(PASS JESUS THE BLUNT WHEN THE GATES OPEN)

First of all, what a dope concept (the album title). If anyone has the balls to do that, come back and let me know how it went! Anyway, this is an exciting time because this one features a producer I’ve been fucking with HEAVY since 2025 and an MC that’s newly discovered. The combining of old and new has me hyped, so with that in mind, let’s talk about this!

This is the brand-new collaboration project between producer Lo Katana & MC THEFOODLORD with eight new songs and the likes of 

-K.I.D

-Grvndmvster Ave.

And man, I feel like I have no choice but to discuss FOODLORD first because, man, what a fucking introduction to his work. This man is an absolute enigma on the mic! Of course, I had no idea what to expect going on, and now that I have, he has already become a staple in what I want to hear going forward!

What makes this man so intriguing is his pure, organic, and unadulterated charisma. This man has that rare/precise combination of aura and skill.

Most MC’s have a strong sense of one or the other; it’s almost impossible to have both. You’re either seen as a strong lyricist or a memorable performer. When was the last time you remembered one as both? Well, now the new generation has a new one! In FOODLORD! I ain’t joking; this man’s presence is infectious and hypnotic as hell.

I was blown away how in one moment I’m hearing him sound colourful and flamboyant as hell with the various adlibs and emotions work on his sleeve. He’ll laugh one moment, scorn his haters on the next, then proceed to drop one of the most vivid and personal bars you’ve heard in your life. (All within ten seconds of each other.)

I was drawn into his style immediately. He was able to lock into every possible lane across this album, as fast as Muhammad Ali, he’ll jab you with his sharp lyricism, only to rock you with a theatrical performance the very next line! Then knock you out with a supreme storytelling verse that you’ll feel deep in your gut. 

Man, what an energy this man brings to the table! Going from curiosity to obsession with his cadence and skill, I can’t stress enough he’s a one-of-a-kind talent that you shouldn’t sleep on!

As if his work wasn’t good enough on its own, we have Lo Katana (easily one of the standout producers in the game right now) coming through with what could arguably be his strongest score to date (and that’s saying a lot) considering his past discography.

If I had to describe the sounds on this one, I’d have to say a twisted, ambient, and distorted rendition of soul, jazz, and funk. Combined with elements of modern-day underground rap, and you have this soundtrack.

Picture Knxwledge meets Boom Bap, and you have a close example of what this album represents sonically.

But what makes Lo stand out is his ability and preference to make every song and project feel as grand and beautifully cinematic as possible! He isn’t satisfied with just making music; he’s here to create experiences! The kind of instrumentals that will last a lifetime, and that’s exactly what this sounds like to me!

It’s grabbing, mesmerising, breathtaking, and surreal in all the best ways possible! 

From the utilisations of the vocal harmonies throughout the various tracks to the glorious horns, plucked strings, and key progressions that are as smooth as they are powerful! He’s inherited the art of ‘less is more’ to create the perfect batch of tracks that fully embrace the layers provided and elevate each instrument to its highest potential to create pure sonic magic.

I wasn’t expecting this collab to be this groundbreaking, but it really was! I’m still blown away. If you’re looking for life changing hip

Hop albums, then look no further because it’s impossible to be the same after this one! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2DqC6u1cmcqrwuExMs8oRK?si=XUdAXKslS1OFQmoSwOz_NA

(MLKWTDR)

Well, with an intro like that, how can I not be drawn to this? This is a man who spent 2025 on one of the most proficient run-outs with over 20 projects. If I’m not mistaken, and it seems his drive is far from over, as he sets his sights on the year 2026 as his new playground! So with that in mind, let’s fucking go!

This is the brand-new album by MC Gustavo Louis and producer Ian Jones, and together they come through with eight tracks (one intro, one outro, and six songs) that all serve their purpose in delivering an experience you won’t forget!

I gotta say I found the production this time around rather interesting because it was a mixture of classic new wave, boom-bap, and old-school hip-hop mixed into one.

Some songs had a heavy jazz and soul influence, some just straight gritty underground music rap, others an experimental fusion of both. You can tell for this album they just wanted to keep things within a certain lane and lay emphasis on the sounds they have to make them sound as masterful as possible and more importantly memorable (and I feel that was accomplished here).

If I had to choose a favourite track from this score, it would have to be -FRIED CHICKEN WINGZ N FRIED RICE.

Firstly, I want to point out the wild combination this is. I’d never have those two things together, but regardless, this song stood out to me due to its haunting and sinister vibe to it with those distorted chord progressions, methodical drums, and subtle bass! 

It’s quite the skeletal track, but it does everything it does have phenomenally! 

Also, as I mentioned in the intro, can we discuss that fucking intro? An AI Martin Luther King speech? I don’t know how to feel about it except for the fact that it’s definitely creative!

As far as Gustavo goes, he sounds like he’s on the same wave as he was in 2025! That same passionate, hustle mentality with his bars. I’m taking that rhythmic flow, street poetry meets complex vocabulary elevated by his heavy charisma and one-of-a-kind personality and cadence that makes you recognise his music and voice ability.

Once again, whether you’re talking 8 tracks or 80, he never wastes any time. He’s just straight rhymes, one-liners, fun puns, explosive verbal imagery, and brash lines to make you all remember that he’s the man of this shit!

He’s as relentless and hungry as ever across this tape, and it adds to the replay value and ultimate atmosphere of the album!

In short, although this is short, it’s definitely one worth checking out! It’s produced well, the performances are killer, and the concept for this album is wild! Check it out below! 

https://gustavolouis.bandcamp.com/album/mlkwtdr-co-staring-ian-jones

(DEARwinter)

I feel like in the first few weeks alone of January I’ve heard combinations of artists I never thought would come! This is one of those moments, we have two of the most interesting and underrated acts in the underground and they come together for a short but equally dope single that is sure to please the fans out there! 

This brand new single features MC D-Don and Producer Eric from Salem and together they drop a solid 1 minute and 32 second track that has no room for filler to think of.

Starting with the production, this has a very simple, minimal and engaging instrumental that has enough layers to make you feel a certain way!

You’ve got these glistening flute samples, Jazz Horns and in the forefront this harmonious vocal harmony in a loop form, as well as some acoustic guitar strings and very subtle drums that all come together into this smooth and atmospheric track that I could honestly hear for an hour and never get sick of!

Eric has always been the type of producer to make captivating beats with theatrical production in every direction! Sometimes cinematic and other times in situations like these where he lets the stripped-back layers talk for themselves! 

As the MC work goes, I loved the verse on here because it wasn’t just random bars thrown together, it felt like a vivid story told in real time, with the events still fresh in the mind of D as he recounts a freshly written journey or diary that he felt the need to share with the world!

He has such a strong, introspective voice with a smooth flow and sharp lyricism that is obviously soaked in his personal life and that makes every word he says that much stronger and deeper.

Normally when you get a short track like this, you don’t normally get a heard-felt conceptual verse. Trying to recap off the top of my head the last time I heard a verse of this nature on top of a small loop track and I can’t think of one. The fact that D-Don decided he wants to utilise the short amount of time on here to tell this tragic story speaks volumes of his abilities as an MC and his mindset to being confident enough to tell such a complete and compelling story in under two minutes! A verse that had me on the edge of my seat, listening to every word carefully!

If there’s any single track you should hear this month, it’s this one! Two men come together with incredible energy and chemistry to make a killer song that you’ll no doubt find yourself coming back to over the year!

https://open.spotify.com/album/678Lk8hmm8wnBM8pAia21R?si=dEWPykirQF-S7R3pGhZ6XQ

(FORTUNE FAVORS RISK)

If I tried to credit everything I respect and admire about this producer, then this review would become a novel. Long story short, Grubby Pawz has been at the forefront of cutting-edge sound and album quality for the past few years, no more evident than his ridiculous 2025 run where he worked with an array of different artists and pumped out modern-day classics like it’s nothing.

Now, he’s back with his first album for 2026 with a man who has been making his own massive tsunami warning waves in the industry, and together they team up for a collision that no one will be able to avoid! Let’s get into it!

This is the brand-new collaboration album between MC AVENUEBLVD and Producer GrubbyPawz, and together they drop a solid eight tracks, 26 minutes, and the likes of

– Hill Holla

– Caliph

– Chase N. Cashe

– ARI 7

– Borirock

– TEGA

– Alage

A real mix of who’s who in the industry all coming together under a common goal and theme. 

As I get into discussions of the production, the first track goes by, and I’m already blown away. This is the aspect of this man I don’t see people talking about more! The fact that he’s so fucking diverse in his work.

You could play a different album back-to-back and hear a different side of him you’ve never heard before, and that’s what’s happening here. 

On this album, we hear Grubby on quite possibly his most stripped-back I’ve personally heard him yet. As indicated from that opening track with that minimally layered combination of various strings and vocal harmony! It’s all done so beautifully and with care that it sounds straight out of the orchestra!

As the album continues, those cinematically executed instrumentals become more prevalent and even more grand. Track 2, for example, this is a vibe I’ve never heard Grubby on! It’s absolutely insane.

You’ve got these hypnotic drums, these light piano keys, as well as these bizarre sound bites ranging from distorted jazz horns (I think), some wailing vocal harmonies, and even some ocean breeze birds! 

This might be my new favourite beat by Grubby due to its originality and out-there influences!

Another track that stood out to me was -Mind Get Away and why is that? It’s because of the utmost soothing nature the production radiates. You’ve got these angelic piano keys, some subtle drums, and what sounds like either a vocal humming loop or some synth chord lightly running through the track.

I have to highlight those keys though; the free-form jazz style they use as they run throughout the track was so tastefully done that I couldn’t help but keep returning to this track due to this aspect!

Not to mention ARI-7’s dominant feature at the back end of this track!

To put it bluntly. This is the most raw and bare we’ve seen his art in a minute. He’s letting the instrumentation and his mastery of production speak for themselves in the most beautiful way possible! 

As far as the MC work goes, this man is an absolute unit and a half on this album. Although only eight tracks, he doesn’t waste a single second. He lets his standout charisma, conviction, and passion flood the tracks and make every song a banger with his talent! 

This man doesn’t have a heavy, in-your-face style like so many of his contemporaries, but instead, he has a more subtle and sophisticated personality that he uses to put emphasis on his smart lyricism, his introspective approach, and his verse layouts that make it sound like he’s one with the beats synchronised to the fullest extent.

He sounds like a wandering poet. A man who lets his day-to-day experiences dictate what he says in the booth; it feels less like ‘bars’ but more like thoughts and feelings compressed into a rhythmic motion as if his inner monologue just happens to rhyme.

He’s literally the perfect vessel for Grubby’s music. The best artist to inherit all the raw sounds and amplify them with his one-of-a-kind delivery that is sure to stand out! 

I also love how he handles himself across these features, definitely not the kind of MC’s that make it easy to have a shining verse but he deals with it with ease, creates organic chemistry and makes sure every feature feeds off the same energy and increases it 10x fold! Adding substance to the songs not just there for feature sake.

I expected nothing less the greatness from Grubby’s 2026 debut album and I wasn’t disappointed. His chemistry with AVENUEBLVD was literally perfect and the powerhouse features did their part to make this record that must better! Check it out below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/612TMyGq7xSyYHuZ9Ca3KC?si=gOogAafSTlCPp-c_Z1S8Ow

(Aquarama ‘64: Magnificent Edition)

We are so fucking back. I get another opportunity to cover a pair of artists I haven’t heard yet. Two men who have been making waves in their own respective fields and now are coming together for one capitalising record that is sure to leave you better off than you started! Let’s go!

This is the brand-new collaboration album between MC Bandini and producer Magnificent, and together they drop a solid 15 tracks, just under 30 minutes, with the likes of 

-Laylo Holmes

-L.S.P

And it’s obvious I didn’t know what to expect for a record between two new artists to me, but I was given better than I could have visioned. This is easily one of the smoothest albums I’ve heard, period. 

I feel the production is the part we have to start from because my god is this infectious. With the first play-through, my initial thoughts were ‘early Odd Future vibes’. I feel a lot of people are too young to remember, but back then, those guys had a sound of hip hop that can only be described as ‘magic’. 

It was a mix of alternative, experimental, and atmospheric production that no one else was doing really before or since. Until now. This album feels like a homage paid to those delicately crafted beats from the late 2000s early 2010s, those surreal, methodically paced, and avant-garde brand of smooth instrumentation that takes over your mind and soul.

I refuse to believe you can listen to this album and feel nothing. On the basic view of this record, you could label it an album full of slow jams, but it’s so much more than that because they blend so many elements from

-R&B

-Soul

-Art Rap

-Hip Hop

-Funk

-Alt

-Jazz

-Experimental/Ambient 

-Classical and more.

But the fact is, it’s incorporated in a more modern and original style instead of copy-pasting old-school genres for nostalgia; they instead capitalised on the best parts of the influences and put their own unique spin on them that is their own! 

This is truly a score unlike anything else I’ve covered in recent memory, hell even the current OF members aren’t making the music from their debut era, so this is truly a sonic reincarnation of the most in-depth experience I can think of!

To match such marvellous production, we have the performances of Bandidi, who has one of the most impressive and freeing performances I’ve heard in a rapper in a while. I can’t really put my finger on it, but he sounds like he’s ripping off the top of all his parts as if he’s deciding to feel the moment and use his present/in-booth emotions and thought processes to guide his choice of words, his tones, and cadences.

So many aspects, such as how he opens the fucking album with that genuine laugh! Before he starts spitting some of the smoothest and calming bars you’ve heard in your life. Again, it’s as if he’s just high on life, riding the vibe of the universe and releasing that energy into the booth that is further translated into our headphones and giving us that divine presence of his introspective pen game and wavy charisma that makes him feel like he’s just fading in and out of the beat like grass in the wind!

This is beyond smooth. This is that awakened Buddhist monk level chill. He’s sharp and equally contained. He’s the type of MC that could rap your head off but make you his best friend right after the battle is done. A walking contradiction in the best way possible!

I loved his verses and how they soaked into the ears of the listeners! Also, the fact that he can swerve between vivid scenes and brash lyricism and everything in between.

He’s a man who has no verbal limitations and goes with what feels best to him on any given day, and that’s a special trait to have!

This is honestly one of the most beautiful records I’ve heard all year. My words can’t really do it justice. This is the kind of thing I’ll have to advise everyone to try out now and feel it for themselves! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/52CLsK7oVr7syHn354JGFV?si=LOrBhVpOQd6JM6HMeuXAqg

(Devoid Of Orbit V.6)

I’ll be honest, this is my first time covering this series. Which shouldn’t be the case considering these are two of the strongest players in the game right now. Both incredible MC’s and producers in their own rights, but when they come together? It’s more than an orbit being devoured, it’s the end game. 

This is the brand-new project by MC Tali Rodriguez and producer FLUDUST. Together, they drop a solid batch of seven tracks featuring the likes of -G. Fam, Black & P-Ro (hip-hop brothers if I ever saw one), and you know whenever they commit themselves to a record, it’s a big deal! 

I want to discuss the rapping side of things first. Either I get partial dementia or this man keeps getting better with every drop, but every time I hear Tali on the mic, he surprises me more and more the further he goes! It sounds like he’s levelling up at a rate no one can possibly match. On this track, he’s sounded more fluent and technical than I’ve ever heard him!

Across these seven, he’s a combination of sharp, complex, raw, introspective, personal, brash, and even tries his hand at singing (on certain choruses). He’s literally turned himself into a one-man band, which is ridiculous!

He sounds like a true author on steroids. He has the vibe of those classic 2000s underground poetry rap icons such as -Illogic, -R.A.P Ferreira, -Aesop Rock, -Billy Woods, etc. To me, that is the peak of the era of hip-hop lyricism, and I hold them on a very high pedestal, but on this, it’s as if Tali is paying homage to those groundbreaking artists with his own take on super lyrically charged structures, verses of dense vocabulary, and storytelling the likes I just haven’t heard him unlock until now.

Who knows, maybe across the other five volumes, he’s incorporated the same level of pen game as I’m hearing here, but still, I haven’t heard them yet. I can say his performance across this tape has completely BLOWN ME AWAY!

Speaking of being blown away, we gotta talk about my Australian main man FLUDUST! This man is a man who needs no introduction if you’ve been following the underground! He hit a groundbreaking year in 2025 with nothing but a higher future in the horizon! This project being a strong example of that!

Across these seven tracks (very similar to the path of Tali), I feel FLU is incorporating the sonic equivalent of those 2000s poetry rap albums with the same ambient, atmospheric, and emotionally complex instrumentals that force your brain to focus and absorb each and every single note and instrument utilised across this batch of tracks!

I’ve heard him try his hand at so many different styles and elements throughout last year but never quite like this. It’s as if he’s tapped into a hive mind of the original ‘underground’ mentality, the one that all millennials grew up on as teenagers! It sounds almost nostalgic in execution, and I love it! 

This ain’t your usual boom-bap-inspired beats; instead, we get a more alternative, looming, and vivid exploration of sound and rhythm that is a wave, not a trend, on much (besides the artists from that golden era still making music today).

This is an exciting album for me! First one of the series, and it’s got me hooked! These two have fantastic chemistry, not to mention the absolutely menacing features by G-Fam and P-Ro, who, as per usual, destroy their verses! This is an album

 I want everyone to try and give a spin! 

(NEON)

TODAY IS A DAY FOR CELEBRATION! Why? Because we’ve got a return of one of the dopest duos in the game, period. I still remember when they dropped their first album as a unit, and I’ve been hooked since! A duo that can easily rock shit solo, but when they work together? It’s an energy very few can match. Let’s go!

This is the brand-new project by the combination of MC’s Mondo Slade & Minister Hyde, who also produces the record! Seven tracks, under 20 minutes of unadulterated and pure hip hop that no one can touch! 

First thing I want to stress is the fact that these two make music that sounds like they are having fun! (It’s not really a big issue), but I always find the music that much more enjoyable when you can hear the people involved were having one hell of a time making it!

For example, this album has certain skits and snippets that have a dramatic, almost cartoonish feel to it that I loved, like the end of the song -YEAH with that altercation and how that ended! Or even that quick intro with the weather report! Just so many moments that sound like they were smoking a fat one going ‘yo, this would be hilarious to add in here’ and it sounds like it! 

These two and the production Minister created is so damn infectious I couldn’t help but groove to it!  The fluency, the down-to-earth hip hop that sounds like a homage to the 90s is incredible! They ain’t trying to re invent the wheel or do some over-the-top shit, nah, they are here to use the trademark sounds and blueprints and use them to create perfection! 

If anything, these two sound like the underground’s equivalent of Red and Meth! Two killer MCs solo, but together they are just on a whole different plane! Both men rocking the beat with absolute precision and dominance! Both men infusing their passions and unique personalities into the production to amplify and capture the spirit of hip hop the way it was meant to be! Fun, vibrant, and above all, memorable! 

You already know these two (as I’ve been saying) can’t miss on the MC front. They are both two of the biggest powerhouses going, and they can’t miss! Of course, considering these beats were tailor-made for this pair, it’s hard to fuckup but to hear their chemistry, the way they toss the verses back and forth to each other, the absolute truth in the other to match their energy and lyricism, and the way they can rock a track, not leaving any room for filler or error, just a masterclass in bars! 

Also, the fact they don’t need features for this project speaks more volumes than anything else! Just them and their individual skills to carry the album, and they do so phenomenally! Like I said, this isn’t trying to be flashy; you won’t find any deep concepts or experimental production or anything like that. Instead, what you will find is a strong pen game, unlimited charisma, and a synchronicity so authentic that you’ll be craving this standard with any other project you hear all year!

So, what are you waiting for? It’s NEON! A project so dope it only needs one word and two minds to execute! Go check it out now! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/6bYcUIn1rcHWteRglNaCpv?si=3d-hAGPkTLimbBr_3KmwTg

(FREE LUNCH)

As a supporter of the underground, can you ask for a greater gift than this? jackpot records has been feeding us for months now and now they are literally giving away free meals! And I ain’t talking throw away scraps I’m talking 5 star Michelin entrees for everyone to dine on and this is their latest item one that is bound to keep you satisfied! Let’s go! 

This is the surprise brand new album by MC DATKIDBRAVO with 16 dope tracks that were produced by a serious of different producers and bound to me ridiculous in every single sense of the word! 

Why? Because it’s DATKID and anything he touches turned to gold.

Starting with the production, as expected he dives into his more comfortable darker, grittier and unforgiving territory of sinister minimal instrumentals with a level of eerie detail attached to the songs! 

He’s been riding this wave for the duration of my knowledge of him and he seems to only get stronger with every release!

For example we have tracks like -MAXIMUS which has this haunting chord progression running through the song on some dark loop, accompanied by some creepy methodical keys, heavy bass, surreal drums and some shrieking strings that come in and out of the song at will. This song literally feels like a song you’d hear on a show like ‘Supernatural’ right before the episodes main monster kills its next victim! Truly an unreal experience!

Even the song right after it -PASTEL although lighter in comparison it still has aspects such as that heavy and in your face Jazz horns which sound slightly manipulated to appear that much more unnerving in execution! As well as this we have some more raw drum patterns, disgustingly heavy bass and some various adlib sounds throughout the song! 

The song -TOAST+ICE TEA has a more a soulful and skeletal vibe attached to it as we see these vocal snippets on loop that is accompanied by some lighter Jazz Horns, plucked strings and some super subtle drums !

This track is interesting because as we hit the chorus aspect we hear what sounds like violin strings and some different style of vocals in a seperate layer! This probably has the most variety in one song across the tape!

Another song that stood out to me was -N**GAS IN RUSSIA (first of all wild name) secondly I felt it was the perfect finale track for a new DATKID album to go off on!

Firstly, this has trap meets splashy boom Bap vibe! It’s something I can’t say I’ve ever heard before and I found it infectious as fuck.

You’ve got these high pitched, electric keyboard keys that are on loop in this lively manner! Ontop of these you get the transition of those hypnotic bass chord progressions coming in and kicking you in the chest with its might!

I honestly was blown away by this track (most notably) because I wasn’t expecting it! It was the perfect show stopping magic trick to pull out the hat to close up this fantastically produced record!

Speaking of magic, we have DATKIDBRAVO! A man I became hooked on ever since his work on LYNN TO MILAN and he hasn’t failed to impress me since! He’s not only shaking up the world and culture as we know it but he’s one of three monster trio new generation MC’s that I feel are going to lead the way in decades to come!

Across this tape, he utilises these 16 tracks just as powerfully as I expected him too! He’s got this methodically crafted flow that’s equal parts mastered and malevolent as can be. With every bar spits he sounds like he’s always 10 steps ahead, he has this unique cadence about him that screams brash superiority while maintains his threatening take on street poetry. 

It’s like listening to an intense author reading an audible. Each word crawls under your skin, each verse giving goosebumps and each album leaves impression on your mind, soul and heart.

Not only this, but his fluency is insane. He doesn’t know how to skip a beat! Doesn’t know how NOT to be consistent. Especially on this album, beat to beat his words sync with the instrumentals like venom to Eddie or Paulie Heyman to legends. He always delivers such vivid and powerful performances that your left mind blown after each listen.

Across this tape he’s seen with one feature being ‘SWIZZY’ who accompanies his own style and energy rather nicely and provides his own contrast that helps increase the song and album replay value overall!

Man, this was a gift I didn’t know I needed until now. I mean just say that sentence out loud to yourself

‘A BRAND NEW DATKIDBRAVO ALBUM BY JACKPOTRECORDS’ FOR FUCKING FREE! If that doesn’t speak hunger in you to listen to this album then In the words of Paulie Walnuts

‘GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE’ 

(From The Forge)

Well, as far as ‘interesting’ music is concerned, I feel this one takes the cake! Like a sonic personification of variety. So many lanes at once being utilised that it’s impossible to pigeonhole, but in my experience, that’s what makes the best kind of album! 

This is the brand-new EP by the group ‘From The Forge’, which consists of producer Jester Exodus, guitarist D-Kast, and MC features such as 

-Space Kase

-XtraCompIX 

-CliF 

-Pestilence

And man, I REALLY wasn’t expecting to go and find this kind of music. I should have guessed when I spoke with Jester, and he told me there was a guitarist on board that it would be unlike anything I’ve heard, but still, I couldn’t wrap my head around this! 

Even though only five tracks and less than 20 minutes each, each song has its own flavour and aspects that make it stand out! 

Track 1 -If There Was Ever starts off with these almost techno/sci-fi chord progressions until it transforms into this Nu Metal feel Metal/Hip Hop Fusion (a main theme across the tape). This song consists of groovy electric guitar notes, some hip-hop aspect scratches, and background noises accompanied by some super subtle drums! 

Track 2 -Before The Good Shit, which acts as an interlude to the third track, has an instrumental song with these spacy, synth-style chord progressions that go off in this scattered loop! We have some grand horns, eventually entries of electric guitar shape notes (in two different octaves), as well as some more subtle drums! 

Track 3 -Good Shit

Which continues right after the last song left off with those rhythmic electric guitar chords and some tribal aspect vocal harmonies!  After this intro, it bursts into this bombshell of a track with heavy blow drums and some light maracas in the background!

That evolves into a more heavy Nu Metal experience during the chorus aspect! 

Track 4(which to me is the most metal sounding of the lot) has a lot thanks to that intro with those absolutely savagely heavy guitar strings sounding something straight outta ‘Drone Metal’, which quickly transforms into an infectiously groovy hard rock influence track with groovy guitar strings and tapping hip hop beat elements that sound like shaking across skeletal drums! 

Track 5 – The Crooked Line ends on a bit more of a lighter/ambient note with those atmospheric guitar strings at the start, not the song that evolves into these booming electric notes that, combined with those dire hip hop elements and drums, you get one of the more key ‘Nu Metal’ tracks then we’ve heard it! It’s like they wanted to embrace the proper fusion of both for the finale track!

Across this EP, it’s obvious (to at least me) the influences behind the sounds and vocal performances. I could name:

– Motörhead

– Tool

– Limp Bizkit

– Sunn O))) (or Drone Metal in general)

– Korn

– Linkin Park

– Rage Against the Machine 

So many key aspects of the classic Hip Hop/Metal combinations that paved the way for this project, and it’s pulled off quite tastefully! It’s infectious, groovy, memorable, and hard hitting as hell!

You’ve got predominantly Space as the main MC representing this project, and he does a fantastic job at making that production and those influences come to life and spark! 

He has a nice, heavy style with sharp lyricism and a raw, in-your-face attitude that fits this EP and its vibe to a tee. Of course, you can’t discount the other 2 -Xtra and CliF as they killed it also, and it’s good to see high-level chemistry work its way through this 5-track song project that pushes the boundaries for what music is supposed to sound like in 2026.

Overall, a great showing by everyone involved. If you want a strong hit of nostalgia or want to push your music boundaries, then these guys are for you! Check it out below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/1jzmtWPCOmcfhJbbRYAWME?si=ViLbADOrRbmdCXlKzv-JNA

(Touchin Cheese)

As I began to write this review, I remembered something that I’d completely forgotten about last year.

For a big chunk of 2025, Snotty was the singles king! I still remember before I even did monthly awards and did my first Q1 awards, he was on their list for Artist of the first few months! Single after single, he didn’t stop! This was before dropping his now iconic ‘Blue Carpet’ project, and now it’s the new year, and it seems he’s back on the same grind that gained him so much traction in 2025. Let’s fucking go!

This latest song is by the aforementioned MC Snotty! An Umbrella Collective soldier who has spent the last few years refining his craft! Alongside him for this one is producer Isaac LaRue, and together they drop a solid 1 minute and 48 seconds of heat that only Snotty could provide! 

Across this track, we have Snotty on his Escobar shit; his street poetry is legendary. It ain’t just his vivid descriptions or charisma behind his works, but it’s the fact that he’s actually a super complex MC that fits many different techniques within one verse or one song that can sometimes get overshadowed by all the muddy, gritty lyricism and cadence, but if you really sit back and listen to him on the mic, he’s technically savvy as fuck! He doesn’t fuck around.

The first 30-40 seconds of the song, I thought he was on his MF Doom shit; the way he was switching up wordplay and bars was scientific as hell.

He hasn’t lost a step, and considering I’ve heard him on many features this year already, it’s no surprise he’s still at the top of his game!

Also, on this one, he sings the chorus to cover the last 30 seconds of the track to end the track on a more melodic note!

Speaking of melodic notes, we have Isaac, who is a man I’ve never experienced before but someone who will remain on my radar after this! Across this track, we hear a more stripped-back and minimal yet soulful approach to the instrumental as we hear these plucked strings on loop in two slightly different tones.

There are super subtle bass notes across this track, as well as some far-away tapping sounds that give this song a bit of an intricate element to the layers!

Again, this is more on the bare side of beats, but these kinds of instrumentals always suit Snotty the best, so I feel Isaac understood his audience and worked accordingly! A fantastic beat nonetheless, the less!

This is definitely a track you should all try out! Short, sweet, and memorable! Never doubt the umbrella bitch! 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5PjLEPwvrPTvrU6OkA1RqU?si=o5wkTpykQuWVbfd-WEtmmg