Coast Contra – “The 5th” review

Here is the 3rd EP from Los Angeles, California jazz rap/trap group Coast Contra consisting of RioLoz, Eric Jamal & Ras Kass’ twin children Taj Austin & Ras Austin. Their debut album Apt. 505 in the spring of 2022 received significant acclaim & their debut EP The Old Way the next fall, coming off being featured on Masta Ace & Talib Kweli’s latest albums Richmond Hill & The Confidence of Knowing respectively followed by the Austin twins’ appearance on Kamasi Washington’s 5th album Fearless Movement a year ago. Marco Polo produced my favorite EP of theirs yet In Case You Forgot at the start of 2025 & The 5th has arrived on DSPs after being exclusive to EVEN for a month.

“Rulaz” produced by Dem Jointz aggressively opens up shop talking about having no weak links around them whereas “Don’t Worry” hooks up a piano instrumental from Tae Beast suggesting not to stress over money because it doesn’t make you rich. “N2G” dabbles with trap to talk about them runnin’ it up in the midst of their new beginning while the 5 & a half minute “Woman” finds themselves experiencing a love like no other. “God’s Grace” lastly caps off the EP by smoothly talking about everything being alright & today being a good day.

I wouldn’t put it above In Case You Forgot personally, but The 5th still marks a sharp evolution from Coast Contra’s viral freestyles to fully-formed songs by showcasing the group’s lyrical depth along with their commitment to legacy & the cinematic sound they’ve become known for. The production has more trap elements than its predecessor did almost 8 months ago & I don’t mean that as a con, it just further cements the quintet’s variety.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bermuda Yae – “The 5th” review

This is the full-length debut album from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Bermuda Yae. Making his presence known by dropping 3 EPs & a couple mixtapes, this would all lead up to the immensely talented South Carolina producer/recording artist Pi’erre Bourne signing Yae to his own Interscope Records imprint SossHouse Records. And considering that Pi’erre’s began a run producing albums for the artists he’s signed after putting out his critically acclaimed Grails EP this past spring, but Bermuda Yae is pleading The 5th & becoming the 3rd SossHouse artist to introduce himself on an LP of his own after both J Billz & Kura respectively.

“Tomato” starts off Yae’s very first album with a spacious trap instrumental thinking of a masterplan whereas “Back in Dis Bitch” takes a bass-heavier approach talking about his return to the scene of course. “One of Dem” confesses to being one of those dudes with a wavy, booming quality to the beat just before “Reminisce” gives off a more delicate vibe sonically in order for him to reflect on the lyrical side of things.

Meanwhile, “South Dekalb” works in a rubbery bass-line describing the southern party of the titular county in Georgia leading into the airy trap cut “Boosie” paying homage to the titular Pimp C protege from Baton Rogue. “Einstein” on the other hand keeps the rattling bass & hi-hats in tact to talk about having a lightbulb go off in his head, but then “So Fly” gives off a lively feeling this time around obviously lacing his lyrics with braggadocio if you couldn’t tell by the title.

“Big 4” almost had a rage-inducing quality instrumentally looking to beat the block while “4 Life & Kites” shoots for a woozier aesthetic acknowledging that he’s already known about people not saying shit in their lyrics or copying him blatantly. “Freak Nik” has one of the quirkier instrumentals on the album & more sexually charged subject matter while “Fuckumean” can talk about him going crazy over these paired set of strings & hi-hats.

Pi’erre cooks up a more suspenseful vibe on “Wild Wild East” painting a picture of what it’s like to grow up in the Eastside of Atlanta, Georgia while the inebriating “John Deere” talks about rolling with no one but by his lonely. “Headphones” should’ve been combined into 1 instead of being split in half with the beat starting with some cheerful synthesizer melodies & hi-hats prior to swapping the synths out in favor of a shimmery backdrop advising to put on headphones for this particular cut, but “Preciate Y’all” is a cloudy finisher thanking everyone for sticking by him up to this point.

It makes me happy to see Pi’erre finally giving Bermuda Yae a chance to shine much like how when he produced both Streetz Hottest Young’n & Born Seditionary only a couple months ago. Similar to both of those debut albums, we get a closer look as to who Yae is both artistically & personally except each of the 3 introductory LPs have their own story & the production from his mentor is leagues better than those early EPs/mixtapes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Obie Trice – “The 5th” review

Obie Trice is a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan that came up battling at the Hip Hop Shop during the late 90’s. It was there where he was introduced to Eminem, who would make Obie the 2nd act to ever sign to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records in 2000 right after D12. He eventually made his debut in 2003 with Cheers, which is considered an underrated Detroit classic. This was followed up in 2006 with the solid 2nd Round’s on Me, but then Obie decided to leave Shady/Interscope in 2008 due to promotion issues. His first post-Shady release was a long lost album with MoSS the year after he left called Special Reserve, but Obie would go on to form his own label Black Market Entertainment in 2010 & his 2012 independent debut Bottoms Up was almost like he never left. Then came The Hangover in 2015 which was the last release of his to have an alcohol-themed title, but was weighed down with lackluster production. Fast forward to today, Obie is back in effect with his 5th full-length album.

The intro sees Obie pouring his heart out over a decent boom bap beat while the next song “This & That” talks about the things he has to do to get where he is now over beautiful piano instrumental. The track “Heartless” passionately vents over a soulful beat while the song “No” is a generic club banger. The track “Truth to Power” talks about the current state of hip hop over a beat with some ominous keyboards while the song “Ass” is a strip club anthem with a synth-heavy trap beat.

The track “Rollin’” flexes over a hellish beat while the song “Take It There” brags over a luscious beat. The track “Letter” talks about Obie’s younger self over an uplifting beat while the song “Space” with Xzibit sees the 2 talking about life in the hood over a spacious boom bap instrumental.

The track “92” reflects on that titular year over an instrumental inspired by Dr. Dre’s production work in the early 2000s while the song “185+Deuce” with Spice 1 & Swift McVay sees the 3 spitting gritty street bars over a keyboard heavy trap beat. The penultimate track “Hate” talk about those knockin’ on him over a lavish instrumental & then the album ends with “Smr”, where Obie talks about rappers who’re on the internet a lot & where he comes from over some Neptunes inspired keys.

This is a pretty decent comeback from one of Detroit’s most underrated MCs. The production has slightly stepped up in comparison to the last album & Obie’s pen game remains sharp.

Score: 3/5