Fivio Foreign – “B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)” review

Fivio Foreign is a 32 year old rapper from Brooklyn, New York who happens to be a protege of former Bad Boy signee Ma$e. He would go on to sign to the pastor’s Columbia Records imprint RichFish Records & has since dropped only 2 EPs: Pain & Love and 800 B.C.. Now truthfully, I didn’t get introduced to Fivio until I heard his verse on “Demons” off of Drake’s 6th mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes a couple years back & just wasn’t impressed at all. But when I heard his verse on “Off the Grid” off Kanye West’s final Def Jam album DONDA last summer, I was highly impressed & I can say the same for his recent singles. Needless to say: My anticipation for Fivio’s full-length debut was very much there. Even more so after learning he got Ye to executive produce it & Mike Dean to do all the engineering.

“On God” is a drumless duet with KayCyy talking about having each other if all else fails whereas “Through the Fire” samples the Chaka Kahn joint of the same name as he & Quavo fight their demons. “Magic City” goes into drill territory as he & Quavo talk about partying, but then “City of Gods” with Kanye follows it up with an incredibly fun dedication to the Big Apple.

Meanwhile on “What’s My Name?”, we have Fivio as well as Coi Leray & Queen Naija over a sample of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child for a romance ballad just before “For Nothin’” has a folkier vibe talking about having a shooter. “Hello” takes a syrupy route talking about looking for a lady like her leading into the A$AP Rocky-assisted “Confidence”, which is basically a 2 minute braggadocious banger.

Lil Yachty tags along for the apocalyptic “Slime Them” displaying an impressive back & forth chemistry with Fivio while “Feel My Struggle” works in a high pitched vocal sample detailing the hardships that he had to face. Yung Bleu’s verse on “World Watching” is one of the weakest features on the album even though Lil Tjay’s verse was decent & Fivio obviously stole the show. The Ellie Goulding sample is but after the “B.I.B.L.E. Talk” interlude, “Changed on Me” with Polo Gis a glorious shot at those who switched up on them.

Following that, “Left Side” follows it up with a boring gangsta love jam down to the redundant Blueface verse while “Love Songs” heavily samples “So Sick” by Ne-Yo & the latter actually appears on here for a sequel to the ‘06 hit. The penultimate track “Whoever” incorporates some choir vocals to deliver an open letter to anyone & finally, “Can’t Be Us” is an emotional closer talking about what makes him a man.

B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) isn’t the most mind-blowing debut I’ve heard all year, but it did finally win me over on Fivio because I do enjoy a good portion of what I’ve heard. The features are alright, but the Brooklyn drill sound he came up on is more refined & I admire how he’s basically putting his life experiences on wax.

Score: 3.5/5

Latto – “777” review

Latto is a 23 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who won the very first season of The Rap Game & eventually turned down a deal with So So Def Recordings because it wasn’t enough money. She eventually broke through a couple summers back after signing to RCA Records & putting out her full-length debut Queen of da Souf, which I personally thought was just mid. However given her recent singles, I was definitely interested in checking out her sophomore album over here.

The title track is a 2-part opener with the first half on top of a cloudy trap instrumental from Sonny Digital with the other mixing choir vocals to reaffirm her Queen of da Souf status. 21 Savage tags along for the phonk-influenced “Wheelie” getting raunchy whereas “Big Energy” samples “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey & “Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club encouraging listeners to believe in themselves. Childish Gambino & Lil Wayne come into the picture for the undeniably catchy “Sunshine” produced by Bongo to talk about feeling good, but then the Lil Durk-assisted “Like a Thug” goes into a more striped back direction for a lust anthem.

Meanwhile on “It’s Givin’”, we have Latto going full on Dirty South with the help of Pooh Beatz & JetsonMade for a dedication to all the boss bitches out there leading into “Stepper” having a Detroit trap quality to it getting on some Bonnie & Clyde shit even though Nardo Wick’s verse does not thing for me at all. “Trust No Bitch” basically speaks for itself on top of an aggressive d.a. got that dope beat just before “Bussdown” with Kodak Black finds the 2 for a glossy braggadocio tune produced by OG Parker. The song “Soufside” breaks down how it be where she’s from with a string-heavy backdrop while the penultimate track “Sleep Sleep” is an entrancing ballad produced by BoogzDaBeast about sleeping naked. “Real One” ends the album with a bouncy Pharrell instrumental admitting that she feels disrespected.

If you haven’t been sold on Latto yet, then I think 777 would be the most important place to start because it has me appreciating her a lot more as an artist than I did when she initially broke out. Her songwriting has gotten better with the same thing applying to the production & the feature choices are a lot more consistent than they were a little over a year back.

Score: 3.5/5

Rick Ross – “Richer Than I Ever Been” review

This is the 11th full-length album from Miami, Florida rapper, entrepreneur, record executive & Maybach Music Group Rick Ross. Making his debut on wax in 2000 on Erick Sermon’s 3rd album Erick Onasis he would eventually make his full-length debut 6 years later with Port of Miami & was followed up by Trilla. Both of which were just ok, but it wouldn’t be until 2009 that Rozay would really solidify himself as a legend in the game as Deeper Than Rap, Teflon Don, God Forgives, I Don’t & Mastermind are all rightfully regarded as his best bodies of work. Rather You Than Me & Port of Miami 2 were both impressive as well, so to see him come back in the form of Richer Than I Ever Been had me excited given the mediocrity of both Expensive Pain & Folarin II earlier this fall.

The-Dream tags along for the opener “Little Havana” advising listeners that you gotta learn to use your mind to help keep you out of certain situations on top of a Boi-1da instrumental whereas the Timbaland-produced “The Pulitzer”, which has a more ominous sound & boastful lyrics. Benny the Butcher comes into the fold for the lavish “Rapper Estates” talking about living big time, but then “Marathon” weaves in a glistening STREETRUNNER beat reminding that he’s more than rich.

Future accompanies Rozay on “Warm Words in a Cold World” alongside Wale coming fresh off performing during former WWE Champion, NXT Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 8-time WWE tag team champion Big E’s entrance at WrestleMania XXXVII this past spring although his 2nd reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion came to an end by former WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews for an infectiously fun ballad about icing out their shawties leading into the DreamDoll-assisted “Wiggle” which is basically a failed attempt at strip club banger despite the Don Cannon instrumental.

“Can’t Be Broke” has an admirable concept on top of Johnny Shipes’ production being another notable factor, but Yungeen Ace & Major 9’s performances are both wack as fuck. “Made It Out Alive” has one of the weaker beats on the album even though Rozay kills it lyrically detailing him surviving the hood prior to Gordo, araabMUZIK & Infamous bringing in the horns for “Outlawz” with 21 Savage declaring themselves as such forever.

The song “Imperial High” has a grim DJ Toomp instrumental comparing himself to royalty while the Black Metaphor-produced title track has a more piano heavy sound talking about being at his wealthiest. To finish the album off, “Hella Smoke” with Wiz Khalifa for the glossy weed smoking theme.

Ross has always stayed consistent with his music, but I feel like Richer Than I Ever Been is one of his best albums thus far. The production is top notch as to be expected & lyrically, it’s nice to hear him take listeners through where he’s at currently.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Peep – “High Fashion” review

This is a brand new posthumous EP from Long Island, New York rapper, singer/songwriter & model Lil Peep. Blowing up in late 2016 with the release of his 4th mixtape Hellboy & then following it with his debut album Come Over When You’re Sober last summer, I can see why it connected with a couple of my friends even though I found both of them to be underwhelming. Unfortunately though, Lil Peep passed away just 2 weeks after his 21st birthday of an accidental fentanyl–xanax overdose right before a show in Tucson, Arizona. The rights of his unreleased music were then given to Columbia Records, who dropped a sequel to the full-length debut showing some improvements compared to his early work. But with Harry Fraud announcing High Fashion earlier this week, he & Columbia have managed to put it out there for the public.

“Choose” is a great opener to the EP accompanied by a pillowy instrumental & Peep calling out a woman who’s lying about being in love with him while the penultimate track “Old Me” follows it up with an acoustic cut chillingly looks back on the person that he used to be prior to his untimely death. Finally, the closer “Living Rooms” sends off the EP with a slow guitar ballad venting about the drug addiction that costed him his life.

I was immediately drawn in when I saw Harry Fraud was involved & at the end of the day, I think High Fashion is amongst some of the best material of Peep’s career. Much like Tierra Whack’s new EP RAP?, I feel like it could’ve used at least a couple more songs but I’m not totally sure if I can blame that on anyone because who knows if they have any more material together? Nonetheless, both parties compliment reach other well.

Score: 3.5/5

Baby Keem – “The Melodic Blue” review

Baby Keem is a 20 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Carson, California who actually happens to be Kendrick Lamar’s younger cousin. He’s gone on to drop 4 EPs & 2 mixtapes in the last few years, with his sophomore tape Die for My Bitch being the one that helped boost him to the point where he rightfully earned a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class. However now that he’s signed to K. Dot’s newly formed pgLang with distribution from Columbia Records, we’re finally being treated to a full-length debut from the promising West Coast up-&-comer.

“trademark usa” starts off the album with a 2-parter produced with Ging & Rogét Chahayed shouting out the dead & being the same dude in 48 states whereas the self-produced “pink panties” embraces a funkier vibe singing about lust. “scapegoats” takes a more soulful turn thanks to DJ Dahi & FNZ telling us he thought there was redemption in the 4 ethers while “range brothers” by The Hillbillies boisterously divides itself in 3 portions thanks to both 30 Roc & Dez Wright, although the “top of the mornin’” hook during the final part has since become a meme.

As for “issues”, we have Keem taking a more minimalistic sound opening up about the memories of certain people in his life leading into “gorgeous” telling his bitch that she’s a dime on top of a synth-heavy instrumental. “south africa” hooks up some pianos talking about him & his girl both having the money while “lost souls” featuring Brent Faiyaz on the remix moodily declares all these hoes as such with an equally catchy outro telling his woman that he’s on her side.

“cocoa” featuring Don Toliver finds the 2 teaming up for a playful club banger & I love how “family ties” by The Hillbillies begins with Cardo & Outtatown bringing in these horns for Keem’s verse & later taking a grimier turn for Kendrick to smoke your top 5. “scars” climatically asks God why life is so hard & once “durag activity” obviously takes a psychedelic route as Travis Scott comes into the picture flexing their wealth, “booman” has a jazzier vibe talking about being a barbarian.

The song “first order of business” has a bit of a more ambient sound talking about loyalty & gratitude while “vent” brings Kendrick back 1 last time even if it’s only for a chorus, viciously ask if you’ve ever been punched dead in the face & letting his cousin channel his anger through a singular verse. “16” ends asking Keem’s girl won’t she think about them while “hooligan” starts the deluxe run by having Oogie Mane of Working on Dying combining trap & pop rap so Keem can talk about his reckless lifestyle.

“no sense” fuses pop rap, trap & cloud rap sidestepping all the bullshit that comes around him while “a life of pain instrumentally gives off a Halloween type mood spitting a whole verse flexing of doing his dance in areas & not feeing strange about it. “killstreaks” featuring Don Toliver reunites the pair so they can hypnotically talk about their partners having them running around the country while the “patience” interlude slathers his vocals in auto-tune & takes a more repetitive approach to his songwriting.

Cardo flips “Everlasting Bass” by Rodney O & Joe Cooley on “naked” admitting he’s too impatient hence why he missed the possibility of the hoes at the function getting undressed while “fine china” samples “Real Recognize Real” by Doe Boy & Roddy Ricch expressing his desire of caring for the woman he bags. Tae Beast samples “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by the Fugees during “highway 95’” detailing why they call him 2 Phone Keem & the final bonus track “bank account” featuring Lil Uzi Vert boasts their riches.

I’ve always suggested to check out Die for My Bitch for those who’ve never heard of Keem, but now I have to recommend The Melodic Blue because he really outdid himself on here & has already proven himself to be the most talented pgLang signing of the label’s only 2 artists. His lyrical skills have increased as did his production & his versatility from the energetic trap, hardcore hip hop & pop rap joints to the infectious alternative R&B cuts is really admirable.

Score: 3.5/5

Doja Cat – “Planet Her” review

Doja Cat is a 25 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Los Angeles, California who caught my attention in 2018 off her viral novelty single “MOOO!”. This was followed up the next year with her debut mixtape Hot Pink which was decent as a whole, but “Say So” solidified that she wasn’t going away anytime soon. However, I did get excited for this sophomore album of hers given how much I enjoyed the singles leading up to it & wanted to give it a shot.

“Woman” is a dancehall flavored opener telling this man to let her in his life whereas “Naked” is a wintry ode to sex. Young Thug comes into the picture for the acoustic trap money anthem “Payday” just before paying homage to Nicki Minaj on the bouncy “Get Into It (Yuh)”. Meanwhile with “Need to Know”, we get an 808s & Heartbreak inspired tune telling her man to throw the pipe leading into the moody [Ariana Grande duet “I Don’t Do Drugs”.

Doja Cat goes on to reminisce about an ex on the trap flavored slow jam “Love to Dream” while The Weeknd duet “You Right” is an atmospheric anthem about lust. “Been Like This” is a psychedelic look at a man who’s changed on her whereas the J.I.D-assisted “Options” works in a flute & they get kinky.

Some plinky pianos get incorporated to call out bum-ass men on “Ain’t Shit” & then for “Imagine”, we get a vibrant trap banger about her hard work paying off. The penultimate track “Alone” ponders if she’s crazy for wanting to be single over a summery instrumental & then there’s “Kiss Me More”, which is an infectiously dance-pop heavy duet with SZA & co-production from Rogét Chahayed.

Now despite me thinking Doja Cat’s last 2 projects were mid, I genuinely think she delivered on Planet Her. Undoubtedly her magnum opus so far in my personal opinion. I love how diverse the production is & the whole concept of this self-originated world is well pieced together.

Score: 3.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE (PLUS PACK)” review

This is the surprise 2nd EP from San Marcos, Texas hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON. Originally emerging under the name AliveSinceForever in 2010, they put out a self-titled EP in 2013 under the radar before catching some attention off their debut mixtape ALL-AMERICAN TRASH back in 2016. However, 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 at the time Ameer Vann halfway through 2018, which resulted in him being kicked out of BROCKHAMPTON. A decision that to this very day resulted in many people to fall off with the boys. Their next 2 albums iridescence & GINGER were both released to moderate reception, but they eventually took 2020 off & returned to form a couple months back off ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE. However after being initially released with the box set as CD exclusive bonus tracks, Kevin Abstract & company have finally decided to make them available for streaming.

“PRESSURE” is pretty much Merlyn Wood & Dom McLennon on top of a generic trap beat showing off, but then the 2nd half “BOW WOW” is pretty much a brief ssgkobe solo cut with a summery instrumental & Kevin Abstract on the hook taking it back to the fashion style of the early 2000’s.

The next song “SEX” finds the whole gang together on top of some hi-hats & synthesizers to rap about fucking, but then the EP finishes off with the remix & original version of “JEREMIAH”. The lyrics on both versions are the same proclaiming themselves as profits, but the difference between them is that the remix has a guitar intro, the vocals are pitched up & there’s a shorter beat outro. The original is the other away around.

I’ve said before that ROADRUNNER is the most consistent BROCKHAMPTON album I’ve heard since SATURATION III & that still stands. However, I’m kinda torn on this EP. None of these joints are necessarily amazing or horrible, they just feel like mediocre throwaways to me.

Score: 2.5/5

Young Nudy – “DR. EV4L” review

Young Nudy is a 28 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being cousins with 21 Savage. Ever since coming up together in 2016, the cat released a total of 6 mixtapes (the most notable one being the Pi’erre Bourne-produced Sli’merre) before putting out his full-length debut Anyways just a little over a year ago. But as summer approaches next month, Nudy is following it up by dropping his highly anticipated sophomore album.

“Revenge” kicks things off with an ominous, bass-heavy instrumental from Coupe (who produced all but 5 joints on the album) & Young Nudy exposing someone for trickin’ people out their cash, but then “Mini Me” is essentially about sending youngins to pull a shootout & I like how they sample “Black Butterfly” by Deniece Williams. Meanwhile on “Yellow Tape”, we have Lil Uzi Vert coming into fold as he & Nudy jump on a cloudy beat from 20 Rocket saying they have murder on their minds before trying to find “the reason why the fuck your folks ain’t breathin’” on the synth-laced “Roughneck”.

The song “Perc 30” has a more hypnotic tone instrumentally as Young Nudy proclaims himself as a rich shooter whereas “The Rustlers” goes into a more braggadocious direction lyrically with the production from Mojo & Bavier having a spectral feel to it. “Child’s Play” with 21 Savage is a cool lil homage to the horror movie franchise of the same name despite the comatose beat, but then he admits that he “doesn’t like to beef with pussies” if he “ain’t got no reason” on the minimally-produced “Soul Keeper”. I thought “2Face” was a good choice for a single leading up to the album because or perfectly lives up to it’s name with the instrumental switch-up during the 2nd half along with Nudy & G Herbo’s lyrics about being famous yet reckless.

The nocturnal beat on “Scott Evil” is pretty dope as are the lyrics about how he “don’t need nobody squeeze for me” before asking for smoke on the glum-sounding title track. The penultimate track “Colombian Necktie” is pretty much a ruthless 4-minute freestyle about slitting throats & finally, the closer “Walking Dead” is basically Young Nudy going on about how he’s seen it all & I almost wanna say the instrumental almost goes into a more dungeon synth sound which is pretty cool.

It’s pretty safe to say that DR. EV4L is easily Nudy’s darkest body of work yet. Throughout the 45 minute runtime, the songwriting borderlines horrorcore at some points & Coupe could possibly become trap’s next big producer because his contributions to the production-end of the album ties into it’s theme more.

Score: 3.5/5

Skribbal – “Black Eyed Children” review

This is the 3rd album from Los Angeles, California emcee Skribbal. Coming up in 2016 off the strength of his full-length debut Drug Spun Funk, the man would catch the attention of the rising Wisconsin underground label Force 5 Records & put out his sophomore effort Skinwalker a couple years later. But once Skribbal dropped his debut EP Quarantine Sessions last 4/20, he would leave the label to form his own Sony Music imprint Hell Patrol Records & the newfound independence by coming together with the highly anticipated Black Eyed Children.

After the “Retribution” intro performed by death metal icon Chris Barnes, the first actual song on the album “Born All Over” is a Napalm Drop cut where Skribbal & Big Left get together to talk about how hip hop gets them through the day on top of a sample of the O.V. Wright joint of the same name whereas “Find My Way” is a somber boom bap cut about being afraid of change.

For “Bring the Pain”, we have Skribbal on top of a quasi-funky instrumental to declare music as his therapy before declaring that he’ll never sell his soul on the dysphoric “Vampire Tactics”. We have RedCloud accompanying the mic for the heinous “Dreams in the Witch House” & the Iyze Lowe takes his spot to rap about how “can’t nobody do it like we do” on “Keep It Movin’”.

Meanwhile on “The Man Who Fell from the Sky”, Skribbal vividly details a story about a man trying to escape the US while he & Emycst declare themselves stronger than ever on the enchantingly-produced “Stronger Than Ever”. The song “We Are Not Alone” with Aether Haze is a cool dedication to all the struggling foster kids in the world on top of a beat with some grimly bells, but Celph Titled & Damian Krypt come together to get on the horrorcore tip for “Halloween Apples”.

Even though “Beyond the Black Rainbow” has a dark sound to it, I do enjoy the motivational lyrics about finding the light. The penultimate track “Wreck the System” with The R.O.C. is a dusty battle rap cut & to finish it all off, Dopehead Dan & the DG@F general himself Chucky Chuck hop on for the weed-themed “Pass the Green”.

The first of 4 bonus songs “Man with the Screaming Brain” goes into a more trap direction as Skribbal challenges all competition to bring the smoke before returning to a more boom bap sound to detail everything he’s learned on “Child of the State”. Dude brings in an organ & vocal harmonizing for the self-deprecating “Slave to the Pain & then we get some ominous keyboards as he details a regular day in the ghetto on “No Good: A Hood Story”.

In comparison to Skribbal’s last 2 albums, Black Eyed Children is a completely different vibe but in a good way. He focuses a lot less on the horrorcore aspect of things lyrically to focus on displaying his overall skills a lot more & is prominently boom bappy than before.

Score: 3.5/5

DJ Khaled – “Khaled Khaled” review

DJ Khaled is a 45 year old DJ, record executive, producer & media personality from New Orleans, Louisiana whom a lot of people may not know came up as a tour DJ for the Terror Squad. But for the last 15 years, Khaled has curated a total of 11 albums under his own name. However when his last effort Father of Asahd charted at #2 right behind IGOR on the Billboard 200, dude completely ruined his Mr. Nice Guy image by dissing Tyler, The Creator out of bitterness. Almost 2 years later, Khaled is returning with his 12th full-length project.

Jeremih & Lil Wayne kick the album off on “Thankful”, where the 2 speak on gratefulness over a sample of Bobby Bland’s iconic “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”. The song “Every Chance I Get” has a Three 6-inspired sound from Tay Keith as Lil Baby & Lil Durk go back & forth about turning up on haters while the Cardi B solo cut “Big Paper” is a grimy braggadocious anthem down to the beat too. The track “We Going Crazy” not only has a weird synth-instrumental, but the chemistry between H.E.R. & the Migos are totally off.

Lil Baby returns albeit with Megan Thee Stallion & DaBaby for the ironically enjoyable rap rock banger “I Did It” whereas Justin Bieber & 21 Savage deliver a boring look at the saying “Time is money” on the plainly-produced “Let It Go”. The song “Body in Motion” by Bryson Tiller, Lil Baby & Roddy Ricch is a gross attempt at going romantic while the first Drake solo cut “Popstar” sounds completely uninspired.

Meanwhile, we have A Boogie wit da Hoodie joining forces with Big Sean & Rick Ross to ruin Biggie’s “Long Kiss Goodnight” on the conquering “This is My Year” whereas the highly anticipated “Sorry Not Sorry” is easily my favorite off the entire album as JAY-Z & Nas talk about living the dream over a sample of Bobby Glenn’s “Sound’s Like a Love Song” provided by STREETRUNNER. “Just Be” by Justin Timberlake unapologetically ruins the Ghostface Killah joint “All That I Got Is You” right before “I Can Have It All” by H.E.R. & Meek Mill butchers one of my favorite Beanie Sigel songs: “Feel It in the Air”.

The other Drake solo cut “Greece” is even worse than “Popstar” only because he is completely trying to rip off The Weeknd’s vocal inflections from start to finish & if you’re familiar with Khaled’s previous output, you already know the album ends with a reggae note & that’s what “Where You Come From” by Barrington Levy, Buju Banton & Capleton does.

I don’t know what else to say other than that, he just keeps making the same goddamn album over & over again. The usual line-up of guests hardly compliment one another & the radio friendly production is just average at best. Just put 3-4 joints in a playlist & call it a day.

Score: 1.5/5