records – “JACKBOYS II” review

This is a brand new mixtape from Houston, Texas label Cactus Jack Records founded by local rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & the honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott. The current roster includes Don Toliver, SoFaygo, Sheck Wes, Luxury Tax, DJ Chase B & Wallie the Sensei with both Smokepurpp & Malu Trevejo being signed at one point except neither one of them officially put anything out during their short time. They collectively dropped a JACKBOYS EP days following Christmas 2019 & have returned for a sequel since they’ve brought a few new artists on board since.

The first song “Champain & Vacay” by Don Toliver & Travis Scott after the “JB2 Radio” intro finds the latter subtly responding back to Pusha T with the “Made a hunnid off pushin’ T’s” line over some synthesizers & hi-hats whereas “2000 Excursion” by Don Toliver, Sheck Wes & Travis Scott finds Cardo mixing trap, pop rap, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & rap rock homaging the titular brand of Ford cars. “Kick Out” by Travis Scott gives me a gritty dirty south vibe until the switch-up during the last minute courtesy of T-Minus talking about getting the boot of shit gets complicated prior to “Dumbo” also by Travis Scott guaranteeing that the baddie he with is going stupid.

SoFaygo gets his own song with “MM3” shutting down the rumors of him being unhappy on Cactus Jack by giving us what we can expect on his forthcoming sophomore effort Mania rapping like the rent was due sampling “Ski Mask” by Project Pat just before “Velour” finds Don Toliver prominently singing a refrain & chorus with Sheck Wes providing a sole verse & Bugz Ronin musically backing them. “Contest” by SoFaygo & Travis Scott marks the first time they’ve collaborated with each other jumping over a rage beat talking about catching Ws their whole lives while “I.L.M.B. (I Love My Bitch)” by Sheck Wes & Travis Scott made for an average trap single with secondary hypertrap influences.

“Where Was You” by Travis Scott featuring Future & Playboi Carti produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying reunites the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren & Jalen Williams of trap so they can kill all these hoes wanting to eat their bones while “No Comments” by Don Toliver kicks the synths back in full gear to talk about sprinkling more hi-hats in the fold trying to get to know a woman. “Beep Beep” by Travis Scott ruins a self-produced instrumental by giving SahBabii the weakest feature on the entire compilation while “PBT” by Travis Scott featuring Tyla & Vybz Kartel feels like an outdated attempt at dancehall.

Glorilla’s appearance during “Shyne” by Travis Scott makes sense heavily pulling from Chicago drill & crunk referencing Matthew McConaughey in light of his upcoming appearance in the A24 Films thriller The Lost Bus & hitting the wiggly wobbly while “Outside” by Travis Scott featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again links the 2 up over synthesizers & hi-hats talking about stealing people’s bitches. “Can’t Stop” by Don Toliver & Wallie the Sensei brings both of them together to deliver a psychedelic tribute to ingesting all sorts of drugs & “Florida Flow” by Travis Scott featuring Kodak Black finishes the tape with them beat reflects on the Miami scene speedin’ people’s shit up the way H-Town slows shit down over a Tay Keith beat.

My favorite Travis Scott solo song is actually the one that starts off the deluxe run “Da Wizard” dropping braggadocio over Metro Boomin’ & TM88 production while “Trip Out” feels like a Yeat song featuring Sheck Wes considering Yeat’s all over it except for the final verse out-rapping Sheck & it’s catered to the rage sound Yeat became known for when his popularity grew. The final bonus track “110 South” by Luxury Tax & Wallie the Sensei marks Luxury’s only appearance on the entire compilation joining Cactus Jack’s newest member backed by a ghostly trap instrumental giving no fucks.

So much going down in Texas this weekend considering Adam Page became a 2-time AEW World Champion ending Jon Moxley’s 4th & worst reign, オカダ・カズチカ defeating his biggest 新日本プロレス rival Kenny Omega to become the new AEW International Champion, the longest reigning ROH Women’s World Champion Athena becoming the current 4-time AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm’s #1 Contender, the seeds being planted for a reunion between former 7-time WWE Tag Team Champions Adam Copeland & Christian Cage since the current ROH World Television Champion Nick Wayne turned on the latter and lastly the current ROH World Tag Team Champion & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion Dustin Rhodes becoming the new AEW TNT Champion because of Adam Cole vacating it due to career-threatening health issues at All In IV yesterday. Regarding the Let God Sort ‘Em Out & JACKBOYS II debate, Let God Sort ‘Em Out sweeps because JACKBOYS II feels reminiscent of Drake & 21 Savage’s collab album Her Loss.

Score: 3/5

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SoFaygo – “Pressure” review

This is the 14th EP from Cobb County, Georgia rapper SoFaygo. Cementing himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes in recent memory, he’s since gone on to drop a dozen EPs & it’s even resulted in Houston trap trailblazer Travis Scott signing him signed to a Cactus Jack Records for his long awaited full-length debut Pink Heartz couple years back even though reception towards it was generally mixed. He coincided with the 1-year anniversary of both him making it on the XXL Freshman Class & the release of B4Pink with Go+, returning to once again apply Pressure.

“Big Body” produced by thr6x starts by mixing trap & pop rap together melodically flexing that he’s been on that shit hopping out of the big bodies whereas “Road Rage” takes a bit of a psychedelic trap route instrumental staying geeked 24/7 including a dope reference to Nettspend. “Pointers / Act Up” is a 2-parter to begin the other half of Pressure rockin’ out with the diamonds around his neck making plays in the field & “Minute Maid” properly ties up the EP with an incredibly loud snare leaving the bank boasting that he might let it rain.

There’s been a lot of speculation in regards to whether or not SoFaygo had actually quit making music & not only did he debunk all of that by surprise releasing a 4-track 10 minute EP, but one that serves as a prequel to his upcoming sophomore effort Mania that was originally conceived as a sequel to his 2019 EP War. Even if I think the production is average for the most part, his performances aren’t too bad.

Score: 3.5/5

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SoFaygo – “Go+” review

SoFaygo is a 21 year old rapper from Cobb County, Georgia who’s cemented himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes in recent memory. He’s since gone on to drop a dozen EPs & it’s even resulted in Houston trap trailblazer Travis Scott signing him signed to a Cactus Jack Records, who put out his long awaited full-length debut Pink Heartz this past fall even though reception towards it was generally mixed. But to coincide with the 1-year anniversary of both him making it on the XXL Freshman Class & the release of B4Pink the previous summer, Faygo’s coming back & turning what was supposed to be the deluxe version of his last album into his 13th EP.

“Pure” featuring YSL Records signee Yung Kayo starts off the EP with some synthesizers & hi-hats talking about refusing to let anyone box them in whereas “4Sum+” goes for a shimmery approach instrumentally thanks to Bakkwoods & Rafmade detailing being too up. “We Good” takes the cloudy trap route telling his dog that they straight leading into “Ye” keeping the atmospheric vibes going courtesy of BryceUnknwn comparing himself to the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West with all the swag that he creates.

Meanwhile, “Fuck a Post” continues towards the cloud rap trajectory talking about not being on social media like that to chase the paper just before “On the Moon” has a more murkier feeling to the beat from BNYX of Working on Dying so he can flex lyrically once more on the lyrical front. “Backseat” delves back into a spacious groove calling money his best friend, but then “Havoc” appropriately gives off a rage-inducing edge with it’s instrumental causing devastation.

“Wish I Could Tell You” featuring DD Osama was an underwhelming choice for a single from the uneventfully airy production to the mediocre chemistry between the 2 artists while the track “Undercover” pulls from plugg music a bit getting more romantic. “RC” cooks up another trillwave beat comparing his life to a roller coaster & the bonus cut “Beautiful Rockstar” officially sends off the EP by vibrantly detailing the lifestyle that he lives with a roomy trap instrumental backing him.

Pink Heartz for the mixed reception it got is still a fine major debut & I feel like those same fans who’re left disappointed by that previous album last fall will find themselves leaning towards Go+ because there’s no question in my mind that it’s Faygo‘s best since Travis signed him. The feature list isn’t as consistent as the full-length debut even though I appreciate him boiling it all down to only 2 guests & the most refreshing part is him returning to the pluggnb/plugg elements that his previous Cactus Jack material lacked.

Score: 3.5/5

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SoFaygo – “Pink Heartz” review

This is the long-awaited full-length debut from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer SoFaygo. Cementing himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes, he’s given us a dozen EPs within the last 7 years & has since signed to Travis Scott’s very own Cactus Jack Records a year & a half ago. Last we heard from him was when he dropped B4Pink & BabyJack over the summer following his placement in this year’s XXL Freshman Class, but is finally dropping Pink Heartz ahead of UTOPIA next month apparently.

“Transparency” kicks off the album with an airy yet drumless opener asking if you can feel his emotions whereas “Out” embraces a more delicate trap sound talking about working too hard. Ken Carson tags along for the rage-inducing “Hell Yeah” produced by Bakkwoods, BryceUnknwn & Trgc to keep it player, but then “Blitz V2” comes through with a cloudy sequel to “Blitz” off his 3rd EP War boasting that he doesn’t miss at all & that it gets scary that he wants to feel a blitz. himself.

Meanwhile on “Stay Awake”, we have Lil Uzi Vert coming into the picture on top of a synth-laced beat from Rafmade asking their lovers not to fall asleep on either one of them leading into the wavy “Me Too” talking about his desire to get fucked up under the influence. “Goin’ Back” returns to a cloudier vibe to drop some braggadocio just before “Another One” weaves some more synthesizers into the fold talking about how ain’t shit stopping but the cash flow.

“Slip” with Don Toliver finds the 2 calling out those who be cappin’ to their faces over a psychedelic trap instrumental while “I’ll Say” brings back the synths once more talking about having too much weed in his system. “Price” takes a more pillowy route going into detail of the cons that come with fame. “Fasho” goes into slower territory talking about already being on game while “Takeoff” with Gunna jumps on top of a rubbery trap beat from Pharrell cautioning their competition to stay in their lanes.

The song “Greed” works in some horns to acknowledge those who’re envious of them simply by looking in their eyes while the penultimate track “Marvelous” has a slower yet melodic tone to it talking about doing something excellent & being on his A-shit. “Forever” though serves as an explosive closer to the album where SoFaygo expresses his desire to live this life for eternity.

I’ve been following this dude a little bit before the Cactus Jack deal & now that Pink Heartz is finally here, I can say that it’s a full-length debut that most definitely proves to a wider audience what he’s capable of doing. It’s focused, the hunger is there & the trap production has some more plugg/rage undertones to it that I really enjoy Excited to hear where he goes from here under LaFlame’s wing.

Score: 3.5/5

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SoFaygo – “B4PINK” review

SoFaygo is a 20 year old rapper from Cobb County, Georgia who has cemented himself as one of the biggest faces in the plugg/pluggnB & rage scenes. He’s gone on to drop a total of 10 EPs since 2015 & now in light of Travis Scott signing him to Cactus Jack Records early last year, SoFaygo is preluding his upcoming full-length debut Pink Heartz by dropping an 11th EP & to celebrate him earning a spot on the new XXL Freshman Class list that also came out today.

“Long Way” is an amazingly energetic opener produced by Nick Mira of Internet Money Records & BryceUnknwn talking about how far he’s come whereas “Count Me Out” takes a airier, trap route instrumental wise dismissing those who be doubting him. The song “Good Day” returns to a more cloudier approach confessing that he can’t stay in Atlanta anymore while the penultimate track “Fall” is him bragging about him being the shit over a hazy beat. “Got Damn!” ends the EP by venting out what’s been on his mind & the Bakkwoods/Rafmade instrumental on here has a futuristic flare to it that I really like.

My lil bro J$zpiech actually put me onto SoFaygo months before he signed to Cactus Jack & I really think he gave everyone a fun little prelude ahead of Pink Heartz. The production is alright, but I can’t deny that he has a knack for catchy songwriting & melodic performances. All that being said: I’ll be going into his upcoming full-length debut expecting it to be a pivotal moment in his career.

Score: 3.5/5