Stacc Styles – “Live Your Best Life” review

This is the 3rd full-length LP from Tucson, Arizona recording artist Stacc Styles. As the founder of Dope Shop Records, he introduced himself in the spring of 2015 off the debut album Inside the Ride followed by the sophomore effort Mr. Purple in the fall of 2020. Stacc has also been an affiliate of Suburban Noize Records dating back to being a roadie for the punk band Mower, eventually signing to the west coast underground label this past January. 4 singles later, he’s kicking off the summer & warming everyone up for the 2nd of half 2024 encouraging them to Live Your Best Life.

After the turntablism intro, the title track sets the tone for Stacc’s debut for Subnoize with a psychedelic west coast hip hop banger toasting to having a good time & getting high whereas “Another Day” works in pianos talking about us meant to be here to complete the holy cycle. “Gold Mine” has a bit of a funky pop rap flare with themes of romance, but then one of the 3 founding Kottonmouth Kings & the other half of Kingspade himself Johnny Richter now a member of the supertrio King Klick returns on the superior “Leave with a King” hopping over a gnarly vocal sample to steal bitches.

“In the Mood” takes the atmosphere trap route instrumentally airing out the plug for being late just before “Weed, Wax & Whiskey” celebration of all things cannabis remembering his friends & family that he’s lost to addiction or suicide recapturing the vintage Suburban Noize sound in the process carrying on the KMK legacy & the memory of it’s late original member Saint Dog. “Renegade” featuring Obnoxious also of the King Klick alongside battle rapper YNOT finds the trio hustling all night over mellow boom bap production leading into “DGAF Nonstop” featuring the DGAF General Chucky Chuck now a part of the newly reformed Kottonmouth Kings & produced by Eddie Ruxspin pays homage to the latter emcee’s DGAF roots.

Slumerican Records signee & Yelawolf’s longtime high school friend Big Henri links up with Stacc on the country trap fusion “Keep Going” delivering an inspiring message while “Sometimes Why” keeps the guitars & hi-hats going thanking God he’s here to see another day. After the “Staccs” outro, we are treated to a “Without a Crown” remix featuring Lethal Injektion frontman Jon Russell as a bonus track surpassing the stand alone single that came out 2 & a half years ago since it’s built around the rap metal sound that the Tucson nu metal band is known for.

When you think about how the guy went from being a fan of Suburban Noize to the Mower connection in 2005 & now officially releasing his own music through the label, I’d say that would have to be a dream come true & a full circle moment for him in his career. His unique blend of THC-infused hip hop & trademark technical precision for high-speed raps that his first couple albums he put out independently are elevated to higher levels keeping the Subnoize essence alive with the help of the King Klick individually spread across & a few outside collaborators.

Score: 4/5

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Slum Village – “F.U.N.” review

Slum Village is a duo from Detroit, Michigan now consisting of T3 & Young RJ. Originally a trio with the late J Dilla & Baatin, their debut Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1 was bootlegged in the summer of 1997 only to be revamped & re-conceived on Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 2 only 3 years later. Dilla left the group a year later to pursue a solo career & eLZhi filled in for him in the midst of them signing to Capitol Records for their next 2 albums Trinity (Past, Present & Future) & Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit). Following their eponymous full-length, Dilla & Baatin both passed away prompting RJ & even Dilla’s younger brother Illa J to join for what was set to be their final offering Villa Manifesto. What really ended up happening though was eLZhi leaving the group due to what he said was a falling out with Young RJ & interestingly, Illa J followed suit after Evolution & Yes!. After almost a decade though, T3 & RJ are getting back together for their 9th studio LP.

“Welcome” by Brittney Carter is this atmospheric opener with hi-hats provided by none other than Young RJ welcoming y’all to a name that you heard about & never had the guts to touch whereas “All Live” picks up from there with a funky ass instrumental so SV can get the party started. “All Live 2” by Phat Kat works in some pianos talking about calling him Ronnie S. Truman since he be buyin’ ‘em all first that is until “To the Disco” takes a groovier route to the beat continuing to settin’ it off & describing themselves as warlords.

Moving forward, “Yeah Yeah” co-produced with Karriem Riggins brings back the funk a bit so the duo can talk about being the foundation & for everyone else to get in line leading into “Just Like You” featuring Larry June works in more disco influences instrumentally so all 3 MCs tell their significant others that they wanna be with them. The rhythmic title track boasting that the Detroit cats are at it again, but then “Request” groovily talks about giving what they need.

Cordae joins Slum Village on the mellow “So Superb” making way for everyone to boast their superiority while “Keep Dreaming” featuring Fat Ray is this funky/boom bap crossover telling everyone to open their minds & realizing they’re still dreaming. The penultimate track “Factor” soulfully talks about factoring in all the good times to spend just before “Since 92” ends the album with kicks, snares & pianos from Robert Glasper reminding that they’ve been putting it down for over 3 decades.

Putting in the perspective that it’s been 8 whole long years since we last heard Slum Village together in a full-length capacity, I figured something had to be coming down the pipe sooner than later when they teased us with the singles & even performed at a halftime show during a Detroit Pistons game during this past season even though they didn’t play the best by any means. Needless to say: It’s like they never took a break. They seem very happy to be back in the lab keeping their signature sound alive occasionally joined by a couple of their homies in the D & co-signing some new blood.

Score: 3.5/5

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Night Lovell – “I Hope You’re Happy” review

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada rapper, songwriter & producer Night Lovell is back with his 3rd full-length LP albeit his 2nd for the $uicideboy$‘ very own G*59 Record$. Emerging in 2014 when he dropped his debut EP I’ll Be Back & then following it up 4 months later with his debut mixtape Concept Vague, heads continued to turn in 2016 off the sophomore tape Red Teenage Melody & the 2019 full-length debut Goodnight Lovell. His sophomore effort & G*59 debut Just Say You Don’t Care was a step above the album before that, but is returning by simply saying I Hope You’re Happy.

“Morrison” is a morbid trap opener produced by outby16 who did the entire project explaining that they tried to take him down with no success whereas “Who’s This Weirdo?” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about being back & asking exactly what the plan is. “My Day’s Ruined!” was an underwhelming choice of a single hooking up a suspenseful loop with some hi-hats dissing those who be fucking up his mood, but then “Golden Ticket” grimly talks about running ’round the fuckin’ world tryna conquer.

Meanwhile, “Sunday” goes for a dreary trap vibe melodically asking why they make him feel like it’s nowhere to go leading into “Life Sucks So We Fuck” featuring ZillaKami of prior City Morgue fame who has the best feature on the LP goes full-blown trap metal talking about how there really isn’t any better remedy when you think about it. “Peek-a-Boo” likens himself to that of a monster over some heinous piano chords & hi-hats just before “Sucks to Be You :/“ draws inspiration from the Memphis scene a bit telling y’all to pick your battles.

“Freak” featuring Freddie Dredd who’s guest appearance is a little weaker in comparison to Kami’s, but nonetheless was a ghostly trap single addressing those lookin’ like freaks tryna take their shines from them while “Eye Spy” gets in his young stunner bag keeping that occult atmosphere in the fold. “Alive Even When I Die” draws near the end of Night Lovell’s official G*59 sophomore effort by telling guys a story ’bout his life over a psychedelic guitar riff & hi-hats. Finally, the closer “Cold Shoulder” ties up the LP by professing that he doesn’t wanna live this life over a woozy beat.

Just Say You Don’t Care was a considerable step-up from Goodnight Lovell, but he really takes his elevation to a whole new level by going above & beyond on I Hope You’re Happy. outby16’s production expands KLNV’s cloudy trap sound in favor of experimenting with trap metal & even boom bap. As far as Lovell’s performances go, he outdoes himself 2 & a half years ago when he was first introduced to $B’s audience & bringing in a couple features unlike last time also.

Score: 3.5/5

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CZARFACE – “Czartificial Intelligence” review

CZARFACE is an east coast underground trio consisting of New York emcee/producer Inspectah Deck from the almighty Wu-Tang Clan as well Boston emcee/producer duo 7L & Esoteric of the Army of the Pharaohs. They first formed like Voltron in 1999 on the single ““Speaking Real Words”, but finally decided to form the supergroup after making “12th Chamber” off the final 7L & Eso album to date 1212 over 13 years ago. Their 2013 self-titled debut along with their 2015 sophomore effort Every Hero Needs a Villain would both become modern underground classics in my opinion. A Fistful of Peril the following year was originally supposed to be the quartet’s final album & I thought that was a great way for them to go out, but they did pleasantly surprise me when they dropped their collab albums CZARFACE Meets Metal Face with the late MF DOOM in 2018 & then CZARFACE Meets Ghostface Killah with his DOOMSTARKS partner in rhyme Ghostface Killah the year after that. The Odd Czar Against Us would come out 9 months later & that felt more like a split EP between CZARFACE and solely 7L & Esoteric given that both groups have 6 songs each. Czarmageddon! though ended up being the trio’s most consistent full-length since Every Hero Needs a Villain so when it announced they had signed to Virgin Music for their 6th album, I was intrigued to hear if CZARFACE would continue to improve themselves like they did a year & a half ago.

“Czarchimedes’ Death Ray” of course starts the album with a boom bap instrumental & feeling like no one can stop them whereas “Blast Off” works in more kicks & snares with a fuzzy guitar from The Czar-Keys continuing to boast on the lyrical side of things. “All That For a Drop of Blood” is a synth/boom bap hybrid explaining that it be a grand entrance whenever Czar’s in the building, but then “You Know My Style” featuring NEMS serves as an eerie reminder to all 4 of their underground roots on all fronts.

7L & Esoteric get their own solo cut with “Mama’s Basement” telling the story of a mother going away on a lifelong trip & never seeing her much, yet he found a world he can escape to in the end leading into the dusty “Frenzy in a Far Off World” featuring Frankie Pulitzer a.k.a. Tom Hardy keeping the battle bars rolling. “Czarsenic” despite is brevity has to be one of the most cutthroat moments on the album comparing their flows to arsenic over an unsettling beat just before the piano/boom bap “Gatecrasher” featuring Logic asking why people bringing beef up in their joint.

“Sirens” brings the synthesizers back into the picture explaining that they be sleeping with the titular prolonged warning sounds going off while “Helicopter” featuring Godfather Don & Kool Keith finds the quintet bringing it live from the czarbeque over kicks & snares. After the “1-11 Chelsea” instrumental from both 7L & JL Hodges, “Marvel at That (Road Trip)” is another 7L & Eso cut filled with Marvel wordplay while “Live from Czarnegie Hall” featuring Kool Keith ruggedly talks about this being survival of the fittest. “Together” ends with album with an uncanny instrumental describing themselves as A-list.

For a major label debut, CZARFACE continues to build upon what made their last LP from a year & a half ago by putting out another consistently focused body of work that pays homage to golden age of hip hop culture with samples from classic records. They mix their characteristic old school sound with soulful & jazzy beats on top of blending the unfiltered essence of OG braggadocio, introspective storytelling that the high-flying superheroes have become known for by now.

Score: 4/5

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NEMS – “Rise of the Silverback” review

This is the 4th full-length album from New York emcee NEMS. Coming up in the battle rap circuit, he would go on to have a brief stint with Psycho+Logical-Records in the late 2000’s before dropping the debut Prezident’s Day under Creative Juices Music back in 2010. This was followed up almost 9 years later when he & JAZZSOON teamed up for the damn near flawless Gorilla Monsoon, but the follow-up Congo received more mixed results despite it’s highlights like “Wow” & “Cousins”. But after signing a joint deal with Paul Rosenberg’s very own Goliath Records alongside distribution from Virgin Music earlier this summer, NEMS is returning to have Scram Jones fully produce Rise of the Silverback.

After the “Ascenscion” intro, the first song “Pussy” is a gully boom bap opener directed at all the bitch boys out there whereas the title track featuring Sheek Louch works in some Godzilla-esque horns as well as these kicks & snares talking about putting bullets in your mouth. “Drip” goes for a more cavernously shrilling boom bap route boasting how he got exactly that just before “Blicky” shifts gears into orchestral-trap turf paying ode to the heat.

“Demon” featuring Gunplay has a more chaotic loop with some hi-hats talking about not giving a fuck & quite possibly the most repetitive hook on the LP, but then “Don’t Ever Disrespect Me” featuring Ghostface Killah finds the 2 returning to the boom bap cautioning to never go against them. “Keep On” blends some pianos, kicks & snares looking to always move forward no matter what by telling his story leading into “Hold That” turning back into trap territory getting raunchy lyrically. Probably the weakest track on the entire album in my opinion with all respect to the Fuck Ya Lyfe General.

To begin the last leg of the album, “Gorilla on Your Back” weaves a boom bap instrumental with a gospel choir sample into the fold calling out your dreams being gone because you kept chasing dragons while “No Face” featuring Fat Joe keeps the organs, kicks & snares in tact talking about keeping it litty. The penultimate track “Dirt” featuring Peedi Crakk sees the pair hop on top of a flute-tinged trap beat declaring to be dirty dickheads & NEMS ties everything up aptly by firing “Missiles” over an eerie boom bap instrumental.

Considering NEMS’ popularity on TikTok almost reaching 1M followers on top of Eminem’s manager giving him a record deal & having Scram Jones produce his major label debut, my expectations into it were EXTREMELY high. Lo & behold: Rise of the Silverback is up there with Gorilla Monsoon for his finest body of work to day. Scram’s production balances boom bap & trap in a way I felt Congo lacked, the feature performances are more consistent & the Coney Island emcee doesn’t miss a step with the pen.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Game – “Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind” review

The Game is a 42 year old MC from Compton, California who was initially taken under the wing of JT the Bigga Figga. His 2002 debut mixtape You Know What It Is would catch the attention of Dr. Dre & 50 Cent. Both of whom signed Game to a joint venture to their individually respective labels Aftermath Entertainment & G-Unit Records distributed by Interscope Records. With their help, his debut album The Documentary the following year would go on to become a West Coast essential. However, a falling out between Game & 50 just months after the album’s release would result in Game moving over to Geffen Records to complete his 5-album contract. His next 4 albums Dr.’s Advocate, LAX, The RE.D. (RE-Dedication) Album & Je5us PiecE all showed that Game didn’t need Dre or 50 to make quality music. Once fulfilling his major label obligations, he went the independent route by founding his own label Numinati Records & showcasing the artists with a compilation entitled Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf in 2014. Game then put out an overloaded yet decent sequel to his debut with The Documentary 2+2.5 the next year as well as 1992 the year after & his previous effort Born 2 Rap on his 40th birthday. But with the help of Hit-Boy, Game’s returning from “retirement” yet again in the form is his 10th album.

“1 Time” kicks off the album with a plucky guitar & Game talking about being a nightmare walking whereas “Eazy” with Kanye West samples the late Eazy-E thanks to Hit-Boy himself alongside Mike Dean & even DJ Premier confessing that their lives were never a breeze. Fivio Foreign tags along for the drill-infused “Burnin’ Checks” talking about being real ones, but then “Voodoo” incorporates a swooning trap instrumental detailing being a menace.

Meanwhile on “Home Invasion”, we have Game chaotically telling the story of his life just before YoungBoy Never Broke Again comes into the picture for the DJ Paul-produced “Opp” expressing their dislike for the feds. “Outside” with YG has a more ghostly aesthetic from S1 calling out those who claim Compton that didn’t grow up there just before “La La Land” goes into jazzier turf showing his love for Los Angeles.

“Change the Game” goes full-blown g-funk talking about never switching up while the piano-driven “How Far I’ve Came” says it all. “Heart vs. Mind” has a drearier tone to it thanks to DJ Mustard with the lyrics talking about his heart & mind being at war with one another while “No Smoke at the Polo Lounge” returns to soulful territory looking for smoke.

Following that, “No Man Falls” with Pusha T & 2 Chainz has a more drumless vibe talking about how they all crutches while the London on da Track laced “Chrome Slugs-n-Harmony” with G Herbo & Lil Wayne is a fantastic ode to the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from the sample to London on da Track tapping into the the g-funk sounds that made E. 1999 Eternal the beloved masterpiece it is. “Start from Scratch II” is a sequel to one of my favorite cuts off The Documentary also being an emotional tribute to Prodigy while “What We Not Gon’ Do” dives into a more futuristic vibe talking about not going to war or calling the cops.

Ye & Dreezy accompany Game for the Middle Eastern-inspired “Fortunate” produced by Timbaland bragging that they’re doing it big whole “Rubi’s Rose” starts off with Twista rapping about fucking over an acoustic guitar prior to the beat switching up to a slower groove & Game elaborating on. After the “Drake with the Braids” interlude, “Nikki Beach” with French Montana comes through with a phoned in advertisement for DJ Khaled’s upcoming 13th album God Did dropping in a couple of weeks while the Meek Mill/Moneybagg Yo-assisted “Talk to Me Nice” playfully confesses being too big-headed for other’s advice.

Continuing from there, the Mike Zombie/Swizz Beatz-laced “Money Cash Clothes” with A$AP Rocky embraces the boom bap sound to flex how fly both of them are while “Killas” comes through with a tribute to The Diplomats’ de facto leader himself Cam’ron & I’m happy to hear him give love to the Brooklyn drill sound considering the purists’ distaste for it. Then there’s “The Black Slim Shady”, which is a 10-minute diss track towards Eminem with some well sequenced beat switches throughout & mimicking his flows. I’d much rather listen to this than “Rap Devil”, but the best Em diss has always been “Searching 4 Bobby Fisher” by Evidence in my opinion.

Speaking of Big Sean, he shows up for the organ/boom bap hybrid “Stupid” boasting how hard both of them go on the mic while the bluesy “.38 Special” talking about every day being Cripmas. “Twisted” takes it back to the trap confessing that the liquor he sippin on got his guy fucked up while “World Tours” with the late Nipsey Hu$$le is a spacey ode to their self-made hustle.

The luxurious “Save the Best for Last” with Rick Ross cooked up by G. Ry & OG Parker expresses their gratitude to still be walking on this planet Earth today while the penultimate track “A Father’s Prayer” blends a gospel sample with some dusty drums for an open letter to his daughter. “Universal Love” sends off the album with a warm pea that love is everything.

Dude can be an attention whore, but goddamn it I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind makes up for how mid Born 2 Rap was on the final Thanksgiving before COVID-19 changed the world forever. There is some filler, but Game sounds like he has a fire under his ass lyrically & Hit-Boy’s ear for production is just what was needed.

Score: 4/5

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$crim – “A Man Rose from the Dead” review

$crim is a 31 year old rapper & producer New Orleans, Louisiana known for being 1/2 of the $uicideboy$. The duo has been impeccably consistent since their formation in 2013, but it seems like we’re finally getting solo efforts from them with the youngest of the 2 being the first at bat.

The album begins with “Delusions of Grandeur”, where $crim vents about how he can’t tell what’s real & fake over a cloudy trap beat. The next song “Scars” gets on the more melodic side of things opening up about his depression while the track “Jesus Wept” is a bombastic moshpit starter. The song “Naloxone” depressingly speaks on his drug use with some heavy auto-tune in his voice while the track “Feel It Too (It’s Too Much)” talks about how this woman left him hurt & I really love how hard the drums hit on here.

The song “Tell Me When I’m Good Enough” stays on the theme of being heartbroken over a weary beat while the track “He Got Game” finds $crim bragging over a psychedelic instrumental. The song “Portola (Blood Clot!)” robotically talks about feeling delirious over a solemn instrumental while the track “El Paseo” sings about getting rowdy over a surprisingly tropical instrumental.

The song “Nightmares from the Northside” is of course a nod to the iconic Juicy J cut “Soldiers from the Northside” down to the dynamic production while the track “Euphoria Euphoria” gets back on the drug use tip over a nightly instrumental. The song “Violent Secrets” is a lifeless love tune while the track “Side Effects” discusses how it’s lonely at the top over a bland instrumental. The song “Carcosa” talks about self-destructing over a dull instrumental while the track “Fight Club (Psychosis)” gets murderous over a bass-heavy beat.

The song “Percocets & Papers” talks about being high over a skeletal instrumental while the track “PTSD” talks about living lies over a trap beat with some decent guitar passages. The song “El Guerro” is another riot starter while the penultimate track “The Devil I Know” gets back on the lifeless heartbreak bullshit. The album finishes with “Lost Child”, where $crim talks about how he just wants to smile over a dreary beat.

Coming from someone who’s been following $uicideboy$ for quite a while now, what a disappointment. I don’t mind the overall sound, but $crim’s singing on a good bulk of this album is pretty bad & the auto-tune doesn’t help at all. Also I appreciate the fact that he wanted to it to be all him & all him only, but the lack of features really make it monotonously boring.

Score: 2/5

Trippie Redd – “!” review

Trippie Redd is a 20 year old rapper from Canton, Ohio who blew up in 2017 with the release of his debut mixtape A Love Letter to You, which was followed up with a mediocre sequel several months later. He later released his debut album LIFE’S A TRIP last summer as well as A Love Letter to You 3 last November & now, he’s commemorating the 1 year anniversary of LIFE’S A TRIP with his sophomore album.

It all starts off with the title track, where Trippie tells this chick he needs to focus on himself over a Diplo instrumental kin to Avicii’s “Wake Me Up”. The next song “Snake Skin” is an anti-suicide anthem with a dreamy trap beat while the track “Be Yourself” is an self-empowering sequel to “I Know How to Self Destruct” with a cloudy beat. The song “I Try” vents about what’s on his mind over a piano with some hi-hats while the track “They Afraid of You” is more of a Playboi Carti joint since he’s the only person on here with a verse & he uses his signature baby voice to discuss fake love over a mellow trap beat.

The song “Immortal” with The Game of all people sees the 2 talking about feeling invincible over a soulful instrumental while the track “Throw It Away” might be towards Alyek$ & the beat is pretty druggy. The song “Keep Ya Head Up” pretty much speaks for itself over a relaxing instrumental from Murda Beatz & Ging while the track “Riot” gets into fight mode over a beat with some acoustic passages.

The song “Mac 10” sounds like a leftover from Lil Duke’s latest mixtape Blue Devil 2 since there’s little to no Trippie presence whatsoever while the track “Everything BoZ” with Coi Leray sees the 2 getting boastful over a dreary beat. The song “Under Enemy Arms” talks about his wealth & naysayers over a triumphant beat while the penultimate track “Lil Wayne” in no way references back to the legendary Louisiana rapper of the same name whatsoever & the beat on here is bland as Hell. The album then finishes fittingly with “Signing Off”, where Trippie talks about not having time for bullshit over a nondescript instrumental.

Overall, this was just decent. Trippie is definitely one of the best voices in the emo rap trend & the instrumentals sound a lot better than they did on LIFE’S A TRIP, but quite a few tracks really could’ve been fleshed out more.

Score: 3/5

$uicideboy$ – “LIVE FAST, DIE WHENEVER” review

The $uicideboy$ are a hip hop duo from New Orleans, Louisiana consisting of G*59 Record$ founders Ruby da Cherry & $crim. They’ve been releasing a plethora of EPs & mixtapes since 2013, but it wasn’t until last September that they made their full-length debut with I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS. But now 8 months later, they’re delivering their 23rd EP & have enlisted the legendary blink-182 drummer Travis Barker to produce it in it’s entirety.

The EP kicks off with “Killing 2 Birds with 22 Stones”, where the duo get murderous over a grimy trap/metal fusion. The next song “Sour Grapes” calls out the music industry over an druggy instrumental while the track “DON’T TRUST ANYONE!” talks about paranoia over a noisy trap beat. The song “Individuality Was So Last Year” talks about wanting to be left alone over an atmospheric beat while the penultimate track “Aliens are Ghosts” brush off their naysayers over an eerie trap beat & I love how they incorporated samples of Anthony Fantano all over. The EP then finishes with “nothingleftnothingleft”, which is a dime a dozen digital hardcore cut about wanting to commit suicide.

All & all, this was a solid EP. The duo pretty much stick to their Three 6 Mafia influenced guns & Travis really helps enhance their aggression quite a bit. I also love how they got Munky from KoЯn to play guitar on half of the cuts to enhance the rock feeling to the project.

Score: 3.5/5

Trippie Redd – “Life’s a Trip” review

Trippie Redd is a 19 year old rapper from Canton, Ohio who blew up last year with the release of his debut mixtape A Love Letter to You. He then followed it up with a mediocre sequel several months later & now that a year has passed, we’re finally getting his full-length debut.

The album begins with “TOGETHER”, where he talks about unity over an acoustic instrumental. The next song “Taking a Walk” sees Trippie contemplating suicide over an organ-heavy Scott Storch instrumental while the track “Wish” originally appeared on Diplo’s latest EP California & it was one of my favorites off it, I don’t see why it was put on this album as well. The song “Missing My Idols” continues to prove how lyrical Trippie can be as he provides a sequel to “Can You Rap Like Me?” albeit with a trap beat & the sample that OZ uses is absolutely beautiful.

The track “Forever Ever” with Young Thug & Reese LaFlare sees the 3 getting romantical over a moody Murda Beatz instrumental. It’s endearing, but the feature from the latter is the weakest on the entire album. The song “Bird Shit” brushes off his haters over a Wheezy instrumental with a twangy guitar & rattling hi-hats while the track “BANG!” gets vulnerable over a mellow trap beat. The song “How You Feel” talks about his girlfriend ALYK$ over a psychedelic rock instrumental while the track “Dark Knight Dummo” with Travi$ Scott sees the 2 getting braggadocious over a gritty Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental.

The song “Uka Uka” talks about how he doesn’t want pressure over a druggy instrumental while the track “Shake It Up” gets raunchy over a moody trap beat. The song “Oomp’s Revenge” is a heartwarming tribute to Trippie’s brother over a soulful instrumental while the penultimate track “GORE” talks about his success over a cloudy trap beat. The album then finishes with “Underwater Flyzone”, where he sings about an ex over a laidback guitar.

I was a little worried about this given the fact that Trippie initially stated that this was gonna be 26 tracks long, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it actually turned out. The production is a lot more refined than it’s been in the past & I feel like Trippie is at his most passionate on here

Score: 3.5/5