2 Chainz – “Dope Don’t Sell Itself” review

2 Chainz is a 44 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who came up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle. They eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records & Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s releasing only 2 albums. He eventually ventured off into a solo career, with the biggest standouts being Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC & Rap or Go to the League. Last we heard from him was a little over a year ago with So Help Me God! but after dropping 2 singles last month, Tity Boi is returning in the form of his 6th full-length outing.

“Bet It Back” starts off the whole album with a rubbery bass-line & a sputtering sample talking about working hard to be well made whereas “Pop Music” with Moneybagg Yo & BeatKing comes off as a boring strip club anthem. “Kingpen Ghostwriter” picks things back up as Lil Baby tags along over a symphonic Buddah Bless instrumental talking about money coming in a hurry leading into “Outstanding”, which has a high spirited Hit-Boy beat & lyrics paying tribute to his lifestyle.

Meanwhile on “Neighbors Know My Name”, we have 2 Chainz bastardizing the classic D4L joint “Laffy Taffy” for 2 minutes just before 42 Dugg comes into the picture for “$1M Worth of Game” to talk about how shit can’t change them accompanied by a mediocre Lil Ju instrumental. “Free B.G.” takes a more wavier route with the help of Mannie Fresh obviously calling for the former Hot Boy$ member of the same name to come home, but then “10 Bracelets” has a more feel good tone to it as he & YoungBoy Never Broke Again get materialistic.

“Lost Kings” with Lil Durk has some woozy synthesizers throughout pondering how they’re supposed to breathe if all people do is kill & fight while the song “Caymans” with Swae Lee goes into a more stripped back direction talking about taking care of you & yours if you got something that people wanna see or be a part of. The penultimate track “Vlad TV” with Major Myjah, Stove God Cook$ & Symba finds the trio over a funky ass beat calling out the interview platform for being the feds & “If You Want Me To” just seems like an awkward send-off to the album trying to get seductive.

Coming from someone who’s enjoyed his last 3 albums, I feel like Dope Don’t Sell Itself is slightly above average in comparison & could’ve been a tad bit better. 2 Chainz’ lyricism is absolutely not the problem at all because he’s the been the best he’s ever sounded throughout the past 5 years. The main problems I have with this album are the production & the features being hit or miss.

Score: 3/5

Cozz – “Fortunate” review

Cozz is a 27 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California who caught the attention of J. Cole in 2013 with the single “Dreams” & eventually signed to the North Carolina veteran’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records. His full-length debut Cozz & Effect would come out the next year, which was followed up with the debut mixtape Nothin’ Personal as well as the sophomore album Effected & the 2nd mixtape Aftermath of My Dreams. But after dropping a couple singles throughout these last couple months, Cozz is finishing off Dreamville’s year with his debut EP.

The title track is a cool guitar/trap ballad about being blessed that he’s still alive whereas the gospel vibes of “Higher Power” fits really well given the subject matter of belonging to God. “Juice Bars” has one of the weaker instrumentals on the EP trying to rip off D4L’s “Laffy Taffy” even though the boastful lyricism is ok, but then “So Am I” has a more nocturnal sound talking about he & his boys being witit.

I really dig the boom bap production on the song “Addicted” even though I don’t care for the thirsty lyricism while the penultimate track “Control Problems” with YG weaves in an uneventful trap beat despite the lyrics about letting God handling their issues. That being said: I think “Cry” is a powerful closer looking back on his parents domestically abusing each other & the cops coming to their house.

Now this is far from being one of the best EPs I’ve heard all year or anything like that, but a good majority of Fortunate is pretty solid. Cozz is really starting to elevate on the mic & the production game is starting to improve as well. Very curious to hear where he’ll go with his next album.

Score: 3.5/5

Big Sean – “What You Expect?” review

This is the debut EP from Detroit rapper & singer/songwriter Big Sean. Coming up as a protege of Chicago icon Kanye West & signing to his Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music, he generated some buzz in the late 2000s by dropping the Finally Famous mixtape trilogy, but it wouldn’t be until 2011 when his profile significantly increased when Sean dropped a 4th installment as his full-length debut. This was followed up the next year with the highly acclaimed Detroit mixtape & then a sophomore album the year after that entitled Hall of Fame. However, his next 2 full-lengths Dark Sky Paradise & I Decided. were both mediocre in comparison to all those past efforts. Now the last time Big Sean dropped a project was in late 2017 with Double or Nothing which had INCREDIBLE production from Metro Boomin’ top to bottom, but Sean himself was SEVERELY lacking. He just fulfilled his G.O.O.D. contract last fall by dropping the surprisingly mature Detroit II & is re-enlisting Hit-Boy for What You Expect?, except he’s actually producing the whole thing rather than overseeing it.

“Chaos” is a shrilling yet triumphant opener co-produced by Rogét Chahayed about catching them Ws whereas “Into It” follows it up with an airy backdrop & some fast-paced snares boasting. “The One” appropriately samples the SWV joint “You’re the One” admitting he doesn’t know what it’s like for girls to not want him while the song “Loyal to a Fault” with Bryson Tiller & Lil Durk vibrantly speaks on betrayal. The penultimate track “Offense” with Babyface Ray & 42 Dugg finds the trio on their Detroit trap shit talking about being on top, but then “What a Life” ends the EP by picking up where the previous joint left off sonically & recapping on his life up to this point.

If you enjoy Detroit II like I did, then you’re gonna love What You Expect? just as much if not even more because dude is continuing to impress me more & more as of late. Sean’s songwriting is continuing to level up at an unbelievable rate & Hit-Boy’s production suits him like it did Nas on his last 2 albums.

Score: 3.5/5

Lute – “Gold Mouf” review

Lute is a 32 year old rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina who came up almost a decade ago as a member of the short-lived Forever FC as well as his debut mixtape West1996 a little bit after their disbandment. This would catch the attention of local legend J. Cole & he would sign Lute to his Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records the very day the label dropped their 2nd showcase compilation Revenge of the Dreamers II in December of 2015. Fast forward to his full-length debut a couple years later being a respectable sequel to his breakout tape but now, he’s enlisting Rapper Big Pooh to oversee this sophomore album of his.

“100” is a dreamy boom bap opener about keeping it real whereas “G.E.D. (Gettin’ Every Dolla)” has a bit of a lush trap instrumental speaking on making the money. “Myself” addresses being extroverted with a meditative Trox beat, but then “Be Okay” has a bit of an R&B-flare optimistically looks forward to the future in the midst of dark times.

Meanwhile on “Eye to Eye”, we have Cozz tagging along for a piano ballad about how real recognizes real just before “Changes” vibrantly details that he’ll never switch up like a lot of other cats did. “Ghetto Love” is a decent romance cut that I can do without whereas “Amen” with fucking Little Brother gets on the boom bap tip takes another whack at it doing a much better job with it’s spiritual references.

SABA comes into the picture for “Birdsong” to talk about living how they want over an alluring vocal sample leading into the dusty, boastful “Flossin’” featuring Shady Records’ very own Westside Boogie & produced by Marco Polo. The song “Life” vulnerably details how he handled the hurdles 2020 threw at us while the penultimate track “Overnight” is a guitar ballad reminder that Rome wasn’t build in a day. “Crashing” serves as a cloudy finisher saying he’s been stuck in his ways & been in control of his own faith.

For anyone who enjoyed the West1996 duology, I think you’re gonna like Gold Mouf just as much if not even more. Big Pooh brings in a gang load of fresh faces behind the boards to demonstrate their talents, the features are well-picked & Lute’s at his most honest lyrically.

Score: 3.5/5

Yeat – “Up 2 Më” review

This is the full-length debut from Portland, Oregon rapper Yeat. Breaking out in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue Strips, he would go on to follow it up the next year with his debut mixtape I’m So Me. Then after dropping We Us & Hold On, it’s safe to say that 2021 is his biggest year yet. Especially given the success of Alivë & 4L. But now with a month since putting out Trëndi & earning a co-sign from Drake, he’s continuing the hustle with Up 2 Më.

“C’mon” is a cloudy opener about killing pussy whereas “Morning mudd” works in some synthesizers from Bugz Ronin to say he had to get up & chase a bag. “Got rich” goes for a more rage-inducing vibe thanks to none other than F1LTHY of Working on Dying with Yeat bragging about his newfound wealth just before “Lët ya know” has a more futuristic sound telling us this might be his last song.

Meanwhile on “Stayëd tha same”, we have Yeat jumping on top of some snares & bells from BNYX to talk about never switching up despite his recent success leading into “Gët Busy” having a bit of a retro video game feel in the beat with boastful lyrics. “Rokstar” boisterously details his new lifestyle, but then SeptembersRich tags along for the rubbery “Trëndy way” talking about how they do shit.

“Swërved It” has some incredible organ harmonies talking about calling out those fronting on him while “Ya Ya” produced by Internet Money Records in-house producers Rio Leyva & Synthetic mixes a bass-line higher than the synths answering “yes” to all these questions people been asking him. “U could “tëll” grimly proclaims his top dog status whereas “Factz” brings in a flute saying he didn’t get this shit for free. “ Bak on ‘ëm” takes a murkier direction speaking on being in a rich climate, but then the instrumental “Hëy” brings to table sounds more robotic & Yeat taking about punching these bitches off the Earth.

“Turban” has a more chaotic sound continuing to detail where he is now leading into the unhinged “Twizzy Rich” proclaiming it’s all on him. The wobbly instrumental on “Told ya” is dope with Yeat saying he just caught the vibe, but then the rubbery synth banger “Monëy so big” that Trgc cooks up talking about his wealth increasing within the last few months due to his newfound popularity.

“Dëserve it” brings back the bells to speak on needing it all while the song “K’ant changë” is a rowdier cut continuing the theme of not letting fame get to him. The penultimate track “Callin’ më” serves as a response to the labels & old friends/bitches contacting him again now that he’s famous & then “Lying 4 fun” is a skeletal closer telling us he’s livin’ life just how he dreamed of it.

Even though I’d have to say 4L & Trëndi are his finest bodies of work to date, I think Up 2 Më continues to build up to Yeat’s hype. I could’ve done without like 5-6 joints & some of them could’ve been more fleshed out, but his unique personality is still shining as bright as it ever did.

Score: 3.5/5

Grip – “I Died For This!?” review

Grip is a 32 year old MC from Atlanta, Georgia who came up in 2017 off his debut mixtape Porch. This was followed up a couple years later with the full-length debut Snubnose but after dropping 2 EPs in 2020 & signing to Eminem’s very own Interscope Records imprint Shady Records earlier this summer, he’s ready to make his major label debut by putting out his sophomore album to a wider audience.

After the “Enter Stage Right” intro, the first song “And the Eulogy Read!?” kicks things off with a boom bap banger recapping his career up to this point whereas “Hands Up!” serves as a spacey shot at the system. The title track takes a turn into trap territory saying he waited his whole life for this certain moment just before “Momma Told Me!” is a ghostly look back on his mother advising him to get that paper.

Meanwhile on “Placebo”, we have Grip & Royce da 5’9” jumping on top of a trap instrumental that later switches into boom bap turf to compare this song to a substance or treatment that has no therapeutic value leading into him proclaiming he’s larger than life for the chaotic “Gutter!”. Things take a much more melodic turn for “JDDTTINT!?” saying he doesn’t want to die, but then “A Soldier’s Story” has a psychedelic feel saying what he writes is like a zeitgeist for life’s highs & lows.

Eminem of course tags along for the bassy, organ-laced “Walkthrough!” saying they can’t save the world whereas “The Lox!” with Tate228 starts off with a nocturnal boom bap instrumental before switching up into a trap beat saying he wants a check. “Enem3” with Big Rube had a more settler tone telling their old friends to meet them at the middle just before “ConMan” is a piano ballad saying he has a date with destiny.

“Glenwood” serves as a synth-laced freestyle about the titular city in Georgia while the song “At What Cost!?” somberly opens up about depression. The penultimate track “Patterns?” harmoniously apologies for letting his partner down & finally, “Pennies / Exit Stage Left!?” ends the album apocalyptically asks if you’re not entertained.

Even though I still prefer Snubnose, that’s not to say I Died For This!? isn’t a bad entry point for anyone new to him. He manages to stay true to himself rather than selling out now that he’s on a major label & still manages to do a fine job at carrying the hunger from his previous efforts onto this.

Score: 3.5/5

Vince Staples – Self-Titled review

This is eponymous 3rd full-length album from Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples. Coming up as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future crew, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna, but the dude’s last album Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. But ever since linking up with Kenny Beats at the tail-end of 2018 for the radio show-themed EP FM!, we’ve heard very little from Vince. So given the 3 year gap & him jumping ship from Def Jam to Motown Records, to say I was excited for him to finally make a comeback is an understatement.

“Are You With That?” kicks things off with a wonky trap instrumental from Kenny Beats (who produced the whole album start to finish) & Vince saying all he wanted was to be a thug growing up whereas “Laws of Averages” is much more slower in terms of production with lyrics about how “I don’t trust no bitch with my government”. Vince jumps on top of a slowed down sample on “Sundown Town” to talk about running wild before taking things into a murky trap direction for “The Shining”.

Meanwhile on “Taking Trips”, we go into more psychedelic territory for Vince to bug out over leading into an interlude entitled “The Apple & The Tree”. He later expresses homesickness with the R&B flavored “Take Me Home” while the penultimate song “Lil Fade” serves as a symphonic ode to all his homies in the pen. After the “Lakewood Mall” interlude, the closer “MHM” works in some synths & rubbery bass to spit that gangsta shit.

For the 3-year wait, I think this self-titled joint was well worth it. Wish it was longer than 22 minutes, but Vince takes through events in his life that he’s never put out there before & he sounds a lot better with Kenny Beats than he did on FM!. Looking forward to hear what route he takes for Ramona Park Broke My Heart.

Score: 4/5

DMX – “Exodus 1:7” review

This is the 8th & final full-length outing from Yonkers icon DMX, whom originally started off as a beatboxer for Ready Ron as a teenager in the mid-80s. However it wasn’t until 1998 when X saved Def Jam Recordings from bankruptcy by dropping 2 of the most critically acclaimed hip hop albums of that decade back to back: It’s Dark & Hell’s Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. The follow-up …And Then There Was X at the tail-end of the next year was just as great in my opinion but from there, the next 4 albums from Ruff Ryders Entertainment’s flagship artist would range from average at best or hideous at worst. But after completing Exodus 1:7 just before his unfortunate passing 7 weeks back, Swizz Beatz & Def Jam are coming together to release it publicly.

The araabMUZIK co-produced “That’s My Dog” with The LOX kicks the album off as a misty ode to friendship whereas the next track “Bath Salt” with both JAY-Z & Nas is an aggressive, blaring theme for the streets. We get a cool sample of “California My Way” by The Main Ingredient on “Dog’s Out” as Lil Wayne joins X to wreak havoc on the mic whereas the Moneybagg Yo assisted “Money Money Money” is a weak attempt at trying to get a radio hit despite it’s Phantom of the Opera-esque production.

Meanwhile on “Hold Me Down”, we go into a more electro direction as X alludes to spirituality just before doing his own version of an unreleased Swizz/Kanye collab that is “Skyscrapers” co-produced by the underappreciated Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis. After the “Stick Up” skit, the almighty Griselda comes along for “Hood Blues” as the 4 reminisce on their come-up whilst sampling “Shady Blues” by Lee Mason before things take a turn into a more romantic direction as X & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg jump on a “Sexual Healing” sample provided for the mR. pOrTeR co-produced “Take Control”.

Nas is re-enlisted for the meditative yet uplifting “Walking in the Rain” & after the titular skit, the penultimate track “Letter to My Son” finishes off the album by making a guitar-tinged tribute to X’s youngest son Exodus (whom the album was named after). To round it out, the “Prayer” outro is a spoken word piece that asks God to always look after us whether it be good times or bad times.

Anyone who’s been following me long enough probably already knows my stance on posthumous albums, so I’m not gonna get too deep into it. That being said, Exodus 1:7 is absolutely amongst the better ones out there. I understand some heads might be turned off by the large amount of features going into it which I understand because that tends to be the case with a lot of posthumous albums, but you can definitely tell this was completed before X’s passing because every joint sounds fully fleshed out & he actually has chemistry with those who contributed. Rest In Peace to the Dog!

Score: 3.5/5

J. Cole – “The Off-Season” review

This is the long-awaited 6th full-length album from North Carolina rapper, singer/songwriter & producer J. Cole. At this point, I’m pretty sure everyone & their mom knows who dude is. Especially given the universal acclaim of projects like The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights, Born Sinner & my personal favorite: 2014 Forest Hills Drive. However, his last 2 albums 4 Your Eyez Only & K.O.D. were both released to mixed reception. Matter of fact: my review for K.O.D. is amongst my most controversial. I don’t get shit for it anymore but at the time when I gave it a 6/10, Cole stans were on my ass for the next 2-3 weeks. Even to this day: my opinions on that & 4YEO haven’t changed at all but that’s not the point. I was given hope for The Off-Season given his feature run (most notably “Family & Loyalty” off the final Gang Starr album One of the Best Yet) along with his L.A. Leakers freestyle just a couple of days ago.

The opener “95 South” pays homage to Cam’ron’s “Killa Season” from J. Cole’s flashy lyricism to even The Heatmakerz-influenced production provided by Boi-1da. Cam’ron himself makes an appearance during the intro & outro. Even the “Put Yo Hood Up” sample during the last 40 seconds is pretty cool. The next song “amari” has a more mystical feel to it instrumentally with T-Minus & Timbaland as Cole while the track “My Life” serves as a sequel to “a lot” off i am > i was from it’s soulful trap production co-produced by Jake One & Wu10 down to the surprise 21 Savage & even the subject matter.

“Applying Pressure” jumps into boom bap territory going on about how you just gotta flex sometimes whereas “Punchin’ the Clock” details teetering between enlightened & insanity over a Tae Beast instrumental that has a bit of a ghostly yet jazzy feel to it. He later incorporates a fucking Willie Hutch sample on “100 Mil” talk about how he’s been getting better over time & even though the instrumental on “Pride is the Devil” is somewhat similar to “Can’t Decide” off Aminé’s last album Limbo, I do enjoy Cole & Lil Baby’s takes on egoism quite a bit.

Meanwhile on “Let Go My Hand”, we get an instrumental from DJ Dahi & Ging that almost takes me back to 1999-era Joey Bada$$ with lyrics about making sure his son is equipped when he gets older before “interlude” incorporates a Tommy Parker sample to talk about coming a long way. “The Climb Back” has a well-flipped[Brief Encounter sample throughout with Cole rapping about being assessed as one of the all-time greats while the penultimate track “Close” surprisingly samples MF DOOM’s “Valerian Root” as the lyrics talk advise being patient with God. Then the album finishes off emotionally with “Hunger on the Hillside”, which is Cole jumping on some strings to say he’s gonna be the same man when he retires.

Although I’d have to say my current Album of the Year so far is a toss-up between Death & the Magician or Haram, I’m not gonna deny that this is hands down the most consistent J. Cole album I’ve heard since Forest Hills Drive. He sounds like he has a fire under his ass performance-wise & it’s refreshing to hear him bringing outside collaborators into the fold. If he keeps it up, It’s a Boy & The Fall Off could both shape up to be epic finales in his career.

Score: 3.5/5

Smokepurpp – “Psycho (Legally Insane)” review

Smokepurpp is a 23 year old rapper from Miami, Florida who broke out in 2017 alongside his childhood friend Lil Pump. Shortly after the release of his debut EP Up Now Fuck Next, he caught the attention of Houston superstar Travis Scott & dropped his critically acclaimed debut mixtape Deadstar under Cactus Jack Records in a joint venture with the Interscope Records sub-label Alamo Records. This was followed up with a 3-Pack EP a couple months later as well as the Murda Beatz-produced Bless Yo Trap tape in 2018 & the Lost Planet EP in 2019, but then Purpp would leave Cactus Jack that same year to release the full-length debut Deadstar 2. Which was below average in comparison to that debut mixtape. His sophomore album Florida Jit from last summer turned out to be mediocre, as the only saving graces of it were Ronny J’s production & a couple of the features. But to move on from a tumultuous 2020 like almost all of us are doing at this point, Purpp is coming out of the woodwork by dropping his 3rd EP.

Things start off with “Prom Queen”, where Purpp talks about being trigger happy over a trap beat sampling “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene. The next song “We Outside” with Lil Mosey finds the duo talking about poppin’ out until the sun comes up over an instrumental that has a bit of a country flare to it while the track “200 Thou” produced by Ginseng talks about walkin’ through the mall with a bunch of cash on him over a comatose beat.

The song “Rockstar” talks about his new lifestyle over an instrumental that sounds like it was copied right out of the Pi’erre Bourne playbook while the penultimate track “What You Wanna Do?” gets on the murder tip over a fittingly grisly beat. The EP ends with “Tic Tac”, where Smokepurpp talks about fucking up the trap over a trap metal instrumental.

Coming from someone who enjoyed Deadstar & Bless Yo Trap quite a bit, I really didn’t care for this EP other than a couple joints. The production choices are very questionable for a good majority of it’s 13-minute runtime & lyrically, Smokepurpp is just painting himself into a corner at this point.

Score: 1.5/5