Ty Farris – “Malice at the Palace” review

Ty Farris is a Detroit underground veteran who came up up under the name T-Flame & wound up being featuring on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade. It was at that point where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate by dropping 11 mixtapes, 8 full-length albums & 3 EPs. Standouts include the Room 39 duology & the No Cosign Just Cocaine series, the 5th & final installment of which finally arrived last month. But continuing to balance quality & quantity as always, Ty’s enlisting Danish producer Machacha behind the boards for his 9th album.

After the “Starting Lineup” intro, the first song “Dope Sales to Vinyl Deals” is a powerful opener to the album with T-Flame detailing how the long way that he came from whereas “Sign the Contract” has a more eerier route talking about a fine print on the street agreement. “Bleacher Report” has a spacey boom bap quality to it as the lyrics touch on trying to survive with suicidal thoughts with anonymous sources reporting live & direct leading into Dango Forlaine, Guilty Simpson & Marv Won all joining forces for “4 Point Play” as they really show y’all who the bad boys really are with a suspenseful beat backing them.

Moving on to “Coke in the Locker Room”, we have Ty on top of some more bluesy production with a clever reference to the sample whilst touching on poverty on the lyrical front just before “Flagrant Fouling” returns to the boom bap as he & Mickey Diamond comparing this rap shit to the layup line when it comes to bars. The song “Karma’s the Referee” returns to a bluesier vibe providing y’all the best of him while the penultimate track “Strong Arm Aggression” with Waterr goes into rap rock turf as their chemistry is as strong as it was on their collab EP Bulls vs. Pistons a few years ago. “Bloodstains on the Jersey” ends things with a groovy instrumental & Ty pointing out people wanting to see blood since the gladiator days.

I remember watching the Malice at the Palace live on TV with my dad & my older brother as an 8 year old kid with all of us being in amazed by what was unfolding in front of our very eyes & if you love basketball the way you love hip hop, then you’re gonna want to give this a listen. The themes of the sport are incredibly cohesive as the Detroit wordsmith rips it on top of what I consider to be amongst Machacha’s strongest batch of production to date. Looking forward to seeing him open up for Rome Streetz on the first night of the Kiss the Ring tour this upcoming Wednesday.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ty Farris – “No Cosign, Just Cocaine 5: The Final Sniff” review

This is the 11th mixtape from Detroit emcee Ty Farris. Coming up under the name T-Flame, he was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. But coming fresh off his 3rd EP Moments of Mayhem alongside his last 2 albums Fluorescent Mud & Pain for Ya Vein respectively, Ty’s returning for the 5th & final installment of the No Cosign Just Cocaine series.

After the “80’s Cocaine” intro, the first song “The Coca Leaf” works in a drumless loop as T-Flame spits about that cocaína prior to Jae Skeese tagging along for the gritty “We Never Backing Down” talking about refusing to fold. “Alejandro Sosa” has a slicker yet cinematic groove to the production courtesy of Trox speaking on the man only concerned about the quota, but then “Dean Smith” takes a more soulful with it’s bare sample & the lyrics concerning the rap game’s dean’s list.

As for “Dope Speak 4 Itself”, we have J. Arrr & Vega7 the Ronin joining Ty over a cavernous boom bap instrumental provided by Stu Bangas to show off their lyrical prowesses just before “The Thoughts of Ghost” comes through with a standout from the horror flick-inspired beat that Big Ghost Ltd. cooks up to the bars about being a hot boy before Lil Wayne could start to curse in his music. Flames Dot Malik drops a husky verse on “The Twilight Zone” as they continue to son motherfuckers on the mic over what is possibly the darkest Wino Willy beat I’ve ever heard leading into “Underestimate Me” weaving some synths, kicks & snares speaking to those who underrate him.

“The Most Feared Threat” with Mickey Diamond, Pro Dillinger & Snotty finds the quartet over a shimmering boom bap beat from Finn referring to themselves as problems in the game while “Critically Acclaimed” has a richer quality to it taking a dive into his dark mind. The song “Brown Bags Over Revolvers” with Daniel Son sees the pair on top of some pianos, kicks & snares to live lawless while the penultimate track “Never Lose Respect” returns to soulful turf declaring himself as the Jesus of this rap shit. “The Most High” concludes the tape & the NCJC series with a downtrodden Bozack Morris instrumental living for today.

I’ve been anticipating this project for quite some time now & even had the honor of seeing the artwork only a few months before the final product was even announced earlier this week. From that moment on, I knew I wasn’t gonna be disappointed it & it couldn’t have been a better conclusion to the saga now that we got it in full. Ty lyrically continues to cement himself as one of the best in underground today, the guest list is nearly as on point as the last installment’s was & the production is consistently raw.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ty Farris – “Pain for Ya Vein” review

Ty Farris is a veteran MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up under the name T-Flame. After landing features on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000s, it wasn’t until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. He just dropped his 3rd EP Moments of Mayhem back in March produced entirely by Italy’s very own Slim 1 & followed it up over the summer with his 7th album Fluorescent Mud produced by Sebb Bash but is looking to end the year in the form of his 8th album.

“Don’t Poke the Bear” opens the album a flute-tinged boom bap instrumental advising not to disturb him whereas the title track goes into more chipmunk soul territory talking about being designed for this shit & the fact that he remains undefeated. “Aged Wine” works in yet another vocal loop letting y’all know you catch him at a round table sipping the finest of the titular alcoholic beverages just before Asun Eastwood tags along for the raw “Black & Brown Spoons” taking you through the minds of 2 men who have nothing to lose. Continuing from there with “No Balance to Greatness”, we have Ty on top of a crooning soul sample talking about paying a steep price to be on the position that he’s in today leading into “5 Figures in the Bank Account” has a more calmer vibe to the beat flexing his wealth.

“Fools in the Fold” is a synth/boom bap hybrid produced by Stu Bangas has talking about being married to the game like Stephanie McMahon making it my favorite on the album & after the “Vince McMahon Speaks” interlude appropriately enough, the song “Klitschko Fist” has a more drumless approach acknowledging the fact that he created a new wave in the 313. The penultimate track “Every Night’s a Test” flips “I Love You More & More” By Tom Brock reminiscing on the reckless times when he rides through & “Die on My Feet” is a incredibly woozy closer courtesy of Trox confessing that he’s searching his soul to find his peace.

Of the 3 projects that Ty has given us this year, you can’t really go wrong with either one because dude managed to go on a 3-peat here. The production teeters between drumless & boom bap as the hard-working Detroit veteran continues to drop the insane quotables that we all come to know & love him for. I already know that the 5th & final installment of the No Cosign, Just Cocaine series is gonna be something truly special.

Score: 4/5

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Ty Farris – “Fluorescent Mud” review

This is the 7th full-length album from Detroit emcee Ty Farris. Coming up under the name T-Flame, he was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. He just dropped his 3rd EP Moments of Mayhem back in March produced entirely by Italy’s very own Slim 1 & has decided to recruit Switzerland’s very own Sebb Bash for Fluorescent Mud.

“Bashing Heads” is a chaotic opener declaring himself as the main event & his opposition as the undercards whereas “Mental Tats” takes a morbid route talking about how this the meeting of the Gods. “Crown Us” works in some strings talking about how sometimes you lose battles before the crown comes & after “The Homie Van” interlude, “Where’s the Garbage Can?” lividly calls out anyone who wants to step up to him for being wack. Meanwhile on “Deadly Dialogue”, we have Ty over a wavy instrumental talking about being prepared for such leading into Estee Nack tagging along for the tense “That Simple” telling everyone in their path to face the music.

“Con Uno” solemnly talks about being one of the greatest to ever do it & the “Destinations” interlude, “Feed the Kids” has this incredible vocal sample addressing poverty while the song “Can’t Candy Coat It” atmospherically confesses he only writes what. The penultimate track “Condominium Crack Dealers” with Planet Asia incorporates some organs getting on their hustler shit & the horn-laced “Immortalized” finishes the album by talking about his legacy.

The more that Ty drops a new project, the further that he cements himself as one of the most consistent MCs in Detroit today & Fluorescent Mud is no exception of that. Sebb Bash whips up some of his best production yet & T-Flame’s gritty yet ear-grabbing bars pretty much exemplifies the point that he made during the last joint. Can’t wait for the 5th & final installment of the No Cosign, Just Cocaine series.

Score: 4/5

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Ty Farris – “Moments of Mayhem” review

Ty Farris is a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up under the name T-Flame. He was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. But with his profile continually increasing within the last year or so & dropping Practice Raps back in January & then No Cosign, Just Cocaine 4 in November, but is now preluding the 5th & final installment with his 3rd EP produced entirely by Italy’s very own Slim 1.

“Glorious” is an appropriately titled opener as Ty hops on top of a bare orchestral loop shoving his greatness in everyone’s faces whereas “Here’s the Shovel” works in some foreboding horns talking about being self made. The song “Sure Shot” brings back the strings with some piano chords describing being the product of a poor block while the penultimate track “Scary Jungle” goes into angelic boom bap territory talking about never crumbling. The EP ends with “Highly Favored”, where Bub Styles & Mickey Diamond join Ty over some alluring choir vocals to gloat their big dog statuses.

Ty has pretty much proven himself to be one of the greatest MCs to ever come out of this reviewer’s hometown at this point & for him to give us Moments of Mayhem as a prelude to NCJC5, the fans will absolutely be satisfied with it. I’m very much looking forward to hearing who else Slim 1 will be producing next because his sound goes hand in hand with Ty’s raw lyricism.

Score: 4/5

Ty Farris – “No Cosign, Just Cocaine 4” review

This is the 10th mixtape from Detroit emcee Ty Farris. Starting out under the name T-Flame, he was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. But with his profile continually increasing within the last year or so & dropping Practice Raps back in January, he’s rounding out the year with the 4th installment of his famous No Cosign, Just Cocaine series bringing along a notable cast of guests & producers for the ride.

“Slow Down” kicks the tape off with a synth heavy instrumental from Bozack Morris talking about being here for a reason whereas “Off With They Heads” goes into a boom bappier direction with the help of Wavy da Ghawd spitting that battle rap shit. “You Should Be a Shame” talks down on those mad at him over a darker beat from Black Milk leading into Big Twins tagging along for the wavily-produced “Over” talking about their upbringings.

Meanwhile on “Scary Times”, we have Substance810 alongside Dango Forlaine & Mickey Diamond joining forces for aggressively boasting their lyrical prowesses just before “Brands of High Quality” weaves in a cinematic Big Ghost Ltd. instrumental rightfully saying anything with their names on it is the shit. Stu Bangas’ production on “The Sicilian Defense” kinda gives me old school Wu-Tang vibes comparing life to chess, but then “Suffer” takes a soulful route talking about watching people in his life suffer in front of him. UFO Fev comes into the picture for the demented “Back Blocks” produced by Finn speaking on being products of such whereas “Anonymous Millionaire” leisurely talks about wanting to become one.

Vanderslice laces in some violins for Ty & Bub Rock on “Who Really Got Ya Back?” looking back on friends becoming enemies while the song “Run Through My Mind” with eLZhi is a calmer cut talking about them sitting on the porch with their thoughts. The penultimate track “Deemed Us Useless” finds Nicholas Craven behind the boards to spit some food for thought over a drumless sample & the Apollo Brown-produced “This is For All of Y’all” finishes the tape by giving flowers to his supporters.

Ty’s been one of the illest MCs to come out of this reviewer’s hometown for a while now, but goddamn has he leveled up so much on here. He drops some of the wittiest bars of his career throughout, the features all come correct & the production is just absolutely superb.

Score: 4.5/5

Ty Farris – “No Cosign Just Cocaine 3” review

Ty Farris is a veteran MC from Detroit, Michigan that originally started under the name T-Flame. Despite being featured a lot throughout the mid-2000’s, it wouldn’t be until 2009 that he would start putting out solo stuff at a prolific rate. This includes Tyrant, The Barcode, Room 39, Ramen Noodle Nights & No Cosign, Just Cocaine (to which this new project serves the latest installment of).

After the “Addiction, Crime & Death” intro, the first song “1 of 1” talks about pushing over some prominent horns. The track “Ride Thru the Jungle” describes life in Detroit over an eerie instrumental while the song “No Receipt, No Return” recalls his adolescence over a ghostly instrumental. The track “Black Mamba Venom” finds Ty talking about how lethal his pen-game & even though Stu Bangas’ production gives me somewhat of a Hawaiian feeling, it’s still very dope. The track “Money Outta the Ziplock” with Eddie Kaine sees the 2 getting combative over a demented boom bap beat while the song “Killing Fields” details his upbringings over a grisly instrumental.

The track “Sunday with Dirty Diggs” with Eto sees the 2 briefly fusing their gritty lyricism with this calming instrumental from none other than Dirty Diggs while the song “Had to Scheme” with Flee Lord sees the 2 talking about finding a way to make money over a super grimy instrumental. The track “I Pray” talks about hoping to have a better day over a somber instrumental while “The War” with M.A.V. sees the 2 comparing & contrasting them & their competition over some horns & a soul sample. The song “Truth Be Told” gets confessional over an atmospheric Stu Bangas beat while the penultimate track “Made My Grandmomma Cry” talks about the life he lives over a spacey beat. The tape then finishes with “Who I Am”, where Ty talks about the person he has become today over a chilled-out instrumental.

If this is the final installment of the NCJC trilogy, then it’s a solid conclusion & I think it serves as a reminder that Ty is one of the illest MCs in the Detroit underground. I really enjoy how he fused together elements of it’s 2 predecessors into just 1.

Score: 3.5/5