(THE ART THIEF)

Man, it would be an understatement to call this man’s 2025 career extraordinary. From the moment I discovered him till the very last second of that year, he kept improving and evolving at a pace even I couldn’t keep up with! He’s definitely one of the most promising MC’s in the game today, and the same can be said for the producer he brought with him, who also had his fair share of bangers in the previous year, and now they come together under the same mission to create a multi-lane classic to kick off 2026. Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new collaborative EP by MC AU and Producer Jazzy Lion Man! They bring with them 

-DJ KROOKED

-DB CONSIGLIERE

-FLYG

-ANT KELLY

The usual suspects to hop on a joint with AU and for good reason. These men have helped each other over 2025 elevate and emphasise each other’s songs and records to new heights as they form a type of ‘brotherhood’ within the culture, one that always breeds the best results!

When we talk about Jazzy, regardless of what style or influence he brings to the table, you can guarantee it’s going to be technically sound and mastered in the most thorough way possible, and that’s exactly what’s happening here!

Across these seven tracks, we hear him start off with the intro, including a snippet about a specific art heist (which I should have seen coming considering the name of the EP), but anyway, it sets up nicely for the theatrical experience to come!

As the album properly sets in, we get a super surreal, moody, and textbook atmospheric vibe from this project! I’m talking about that doom style, methodical, eerie experimental brilliance that he’s executed so many times in the past, and yet here it feels almost elevated in texture and intensity! From those droning chord progressions to those short cut loop snippets, plucked strings, minimal drums, and the works!

It seems Jazzy wanted to go back to his bag of deeper material. Over the course of 2025 I heard him unleash an endless palette of sounds and variety onto us listeners but now he’s focused on the killer, left field thumping music that will force and contort your face into a mean mug involuntarily by the filth of the instrumentation!

For such a short project, Jazzy really brought his sharpest blade to the battle. It’s as if he wanted to start the new year off in his most diabolical form and remind the culture about his luring dark side that will creep up and engulf anyone who tries to risk ignoring the monstrous sounds of the lion man!

If the production is fierce, then how do you expect me to react to the MC’s tasked with spitting over the abyss soundscapes across these 7? In lies the talent and skill of AU and company. These men have made a year of trying their hand at all sorts of beats and sounds to work with, always pushing themselves and this time is no different! 

Across this album we hear them giving their A+ game across these malicious beats! I’m taking brash and gritty verbal offerings, AU on his flexing bag of rhymes coming off a successful year he just wants to rub it in and I love it!

On this EP, he’s showing more explosive and sharp over complex. Hes already proven he can be the introspective/conceptual type when he’s needed to be, so instead he’s decided to focus on raw performances, in your face wordplay and flow as well as a more direct pen game that pairs beautifully with the production at hand!

His verses on here are shorter than usual with an emphasis on POWER, PRESSURE AND PRESENCE instead of intricacy and passion. 

He has all year to humble himself but he wants to start the new year with the mindset being: Aggressive and I fucking love it!

Speaking of loving it, the features as mentioned above are seasoned AU collaborators and they keep the fire going all project long! All with their own unique characteristics, flow, cadence and style that is a one of one specifically to them and once again they sync with AU and his style perfectly!

At this point all these guys should just make their own custom collective! That actually would be super dope, hopefully they see this part and act on it! 

Anyway, another DOPE offering to kick of the year, I have a very simple formula. If AU drops it, I cover it! Simple as that, it’s a formula you all should do right now! 

https://au205.bandcamp.com/album/the-art-thief

(The Black Hand)

This is an artist I’ve actually had a lot of experience with through the lens of other people’s albums in various forms of features but never on his own solo shit. So I find it an exciting opportunity to finally be able to see how he handles a project run by himself and I gotta say I was pleasantly impressed! Let’s talk about it!

This is the December 2025 record by MC/Producer DB Consigliere and it features the likes of 

-Ant Kelly

-DJ Krooked 

-AU

-Papa Dirty

-SketchTurner

And with 14 tracks and 32 minutes of content this thing hits like an experiment/underground sledgehammer to the skull with the force and blunt strength it showcases!

If we start talking about the production first, there’s so many elements that have a more left field/ambient approach to it! Which I can’t say is all too surprising considering the names accompanying the album who all have shown their creativity in the past and so we are given a very different perspective on boom bap that I can’t say I’ve heard done like this before!

For example we have tracks like -Gunz N Butta which has this super eerie vibe with those initial methodical organ keys that evolve into a dark boom bap execution that’s on the haunting end! You’ve got those slow paced drums, regular organ keys, heavy bass which all come together for a more minimal rhythm and one that sticks into your mind for hours after the fact!

Not to mention Ant on the back end of the track applying his rare brand of MC talents completely syncing with the instrumental! 

Another song that stood out to me was -28Gramz firstly because of that heavy, spacey synth chord intro that breaks off into this almost synth pop meets hip hop type beat with those consistent strings, drum patterns and infectious bass that wraps the whole track together!

It also sounds like there’s some extremely subtle keys in the background (but that could just be me and my imagination) still one of the more theatrical productions on the whole tape!

Even if we want to have a look at -Loyalty. This is definitely a more light and atmospheric track that provides a smoother and more soothing edge to the experience! You’ve got these angelic keys, what sounds like a fainting/glistening flute snippet in the background as well as some surreal drums that act as a skeleton for the song!

Not to mention those later added vocal harmonies for the chorus, an absolutely gorgeous insertion to the song!

As far as the rapping goes on thing, just like the music itself I’d consider it very interesting in the format! Why? Because it’s not your standard traditional flow or verse structures etc it’s kind of in the middle between all over the place and freelance! So it feels like there’s a lot of freedom on the verses or more specifically it sounds like DB and his closest brothers all coming together to have fun and record in their comfort zones and that’s how it comes across to me!

There’s a whole lot of fast-paced verses (by DB and others) there’s more serious and slowed-down ones, there’s high-energy bars and more brash/out-there verses and literally everything in between. It sounds like DB has a MC spirit that’s too jittery to be conformed to a specific style but rather one that should be let loose and be as original, creative, and expressive as he wants to be and he does just that!

Of course, he blends well with the features as I stated above they are all his brothers who have been on each other’s shit all since last year possibly longer and so the chemistry is flawless and they all help maintain the boundless energy flowing throughout this record!

All in all, this was a really fun listen! It’s gritty yet colourful! Strong performances combined with intriguing production that makes me want to come back for more! Make sure to check it out below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/3A1WINk1dMnwwPNyABHua5?si=D0yBawl0RTKylaW7H30LRw

(Detroit Institute Of Art Volume 1)

Now THIS is a concept I can get behind, the idea of gathering all the dopest spitters from Detroit under one roof? That is some of the realest shit I’ve heard about in a minute. With an idea like that, how can you possibly go wrong? The answer is you can’t, and you’ll see why in a second! Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new album by producer DJ Dremond, who has decided to truly bring to life the magnum opus of a Detroit roster with such names as 

-Tha God Fahim

-Snotty

-Planet Asia

-El Camino

-Coko Buttafli (singer)

-Ty Farris

-Mickey Diamond

-Boldy James

-Boog Brown

-Mvck Nyce

-Cannibal Ox

-Estee Nack

That is the definition of a fucking STACKED roster, and with that in the cards, this album is guaranteed to be ridiculous! So many insane tracks on this that it’s hard for me to decide which ones to press about! 

We have the first official track with lyrics – Gouda, which has a minimal layer structure with those smooth jazz horns, methodical drum patterns, subtle keys, and ending with a case of scratches and cuts!

The fact that this song STARTS with the likes of ‘Tha God Fahim & Snotty’ is absolutely ridiculous: two monsters in their own lanes chopping up in a battle of ‘whose best’ in the most savage and gritty way possible! 

This is the first time I’ve ever heard these two on the same track, and they have incredible chemistry! 

As the album goes on, we have tracks like – Intimated, which has one of the more lighthearted takes on the record! Another simplistic yet powerful layered instrumental with those plucked strings that act as the main loop, that feature those acoustic-style drum patterns that all come together for a more bare cut but without losing any of the atmosphere!

On this track is a familiar & legendary duo coming back together with ‘Ty Farris & Mickey Diamond’. I loved how Ty’s verse started with ‘It’s Bars over BS’— tough shoutout! 

But anyone who knows anything knows these two have had some of the best chemistry on tracks for years now, and this time is no different! Amazing work by both men involved and fantastically skeletal production!

There are tracks such as -Steph Curry, which has one of the most interesting beats on the whole tape! Because we get a mix between Spanish influence and classic boom-bap! The Spanish coming from those acoustic-style strings that I associate with the Spanish guitar, and then you have the traditional boom elements with those heavy, ridiculous drum patterns and glistening keys that shine sharp on this song!

What is mind-blowing about this song is the collaboration between ‘Boldy James, Mickey Diamond, and fellow Umbrella soldier Mvck Nyce’. All three men destroy their respective verses and highlight this light track into flames with their trio pen game!

If we look at the final track -Drug Deal, we have one of the more cinematic and surreal instrumentals on the whole album! This track has these grand male choir vocals accompanied by what sounds like organ keys on loop and absolutely gargantuan drum beats that shake the whole track up! 

An absolutely powerful and angelic take on a beat that is treated by the trio they used for the raps! 

On this one, we have the combination of ‘El Camino, Boldy James, and Estee Nack’, three MC monsters who can beat any rapper on any given day, and to have them on the same team for a track? The definition of legendary and the perfect way to close the album off! 

Even if you ignore these incredible tracks, you still have mind-blowing verses from the likes of the legends ‘Cannibal Ox’ on the track -U Got It, which is the track right before the finale!

The icon himself ‘Planet Asia’ keeps the momentum going solo on his dedicated track -Adamantium Chain where he has the not so easy task of following ‘Tha God Fahim & Snotty’ but pulls it off with crazy ease! A legend in his own right and other dope MC’s to ‘Boog ‘ and the singing process of Coko’ who provided their own unique and memorable parts to maintain said energy on the album!

Detroit (both in the underground and mainstream) has run the game as far as having the best MC’s go and this record re confirms that fact! No one is beating this list and behind this incredible production this album proves to be a showcase of all that talent to remind the culture never to fuck with DETROIT! Listen below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/3rCcGTmxI5l0hOYTEP4bOB?si=HTWqNVk9S5-48Vvp3luhug

(Gekahdelic: The Lost Tapes)

I must say, out of all the EP’s I had to look forward to for this year, THIS ONE was at the top of the list! Why? Easy. It’s because this man impressed me so much last year with nothing but banger releases while working with an array of talented artists, and now he’s returned for what is the first 6th man album of 2026 and one that is absolutely incredible! Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new EP by Producer Shade Cobain and MC StretchShinoPro, and together they drop a solid 6-track project with 12 minutes of dope music that starts the year off STRONG!

Let’s talk about the production first! On this one, we see Shade flexing his incredible versatility and ability behind the beats, taking from a wide range of influences and genres to create his magic.

We have the opening track -aiyo, which has this old-school 80’s R&B vibe, start only to evolve into this heavy, thudding early 2000’s-inspired influence that is absolutely infectious! 

It’s got those powerful bass strings, light vocal snippets in the background, funky drum patterns, and this old-school 90’s synth chord that runs through the song!

This reminds me of a song Busta Rhymes would have jumped on in the 2000’s! 

The second track we have -boogieinnthebackground, which might be my favourite instrumental on the whole album! It’s got this heavy boogie, funky atmosphere to it that makes you wanna dance! It’s got this synth wave/pop chord progression that runs in two layers, one being a prominent note loop and the other an insane rhythm which sounds like messy electric guitar that gives me goosebumps! 

On top of all that, we have these plucked bass strings and jazz-inspired drums! This is a powerhouse track if there ever was one!

The third track -yeti has a more toned-down feel compared to the one right before! Inheriting influences from Soul, Funk, and I even feel a tad of inspiration from Gospel! You’ve got those groovy synth keyboard notes that feel fucking delicious in delivery! The type of notes that make you wanna move your head and body!

Ontop of those, there’s a second layer featuring plucked bass strings that take me back to the 70s/80s Parliament era days, and I fucking love it!

Topped up with some light, methodical drum work, and you have a song that, although lighter than the second track, is still infectious in nature!

Track four -Eastside Boyz has one of the more traditional hip-hop flavours to the album than the rest! 

You’ve got these funky/plucked bass strings, some distorted what sounds like synth keys in a scattered motion! 

The effect I love added on this track is the varied chipmunk vocal arrangements that give this song a strong soul feel but still a more hip-hop instrumental feel compared to the others, anyway feeling like a song De La Soul would jump on! 

Track five -Private Enemies has one of my favourite intros of the whole album with that RnB accapella feel that evolves into this 2000s Kanye West type track!

You’ve got those looped soul vocal harmonies that are combined with these (what sound sci-fi style water drops) running through the track! Some subtle bass strings and some super laidback drums as this track relies on the strength of the incredible vocals (in the loop and the chorus) to carry it! And I love every second of it!

The final track -the playback I feel is the definition of hip-hop brought to life. It feels like Shade was showing off his incredible charisma and diversity in the last five and decided to close off with a straightforward hip-hop take! 

This track has some light bass strings, raw, heavy drum beats, and what sounds like a distant vocal harmony in the background that acts as a prominent loop! 

This is the more minimal track compared to the rest, and yet I feel it’s the appropriate way to close off!

I also love the song ends. I’m familiar with this sample as Drake uses it on his ‘Passionfruit’ track, one of my favourite songs by him, and it’s used tastefully here as well!

As far as the rapping goes, I found it to be quite interesting because each track had his vocals and performances used in a different way! Some were mixed more lightly and closer to the background for a more ambient effect, some (such as the finale track) brought the verses more in the forefront to compliment the straight forward hip hop song and others felt like in between executions with Shade experimenting with how to utilise his bars in sound and structure and I actually liked it!

Like for example in track 2- his vocals sounded a tad bit louder then usual to be heard clearer over that heavily busy instrumental with  slight echo effect on it!

On track 5 his voice sounded blended in with the beat itself for the more abstract delivery! It’s as if Shade was going for a more experimental take on this song and his performance did stand out a bit more due to this effect!

Then of course on tracks such as the second, third and finale they are just straight forward clear as day executions, crisp, clear and smooth! 

I can’t imagine it would be easy to find a man that can pair so organically to the lavish production at hand but this man did so! He had such an eccentric and entertaining cadence that it worked with the beats!

A technical flow, a smooth delivery, engaging wordplay and pen game as well dope, Fire bars that made me feel like I was listening to a ‘Phife Dawg’ someone with mad personality and even madder rhyme schemes!

This EP delivered everything and more. I wasn’t expecting the production to be this fucking colorful but it was! And this MC rapping over it with ease? That’s a special chemistry out there one I don’t want any of you to miss! Check it out now!

https://open.spotify.com/album/4CV6WIqMXjisws7RFY7LeO?si=yjVRfZRNQ1yqoP_WAny6JQ

(Graphic Dezign 2)

Alright, this intro has to be one of my favourite I’ve heard all last year. I wasn’t expecting it, and it had me laughing out loud. Low-key, having a hotline that would do that would be helpful! Anyway, this is an artist I’ve seen and heard of through the grapevine but never had the time to properly sit down and dissect, but that ends today as I get to cover an album that has a lot going for it! Let’s talk about it!

This is the March 2025 album by Producer/MC Donny G & MC ILLtemper, and together they drop a massive 17-track, 44-minute project that has the sole feature of -Kabal.

And as I made a big deal about above, this album starts off pretty hectic with a suicide hotline that helps you die! (Again, maybe not the worst idea). But regardless, hearing the hotline lady trying to hasten the man’s death was hilarious!

As the album officially starts, we get a glimpse of the sound profile that will be contributing to the record. I’m talking about that old-school, no-nonsense, in-your-face type production that is reminiscent of the mid-2000s underground era in the way it’s crafted!

As gritty and as rough as the underground sounds today (and I do love it), but it really doesn’t have the same ambience and atmosphere of the OG underground hip-hop instrumentals. These felt damn near raw and unmastered! It has a level of bareness to it that lacks in most of today’s music.

This album isn’t afraid to sound rough around the edges, and it’s in that ruthlessness that this album shines! Not to mention the various skits that are pretty fucked up in concept, but they made me laugh nonetheless! 

Across this tape, we hear these powerfully skeletal sounds come together in a united front from start to finish in this rugged score that I can’t imagine too many would be able to handle! I want you to invade R.A. The Rugged Man X Mid-2000’s Aussie rap, and you get this sound! A truly insane mix that is not for the weak of heart!

There’s a level of intimacy to albums that are executed in this fashion. Can’t help but remind me of my teen years when you used to hear those pirated mixtapes of those gutter MC’s who rapped over beats like these and gave you pure, unadulterated production that became a cultural experience amongst the 90’s kinds of my time, and to hear it resurfaced in the present day (at least for me) is quite sick! I fuck with it heavy!

As far as the MC work goes, these two are as savage as the music they rap on! They definitely define the ‘hardcore’ genre they identify as! It’s borderline horrorcore to me with the gruesome and chaotic lyricism and bars! They are trying to get a reaction out of the audience while showcasing serious techniques and MC skills!

These two have a very unique yet interesting chemistry! Imagine ICP (if they could actually rap), and you’d have these two! They embrace the dark, violent, and controversial verses with an intense and heavy performance to give their words even more power and weight!

I feel there’s a bad stigma attached to horrorcore/hardcore artists due to the worst ones being in the spotlight.

But forgetting there’s artists like Tech N9Ne, Geto Boys, Twisted Insane, etc., that have proven that the subgenre can thrive and create dope music, and I feel these two are further examples of that! 

P.S if the show ‘Pointless Questions’ was real, I’d definitely tune in weekly just to hear the judges go ‘KILL YOURSELF’ at the end of each question, that would be crazy! 

Anyway, this one is definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s going to take a specific kind of fan to appreciate the raw art here, but for those that will, this is a BANGER of production, performance, and utilising of the persistent hardcore/horrorcore elements that are so often trashed and not often enough progressed!

Check the link below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4EKNVsRx4Ma4a0UTcH3nnR?si=jreOpy1gRv-nMQK33smndw

(Trachea Cleared)

We are taking this back in time with this song! Going back to August of 2025, and I gotta say I love to take a trip to peep the songs I didn’t get a chance to cover when they first dropped. After covering the album ‘Grimeball Crimelord’, I can safely say I was excited to check this song out, and as I expected, I had nothing to worry about! Let’s talk about it!

This is the 2025 single by Producer Ill Clinton featuring the likes of 

-Phiik

-Lungs

-Vincent, The Owl 

Now I must say, as far as the production goes, this thing feels like a James Bond Villain Score! It’s got a theatrical aspect to it that I fucked with heavily! It has those plucked strings that play on a loop as the main repetitive rhythm. We’ve got these manipulated Jazz horns that have a chaotic/free-lance effort to it that I loved as it provided a fun experience to it! 

There’s also some minimal drums across the tape that help bring the track together into this phenomenally built track that’s equal parts cinematic and masterful!

As far as the MC’s go, I loved this track because each man provided their own unique and memorable verses that speak to their own specific characteristics and personality. Nothing worse than having multiple names on a track only to have the same flow repeated multiple times over, but thankfully that’s not the case here!

All three men bring their A+ game and then some! I love how they were able to fuse with the production and work accordingly! 

Making sure their bars and performance synced with the beat to create the dopest material possible. All men had great chemistry with each other, and it felt like they were having some brotherly competition trying to out-rap the other, creating a healthy dose of competition that sharpens the pen games of everyone involved and creates greatness! 

Man, although not from 2026, this song went HARD! It’s been so long I forgot how ridiculous Ill is behind the production, and there’s no denying the MC talent on display here as they all bring the best out of each other in the process of fire! Check out the track below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/7dPT5fbSu4ALAd5gbn2dCY?si=6SFpwJ9oQWWbdnMkID3L3w

(Mean While In Gotham)

I can’t lie, the name of this track captivated me alone! This song features some of the dopest MC’s in the game right now, and together they drop a killer single that starts the new year off heavy and strong! Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new track by Coast Locastro, featuring Apathy,Lil Dee, and produced by Johnny Slash! Together they drop a banger of 3 minutes and 40 seconds that needs no bat signal to call this crew together; they all come verbally swinging on this block-buster main event song! 

So, let’s talk production because this one is one of those beats that you can’t help but mean-mug the world and bop your head to! One of those old-school, gritty hardcore hip-hop type beats that feel like a sonic kick in the chest! 

We start the track off with iconic Johnny’s tag that evolves into this comic-inspired raw instrumental that’s equal parts groovy and powerful! 

You’ve got these jazz horns that come straight from a DCU film! Those loops are infectious as fuck! There are those second-layer horns that loop in their own separate pattern to add a further dimension of tension!

There are those heavy-handed drum beats as well as insane bass that wraps the song up in a theatrical manner! 

Johnny definitely outdid himself on this song while maintaining the theme of the track name, and this has quickly become one of my favourite songs of January so far!

As far as the verses go, with the level of heavy hitters we have, what do you expect? It should be obvious the kind of shit they are on, and they come quick to collect the heads of any haters talking shit!

Every single man on this song destroys their respective verses!

Whether you’re talking about Coast and his brash, bully verses mixed with that 90’s era sharpness and in-your-face cadence and tough wordplay!

Or Apathy and his legendary pen game coming to life once more with his deadly lyricism, his smooth and unwavering flow with his trademark no-nonsense approach that has kept him a force to be reckoned with within the industry for well over a decade!

Or even Lil Dee, the newcomer that has taken the world by storm with his eccentric style, his heavy charisma and incredible wordplay and pen game that makes him one of the strongest bar-for-bar rappers we’ve got in the game, right!

All these men, come correct cypher style on this incredible beat to try and claim the top spot for ‘best verse of the night’ and I can guarantee you it ain’t gonna be easy as they are all verbal monsters who could take on anyone in the game at any given moment! 

I can guarantee you, this is one of the dopest singles you’re gonna hear all month (and most probably all year) with all those S+ Tier MC’s and that powerhouse production, how could they go wrong? Check down below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/3zoxCBM2xbXLwqiUeuBM9J?si=KOMPpaV1RbmVEtYFDFgvng

(It Takes A Village)

You know, I feel the word ‘underrated’ gets thrown around a lot. I know I’m guilty of saying it a lot in my reviews, and although I mean well, it’s definitely a term that is probably used in excess, but I feel it’s only appropriate to call this duo ‘underrated’. They have created music that hits on all cylinders, and I barely see them get mentioned next to other more prominent names, but I’m one man who is beyond excited to cover this new offering by easily one of the dopest pairings we have in the underground period!

This is the brand-new album by the pair of Mike Martinez & Jesus Borgia, and together they make ‘Jezus Martinez’. After their last project that I absolutely adored, they are back with a more evolved and bigger album that features a range of production from

-Will Taubin

-Mike Martinez

-2GR8

-Just Pete

-Chrome Rockwell

And MC’s such as

-SavSola

-FCITB

-Donny G

-D0mane

A lot of names that are new to me, which means more opportunities to discover brand-new talent and expand my knowledge of the culture, and this is one of those opportunities!

Now, I feel I want to talk about the production first. Because unlike the other project I covered by there’s, this one has more extensive names (as listed above), and I feel the need to highlight this not just because of the unique roster but how incredibly tight-knit and formulated they all turned out!

Each instrumental has its own personality and characteristics that make it stand out from the one before and after, but it still surprised me at the level of detail, depth, and diversity each song brought to the table! 

For example, we have tracks like -Old Jigga by Just Pete, who showcases one of the more minimalistic offerings on the record. It features those delicate piano loops, rhythmic drum patterns, and some plucked bass that wraps the song up into a thin layer of instrumentation that is equal parts ‘skeletal’ and ‘larger than life’ in the same breath!

Not to mention the fantastic work of FCITB on the track!

We have the track -December To Remember which was produced by Mike Martinez which I feel has an almost wild western meets boom Bap feel to it! You’ve got those county inspired strings in that infectious pattern as well as that looping sharp chord, methodical drums that turn this track into a cinema score equivalent of booming production and quality! One of the highlights across the tape!

Or hell, the song right after that one -Lobster Bisque which was produced by -2GR8 and this one stood out to me due to it’s heavy Jazz horns on that groovy loop that are accompanied by some subtle drums and trademark funky drums that make this one of the more stand out songs due to that heavy, in your face Jazz signature that I fucking adored! 

Of course, SavSola killing his verse!

That’s a trend across this album. They take the skill of all those producers and they create these minimum layers of tracks that utilise the ‘less is more’ practice and would rather create a song where each element speaks for itself, is mastered to perfect and with intricate, complex technique that shines! 

There’s nothing wrong of course with songs with multiple layers stacked (if done well) but most of the time it’s ass. That’s why I’m beyond grateful and impressed that these talented individuals decided to go this route and create 12 pieces of art rather then messy songs for the sake of ‘layers’ 

Man, if I thought the verses on the last EP were then this has to be PHENOMENAL because they have just stepped up their game to a whole new fucking level on this one. 

As much as I loved the production and certain tracks that I favoured, what kept me glued to this album was the performances of Mike & Jezus. I mean fucking hell they brought it and then some!

Every single track they out did each other as if they were a part of the most brutal game of brotherly competition I’ve ever seen on a record. I’m talking back to back, killer verse after spectacular verse!

Bars full of versatility, colour, charisma, sharp lyricism, smooth flows, text book executions, engaging rhythms, detailed dialogue, vivid imagery I mean between the two there was NOTHING they couldn’t and didn’t accomplish for themselves.

I felt like I was sitting a front row seat to an unofficial rap battle! Two men on each track going off at one another, but doing so together In unison? It is truly one of the most remarkable experiences of fusion and chemistry I’ve heard in a while (and that says a lot when you look at the landscape of the culture)

On top of all that greatness you have those various features that contribute to the power and maintaining that solid/sharp energy by the duo and helping to elevate said tracks to new heights and trying their hand at dropping dope verses also!

It just feels like a dog eat dog world of lyricism and performances! Who can out rap the other? Who can write the dopest verses, who can we get as features to match our killer instincts? It’s an environment I PRAY the culture adapts because it’s not only a blast to listen to for the audience but naturally brings out the best in everyone around them and that’s the true spirit of Hip-Hop!

I ain’t lying all, this is A MUST LISTEN ALBUM! It’s only on Bandcamp for now (with streaming debut coming 1/23) but I advise you all to check out the link, support the project and the artists and in doing so experience one of the most amazing and inspiring albums I’ve heard obviously this year but even compares to last year! Peep the link below NOW! 

https://jezusmartinez.bandcamp.com/album/it-takes-a-village

(LOUP PARA)

As far as unique artists go, I’ve seen this man since last year reach new innovative heights in his career with an impressive discography working with a who’s who of underground names that have helped him grow as an MC! 

As far as this record goes, he decided to wait till the very last second of 2025 to drop an album with arguably the prime cuts of producers we have in our industry under their own collective and with that in mind we have one of the dopest drops you can ask for!

This is the December 31st album by MC Money Mogly and Producer collective LUPARA which consists of 

-Hobgoblin 

-Machacha 

-Mighty Healthy

-TimePiece

-SB11

-FLUDUST

And features the likes of 

-G Fam Black

-Michael M

-Choco Valens

-Shottie

-Scrue Hefner

-Cornerboy P

As should be expected (for anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock) that any of these producers alone can create modern-day classics. So what happens when they all come together? Absolute magic. 

All these men kill the instrumentations bringing together their cinematic, theatrical, and surreal style of sonic storytelling and production that is renowned all through the culture!

It’s impossible to me to choose a favourite beat because they all fucking slap and I love all these men. Whether you’re talking about Aussie’s own FLUDUST who rocked an incredible discography last year (for both rapping and production) or MACHACHA who annihilated the competition by releasing I think close to 20 projects all banging working with everyone you can think of! 

Or if you want to talk about Hobgoblin, a man who always drops magnificences every time he drops, with his album ‘Five O Clock Tea W Bricktop’ which remains one of the most powerful records we were given last year!

Hell SB11? The man with a fantastical ear for music who can create art pieces with his music full LP’s or instrumentals he’s always creating tough scores that everyone loves to get on! 

The point being, this album consists of the top of the top producers that it’s impossible to decide who did best when they all brought their best foot forward and created a list of bangers that all share the same fluency and energy that runs throughout the whole record!

On to Money. Hip Hop’s wildcard, he’s the type of man to keep the audience guessing on what he’s going to drop next! Never one to be boring or predictable, he always uses his albums to showcase a new side of him we haven’t seen before, and this album is no exception!

For this album, we hear (alongside his eccentric features) tear the house down with high-energy verses and spontaneous bars and one-liners that make him sound like a madman on the track!

This record makes me feel like he’s going into the studio as if there’s no tomorrow! He has such a sporadic flow, sharp and original wordplay with an intense rhythm that I can’t help but be drawn to with every word he spits on the tracks! I’d say on this album, it feels more like he’s a Venom symbote, and the instrumentations are a host that he takes over to create absolute carnage with! Most other artists ‘connect’ with the beats, but Money absorbs them!

And man, the features on this album were NUTS! The one that stood out most to me was the track -VOODOO specifically -CHOCO VALENS verse. My god, I felt like I just snorted a white line before listening to this song; he went INSANE! I’ve yet to hear such a bat-shit verse last or this year, but he definitely stole the show with his insane energy! 

His one line ‘my bitch got huge boobs, I fucked my girl while her pussy bloody yelling SuWoo’ that line has to be the most out-of-pocket bar I’ve ever listened to, and I fucking love the brashness of it! Whoever this man is, he’s now on my radar! 

But overall, this is everything I wanted from a Money record. Different than the others (as expected), featuring score levels of production from LUPARA, insanely good features, and an impressive showing by Money. 

This is a can’t-sleep-on album, so check it out below and make sure you support the artist! 

https://moneymogly.bandcamp.com/album/loup-para

(Every Year Yeah)

As the new year rolls around, we get a fresh batch of projects and tracks from the beloved artists we praised in the year prior! One of those for me is this man. An artist I briefly covered in 2025, and he impressed me from the first track I heard, and now he’s back with a song only he could create! With that in mind, let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new single by MC Troy Dunnit, as well as producer J-Scratch, and together they drop just under three minutes of some of the smoothest hip hop you’ll hear in a minute and making quite an intriguing first impression for 2026! 

Firstly, I gotta point out the album cover and how it is inspired by the band ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’, a very dope homage, and honestly, there are certain aspects of this song that pay further respects to the band with some more melodic and harmonious aspects woven into the rap song for an overall ‘euphoric’ feeling in this instrumental!

You’ve got those heavy-handed violin samples that overtake the song with grace and cinematic clarity that you don’t often hear! You’ve got those plucked bass strings as well as those light clicks in the background that delicately go off and provide that extra boost of lighthearted energy to carefully wrap this song up in beautiful delight!

For me, the biggest element of surprise and interest was the chorus where we sing in this soothing manner that low-key kind of reminds me of the tone of ‘Californication’ in its subtlety yet moving execution! 

The rest of the song is filled with probably his best lyricism I’ve heard from him yet. I’m talking clever puns and one-liners, his profound wordplay, and complex lyrical structures that I haven’t heard him utilise up until now. 

I was listening to this song, pausing every other second to grasp the full extent of the set-up and pay-off he established! Not to say he wasn’t good on the other shit I heard of him, but this feels like ‘new year, new level’ shit, and I was thoroughly impressed!

Not only with his abilities as an MC, but the way he conducted himself, his underlying charisma, the way he pronounces his words, the way he takes his time, and blends his pen game with the production itself. He’s attempting to cover all bases laid in front of him, and he nails every single part! 

This is an EXCELLENT start to the year for this man (and this producer). They both hit the ball out of the park, and honestly, I can’t wait to see where both men go for the rest of 2026! Check out the track below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4hBDCPTbaddfsiRTyarzUw?si=1h9J8i0ATy-xfXThC6lxVg