Curren$y – “Continuance” review

This is the 18th full-length album from New Orleans veteran Curren$y. Getting his start with No Limit Records as a later member of the 504 Boyz in 2002, he would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in ‘06 before branched out a couple years later with his own label Jet Life Recordings. Since then, the man made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with the latest being the Ski Beatz-produced 4th installment of the Pilot Talk series. However, he’s reuniting with The Alchemist for Continuance which I was actually fiendin’ for because Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist have always been some of the standouts in Spitta’s ever-growing discography.

“Half Morning Moons” starts off the album on a spacious note telling this woman she can kick it with him as long as she can keep a secret whereas “Reese’s Cup” is a piano ballad taking aim at his competition. Boldy James tags along for the soulful “No Yacht” talking about having an acquired taste for the finer things leading into “Obsession” talking about his being infatuated by how much money he can make over a glossy boom bap beat.

Meanwhile on “Corvette Rally Stripes”, we have Havoc & Wiz Khalifa joining Spitta on top of a grim instrumental to flaunt just before the Styles P-assisted takes a more stripped back route as the 2 talk about what it all sounds like to them. “The Tonight Show” almost has this jazzy quality to proclaiming himself as a living legend, but then “Signature Move” goes into a hazier direction talking about getting everything he wants

Detroit’s very own Babyface Ray comes into the picture for the bluesy “Louis Baggage” speaking on reaching underground king status prior to “The Final Board” going full-blown rock turf talking about getting paid in full. The song “JoDeCi Tape” gets in his romantic bag over a synth-heavy beat while the penultimate track “Endurance Runners” with Larry June returning to jazz territory declaring themselves as such. “Kool & the Gang” ends the album with a touching tribute to his son.

For this to be Spitta’s way to kick off his 2022, it absolutely lived up to my expectations & I’ll even say it’s on the exact same caliber as it’s predecessors Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist. Alchemist’s production is superb as to be expected, the features all come correct & the man himself sounds like he’s in element lyrically.

Score: 4.5/5

Boldy James – “Super Tecmo Bo” review

Boldy James is a 39 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who broke out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist-produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set). He would later go on to land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up but once Boldy came home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China at the beginning of last year. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. He & Alchemist just dropped Bo Jackson to widespread acclaim over the summer, but are returning together out of the blue for Boldy’s 4th EP.

“Level Tipping Scales” sets it off well by spitting that pyrex shit on top of an atmospheric instrumental whereas “No Laughing Matter” follows it up by warning listeners that the drug dealer life ain’t no joke & the upbeat production is just fly as fuck to me. “Hot Water Tank” has these cool little whistles throughout the beat as well as how it details the gangsta mentality even though ICECOLDBISHOP’s verse is wack as fuck, but then “Bumps & Bruises” takes things into jazz territory & it’s nice to hear him getting more insightful through his lyrics.

Meanwhile on “Great Adventures”, we have Boldy on top of a silky yet drumless beat vividly detailing getting the gang tied up just before “Moth in the Flame” talks about being true to the game & the theatrical production enhances the seriousness of it very well. The song “300 Fences” compares his Concreatures crew to that of the infamous Black Mafia Family on top of an apprehensive instrumental while the penultimate track “Guilt” incorporates in some weepy strings talking about someone not being built for this life. “Francois” then ends the album with a gritty dedication to the thugs out there.

Bo Jackson has quickly become the best work of Boldy’s career in my personal opinion & for them to follow it up as quickly as they did, Super Tecmo Bo is very close to being on that same caliber. I respect that they toned it down on the features even though I wasn’t feeling the only one on the EP at all, but both parties continue to bring the best out of one another both lyrically & sonically.

Score: 4/5

The Alchemist – “This Thing of Ours 2” review

The Alchemist is a 43 year old producer, DJ & rapper from Beverly Hills, California who started out as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan. They would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his father, but Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep to even Eminem. Over this past spring, he produced the latest Armand Hammer album Haram to universal acclaim & followed it up his 9th EP This Thing of Ours a month later. But now in light of the confirmation that he’ll be producing the next Earl Sweatshirt album, Uncle Al dropping a sequel to his latest EP hopefully as a little warm up.

“Miracle Baby” by MAVI is a heavenly opener proclaiming himself as such whereas “Lossless” by MIKE serves as a jazzy boom bap follow-up talking about never losing. The song “Flying Spirit” by the Bruiser Brigade works in a drumless loop for the group to proclaim their work isn’t done while the penultimate track “Wildstyle” by ZelooperZ has a more ominous sound showcasing his wordplay. “6 5 Heartbeats” by Vince Staples ends the EP by somberly recalling his youth.

Uncle Al has made it known that he’s one of the most consistent producers in the game & it’s no surprise that This Thing of Ours 2 wound up being a little bit more enjoyable than the predecessor. Another notable factor of it is that he brings in some less-bigger names into the fold & give them the exposure they truly deserve.

Score: 4/5

Boldy James – “Bo Jackson” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Detroit emcee Boldy James. Breaking out in 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), he would land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up. Uncle Al would help get Boldy’s name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China at the beginning of last year. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. But with the 1-year anniversary of that project coming up this weekend, it’s only right for Boldy to reenlist Alchemist for Bo Jackson.

“Double Hockey Sticks” starts out with a haunting boom bap instrumental getting on his pyrex shit, but then has a hazy switch up talking about beating a case. The next song “Turpentine” has a more chipmunk soul vibe speaking on hard times whereas “Brickmile to Montana” with Benny the Butcher serves as a rugged sequel to “Scrape the Bowl”. The pianos on “E.P.M.D. (Everybody Plotting My Demise)” are eerie as fuck with Boldy calling out those who want to see him fail just before declaring that nobody is cut from his cloth for the airy “Steel Wool”.

Meanwhile on “Photographic Memories”, we have Earl Sweatshirt & Roc Marciano jump on top of a vocal loop saying they never forget faces leading into the demented storytelling “Speed Trap” provides. He later talks about taking the pot & going gold for the piano-laced “Diamond Dallas”, but then “Flight Risk” puts heavy reverb on the sample getting in his mafioso bag.

“Illegal Seizure & Search” gets back on the soulful tip talking about 5-0 whereas “Fake Flowers” with Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs viciously calls out those who be faking the funk with them. The song “3rd Person” has a more rock feel to it pondering how many times you can get away with murder while the penultimate track “First 48” is a cold blooded freestyle going on for 3 minutes. Then there’s “Drug Zone”, which ends the album with Boldy comparing himself to such.

If you happen to like Bo Jackson more than M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set) or even The Price of Tea in China, I wouldn’t be mad at it at all because this is the 3rd damn near perfect album they’ve done together. Boldy’s raw lyricism never fails to amuse me & the production is much better than The Versace Tape although I do respect Jay Versace.

Score: 4.5/5

The Alchemist – “This Thing of Ours” review

This is the 9th EP from Beverly Hills producer, DJ & emcee The Alchemist. Coming up as 1/2 of The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, the disbanded a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting. Mudfoot however, quickly established himself as a household name in hip hop production by working with a handful of the culture’s most iconic names ranging from Mobb Deep to Eminem. Last thing we heard from him solo wise was The Food Villain back in October & after producing the new Armand Hammer album Haram to universal acclaim last month, Uncle Al is staying busy by amassing 6 emcees for This Thing of Ours.

The opener “Nobles” weaves in a Sun Ra sample as Navy Blue & Earl Sweatshirt trade bars back & forth with one another while the next song “TV Dinners” is a bit oxymoronic with it’s calming instrumental along with Boldy James & Sideshow declaring themselves as soldiers through the lyrics. The penultimate track “Holy Hell” by Maxo & Pink Siifu goes on about the devil wanting their souls over a guitar & a vocal sample before Earl returns to talk about people nickel & diming on the trumpet-heavy closer “Loose Change”.

Not the best EP we’ve heard from The Alchemist, but still an enjoyable listen. His production is a lot more chilled out in comparison to Haram & despite a couple of the guest MCs providing weak verses, most of them do what they do best.

Score: 3.5/5

Armand Hammer – “Haram” review

Armand Hammer is duo from New York City consisting of Billy Woods & Elucid. Forming together in 2013 off their only mixtape Half Measures & the debut album Race Music, the pair would go on to release an EP & 3 more full-lengths worth of abstract political hip hop. Their previous effort Shrines just came out this past summer & not even a year later, Billy & Elucid have tapped on The Alchemist for their 5th full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Sir Benni Miles”, where Armand Hammer gets cryptic over a grimy instrumental with a couple of vocal samples laced in. The next song “Roaches Don’t Fly” talks about how “you don’t have to be here if you don’t wanna” over a synth-heavy beat with some occasional guitar passages while the track “Black Sunlight” gives the listener profound motivation over a cheerful instrumental. The track “Indian Summer” references the Indiana Jones franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company subsidiary Lucasfilm over a mystical beat while the track Aubergine with Fielded finds the 3 talking about hysteria over an instrumental that starts off with a demented atmosphere, but then switches into something more forlorn.

The song “God’s Feet” talks about “blowing that horn fast” over a glistening boom bap beat while the track “Peppertree” talks about how “there’s something else out there” over a saxophone & a reversed loop. The song “Scaffolds” talks about always being late with the epiphanies & having excuses over a paranormal instrumental while the track “Falling Out the Sky” with Earl Sweatshirt sees the trio opening up about their demons over a lachrymose beat.

The song “Wishing Bad” with Curly Castro & Amani finds the 4 talking about how all their problems come from no compensation over a minimal, yet deranged instrumental while the track “Chicharonnes” with Quelle Chris sees the 3 talking about corrupt cops over a ghastly beat. “Squeegee” is another favorite of mine with it’s enraged verses, the ear-grabbing hook & repose production while the penultimate track “Robert Moses” talks about a new day over a jazz-laced instrumental. The album ends with “Stonefruit”, where the duo talk about having so much to undo over a celebratory beat.

This is hands down one of the best albums I’ve heard all year & I’ll even go as far to say that it’s Armand Hammer’s magnum opus. Couple of the features were a miss for me personally, but the gruesome imagery that Billy Woods & Elucid paint goes hand to hand with Uncle Al’s signature sound almost flawlessly.

Score: 4.5/5

Freddie Gibbs – “Alfredo” review

Freddie Gibbs is a 37 year old emcee from Gary, Indiana that started out in 2004 with his debut mixtape Full Metal Jackit. Interscope Records would eventually sign him in 2006, but he left shortly after without releasing a full-length debut. This was made up for with the mixtapes The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs & Str8 Killa No Filla, which would catch the attention of Jeezy & land Freddie a contract with CTE World in 2011. This didn’t last long though, as Gibbs would leave CTE the following year after releasing the tapes Cold Day in Hell & B.F.K. (BabyFace Killa). In 2013, he decided to form his own label E$GN Records & finally dropped the full-length album, E.$.G.N. (Evil $eeds Grow Naturally). He & iconic Oxnard producer Madlib would drop their MadGibbs debut Piñata the year after that, which is EASILY one of the greatest hip hop albums of the previous decade. Gibbs continued to grow his profile after that with Shadow of a Doubt, You Only Live 2wice, Freddie, the Curren$y collab EP Fetti & of course there’s MadGibbs’ sophomore effort Bandana almost a year ago at this point. However, he’s returning out of the blue with his 3rd full-length album & The Alchemist producing it in it’s entirety.

Things kick off with “1985”, where Freddie talks about his flow being God level over a psychedelic guitar instrumental. The next song “God Is Perfect” talks about “Gangland shit” over a dreary instrumental while the track “Scottie Beam” finds Gibbs getting conscious & Rick Ross flexing over a dreamy instrumental. The song “Look At Me” talks about how he ain’t looking back over a soulful instrumental while the track “Frank Lucas” featuring Benny the Butcher sees the 2 talking that drug dealing over a grim boom bap beat.

“Something to Rap About” featuring Tyler, The Creator sees the 2 discussing rapping about crime & fame respectively over a tropical instrumental while the track “Baby $hit” talks about how soft dudes be nowadays. The song “Babies & Fools” with Conway the Machine sees the 2 reminiscing on their first & second loves over a gorgeously smooth instrumental while the penultimate track “Skinny Suge” opens up about feeling like someone’s tryin’ to kill him over a meditative beat. The album finishes off with “All Glass”, where Gangsta Gibbs gets on the gangsta tip over a hard hitting instrumental.

For this being the lyrical surprise album everyone was talking about dropping this week, it’s phenomenal. Probably Freddie’s best solo effort yet in my opinion. The production is phenomenal as we’d all expect from Uncle Al at this point culminating in jazz rap, boom bap & drumless with Freddie’s pen-game being just as gruesome as it was on Bandana depicting the gangsta lifestyle he’s experienced with guests that’re on the same level.

Score: 4.5/5

Conway the Machine – ” LULU” review

Conway the Machine is an emcee that blew up as 1/3 of the trio Griselda with Westside Gunn & Benny the Butcher. Last year we saw him droping a total of 3 short projects last year & now with the 1st quarter of 2020 coming to a close, he’s enlisting West Coast veteran The Alchemist to produce his 6th EP in it’s entirety.

After the intro, we get into the first song “14 KI’s”. Where Conway of course talks about pushing coke over an ominous beat. “The Contract” speaks on how nobody’s on his level over an orchestral instrumental while the song “Shoot Sideways” with ScHoolboy Q sees the 2 talking about murder over a boom bap beat. The track “Calvin” talks about being the big homie over a demented beat while the song “They Got Sunny” with Cormega sees the 2 going at wack rappers over a grimy boom bap beat. The EP finishes off with “Gold BBS’s”, where La Maquina talks about gunning down those who oppose him over a boom bap beat with a spooky vocal sample.

To me, this is easily one of the best things Conway has ever put out. He sounds a lot more focused than he did on the 3 projects that he dropped last year & the production is more consistent too because you can’t really go wrong with The Alchemist.

Score: 4.5/5

Boldy James – “The Price of Tea in China” review

This is the long-awaited sophomore album from Detroit emcee Boldy James. A man who rose to fame with his Alchemist produced 2013 debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set). This resulted in a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records, but unfortunately Boldy got locked up for a while. He eventually made his comeback a few years ago with his House of Blues mixtape & now after reuniting with the Uncle Al on his Boldface EP a couple months ago, they’re back again with The Price of Tea in China.

The album kicks off with “Carruth”, where Boldy reminisces on his past over some piano chords & a chilling vocal sample in the background. The next song “Giant Slide” gets mafiosio over a boom bap beat laced with these eerie whistling noises while the track “Surf & Turf” with Vince Staples sees the 2 talking about being overlords backed by this intoxicating instrumental. The song “Run-Ins” talks about being chased by the cops over a repetitive vocal sample that fits in flawlessly, but then it switches into a grimy ass beat leading into the track “Scrape the Bowl” with Benny the Butcher as the 2 talk about smuggling coke to their respective hometowns. The song “Pinto” talks about being rich from the drug game over a beat with these luscious string sections while the track “Slow Roll” finds Boldy flexing over an intimidating instrumental.

The song “S.N.O.R.T.” essentially gets back on the coke tip alongside Freddie Gibbs over a gritty beat then the track “Grey October” with Evidence sees the 2 pouring their hearts out over a psychedelic instrumental. The song “Mustard” has a funereal feel to it that I really like despite being way too short while the penultimate track “Speed Demon” talks about criminal activity over a boom bap beat with some nice horn samples. Then there’s the closer “Phone Bill”, which is about going from broke to rich over a calming beat.

For a comeback album, it’s damn near perfect to the point where it almost feels like Boldy never left. His pen game is still razor sharp as it was on the debut & Alchemist continues to provide him with brilliant musical soundscapes that help bring his bars to life.

Score: 4.5/5

Boldy James – “Boldface” review

Boldy James is a 36 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who blew up on the scene with his Alchemist produced 2013 debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set). He then landed a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records, but sadly went to prison for a while. Boldy eventually made his comeback a couple years ago with his House of Blues mixtape & now it seems like he’s trying to rekindle the flame with Uncle Al on his 3rd EP.

It all starts off with “Ill Advised”, where Boldy gets mafioso over a symphonic instrumental. The next song “Method of Madness” continues the lyrical themes of the previous cut over a grimy trap beat while the track “Summer Nights” gets reflective over an instrumental with a harmonious sample. The song “Dinavolino” with The Cool Kids gets homicidal over an intimidating instrumental & even though the closer “My 1st Offense” recalls the first time he got popped over a funky beat, it’s way too short.

If this is just an appetizer for a main course, then I’m all for it. Boldy sounds like he never even left really whereas The Alchemist’s production still fits his gritty pen-game like a glove. Would love to see them make another album together because even though this only runs it 15 minutes, they still recapture what made M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set) so great in that short amount of time.

Score: 4/5