Cactus Jack Records – “JACKBOYS II” review

This is a brand new mixtape from Houston, Texas label Cactus Jack Records founded by local rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & the honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott. The current roster includes Don Toliver, SoFaygo, Sheck Wes, Luxury Tax, DJ Chase B & Wallie the Sensei with both Smokepurpp & Malu Trevejo being signed at one point except neither one of them officially put anything out during their short time. They collectively dropped a JACKBOYS EP days following Christmas 2019 & have returned for a sequel since they’ve brought a few new artists on board since.

The first song “Champain & Vacay” by Don Toliver & Travis Scott after the “JB2 Radio” intro finds the latter subtly responding back to Pusha T with the “Made a hunnid off pushin’ T’s” line over some synthesizers & hi-hats whereas “2000 Excursion” by Don Toliver, Sheck Wes & Travis Scott finds Cardo mixing trap, pop rap, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & rap rock homaging the titular brand of Ford cars. “Kick Out” by Travis Scott gives me a gritty dirty south vibe until the switch-up during the last minute courtesy of T-Minus talking about getting the boot of shit gets complicated prior to “Dumbo” also by Travis Scott guaranteeing that the baddie he with is going stupid.

SoFaygo gets his own song with “MM3” shutting down the rumors of him being unhappy on Cactus Jack by giving us what we can expect on his forthcoming sophomore effort Mania rapping like the rent was due sampling “Ski Mask” by Project Pat just before “Velour” finds Don Toliver prominently singing a refrain & chorus with Sheck Wes providing a sole verse & Bugz Ronin musically backing them. “Contest” by SoFaygo & Travis Scott marks the first time they’ve collaborated with each other jumping over a rage beat talking about catching Ws their whole lives while “I.L.M.B. (I Love My Bitch)” by Sheck Wes & Travis Scott made for an average trap single with secondary hypertrap influences.

“Where Was You” by Travis Scott featuring Future & Playboi Carti produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying reunites the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren & Jalen Williams of trap so they can kill all these hoes wanting to eat their bones while “No Comments” by Don Toliver kicks the synths back in full gear to talk about sprinkling more hi-hats in the fold trying to get to know a woman. “Beep Beep” by Travis Scott ruins a self-produced instrumental by giving SahBabii the weakest feature on the entire compilation while “PBT” by Travis Scott featuring Tyla & Vybz Kartel feels like an outdated attempt at dancehall.

Glorilla’s appearance during “Shyne” by Travis Scott makes sense heavily pulling from Chicago drill & crunk referencing Matthew McConaughey in light of his upcoming appearance in the A24 Films thriller The Lost Bus & hitting the wiggly wobbly while “Outside” by Travis Scott featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again links the 2 up over synthesizers & hi-hats talking about stealing people’s bitches. “Can’t Stop” by Don Toliver & Wallie the Sensei brings both of them together to deliver a psychedelic tribute to ingesting all sorts of drugs & “Florida Flow” by Travis Scott featuring Kodak Black finishes the tape with them beat reflects on the Miami scene speedin’ people’s shit up the way H-Town slows shit down over a Tay Keith beat.

My favorite Travis Scott solo song is actually the one that starts off the deluxe run “Da Wizard” dropping braggadocio over Metro Boomin’ & TM88 production while “Trip Out” feels like a Yeat song featuring Sheck Wes considering Yeat’s all over it except for the final verse out-rapping Sheck & it’s catered to the rage sound Yeat became known for when his popularity grew. The final bonus track “110 South” by Luxury Tax & Wallie the Sensei marks Luxury’s only appearance on the entire compilation joining Cactus Jack’s newest member backed by a ghostly trap instrumental giving no fucks.

So much going down in Texas this weekend considering Adam Page became a 2-time AEW World Champion ending Jon Moxley’s 4th & worst reign, オカダ・カズチカ defeating his biggest 新日本プロレス rival Kenny Omega to become the new AEW International Champion, the longest reigning ROH Women’s World Champion Athena becoming the current 4-time AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm’s #1 Contender, the seeds being planted for a reunion between former 7-time WWE Tag Team Champions Adam Copeland & Christian Cage since the current ROH World Television Champion Nick Wayne turned on the latter and lastly the current ROH World Tag Team Champion & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion Dustin Rhodes becoming the new AEW TNT Champion because of Adam Cole vacating it due to career-threatening health issues at All In IV yesterday. Regarding the Let God Sort ‘Em Out & JACKBOYS II debate, Let God Sort ‘Em Out sweeps because JACKBOYS II feels reminiscent of Drake & 21 Savage’s collab album Her Loss.

Score: 3/5

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Travis Scott – “UTOPIA” review

It’s finally arrived: The 4th full-length album from Houston, Texas rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & entrepreneur Travis Scott. Not only was it confirmed by DJ Premier recently that La Flame’s father actually taught Preem how to play drum & bass, but Trav himself up as 1/2 of The Graduate$ until the duo disbanded after he signed a joint deal with T.I. to Grand Hustle Records as a recording artist & with one of my top 10 music producers of all-time Kanye West as a G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer. His debut mixtape Owl Pharaoh that came out my sophomore year had a blatantly heavy KiD CuDi influence which isn’t bad because it was even said that CuDi was Travis’ biggest musical influence & they’ve since formed a superduo called The Scotts. The sophomore tape Days Before Rodeo was where he started coming into his own artistically & the Epic Records distributed full-length debut Rodeo has rightfully become one of the most important trap albums of all-time. Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight followed the next fall to more moderate reception even though the highs like “sweet sweet” & “goosebumps” are very high, but ASTROWORLD came out only a few days after a death in the family & it helped me get through it as Travis would expand on the psychedelic trap sounds of his groundbreaking debut album. This would subsequently be his last body of work to be released under Grand Hustle, as he would go on to form his own Epic imprint Cactus Jack Records. But after years of singles & a crowd crush at the 3rd annual ASTROWORLD Fest that some people still blame him for even though the same security who worked there were the same ones who worked when Dave Chappelle got jumped on stage last year, the H-Town trap trailblazer is taking us to UTOPIA.

“HYAENA” is a self-produced boom bap opener flipping “Maggot Brain” by Funkadelic talking about shit being out of control as it is calling the situation we’re in currently to neither be a good one nor unblessed whereas “THANK GOD” gives his thanks to the man upstairs for still being here today & the only 12 he supports being the greatest QB of all-time or 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady over a drumless instrumental with co-production from Ye, BoogzDaBeast, WondaGurl, FNZ & Allen Ritter. “MODERN JAM” featuring Teezo Touchdown speaks on the way the world is now as Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo & Mike Dean sonically draw inspiration from Yeezus a bit that is until “MY EYES” has a dynamically dreamier vibe courtesy of Wheezy & Justin Vernon confessing that his eyes remain closed.

30 Roc & Dez Wright hook up a melodic vocal loop & hi-hats for “GOD’S COUNTRY” talking about how it ain’t up to you no more just before “SIRENS” energetically talks about being too determined & needing refurbishing. “MELTDOWN” featuring Drake is essentially a spiritual successor to “Sicko Mode” with all the instrumental switch-ups from Boi-1da, BNYX of Working on Dying, Tay Keith & Vinylz respectively getting on tea time with my only complaint being Drake’s redundantly corny diss to one of my idols Pharrell. We all know the story of Adidon, but he didn’t have to throw Skateboard under the bus. The secondary WrestleMania XLI official theme song “FE!N” featuring Playboi Carti though makes up for it by going into a synth-heavy realm talking about drug use & Carti’s vocal utilizations throughout are unbelievable.

“DELRESTO (ECHOES)” featuring Beyoncé sounds like it could’ve been on B’s comeback effort Renaissance from last summer as they jump on top of a house beat from Hit-Boy clarifying the only thing they escape for is the echoes themselves, but then “I KNOW?” talks about a girl that really ain’t even his type backed by a nocturnal trap instrumental. “TOPIA TWINS” featuring Rob49 & 21 Savage blends some organs & hi-hats referencing 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & $7 Productions co-founder The Rock showing off 2 twin bitches hoppin’ off a jetski even though Rob’s contribution doesn’t hold up to La Flame’s or 21’s, but “CIRCUS MAXIMUS” named after his debut film talks about having his final moment on top of synths & heavy drums.

Cactus Slatt gets together for the trippy, 6-minute “SKITZO” once again dabbling with multiple beat-switches pointing out how the bitches they bagged do that there on top of Travis rightfully choosing Kanye over Biden any day while the “PARASAIL” interlude gives off a slower edge promising to eternally fight for everything he loves. “Lost Forever” featuring Westside Gunn was something I was highly anticipating sampling both “f.o.r.e.v.e.r.” by James Blake & “Don’t Be Safe” by Check Senrick thanks to another top 10 producer of mine The Alchemist so Trav can discuss being lost in Utopia on top of West dropping the raw gangsta shit we’ve come to love him for later on.

“LOOOVE” by The Scotts goes into more robotic territory understanding that they’re loved asking if that’s how anyone else is feeling while “K-Pop” featuring Bad Bunny fresh off his WrestleMania XXXIX guest Spanish commentator appearance & The Weeknd is basically a male version of “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, which I actually understand why he chose it as a single even though I’ll most likely never listen to that song again. Really the only skip here. The cloudy penultimate track “TELEKINESIS” featuring Future & SZA finds the trio talking about seeing ahead into what’s to come, but “‘TIL FURTHER NOTICE” featuring James Blake & 21 Savage wraps up Utopia by saying x-rated love is the best kinda love accompanied by a synth-trap hybrid from Metro Boomin’.

ASTROWORLD quickly became my 2nd favorite Trav album for how it expanded on the psychedelics that made his full-length debut amongst the most groundbreaking trap projects to come out within the last decade & it makes me happy to see how much it’s aged well, but UTOPIA easily stands at the #3 spot. It’s refreshing to hear him behind the boards again with him wearing the Ye influences HEAVY as he shows us all experiences where utopian things can exist & you can enjoy yourself & have a good time.

Score: 4/5

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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

Travis Scott – “AstroWorld” review

Almost 2 years after his underappreciated sophomore album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight & with the solid debut album from Huncho Jack at the tail-end of last year, Houston trap mastermind Travis Scott is finally delivering his long-awaited 3rd full-length album.

Things start off with “STARGAZING”, where Travis recalls a drug trip over a Sonny Digital instrumental that starts off atmospheric, but then switches into an eerie trap instrumental. The next song “CAROUSEL” talks about how fly he is over a gritty Hit-Boy instrumental & the Frank Ocean hook is very pretty. The track “SICKO MODE” with Drake sees the 2 talking shit & I like how the Rogét Chahayed, Hit-Boy, Cubeatz, Tay Keith & Mike Dean instrumental constantly switches up while maintaining a dark sound. The song “R.I.P. SCREW” is an atmospheric tribute to the legendary Screwed Up Click leader DJ Screw while the track “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” advises the listener to stay true to yourself over a cloudy trap beat & the James Blake/KiD CuDi hook is phenomenal. I also love the Stevie Wonder harmonica that pops up occasionally.

The song “NO BYSTANDERS” is a club banger with a psychedelic trap beat & the Waka Flocka sample for the hook is amazing. The track “SKELETONS” is a slow love ballad with a mellow Tame Impala instrumental along with some harmonious background vocals from Pharrell & The Weeknd. The song “WAKE UP” is a tribute to both Kylie Jenner & Bella Hadid over a Ging instrumental with rattling hi-hats & some unexpected acoustic guitar passages. I also love the cloudy instrumental outro during the last 40 seconds. The track “5% TINT” gets braggadocious over some bass & ominous keyboards while the perfectly “NC-17” with 21 Savage gets raunchy over a trap beat from Boi-1da with some prominent chimes. The track “ASTROTHUNDER” vents about needing distance over a spacey beat from Travis himself with co-production from John Mayer, Thundercat & Ging and while the song “YOSEMITE” does about the lavish things in life over a nice acoustic trap beat & the Gunna hook is pretty, but the very short ΠΔV verse at the end is totally redundant.

The track “CAN’T SAY” has an amazing Trae tha Truth sample in the WondaGurl instrumental, but I feel like Don Toliver takes up most of it & his nasal tone does absolutely nothing for me. The song “WHO? WHAT!” feels like an leftover from Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho down to the disappointingly generic instrumental from Cardo, but the song “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” makes up for it as he talks about the famous life over a druggy Murda Beatz instrumental. The penultimate track “HOUSTONFORNICATION” is a tribute to Travis’ hometown of Houston over a murky trap beat & then “COFFEE BEAN” finishes it off with fireworks as Travis reflects on his career up until this point over an unexpected boom bap beat from 1985. The prominently twangy guitar throughout is a nice touch, but the heavy guitar & the string sections that pop up during the last minute are just beautiful.

I’ve been waiting 3 years for this & overall, it’s on the same caliber as Rodeo. The production returns to the experimental sound that was displayed on that album & I love how Travis is rapping a lot more than ever on here. There are a couple lackluster moments but outside of that, it’s just another example of why Travis is the greatest trap rapper of this generation.

Score: 4.5/5

Huncho Jack – “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho” review

Huncho Jack is a southern hip hop superduo consisting of Migos’ standout member Quavo & the KiD CuDi of trap music, Travis Scott. Both members coming from Atlanta, Georgia & Houston, Texas respectively have shown quite a bit of chemistry with songs like “Oh My Dis Side”, “pick up the phone” & “Portland”. And alas, here we are with their full-length debut merely days away from Christmas.

The album starts off with “Modern Slavery”, where they’re going back & forth about the lavish life & the Otis Redding sample Buddah Bless hooks up is surprising yet cool. The next track “Black & Chinese” talks about their favorite types of women over an abrasive Southside beat & the track “Eye 2 Eye” gets with Takeoff gets celebratory over a druggy instrumental from Murda Beatz.

“Motorcycle Patches” talks about acid with TM88, Supah Mario & Ging making it work as someone who’s not a fan of acid. The track “Huncho Jack” is a prime example of their chemistry over this semi-spacey beat Quavo helped Mike Dean & !llmind make while the song “Saint” flaunts about their success & the bass on here is explosive! The track “Go” talks about the life of a hustler & the flute sample on here is killer!

The song “Dubai Shit” talks about partying in Dubai (obviously) over a druggy beat & I love how Offset is incorporated as he goes back & forth with Quavo during the final verse. The track “St. Laurent Mask” gets into them as dealers & I absolutely love the keys on here. The song “Moon Rock” is an ode to the titular strain of weed & the beat from Vinylz is sinister, yet bass heavy.

“How U Feel” talks about getting fucked up on lean & the sample on here is absolutely beautiful while the penultimate track “Where U From?” vents about living life in the fast lane on top of Cardo & Cubeatz fantastically sampling my favorite Mac DeMarco song: “Chamber of Reflection”. Then album then closes with “Best Man”, where they both get appreciative of their success over another spacey beat from Wheezy. Personally, this was WELL worth the wait. The production slaps & the chemistry between Quavo & Travis is stronger than before.

Score: 3.5/5

Travis Scott – “Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight” review

Just literally 2 days before the 1 year anniversary of his surprisingly solid debut Rodeo, Travis Scott has finally dropped his highly anticipated sophomore album. The album’s opener “the ends” has a grimy beat & while I do enjoy Travi$’ verse at the beginning about how this sole verse might make his label Epic Records drop him, what really makes this track stick out is the vividly told albeit very surprising guest verse from OutKast member André 3000. On the next track “way back”, Travis is reflecting on his pre-fame days & not only do I really love how dreamy the production sounds on here, but I also love how catchy Travis’ vocals are too. On the track “through the late night”, Travi$ hooks up with his idol KiD CuDi to talk about partying & I personally find the chemistry between the 2 on here to be purely AMAZING! The track “outside” is an ode to all of Travis’ ride or die homies & while that’s definitely cool, the non-distinctive production throughout & the boring ass verse from 21 Savage near the end makes this possibly the worst track on the entire album. However, the next track “goosebumps” makes up for it. The song is basically Travis’ & Black Hippy member Kendrick Lamar expressing their love for this woman & while the production has a dark atmosphere to it, it’s without a bit of doubt my favorite track off the entire album. The track “pick up the phone” is about a woman who isn’t showing any loyalty to either Travis’ or Young Thug & Quavo of Migos. While I can totally appreciate the concept of this song & the hard trap beat on this thing, it just comes off really corny to me. The track “lose” is pretty relaxing from the production to even Travis’ singing. However, my only issue with this song is that I feel like he used WAY too much auto-tune on the hook. Personally, I don’t enjoy a whole lot of trap music but I’m not gonna sit here & deny that Travis Scott has been slowly but surely impressing me more & more within the past year or so. Honestly, I was a little worried about how this album would turn out but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it could very well be better than Rodeo. I definitely can’t wait to hear what this cat has in store in the future

Score: 3.5/5