Mickey Diamond – “Gucci Ghost 4” review

This is the 11th full-length studio album from one of the illest Detroit emcees in the underground currently: Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 9 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. But for the past year, Mickey has been consistent putting out some of the best material of his career thus far. This includes the Gucci Ghost album & it’s sequel produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Ral Duke-produced Oroku Saki EP, the Sadhugold-produced Death Threat$ album, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Capital Gains album & more recently Gucci Ghost 3 only last weekend. But as we approach Christmas weekend, Diamond & Big Ghost are keeping the series going by unleashing a 4th installment to the Gucci Ghost saga with only a few days’ notice.

After the “Cut the Check” intro, the first song “Gucci North Face” is a sample-based opener referring to WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion Rikishi whose nephew Jacob Fatu is the longest reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion & a former HoG Heavyweight Champion whereas “Ice Caps” gives off a somber boom bap edge talking about being in the last days. “Maurizio’s Funeral” has this drumless soul flip declaring himself as a hitman for hire rocking luxurious attire prior to “Giverny Frames” bringing back the kicks & snares so he can get on his mobster shit to round out the first half of the album referencing 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, United Football League (UFL) co-founder & $7 Productions co-founder The Rock.

After the “Gucci Boycott” interlude, “Yachts n Boycotts” starts the 2nd leg of the LP by jumping over a suspensefully dark boom bap instrumental asking to be forgiven for his sins along with reminding that there’s a thin line between family & friends just before “Godzilla Mac 10s” keeps it raw talking about being a certified killa. “Murder for Hire” morbidly gets in his outlaw bag leading into “The Last Supper” featuring Big Trip, Bori Rock, Shaykh Hanif, Snotty & Ty Farris closing out Gucci Ghost 4 in the form an 8-minute posse cut with my favorite verses going to Diamond as well as Big Trip, Snotty & T-Flame. I also loved the line Ty had regarding Dana White, who is now the CEO & President of the UFC after Endeavor merged Zuffa with the WWE to form TKO Group Holdings this fall.

You know since the first Gucci Ghost came out at the beginning of December last year & then 2 followed only 3 weeks later, I should’ve figured that a 4th installment was on the horizon at some point & I actually happen to love it as much as the predecessor that we got only the previous weekend. Big Ghost Ltd.‘s production is predominantly in that boom bap style with more drumless undertones, Mickey still remains as one of the sharpest lyricists in the Umbrella collective & I love how there’s more features except they all pop up in the backend of it.

Score: 4.5/5

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Snotty – “Boy George Dreams” review

New York City emcee Snotty making his 11th EP the 4th & final project that he’s given us in 2023. Establishing himself by dropping his last 10 EPs along with 3 mixtapes & The Steiner Brothers’ eponymous debut, he would go on to join the Umbrella collective with likes of Jay Royale or Mickey Diamond & even his Steiner Brothers cohort Pro Dillinger to name a few. I’ve also heard his features throughout the Gucci Ghost series as well as The Final Sniff of the No Cosign, Just Cocaine saga & even some of Hus Kingpin’s material within the last few years (most notably Portishus). But coming off the Chapter II EP couple months ago, Snotty is helping close out the year by putting out Boy George Dreams.

“Everybody Eats” is an orchestral-tinged opener likening it a soup kitchen whereas the soulful “190E 2.5” admits that he feels like part of him has changed & that shit’s hardly been the same for him ever since the love been gone. “Obsession” has a bit of a boom bap flare instrumentally detailing his obsession with enterprising prior to “Apartment 1C” featuring fellow Umbrella collective member Mvck Nyce works in this solemn sample taking things to the streets.

The beat on “Dapper Dan Jaccet” pays homages to Daringer’s whole style explaining how hard be flexing that Gucci, but then Daniel Son of the Brown Bag Money collective teams up with Snotty for the grimy “Felonious Food Courts” reminding that the streets know the names & they don’t have to say it twice. “Tuxedo Enterprise” shoots for a smoother instrumental bragging that they invented fly & “Shrimp Dinner” by The Steiner Brothers eerily talking about out they’ll Hudson River shrimp dinner someone.

“Ostrich Interior” starts the encore of Boy George Dreams on a drumlessly moodier note assuring that there’ll never be another like when it’s all said & done that is until “Trench Baby” slides through with a sample-laced sendoff to the project by Snotty telling the story of what it was like for him being born & raised out in the trenches of my 2nd favorite place to travel to in here in the States behind Los Angeles of course: NYC.

Of the 4 projects that we’ve gotten from Snotty this year: Boy George Dreams has to be my favorite solo project of his but that’s not to say it isn’t neck-&-neck with the Steiner Brothers album. The guest list is consistently unparalleled throughout the 10-track/24 minute offering, the production teeters between boom bap & drumless and I lastly find the performances from Snotty himself to be the most passionate he’s sounded so far. The Umbrella collective stays consistent.

Score: 3.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Gucci Ghost 3” review

Detroit emcee Mickey Diamond is back with his 10th full-length LP. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 9 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. But for the past year, Mickey has been consistent putting out some of the best material of his career thus far. This includes the Gucci Ghost album & it’s sequel produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Ral Duke-produced Oroku Saki EP, the Sadhugold-produced Death Threat$ album & the Camoflauge Monk-produced Capital Gains album. However to come off Gone in 60 Seconds & Bangkok Dangerous 4, he’s surprise-dropping a 3rd installment of Gucci Ghost.

The first song “Live Fast” after the “Maurizio’s Dead, Somebody Shot Em” intro sets off the LP with a piano-driven boom bap instrumental living in the fast lane & looking to die free whereas “Nauti by Nature” works in more pianos, kicks & snares talking about shooting ya. “Gucci Underwear” weaves another piano-boom bap hybrid into the fold firing shots at everyone who’s been lamed out up to this point prior to “Icebergs” shifting into more lavish turf reminding that there’s dark matter scattered over everything.

“Patrizia’s” starts the 2nd leg of the LP by returning to the boom bap assuring that he could do this shit forever if he wanted to just before “Reggiani’s Revenge” ruggedly calls these computer thugs Microsoft & seeing all the dead people a.k.a. dead presidents that he’s stacked up for himself by now. After the “Murder for Hire” interlude, “Designer Caskets” dustily compares his flow to hot lava & “Aldo’s Ghost” ties up the Gucci Ghost trilogy by eerily disappearing into the vapors RKOing everybody as if he’s 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton.

Oroku Saki is the best EP that we’ve gotten from Mickey in 2023, but I firmly believe that Gucci Ghost 3 has now taken over Death Threat$’ spot for the best full-length he’s dropped this year & most certainly a late AOTY contender with only a couple weeks left until 2024 begins. Unlike the predecessor being more feature-heavy & the original Gucci Ghost only having a couple, it’s just Diamond & Big Ghost here continuing to elevate one another like they’ve been doing for the past year.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Death Threat$” review

This is the 8th full-length album from Detroit emcee Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 6 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. Gucci Ghost & it’s sequel produced by Big Ghost Ltd. on top of Ral Duke producing Oroku Saki in it’s entirety all became his strongest bodies of work to date. But coming off the Smoke Face EP & the last full-length Nobody Bleeds Like Flair, the hot streak is going by enlisting Sadhugold behind the boards for Death Threat$.

“When a Stranger Calls” is an eerie boom bap opener to party like it’s Mardi Gras whereas “2412” works in an hair-raising loop on top of some kicks & snares referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion Yokozuna. “Sleepers” instrumentally is reminiscent to RZA’s production work in the 90’s looking to make & break rules at the same time leading into alarm-ring “Pen Diesel” obviously referring to himself as Vin Diesel with the lyricism only seeing money like WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion & AJPW世界タッグ王座 Ted DiBiase.

Things get drumless on “Tokyo Tea” stretching anyone who dares to fuck around with him, but then the piano sample throughout “Def Leppard” is really nice as he talks about those who choose to be disrespectful getting battered & bruised. “Prime Time Deon” hooks up a bare soul sample cautioning not to press your luck with him just before “Sir Smoke a Lot” gives off an unsettling groove to the beat talking about stepping aside to let him cook.

The penultimate song “Racer X” takes a hazier route sonically to bring on a samurai showdown & shortly after the “Disturbia” interlude, the closer “Death Threats” ends what I personally consider to be Mickey’s best full-length album in 7 months (Oroku Saki was an EP mind you) by returning to the boom bap 1 last time with a groovy guitar passage wailing behind him asking if music nowadays is considered as art or simply something to buy.

Smoke Face & Nobody Bleeds Like Flair both had their highlights, but they didn’t give me the same feeling that both Gucci Ghosts or Oroku Saki as consistent bodies of work. Death Threat$, I can say does. As a matter of fact: I might like it more than the Ral Duke EP by a hair. Sadhugold’s production does more than a fine job at teetering between boom bap & drumless so Diamond can spit some of hardest bars that he’s jotted down all year.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jay Royale – “Criminal Discourse” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Baltimore emcee Jay Royale. Exploding onto the scene with his critically acclaimed debut The Ivory Stoop, he would continue to gain more exposure during the 2020 COVID lockdowns by dropping a sophomore effort The Baltimore Housing Project that was also well received by critics & fans alike. But as the 3 year mark of the latter’s unveiling approaches in less than a couple months, Jay’s looking to close out the trilogy in the form of Criminal Discourse.

The title track is a somber boom bap opener promising to crack cases like Watson & Holmes when his homies get out from the pen whereas “The Calm” ironically keeps the dreary atmosphere going layering kicks & snares on top of the loop talking about drug deals on the phone. “Carlito & Kleinfeld” featuring Kool G Rap produced by Ray Sosa works in these hair-raising string sections getting in their mafioso bag fittingly enough leading into “The Alleged” featuring Willie the Kid plants crimes inside vocals with an intimidating boom bap instrumental from Stu Bangas.

“Dial Tone” hooks up some kicks & snares over an operatic vocal sample expressing his self-awareness that there are people who’re out to get him, but then “Slot Time” featuring Saigon is a piano/boom bap hybrid promising that 2023 will be the year that motherfuckers get overcharged. “Civillian Phones” calls out those who’re only built for exactly that over more keys, kicks & snares just before “Romello Skuggz” delves the sound present on the last 2 cuts even further seeking the reaper’s invitation.

Continuing from there, “The Money Phone Pic” gives off a shimmery boom bap flare dissing people who post pictures of them holding money to their ear saying it’s for their obituaries & after the “Bell Tower” interlude, “Jaw Tap” crosses over some pianos & strings laying down laws by sucker-punching jaws . “Land Lines” takes it back to the basement instrumentally filled with mob talk while “The Wise & Lakid” featuring Havoc brings back the keys, kicks & snares saying fuck school to get money with those wildin’

“The Shhhh Dialect” featuring AZ keeps it boom bap except for the glamorous loop throughout being cautious towards not speaking much on the phone being self-aware of the feds that’re trying to listen in on their convos while the funereal penultimate track “End Game” featuring Styles P talking about how the streets’ll meet you halfway in the end. “90’s Beeper Code” concludes the nearly 5-year trilogy on a dusty note explaining that the final chapter was to empower you.

The Baltimore Housing Project stayed on heavy rotation the summer it dropped when the whole world was shut down due to COVID & I still think it’s one of the strongest sophomore albums in recent memory, but he really saves the best installment of the trilogy for Criminal Discourse. You can really hear how much he’s evolved as an MC within the past 5 years on top of the boom bap production getting dirtier & a stellar feature list.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Oroku Saki” review

This is the 6th EP from Detroit underground emcee Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 6 albums alongside 5 EPs & a mixtape. His last 2 outings Gucci Ghost & Gucci Ghost 2produced by Big Ghost Ltd. that dropped back to back last month have quickly become my favorite bodies of work that Diamond has put out yet so when I found out that one of my favorite graphic artists in recent memory Ral Duke would be behind the boards for Oroku Saki in it’s entirety, it was only right to give it my first review of 2023 since Gucci Ghost 2 was my last review of 2022.

After the “Can Opener” intro, the title track is a symphonic boom bap opener where Mickey talks about how he’s gonna make you learn to respect the throne whereas “Chrome Dome” works in some more strings whilst dashing some jazzy undertones to the beat as well referring to himself as the masked man. “Wow!” hooks up some kicks & snares with a piano loop talking about how those listening be knowing his style & making the sun shine like WWE Hall of Famer Luna Vachon leading into “Multiverse” following the “Krangstrumental” interlude takes a more cavernous route in terms of sound echoing the iconic Tribe Called Quest joint “Can I Kick It?” painting images of the wicked mean streets. “Turtle Soup” is a killer rap rock cut talking about what he be dining on tonight & ruthlessly hijacking your whole residence while “The Foot” returns to the boom bap talking about how he could never take all of this from a rat. After the “Ooze” interlude though, Mondo Slade come into the picture for the closer “Shredder vs. Casey Jones” as he & Diamond essentially battle rap one another over an uncanny instrumental with co-production from & Swab.

It’s funny how Gucci Ghost 2 was a last minute addition to my best of 2022 list & now here is 3 weeks later kicking off the new year the exact same way: By giving us his 3rd consecutive classic. As someone who enjoyed the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series as well as the first 2 movies from the early 90’s & the ‘03 series, the concept of the EP is incredibly cohesive as Mickey ties in references into his hardcore lyrical style excellently. Now the only time I can recall hearing Ral Duke production a track was “Painkillers” off Conway the Machine’s 11th mixtape Everybody‘s F.O.O.D. 2: Eat What U Kill & that was always a highlight track for me personally, but I genuinely appreciate how much his production here has fluctuated so much in the last 4 years or so.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Gucci Ghost 2” review

Mickey Diamond is an up-&-coming MC from Detroit, Michigan who first emerged at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with 5 full-lengths alongside 5 EPs & a mixtape. He literally just dropped his last album Gucci Ghost produced by Big Ghost Ltd. at the beginning of the month & have now decided to drop a sequel 3 weeks later out of nowhere.

After the “Tax Evasion” intro, the first song “Paolo’s Ghost” kicks off the album with some sample-based boom bap production & Mickey declaring himself to be a troublemaker prior to Hus Kingpin & Mondo Slade both assisting him on “Vanity Fair” taking a more dejecting tone instrumentally as the trio leave the scene bloody lyrically. Especially with the hilarious thumbdrive line during the first verse. The electric guitar throughout “Gucci Godzilla” is absolutely badass confessing that he feels like an iced-out version of the King of Monsters referencing former NWA World Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & 6-time WWE Hardcore Champion Bob Holly just before “Gold Grill Villains” featuring Eddie Kaine & Mooch has a more rawer approach in sound as the 3 spit some ruthless battle bars.

“Aldo’s Interlude” is a self-described brief intermission with some down-tuned synths & a bass guitar layered on top of some kicks & snares discussing how no one can fuck with him leading into “Nowhere to Run” explains that the hood’s the only life he knows over a desolate boom bap beat. The song “Dapper Dan War Suits” brings back the rap rock vibes with some minimal drums talking about being dressed to kill while the penultimate track “Blood on the Runway” is a symphonic boom bap posse cut showcasing the Umbrella collective with each member standing out in their own way. “Death By Designer” ends things by reminding us that our demises are always 1-step away with a climatic instrumental.

When we initially got Gucci Ghost at the beginning of the month, I had stated that it was Mickey’s most well crafted body of work to date. Fast forward literally weeks later & here we are with a sequel that’s on par with if not superior to that of the predecessor. Dude’s continuing to reveal himself to be amongst my favorite lyricists within the Umbrella by continuing to sharpen up his pen-game & Big Ghost Ltd.‘s production is more versatile than it was on the last album.

Score: 4.5/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Gucci Ghost” review

This is the 5th full-length album from up-&-coming Detroit emcee Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 4 albums alongside 5 EPs & a mixtape. But when it was announced that Big Ghost Ltd. would be jumping behind the boards to lace Gucci Ghost in it’s entirety, I had to check it out considering the fact that the revered underground producer tends to bring the best out of the MC that he links up with.

After the “Crimes of Fashion” intro, the first song “The Invisible Man” sets off the album with Mickey hopping on top of a synth/boom bap instrumental with lyricism more stunning than WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin whereas “Vineyards in France” has a more sinister atmosphere to it advising wack rappers to tear up the contracts that they just signed. “Icicles” has a more symphonic flare to it whilst keeping it dusty showing off his ice just before The Steiner Brothers tag along for the forlorn “Stone Island Shooters” to insult their opposition.

However with “Maurizio’s Ghost”, we have Mickey over some dramatic boom bap production delivering some wig-splitting rhyme schemes for nearly 5 minutes asking what you’d expect while the song “Deluxe Flux” following the “Answer to a Dream” interlude keeps it in the basement as far as sound talking about being more than just an emcee. The penultimate track “GG Buckets” has a more grimier aesthetic to it with it’s blaring beat & Mickey referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級王座, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle prior to “Chain Gretzky” is such a perfectly gully finish to the instrumental to the war-ready pen-game.

I’ve already covered a few of the Umbrella collective’s members in the past like Substance810 & Jay Royale, so it was really overdue for me to be to get to one of Mickey’s project & I’m sure as Hell happy that I did because Gucci Ghost just so happens to be is the crown jewel of his discography thus far in my eyes. Lyrically, dude’s the best he’s ever sounded & Big Ghost’s signature boom bap production compliments his gruff style in an impressive fashion.

Score: 4.5/5

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Substance810 – “The Monolithic Era” review

Substance810 is an MC/producer from Port Huron, Michigan who came up in ‘06 off his debut The Definition under his original moniker Tekneek. He’s since gone on to build up an impressive catalog for himself whether it be the sequel The Definition Of… or the Hobgoblin-produced The Hanging Gardens & more recently the Chuck Chan-produced Desolate Lands this past spring. But with fall approaching, Substance has decided to recruit JQuest Beatz for his 11th album.

After the “Exordium” intro, the first song “Don’t Bite the Hand” is an eerie opener basically advising to never act ungrateful towards him prior to ethemadassassin & K. Burns tagging along for the dusty “Monolithic” talking about being indivisible. “Triumphant” works in some horns describing his rise to prominence whereas “Ancient Sand” laces an entrancing vocal loop asking if you know the traces that make a man.

Meanwhile on “Cross the Line”, we have P.U.R.E. tagging along to help Substance deliver a seething jab at those who step over their boundaries leading into “Time Zones” returning to the boom bap talking about being in another world. “Flaming Chariots” weaves a flute into the fold explaining that the loudest be the scariest in this battle, but then “Solidarity” with John Creasy, Big Trip & Josiah the Gift comes through with an impassioned Umbrella posse cut.

“Sexxx Pistol” shoots for a more foreboding aesthetic delivering some flawless wordplay using sexual & weapon metaphors while the guitar-laced “Concierge’s in Negril” getting in his storytelling bag about a shorty named Natalie. The song “Foundational” with Allah Supreme & Sunez Allah sees the trio over a rich beat talking about never starving while the penultimate track “Raw Materials” with Body Bag Ben brings back the horns displaying some cutthroat lyricism. “Precious Medals” though is a jazzy yet emotional closer talking about the old days.

Of the 2 albums that Substance has dropped this year, I think The Monolithic Era is a more personal experience than Desolate Lands was back in the spring. He lets the listeners in a journey through his mind as to how he got his name & JQuest Beatz’ sound compliments his lyrical style well in my personal opinion.

Score: 4/5

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Substance810 – “Desolate Lands” review

This is the 10th full-length album from Port Huron emcee/producer Substance810. Coming up in ‘06 off his debut The Definition under his original moniker Tekneek, he’s since gone on to build up an impressive catalog for himself whether it be the sequel The Definition Of… or the Hobgoblin-produced The Hanging Gardens. He just dropped the Onaje Jordan-produced A Righteous Offering back in the fall & now 6 months later, Substance is enlisting Chuck Chan to produce Desolate Lands in it’s entirety.

The title track sets the album up by asking how many times he & Chuck gotta give listeners that raw over a calming instrumental whereas the Josiah the Gift-assisted “Substantial” throws in a pillowy boom bap beat talking about making music with substance. Pro Dillinger tags along for the soulful “Thrill of the Hunt” advising that you can’t escape them, but then Dango Forlaine & Mickey Diamond come into the picture for the dusty “Noteworthy” ripping their opposition to shreds.

Meanwhile on “Nomads”, we have King Author joining Substance810 on top of a lush drumless loop keeping the battle raps going just before “Forever Forage” works in an orchestral boom bap instrumental wanting to know who the most potent is. After the titular interlude, “Pompeii” asks what’s really left to say over a hazy beat prior to “Dead Flowers” throwing a sick guitar lead talking about wising up.

The song “Block Spill” with King Micah the Infamous & Philmore Greene finds the trio going into jazzier territory talking about how it be in the streets while the penultimate track Staircases” with Supreme Cerebral has a more orchestral sound admitting that the light at the end of the tunnel is hard to see. “Coming Home” then ends the album with a horn-laced tribute to his hometown of Port Huron.

As much as I loved Chess Pieces, I happen to dig Desolate Lands a little bit more by a small margin. Substance’s lyricism continues to get more intense with each passing project Chuck Chan’s production is a lot more eclectic this time around.

Score: 4/5