Cactus Jack Records – “JACKBOYS” review

Houston, Texas record label Cactus Jack Records dropping off a brand new showcase EP. Founded in 2017 by trap music’s current mastermind Travis Scott, they’ve been steadily building itself up since its foundation by signing those from Sheck Wes to Don Toliver & Luxury Tax. However when it seemed like Travis was gonna take 2019 off due to the massive success of ASTROWORLD last summer, he’s finally showcasing his camp as a whole with JACKBOYS as a late Christmas gift ahead of UTOPIA.

The EP starts off with a remix to “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”, which was an obvious leftover from ASTROWORLD. However in this case, Rosalía & Lil Baby both add redundant verses. Then after a 47 second “intro”, we get into the first actual song “GANG GANG”. Where Travis, Sheck & Don get with Luxury Tax to talk about their brotherhood over a woozy trap beat from WondaGurl. The track “HAD ENOUGH” by Don, Offset & Quavo sees the 3 talking about being fed up with this promiscuous woman over a spacey beat while the song “OUT WEST” sees Travis & Young Thug getting sexual over an abrasive Buddah Bless beat. The penultimate track “WHAT TO DO?” by Trav & Don is them describing how they would treat their significant others over a trap beat with a plucky acoustic lead then there’s the closer “GATTI”, where Travis gets with Pop Smoke to talk about people cappin’ over a dark yet bouncy instrumental.

These record label showcase projects are never really all that great to begin with, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is a mediocre EP. Travis himself sounds lively as always, but almost everyone else involved seems to be playing it safe both instrumentally & performance-wise. That being said, I’m still really looking forward to what LaFlame is gonna do next year.

Score: 2.5/5

G-Eazy – “Scary Nights” review

G-Eazy is a 30 year old rapper from Oakland, California that broke out into the mainstream with his 3rd album These Things Happen in 2014. This was followed up a year later with When It’s Dark Out as well as The Beautiful & Damned back in 2017. But to prepare listeners for the sequel to the album that got Gerald where he is today, he’s giving fans an appetizer with his 4th EP.

The title track that kicks the EP off whines about how they don’t want him to shine over a sinister Boi-1da instrumental whereas the next song “I Wanna Rock” with Gunna finds the 2 boasting over a dime a dozen trap beat. The track “Full Time Cappers” with Moneybagg Yo is as generic as it gets both musically & lyrically while the song “Big Ben” with Preme sees the 2 flexing over a comatose instrumental.

“K I D S” with Dex Lauper talks about how neither of them ever sleep over an airy instrumental & even though the song “Hittin’ Licks” makes sappy Bonnie & Clyde comparisons over a banging instrumental from Charlie Heat. The penultimate track “Demons & Angels” with The Game sees the 2 talking to their significant others over a soulful boom bap instrumental & then the closer “A Very Strange Time” talks about losing his mind over a tasteless trap beat.

Even though this might be his darkest work yet, it’s still not very good. I understand Halloween‘s around the corner & that Gerald’s in the holiday spirit which isn’t a bad thing, but his trite lyricism & bland production from his past material all remain intact to the point of boredom.

Score: 1.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “GINGER” review

This is the 5th full-length album from San Marcos, Texas hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON. They first came together with an average debut mixtape in 2016 called ALL-AMERICAN TRASH, but 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 Ameer Vann last May, which resulted in him being kicked out of BROCKHAMPTON. A decision that to this very day is still polarizing by many. However, I think they managed to pull through shortly after with their last full-length album iridescence. Fast forward 11 months later, here we are with GINGER.

The album kicks off with “NO HALO”, where the boys sans de facto leader Kevin Abstract venting about personal issues over an acoustic instrumental from Jabari Manwa. The next song “SUGAR” gets romantic over another acoustic instrumental while the track “BOY BYE” talks about each member’s highs & lows over a quirky beat from Romil Hemnani & Q3. The short “HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU” is a completely random slowthai song while the track “ST. PERCY” finds the boys charismatically bragging over a bassy instrumental & I absolutely love the Missy Elliott/Timbaland vibes during the hook. The track “IF YOU PRAY RIGHT” gets spiritual over a prominent tuba with Dom McLennon starting it off in a charming fashion while the song “DEARLY DEPARTED” addresses Ameer Vann’s dismissal over a cavernously melodic beat.

The track “I BEEN BORN AGAIN” talk about their newfound fame over a minimalist beat while the titular song finds Kevin teaming with Matt Champion & bearface to get a bit darker on the topical end over an inebriating beat. The track “BIG BOY” sees Kevin, bearface & JOBA recalling their childhood experiences over a dream-like instrumental while the penultimate song “LOVE ME FOR LIFE” finds everyone from then previous joint getting with Merlyn Wood over a lively yet subdued instrumental referencing SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO & Neuralink founder Elon Musk. The album then finishes with “VICTOR ROBERTS”, which is an introduction to a rapper with the same name over a bare piano instrumental.

This is the boys’ weakest album so far, but it’s still solid. Of course each song stands out in it’s own way, but it kinda lacks in catchiness both rapping-wise & instrumentally. Hopefully, they’ll step it up on the next effort.

Score: 3.5/5

A$AP Ferg – “Floor Seats” review

A$AP Ferg is a 30 year old rapper from New York City that came up as a member of the A$AP Mob. He made his debut in 2013 with Trap Lord, which was a a fantastic display of himself to the mainstream. This was followed up the next year with the Ferg Forever mixtape & that was succeeded by the excessively commercial A.$.A.P. (Always Strive And Prosper) in 2016. Then came Still Striving in 2017 which returned to his Trap Lord roots, but was overloaded with features. 2 years later, we’re finally getting new music from Ferg with his debut EP over here.

It all starts with the title track, where Ferg charismatically brags over a trap beat with some prominent party horns. The next song “Jet Lag” talks about how fly he is over a grimy trap beat while the track “Wam” talks about killing his competition over an alluring beat. The song “Wigs” with Asian da Brat sees the 2 getting raunchy over a hyphy beat while the track “Butt Naked” with Rico Nasty is a tongue-in-cheek sex anthem with a synth-heavy instrumental.

The song “Pups” with A$AP Rocky sees the 2 talking about their friendship over a fantastic B.T. Express sample while the track “Hummer Limo” flaunts over an intoxicating Timbaland beat. The penultimate track “Ride” is a mediocre R&B crooner & the closer “Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies” with Brent Faiyaz continues to get raunchy over a spacey Salaam Remi beat.

For the 2 year wait, this was just ok. I get that he‘s fusing elements from both of his albums, but obviously the cuts that’re in vein of A.$.A.P. (Always Strive And Prosper) don’t do anything for me at all.

Score: 3/5

Rick Ross – “Port of Miami 2” review

Rick Ross is a renown 43 year old rapper, entrepreneur & record executive from Carol City, Florida that made his debut on wax in 2000 on Erick Sermon’s 3rd album Erick Onasis. He would eventually make his full-length debut in 2006 with Port of Miami, which was followed up in 2 years later with 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. The last time we heard from Ross in a full-length capacity was in 2017 with Rather You Than Me & to commemorate the 13 year anniversary of his debut this month, he’s back with a sequel to the album that started it all.

“Act a Fool” featuring Wale begins bragging over a vibrant trap beat referencing 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & $7 Productions co-founder The Rock. The next song “Turnpike Ike” gets luxurious over a beautiful piano instrumental from Jake One while the track “Nobody’s Favorite” with Gunplay sees the 2 talking about their success over a nocturnal trap beat. The song “Summer Reign” gets romantic over a moody beat while the track “White Lines” gets mafioso over an atmospheric beat.

The song “Big Tyme” talks about doing it huge over a lavish Just Blaze instrumental while the track “Bogus Charms” with Meek Mill sees the 2 talking about living on over a beautiful piano instrumental from StreetRunner. The song “Rich N***a Lifestyle” with the late Nipsey Hu$$le needs no further explanation over a blaxploitation-esque instrumental from Cardiak while the track “Born to Kill” with Jeezy sees the 2 talking about death over a dreamy trap beat.

“Fascinated” is a tribute to his friends that’re either dead or in jail over a smooth instrumental & while the track “I Still Pray” with YFN Lucci & Ball Greezy does have one of the most fanciest instrumentals on the entire project provided by DJ Toomp, the lyrics are a vapid diss towards their haters. The song “Running the Streets” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie & Denzel Curry sees the 3 talking about their place in the Florida hip hop scene over a church-esque instrumental while the track “Vegas Residency” is a party anthem with a harmonious instrumental from none other than the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League.

The song “Maybach Music VI” was probably the most anticipated on the entire album, because it was said to feature both Lil Wayne & Pusha T. However despite Pusha not appearing on the song at all, it still sounds grand both lyrically & sonically. The album then finishes up with “Gold Roses”, which is basically an equally boring sequel to that “Money in the Grave” single that Drake dropped not too long ago.

This could very well be better than the original Port of Miami, in my personal opinion. Not only does Rozay continue to show how amazing his ear for production truly is, but his mob bars are of course a lot sharper than they were on his debut & most of the features on here add to ’em pretty solidly. You can also tell that he really took his time with this one in comparison to rushing out some of his latest projects like Hood Billionaire & Black Market.

Score: 3.5/5

MadGibbs – “Bandana” review

MadGibbs is a super-duo consisting of the renown Oxnard, California producer Madlib & Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs. The 2 started out releasing a handful of EPs throughout this decade, but it wouldn’t be until 2014 that saw the release of their iconic full-length debut Piñata. 5 years have passed & the duo have released their long-awaited sophomore album.

After the “Obrigado” intro, we go into the first song “Freestyle Shit”. Where Freddie pretty much raps about wanting it all over a jazzy beat. The track “Half Manne Half Cocaine” canes about the things he deserves over a surprisingly banging trap beat that later switches into something more nocturnal while the song “Crime Pays” of course talks about drug dealing over a soothing instrumental. The track “Massage Seats” flaunts about his new lifestyle over a prominent with a female vocal sample while the song “Palmolive” with Pusha T talks about making money & the sample that Madlib incorporates into the cut is alluring.

The track “Fake Names” tells the story of someone who was like a brother to him over a somewhat funky boom bap beat that later switches up into some relaxing woodwinds while the song “Flat Tummy Tea” gets mafioso over an intoxicating boom bap beat that later switches up into something more atmospheric. The track “Situations” talks about being a representer over a meditative beat while the song “Giannis” with Anderson .Paak sees the 2 spitting some game to the youth over a Middle Eastern sample. The track “Practice” is dedicated to the mother of his child over a luscious soul sample while the song “Cataracts” gets charismatic over an uplifting instrumental that later switches into more orchestral.

The track “Gat Damn” is a heart-wrenching ode to one of his fallen homies over a boom bap beat that suits the mood while the penultimate song “Education” with Yasiin Bey & Black Thought sees the 3 giving the listeners just that over a luxurious beat. The album finishes off with fireworks on “Soul Right”, where Gangsta Gibbs talks about getting his life together over a synth-heavy instrumental.

There seriously isn’t a single second of this album that I personally dislike, I really think MadGibbs just came through with the best album of 2019 & one that’s just as equally flawless as Piñata was 5 years ago. Madlib’s production is more dynamic than the last album, yet it maintains a unique sound that makes a perfect musical background for Freddie’s coke raps in the vein of an incredible blaxploitation film for the second time in a row.

Score: 5/5

Future – “SAVE ME” review

Future is a 35 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia who came 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 last fall to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of this year, Future’s previous album The WIZRD was just passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution WHATSOEVER. All that being said, I was curious in trying out his debut EP over here that he randomly decided to drop.

The opener “XANAX DAMAGE” is a mindnumbingly repetitive piece about venting to this chick over a trap beat with a depressing acoustic guitar passage while the next track “ST. LUCIA” produced by Fuse sounds like it could’ve been on Future’s last album, really. The song “PLEASE TELL ME” is a simp anthem a spacey beat from Richie Souf while the track “SHOTGUN” is a horrifically corny ballad with an annoying hook & a buttery instrumental.

The song “GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL” talks about the party life over a haunting trap beat & while the penultimate track “EXTRA” has an endearingly depressing tone to it, the producer FXXXXY sounds EXACTLY like Drake on the post-chorus & it’s SCARY. The EP then closes out with “LOVE THY ENEMIES”, where Future vents about his insecurities over an gloomy guitar passage.

I wasn’t expecting much from this & the end result was pretty average. It’s interesting to hear him going into a more emo direction on a few cuts, but the songs don’t sound fully complete to me. If we’re truly getting a HNDRXX 2 at some point, then I hope it’s better than this.

Score: 2.5/5

Kevin Abstract – “ARIZONA baby” review

Kevin Abstract is a 23 year old rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director from Corpus Christi, Texas who made his debut in 2014 with MTV1987. He followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & then the following year, he rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the best boyband since 1 Direction themselves BROCKHAMPTON. However after a rough 2018, he’s back with his 3rd full-length album.

Things start off with “Big Wheels”, where Kevin raps about his personal demons over a synth & some hi-hats from Jack Antonoff & Romil Hemnani. Not a bad opener, but it sounds unfinished. The next song “Joy Ride” melodically reflects on how he would never listen over a some soothing horns while the track “Georgia” talks about being at peace over a relaxing instrumental. The track “Corpus Christi” raps about feeling like a loner as well as addresses Ameer Vann being kicked out of BROCKHAMPTON over a prominent synthesizer while “Baby Boy” is a full-blown psych-rock that touches down on an ex.

The track “Mississippi” is a somber R&B cut telling his loved ones not to get it twisted with him while the song “Use Me” reflects on going from growing up rough to being successful over an atmospheric beat. The track “Peach” by Geezer is a psychedelic tune about a past relationship while the song “American Problem” literally sounds like a leftover from Childish Gambino’s last album “Awaken, My Love!”. The penultimate track “Crumble” is a guitar ballad about getting back to his lover & then the album finishes with “Boyer”, where Kevin talks about how he & this guy can’t run forever over a banger beat.

While it’s no American Boyfriend 2, this in my opinion is still the 2nd best release in Kevin’s solo discography. He continues to show how diverse of an artist he is & the production is detailed, but he drowns in his influences on some of these cuts to the point where it’s distracting. Noneless, it’s still worth checking out if you’re a big BROCKHAMPTON fan.

Score: 3.5/5

Solange – “When I Get Home” review

Solange is a 32 year old singer/songwriter & actress from Houston, Texas known for being the younger sister of Beyoncé. Her first 2 full-length outings in the 2000s were average at best, but came back fantastically in 2016 with A Seat at the Table. But now 3 years later, she’s returning out of the blue with her 4th album.

Things kick off with “Things I Imagined”, which is a mellow yet repetitive piece. After the “S. McGregor” interlude, the next song “Down With the Clique” sings about how she comes first & the keyboards from Tyler, The Creator on here are absolutely gorgeous. The track “Way to the Show” is about how this guy can get it over a spacey yet funky beat & after the “Can I Hold the Mic?” interlude, the song “Stay Flo” talks about lust over a settle instrumental from Metro Boomin’ of all people. The track “Dreams” talks about just that over a relaxing instrumental from both Earl Sweatshirt & Blood Orange and after the “Nothing Without Intention” interlude, the song “Almeda” with Playboi Carti sees the 2 listing common traits of black people over some militant drums & beautiful keyboard passages.

The track “Time (Is)” sings about how this guy isn’t for her over some keys & bass-playing while the song “My Skin My Logo” with Gucci Mane sees the 2 complimenting each other perfectly over a bass-guitar. After the “We Deal with the Freak’n” intermission, the track “Jerrod” is a guitar ballad about how Solange wants the titular guy to call her. The song “Binz” talks about how she wants to wake up over a minimalist instrumental while the track “Beltway” is a half-written ballad about how this dude loves her. After the “Exit Scott” interlude, the song “Sound of Rain” is another repetitive piece, but I do admire the atmospheric Pharrell production. Then after the “Not Screwed!” interlude, the song “I’m a Witness” serves as a flawless closer with a prominent bass-line.

This is EASILY a serious contender for the best R&B album of 2019. It’s bit more psychedelic than A Seat at the Table, but it’s just as introspective & lush. Another near perfect example of why Solange is on par (or maybe even better) than her sister.

Score: 4.5/5

Future – “The WIZRD” review

Future is a 35 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia that blew up at the beginning of the decade bringing his own unique sound to the trap subgenre. He spent 2018 doing features, the soundtrack for the recent Superfly remake, dominating the recent DJ Esco album KOLORBLIND, his BEAST MODE 2 mixtape & the redundant WRLD on Drugs collab with Juice WRLD. But now to bring in the new year, he’s delivering his 7th full-length album.

Things kick off with “Never Stop”, which talks about his come up over a disappointingly generic beat. The next song “Jumpin’ on a Jet” gets boastful over a spacey trap beat from Southside while the track “Rocket Ship” talks about how he’s been popular since his demos over an airy beat. The song “Temptation” is an introspective look at just that over a somber beat from Tay Keith & even though I didn’t care for the track “Crushed Up” at first, it did grow on me a little.

The song “F&N” talks about putting hits out with a pretty cool beat switch during the last minute or so while the track “Call the Coroner” talks about his desire to live like a drug lord over an eerie TM88 beat. The song “Talk Shit Like a Preacher” is a painfully boring bragging anthem while the track “Promise U That” talks about thug love over a spacious, bass heavy Tay Keith beat. The song “Stick To the Models” is another drab brag, but the track “Overdose” does pick back up as he’s flexin’ more charmingly over a Southside & DY beat with some bells.

The song “Krazy But True” talks about his influence over a woozy trap beat from Wheezy while the track “Servin’ Killa Kam” talks about the shit he got over a nondescript beat. The song “Baptiize” talks about his grind over an atmospheric beat that cleverly switches up into a “Slave Master” sample during the second half & even though the track “Unicorn Purp” with Young Thug & Gunna sounds like a leftover from SUPER SLIMEY, the chemistry between the 3 is flawless.

The song “Goin’ Dummi” pretty much speaks for itself over a bland beat while the track “First Off” with Travis Scott is an off the wall wealth anthem. The song “Faceshot” yet again talks about the drug game, but the skrrt adlibs at the start of every verse is annoying. The penultimate track “Ain’t Coming Back” talks about haters over a spacious beat & then the closer “Tricks on Me” talks about fame over a mellow 1985 beat.

This isn’t bad, but it’s not that great either. Not only is there nothing new sonically, but there are quite a bit of filler cuts on here as well. Yet another example of someone as boundary pushing as Future prioritizing quantity over quality.

Score: 3/5