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

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

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

Bring Me the Horizon is an alt-metal/post-hardcore band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, 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 WME Group-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

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Ian – “Valedictorian” review

This is the 4th EP from up-&-coming rapper/producer Ian of the D1shonorable collective. Somebody that got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. For the past few months however, he’s been going viral off a couple singles to the point of landing a contract with Akon’s brother Bu Thiam’s very own Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment & further building off the recent hype to put out Valedictorian.

After the DJ Holiday intro, the first song “Never Stop” is a playful trap opener to the tape refusing to quit under any circumstances whereas “Bentayga” works in some synths & hi-hats detailing the luxurious lifestyle. “Airbnb” vibrantly brushes off any tough talk that comes his way & throwing a hoe a bag if she shows him something leading into “Hermes Sheets” giving me a heinous atmosphere instrumentally continuing to show off his wealth. “Omakase” talks about busting his ass day & night like KiD CuDi referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over a synth-laced trap beat while “Chauncey” might be favorite track from the cloudy instrumental from Galactic Records signee tana to the lyrics referencing former Detroit Pistons player Chauncey Billups.

“Judgement” flexes that he’s too rich to entertain chumps over minimal synthesizers & hi-hats, but then “Grand Slam” has these rage-inducing undertones boasting that his hermano crazy about the pollo similarly to my favorite show of all-time Breaking Bad. The EP’s final song & lead single “Figure It Out” just so happens to be the very first song of Ian’s that I ever heard carrying over the minimal hypertrap influences from “Grand Slam” as I had previously mentioned including a reference to the Batman franchise owned by the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment. The first bonus cut “Options” keeps the rage going talking about his neck changing the weather & the other “Magic Johnson” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor becoming another standout passing bread like the Lakers player.

Being already somewhat familiar with the D1 crew since Fakekickin’ just fully produced the new Moh Baretta mixtape RE:VAMP over a week ago, Ian here has been catching my interest for a few weeks as a result of Valedictorian’s final 2 tracks continuing to grow in popularity & he might even be my new favorite member. He properly introduces himself to a wider audience whilst maintaining the plugg/rage elements of his earlier EPs, further solidifying himself as an exciting new face in both subgenres.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

PARTYNEXTDOOR – “PARTYNEXTDOOR 4” review

PARTYNEXTDOOR is a 30 year old singer/songwriter, rapper & producer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada becoming the first artist that Drake signed to OVO Sound in the spring of 2013 & released a well-received eponymous debut EP few months later. His full-length debut PARTYNEXTDOOR 2 nearly 13 months later took everything from self-titled to another level & Colours that winter was noticeably more contemporary. PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 received generally mixed responses in comparison to it’s both predecessors until Colours 2 showed a bit of improvement, but 7 Days ended up missing harder than P3 did. PND’s next EP Partypack became another redeeming moment much like Colours 2 & keeping in mind that the last album Partymobile easily stands as his worst, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 gave me some optimism that it would outdo his last couple LPs.

“C o n t r o l” gets started with this atmospheric trap soul/alternative R&B crossover with Cardiak behind the boards talking about wanting to sex up this woman whereas “L o s e M y M i n d” ruins the timeless DMX song “Party Up (Up in Here)” gratingly discussing 2 women driving him to the point of insanity. “S t u c k I n M y W a y s” takes a groovier route instrumentally thanks to Alex Lustig & 40 so PARTYNEXTDOOR can talk about never wanting to change just before “C h e e r s” brings this futuristic trap soul vibe to the table dedicating this one to all the lovers that like to turn up by consuming alcohol.

Drawing near the end of P4’s first half, “M a k e I t T o T h e M o r n i n g” spaciously sings about not wanting to fight with his romantic interest wanting them to last until the sunrise while the moody “N o C h i l l” produced by Nonstop da Hitman telling the star of the show that she been acting reckless ever since he got her some ice. “H e r O l d F r i e n d s”produced by OG Parker & G. Ry was an ok trap soul/alternative R&B single talking about sleeping with girl’s old friends but after the “R e t r e a t” skit, “F o r C e r t a i n” sounds like a boring dancehall track running off from VIEWS/More Life.

“S o r r y, B u t I’ m O u t s i d e” works in luscious synths & hi-hats singing that he has someone waiting for him inside playing with their emotions while “R e a l W o m a n” is another alternative R&B/trap soul fusion showing off this model he’s dating who’s taller than him. After the “M o t h e r’ s P r a y e r” skit, “F a m i l y” stands as the most heartfelt moment on the album talking about that he misses his family & the self-produced “R e s e n t m e n t” closes shop with some downtempo undertones needing respect.

The reason both P3 & Partymobile weren’t was well received as PARTYNEXTDOOR’s first couple LPs is because of the fact that he confirmed he wasn’t using everything he learned artistically on them & cheating on the quality of the art, which P4 does the complete opposite of as the best album he’s put out in almost a decade. He cooks up 46 minutes worth of amongst the most focused alternative R&B/trap soul in his discography from a “me & her” perspective that the intimacy for the prime PND listening experience requires.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Future – “We Still Don’t Trust You” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Future teaming up with Metro Boomin’ once again for his 11th full-length album. Coming up as a member of the Dungeon Family thanks to his cousin Rico Wade of Organized Noize, he officially made his debut in 2012 with Pluto & would later follow it up with a hot streak of modern day trap essentials like Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). However since 2017, Future has mostly been painting himself in a corner & prioritizing quantity over quality. I mean sure HNDRXX took a more sensual approach & SUPER SLIMEY showed a pretty great chemistry with fellow trap trailblazer Young Thug, but Beast Mode 2 was a step down from the predecessor & he got with Juice WRLD to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of that next year, The WIZRD was passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution whatsoever & Save Me was a decent attempt at being more vulnerable, High Off Life admirably found him staying true to himself in the midst of trying new things & I Never Liked You put the toxicity claims about him to rest. Metro reunited with Future for We Don’t Trust You only 3 weeks ago & that was his best since D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2), but We Still Don’t Trust You was said to be the HNDRXX counterpart to Pluto’s previous double album FUTURE HNDRXX & I had no doubts that they were gonna outdo themselves much like they did with We Don’t Trust You being a step above self-titled almost a month back.

The title track featuring The Weeknd providing it’s sole verse is a synthpop opener singing about how much of a freak this bitch is whereas “Drink n Dance” gives me an acoustic trap soul vibe basically basically looking to fuck all night long pretty much. “Out of My Hands” brings a misty trap atmosphere instrumentally to spit about flexing that everyone knows the shit that he be on leading into the futuristic “Jealous” co-produced with Dez Wright & Wheezy singing his heart out that he’s unsure why this woman makes him feel envious.

“This Sunday” melodically promises to buy a new Ferrari by the end of the weekend even though the beat feels vaguely similar to that of “Hallucinating” just before “Luv Bad Bitches” is this alternative R&B ballad about preferring bad bitches over good girls. “Amazing” has to be the weakest moment on the album heavilly building itself around a sample of “Girl After Girl” by Juicy J featuring Gucci Mane & Nicki Minaj although I admittedly respect the concept of it revolving around Future & Metro’s friendship, but then “All to Myself” featuring The Weeknd bounces back with this pop rap/alternative R&B crossover flipping “Let’s Lay Together” by The Isley Brothers with Mike Dean & notably Abel dissing Drake.

The heavy sampling of “Dancin’ On a Pole (MKU)” by the Three 6 Mafia on “Nights Like This” to sing AND rap about needing all of this significant other was a nice touch while “Came to the Party” admits to pullin’ up to the spot only to get flicks continuing to get back in his full-blown trap shit. “Right 4 You” brings the synthpop influences back professing to the love of his life that he’s trying to get Wright for her since he belongs to her while “Mile High Memories” has this cloudy trap soul groove to it courtesy of the So Icey Boyz to talk south of France.

“Overload” is the 2nd worst song on We Still Don’t Trust You presenting itself as a mediocre synth-trap hybrid fulfilling his ego pretty much that is until “Gracious” produced with Taurus picks us up again going for more of a stripped back trap sound singing about the gratitude he feels towards this woman who is faithful of him. “Beat It” clashes hi-hats with these triumphant synth-melodies tellin’ this hoe that she can either ride & stay committed or hit the bricks while “Always Be My Fault” featuring The Weeknd reunites the 2 for the final time for this electropop/synthpop duet about hearing the ones they converse in the dark with in the storm.

Meanwhile on “1 Big Family”, we have Pluto boasting that he has 20 different bitches with them over hi-hats & synthesizers while the acoustic trap flavored “Red Leather” featuring J. Cole finds them both rappin’ about pissin’ on your grave wearing leather specifically in my personal favorite color. After the “#1” intro, “Nobody Knows My Struggle” begins a bonus track run vibrantly letting the title speak for itself while “All My Life” featuring Lil Baby talking about growing up with steppers over this quirky trap instrumental.

“Crossed Out” continues the final moments of We Still Don’t Trust You on some rowdy trap shit looking to cross out anyone who ain’t with the gang while “Crazy Clientele” mixes elements of orchestral with trap getting in his Freebandz shit. “Show of Hands” featuring A$AP Rocky produced with Honorable C.N.O.T.E. begins the encore of the LP by energetically talking about being trap dudes & Rocky dissing Drake too prior to “Streets Made Me a King” concluding the album by bragging about his status in a fun, charming manner.

I prefer We Don’t Trust You by a slight margin, but We Still Don’t Trust You still stands as a primarily solid companion to the previous album Future had put out 3 weeks ago. It pretty much lived up to the anticipation of being a superior HNDRXX/Save Me outside of only a couple songs that missed the landing primarily as Metro builds it’s sound around trap, alternative R&B & pop rap in the midst of Pluto himself pushing himself as an artist venturing off into the styles of trap soul, synthpop & electropop.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

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

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Future – “We Don’t Trust You” review

This is the 10th full-length LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Future. Coming up as a member of the Dungeon Family thanks to his cousin Rico Wade of Organized Noize, he officially made his debut in 2012 with Pluto & would later follow it up with a hot streak of modern day trap essentials like Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). However since 2017, Future has mostly been painting himself in a corner & prioritizing quantity over quality. I mean sure HNDRXX took a more sensual approach & SUPER SLIMEY showed a pretty great chemistry with fellow trap trailblazer Young Thug, but Beast Mode 2 was a step down from the predecessor & he got with Juice WRLD to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of that next year, The WIZRD was just passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution whatsoever & Save Me was a decent attempt at being more vulnerable, High Off Life admirably found him staying true to himself in the midst of trying new things & I Never Liked You put the toxicity claims about him to rest. That said: Metro Boomin’ reuniting for Future’s first double album since FUTURE HNDRXX was surely going to surpass them both when you think about the history between the 2.

The title track is a cloudy trap opener with some synthesizers talking about having hate written all over you leading into “Young Metro” taking them into church with co-production from Mike Dean & even The Weeknd supplying additional vocals. “Ice Attack” finds the So Icey Boyz takes the dynamic route instrumentally cautioning not to put too much jewelry on, but then the bell-driven “Type Shit” featuring Playboi Carti & Travis Scott is essentially the new “Carnival” finds the trio making it known that they do NOT fuck with rats out here referencing WCW founder Ted Turner.

“Claustrophobic” starts with pianos, strings, hi-hats & a spoken word Prodigy intro talking about feeling claustrophobic himself just before the horn-inflicted “Like That” featuring Kendrick Lamar finds the trio or quintet of you include ¥$ on the remix talking about poppin’ bottles & Kendrick recapturing that “Control” aura sayin’ “Fuck sneak dissin’, first person shooter, I hope they came with 3 switches I crash out like “Fuck rap,” diss Melle Mel if I had to. Got 2TEEZ with me, I’m snatchin’ chains & burnin’ tattoos” alongside “Motherfuck the big 3, n***a, it’s just big me” followed by “I’m really like that & your best work is a light pack, Prince outlived Mike Jack. ‘Fore all your dogs gettin’ buried that’s a K with all these 9s, he gon’ see Pet Sematary”.

The otherworldly atmosphere of “Slimed In” goes forward getting on his slime shit suggesting that y’all should be hittin’ him up through the Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp & having additional Young Thug vocals on the pre-hook while “Magic Don Juan (Princess Diana)” is this off-the-wall 2-parter co-produced by Boi-1da & Honorable C.N.O.T.E. likening himself to Bishop Don Juan serving as the soundtrack to buying drip to.

Travis joins Pluto on the psychedelic “Cinderella” talking about their racks being stuck together while “Runnin’ Outta Time” has to be endearing moment on the album featuring co-production from Zaytoven admitting that he can’t trust nobody calling out everyone that has ever turned his back on him. “Fried (She a Vibe)” goes back into a cloudier direction talking about still being high from the other night while the symphonic/trap crossover “Ain’t No Love” co-produced by Outtatown clarifies that it isn’t love when motherfuckers be acting fake out here & that’s facts.

“Everyday Hustle” featuring Rick Ross has a more soulful flare to it as they both discuss hustling 24/7 while the WWE Bad Blood IV theme song “GTA” finds the So Icey Boyz & Wheezy hooking up keys & hi-hats looking to crash out. The song “Seen It All” flips “Quiet Storm” by Prodigy feeling like he truly has seen & done it all while the penultimate track “W.T.F.Y.M. (What The Fuck You Mean?)” kinda has this otherworldly tone to the beat going crazy in the trap. “Where My Twin @?” concludes Future’s best album since DS2 by paying tribute to Thug.

Future’s output in the last 7 years has generally been mid although I do enjoy the highlights off each album, but We Don’t Trust You is basically a refined version of self-titled & Future’s strongest LP in almost a decade. Metro has evolved tremendously behind the boards since they last worked with one another, the hidden features were a fun touch & Pluto is absolutely back in his element. We Still Don’t Trust You in a few weeks has pretty much been confirmed to be a spiritual successor to HNDRXX stylistically much like this & if anything, it’ll make you love We Don’t Trust You more.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Matt Champion – “Mika’s Laundry” review

Woodlands, Texas rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Matt Champion releasing his full-length solo debut LP. Someone you may know for being a founding member of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective alongside Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood & JOBA. He also released a solo EP Harley in the spring of 2017 right before the classic SATURATION trilogy but now that the best boy band since 1 Direction broke up a couple years ago already, Matt’s stepping up to the plate by releasing Mika’s Laundry following Slime in the Ice Machine & Blanket.

The self-produced “Green” starts us off smoothly talking about that Alabama blue whereas “Aphid” featuring Dijonfuses neo-soul & alternative R&B with additional elements of pop rap, psychedelic soul & even bedroom pop asking if one can say hallelujah for him to know they’re wild. “Steel” featuring Dora Jar brings a funkier groove to the table instrumentally not minding if his lover asks him to hurry, but then the vibrant albeit woodwind-driven “Gbiv” talking about blowing the paint like a piston.

Meanwhile, “Purify” groovily asks if he can trust this individual just before “Dogfish” mixes indie rock, art pop, slowcore, neo-soul & experimental hip hop all into 1 talking about the kind of smile people say he has. “Code Red” gives off a melodic trap flare thanks to Jabari Manwa hoping his lover is ready to go leading into the synth-heavy “Aren’t You Excited?” talking about wanting to be a part of her world except that he’s stuck inside a video screen.

“Slug” crosses over electro-disco, neo-soul boogie, synth-funk, synthpop & psychedelic soul desiring someone he’d never leave no matter what he does while the summery “Everybody Likes You” asks his partner what they do when no one else is around. “Project” acoustically gets reminded why he let an ex of his go while “Slow Motion” featuring JENNIE dabbles with atmospheric liquid drum fusing that with adult contemporary, art pop & alt-pop talking about moving slowly. The delicately-produced closer “Meetin’ You” finishes Matt’s first solo album never needing another thing.

Kevin went for a completely different sound on Blanket last fall & for anyone who liked the alternative R&B/neo-soul direction that Harley took months before BROCKHAMPTON’s popularity skyrocketed, you should know what you’re getting yourself into on Mika’s Laundry. Matt’s continuing to reveal his artistic range with his passionate songwriting/vocals generally going for a predominant alt-pop feeling with undertones of alternative R&B, neo-soul, pop rap, art pop.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Flo Milli – “Fine Ho, Stay” review

Flo Milli is a 24 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Mobile, Alabama who went viral in 2018 off her charismatic “Beef” freestyle. She then signed to RCA Records & put out her debut mixtape Ho, Why Is You Here? a couple summers later following by the full-length debut You Still Here, Ho? nearly 2 years later. So continuing the biyearly work cycle, it’s only right that she returns with a sophomore album since spring’s coming up.

To get us started, “Understand” acknowledges that she’s different from all these other women in the game over a Memphis style instrumental from Bugz Ronin whereas “New Me” featuring Anycia works in synthesizers & hi-hats thanks to Honorable C.N.O.T.E. talking about feeling like a brand new person. “Got the Juice” cautions that she’ll beef with you forever if you go at her first over a thunderous Kid Hazel beat, but then “Neva” featuring Monaleo refuses to conform with the help of Juicy J, Lex Luger & Purps providing a bit of a wealthy atmosphere.

“Never Lose Me” featuring Lil Yachty which I like more than the remix featuring Cardi B & SZA mixes pop rap with pluggnb, trap soul & even chipmunk soul affirming self-worth leading into “Toast” dabbling further into plugg courtesy of Cardo telling her ex to leave her alone. “Can’t Stay Mad” gets more melodic explaining she can put the bullshit behind when he loves her a certain way just before “Edible” featuring Gunna finds Bangladesh blending a guitar riff with hi-hats talking about how hard the sex be hitting.

Moving on with the 2nd half, “Lay Up” moodily makes it clear that that’s exactly what she wants to do while the minimal “Life Hack” produced by ATL Jacob refuses to let anyone play her & that she can’t be replaced. “Clap Sum” returns to put hoes in the ground accompanied by a monstrous Mike WiLL Made-It beat & after “Tell Me What You Want” goes for a bouncier vibe asking her lover what he needs from her, the final song “Not Sorry” talks about being unapologetic over another plugg instrumental.

From the moment I heard her “Beef” freestyle, I knew that Flo was talented & that it was going to flourish going into the current decade as one of the best females in the game. Sure enough: Fine Ho, Stay ends the 4-year trilogy with the most intimate installment of them all. A couple spotty features here & there, but we get expansive take on her lively sound & we find all of her alter-egos colliding together.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

21 Savage – “american dream” review

London, England, United Kingdom born albeit Atlanta, Georgia raised rapper, songwriter & occasional producer 21 Savage back with his 4th full-length solo LP over 3 years since the previous one Savage Mode II. Appearing on the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class list, he continued to make a household name for himself in the current trap landscape by dropping his 2nd EP Savage Mode with Metro Boomin’ producing it in it’s entirety shortly after. Then came his full-length debut Issa Album & an incredible collab album he did with Offset called Without Warning the following year, but it wouldn’t be until the end of 2018 where 21 dropped his most mature work to date with i am > i was. Fast forward a little over a month later, he was arrested by ICE after it was revealed that he was born in the UK & stayed in the US on an expired visa to freed 10 days later. But as he gears up to release his own biopic this summer coming off Savage Mode II, he’s giving us the soundtrack 6 months early.

After the titular intro, the first song “all of me” is a spaciously trap opener sampling Rose Royce talking about becoming the person that he is today whereas “redrum” works in more hi-hats & an operatic vocal flip thanks to London on da Track getting on his murder shit. “n.h.i.e.” featuring Doja Cat comes through with a moody pop rap duet discussing playing by the rules prior to the cloudy “Sneaky” laced by Coupe talking about how it be every time he gets with his bitch.

“pop ur shit” featuring Metro Thuggin’ finds both 21 & Young Thug getting braggadocious on top of a dark Metro Boomin’ instrumental except the “It smell like gas, I think somebody pooped” line is cringe just before the sample-heavy “letter 2 my brudda” is a sequel to “letter 2 my momma”. Metro returns behind the boards with BoogzDaBeast for “dangerous” featuring Lil Durk telling all the fuck boys to stay out their way over some crooning vocals & hi-hats, but then “née-nah” featuring Travis Scott goes into orchestral turf talking about people getting them fucked up.

Meanwhile, “see the real” takes the atmospheric route with the help of OG Parker explaining his dog don’t want nothin’ out of life but to kill motherfuckers while “prove it” featuring Summer Walker finds Coupe flipping Faith Evans so both of them can deliver a pop rap/R&B duet. “should’ve wore a bonnet” featuring Brent Faiyaz keeps the trap/R&B fusions rolling as Cardo samples “I Don’t Want to Do Anything” by Mary J. Blige featuring K-Ci while “just like me” addresses “the judge for my crimes” over a soulful trap beat Metro & FNZ made.

The penultimate track “red sky” sees Honorable C.N.O.T.E. blending these strings as well as hi-hats to begin the encore of the american dream soundtrack matched with 21’s lyrics about tides risin’ up to new highs & finally, “dark days” featuring Mariah the Scientist on the hook is a profound note to end the album on being unable to stand the thought of losing all his dawgs. I also felt that Kid Hazel played his part in enhancing the overall emotion to the track too.

Although I wouldn’t put it on the same pedestal as Savage Mode II as far as 21’s full-lengths go, we still got a solid follow-up from him nevertheless in my opinion. The production expands his trap sound by additionally pulling from gangsta rap, pop rap & chipmunk soul so he can formally address the long-standing queries about the UK-born rapper’s origin story & the immigration troubles that ensued in the intervening years.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!