Pi’erre Bourne – “Yo88!” review

Pi’erre Bourne is a 28 year old producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer from South Carolina who became one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”. He’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 8 mixtapes as well as 2 EPs & 2 full-lengths albums, with the latest being The Life of Pi’erre 5 over the summer finishing the series. But to move on from it, Pi’erre’s enlisting TM88 to fully produce his 10th mixtape.

“O.M.S. (On My Shit)” is a futuristic opener talking about being in his bag whereas “Pop Out” takes the cloudier route paying homage to his bitch. “Homecoming” co-produced by Outtatown has a more uptempo sound talking about the hood showing love whenever he comes back around which gets me in a good mood when it comes on, but then “Stunt 102” almost has that Whole Lotta Red sound to it flexing his lavish lifestyle.

Meanwhile on “Chit Chat”, we have Wiz Khalifa joining Pi’erre on top of an atmospheric instrumental calling out those who be running their mouths for those who love moshpit starters leading into the synth-laced “Block Boy” talking about carrying his block with him wherever he goes which is admirable. “Yo!gurt” is basically a BJ anthem going into a more ethereal direction just before Young Nudy tags along for the spacious “Richer Dreams” talking about their wealth.

The song “Love Scam” is essentially him saying there ain’t no price on his girl’s love at all over an intoxicating beat while the penultimate track “Cullinan” explains that he gets better with time & the guitar licks on here are just stellar. “Run It” then ends the tape with some suspenseful synth melodies that really draw you in celebrating his success.

The Life of Pi’erre 5 showed many improvements in Pi’erre, so I was absolutely excited going into this tape. Lo & behold: I like it just as much if not more than his last album. Dude’s getting progressively better as a performer & I think it really goes to show that people need to give TM88 his flowers for helping lay the groundwork for modern trap production.

Score: 4/5

Chavo – “Chavo’s World 2” review

This is the sophomore album from Atlanta, Georgia raper Chavo. Breaking out a few years ago as a protege of Pi’erre Bourne, he would go on to become a flagship artist on the South Carolina superstar’s Interscope Records imprint Sosshouse Records. His first 2 mixtapes Hood Luva & Mixed Emotions both received positive feedback amongst listeners, but Chavo’s profile began to increase when his Pi’erre-produced full-length debut Chavo’s World came out last fall. And with a little over a month left with summer, he & his mentor are reuniting for the sequel Chavo’s World 2.

“Tweets” is an uptempo opener about putting a bitch in the air like a pterodactyl whereas “Packs” works in some heavy bass to get confrontational. His sister Coi LeRay tags along to say they ain’t the same no more for the luxurious piano ballad “American Deli” just before spaciously comparing his gun to that of a “Rari”.

Meanwhile on “Hennessy”, we get a psychedelic party stater leading into Pi’erre jumping on the mic with Chavo for the moody “Ryuk” talking about a woman living her best life as a youth. The “Had a Feeling” remix is pretty much the same as the OG except it has a new Pi’erre verse, but then “Paris” has a cloudier vibe talking about wanting to go back to the titular city in France.

“Messy” serves as a euphoric lust tune & much like the “Had a Feeling” remix, the “Michigan” remix is the same as the OG except Babyface Ray pops up to spit a new verse. The penultimate track “That’s It” brings in some keys saying he wants to help everyone but he’s not Superman, but then the closer “Mission Impossible” futuristically keeps it playa.

Even though I personally prefer the original Chavo’s World, this isn’t too far off for a sequel album. I like how he brought in some features to break up the monotony of the predecessor & his MC/producer chemistry with Pi’erre is like no other.

Score: 3.5/5

Sharc – “47 Meters Down” review

Sharc is a 25 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia emerging a few years back after signing to Pi’erre Bourne’s very own Interscope Records imprint SossHouse Records. He’s dropped a handful of singles in the past year (the most notable of the bunch being a tossup between “Ricc” or “GTA RAF CITY”) & after landing a spot on The Life of Pi’erre 5 earlier this month, I’m pretty surprised they’re pulling the trigger on dropping a debut album from him this quickly.

The opener “100 Clip” has a bit of a quirky beat & lyrics bragging about foreign shit whereas “Yes Sir” speaks on shooting ya mans over a bassy instrumental. “Grimey Story” lives up to it’s title with it’s vivid storytelling, but the production is kinda plain here. However, “Dump First” makes up for with it’s eerie sound & returning to the gangsta rap tip.

Meanwhile on “Brown Water”, we get a woozier cut looking back on running with the d-boys just before incorporating some shrilling synths & going at his competition for “Duppy”. He later declares himself as the big shark on the electro-tinged “Sharc Wave”, but then “Gang Pop” brings in an accordion as he talks spraying them hammers.

“Brinks” talks about robbing a bank if he don’t go platinum over a comatose beat while “Lean Music” details him taking a hoe to STK accompanied with a wieldy instrumental. The song “Gun Parade” is a horn-inflicted ode to firearms while the penultimate track “Purple Rafs” finds Pi’erre accompanying Sharc on the mic for some cloudy flexing. Then there’s the organ-laced closer “Only Fans”, which is about fucking an OnlyFans bitch.

Sosshouse Records been a roll pushing their artists as of late & it has me wondering who they’re gonna push next because Sharc whipped up a solid effort here. He really lets listeners know more about him as a person with Pi’erre sticking to his signature sound in the production.

Score: 3.5/5

Pi’erre Bourne – “The Life of Pi’erre 5” review

This is the sophomore album from South Carolina producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer Pi’erre Bourne. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 5 mixtapes as well as 2 EPs & a full-length debut. But after much anticipation, Pi’erre is continuing his recent tradition of dropping in June with the 5th & final installment of The Life of Pi’erre series.

After the intro, “Switchin’ Lanes” is a wavy opener featuring Playboi Carti rapping about going into a different pace whereas the next track “Hulu” taking it’s name after the subscription streaming service owned by The Walt Disney Company is a cloudy homage to Jay P. Meanwhile on “Couch”, we have Pi’erre incorporating an organ as he details his rags to riches story before saying she don’t want this hoe who’s addicted to him on the accordion-heavy “42”.

“Biology 101” is a smoky homage to the classic Cassidy joint “Hotel” while the spacey “Y.N.S. (Young N***a Shit)” needs no explanation lyrically. Lil Uzi Vert pretty much carries the bassy & braggadocious “Sossboy 2”, but Pi’erre bounces back to flex his hustle on the psychedelic “Practice”. “40 Clip” later expresses his desire for some new shit referencing the greatest WWE superstar ever; 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker backed by some synth-strings while “Retroville” is a cool homage to the Jimmy Neutron franchise & the chords on here are so gorgeous.

Sosshouse Records signee Sharc tags along for the moody club banger “Drunk & Nasty” leading up to the minimally-produced “Amen”, which expresses his gratefulness for where he’s at now. The song “Groceries” shows listeners how to get money like him while the penultimate track “Butterfly” is a glitchy tribute to Kobe Bryant. Finally there’s “4U”, which is an infectiously catcher closer about consoling his girl like a PlayStation.

This to me is a solid finisher to The Life of Pi’erre series & easily the best one of the 5. His unique production style is always a warm welcome as are the transitions at the end of every song, but the features break up the monotony of the other installments & I feel like Pi’erre is stepping up as a performer & songwriter.

Score: 4/5

Frazier Trill – Self-Titled review

Frazier Trill is a 31 year old rapper from Greenville, South Carolina who came onto my radar a couple years ago when Pi’erre Bourne signed him to his Interscope Records imprint SossHouse Records. However after a couple of features & singles under his belt, Frazier is ready to deliver his full-length debut with Pi’erre production from start to finish.

The album kicks off with “Evolution”, where Frazier talks about his growth over an eerie instrumental. The next song “Make a Way” talks about praying to make it out the hood alive over a cloudy beat while the track “Missing” with Bermuda Yae sees the 2 talking about murder over the exact same instrumental Famous Dex used for the intro of his 2018 debut album Dex Meets Dexter. The song “Me & My Dog” talks about living it up over some victorious horns while the track “Wat Else” flexes over a beat that I can picture being in a modern Mario game.

The song “Door Swang” with Jelly finds the 2 going back & forth about moving weight over a metaphysical instrumental while the track “Like This” talks about those who run their mouths over a frightening beat. The song “Start Over” talks about how he don’t play games over a mischievous instrumental while the track “Don’t Know the Half” talks about those who can’t understand over a shadowy beat. The penultimate song “Today” talks about riding with a thug over some prominent bells & then the album ends with “Bout Nun”, where Frazier talks about being fresh as shit over a delicate instrumental.

If anyone enjoyed The Wolf of Peachtree or Chavo’s World as much as I did, then I think you’re gonna enjoy this album as well. It’s a little too short only running at 26 & a half minutes, but Frazier does a good job at showing his potential as he’s at his hungriest lyrically whereas Pi’erre kills it behind the boards as he pretty much always does.

Score: 3.5/5

Chavo – “Chavo’s World” review

Chavo is a 28 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who came onto my radar after signing to Pi’erre Bourne’s very own Interscope Records imprint SossHouse Records. His 2018 debut mixtape Hood Luva was dope, but last year’s follow-up Mixed Emotions (produced entirely by Pi’erre) was even better in my eyes. But with the 1 year anniversary of that previous effort coming up next week, Chavo is reenlisting Pi’erre for his full-length debut.

The intro gets braggadocious over some synths & a flute whereas the next song “Boolie” gets on his gangsta shit over a rowdy beat. The track “X Bitch” talks about a previous girlfriend over a skeletal instrumental while the song “Deal Is” gets on the melodic, more romantic side of things over a spacious beat with some buzzing bass.

The track “I Hope You Remember” talks about continues the themes of love over a moody instrumental while the song “W.Y.F.W. (Who You Fucking With?)” ponders the question over a trap beat with some ominous keyboards. The track “Cheap” gets on the shit-talking side of things over synth-heavy instrumental while the song “Had a Feeling” talks about never taking his kindness for weakness over a devilish instrumental.

The track “L.R. (Left Right) Wrist” talks about life as a pusher instrumental while the song “Countertops” talks about talks about erasing his competition over some synth-horns. The track “Michigan” talks about doubling up over an intoxicating instrumental while the penultimate song “Say So” continues to flex over a wavy beat. The album finishes off with “Free Max B”, which is a dope tribute to the Wave God himself backed by an impassioned instrumental.

Chavo’s World truly lives up to it’s name in my opinion not just because I think this is Chavo’s best work to date, but I can only see him getting bigger & evolving from hereon out. He delivers some of his of most captivating performances to date on a good portion of the album as Pi’erre’s production & sound are still one of a kind.

Score: 3.5/5

Pi’erre Bourne – “Pi’erre & Cardo’s Wild Adventure” review

Pi’erre Bourne is a 25 year old producer, rapper, songwriter & audio engineer from South Carolina who became one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today due to the viral success of Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”. The year before though, he released a trilogy of mixtapes in 2016 called The Life of Pi’erre & is expected to make his full-length commercial debut by following these tapes up at the beginning of 2019. However, he’s giving fans his 8th mixtape to lead us up to the album & he has enlisted Cardo to produce it in it’s entirety.

The tape begins with “Ah Ah Ah”, where Pi’erre talks about how his life is great now over a chilled out trap beat. The next song “Home Improvement” talks about finding a better woman over some synthesizers & heavy bass while the track “Fiji” talks about a friend shooting up his own party over an spacey beat. The song “My Shooter” gets boastful over a cloudy beat while the track “Bearbrick” is filled with clever Justin Timberlake references over a druggy trap beat. The song “For the 2000” talks about blowing money over an atmospheric beat while the track “Death of a Funeral” charismatically brags over a laidback beat.

The song “Kevin Durant” is a moody love tune while the track “Quicksand” continues the vibes of the previous joint. The song “My Calendar” is an airy, unfinished boast while the track “Flex Washington” gets back to the sex themes over a dreamy beat. The song “Backseat” about living in the fast lane over a chilled out beat & while the penultimate track “Motorola” has a decent beat, the auto-tune is slathered to the point where it’s annoying. The tape ends with “Civil Rights”, where Pi’erre boasts over a sample from the previous cut itself.

Overall, this was a pretty solid prelude to The Life of Pi’erre 4. Even though Pi’erre himself is an immensely talented producer, he & Cardo chemistry is more on point than their loose singles in the past. However, I just wish it was longer than 34 minutes & the lack of features unfortunately make it monotonous after a while.

Score: 3.5/5