(Cinematic Payne)

I’ll be honest, this is a duo I wasn’t expecting to see. Last time I saw this producer, he dropped one of my favourite albums of 2025 with FLYG, and now he’s making an album with an underground icon? Say less, this is all I need to know to read right into this! 

This is the latest album drop by MC RJ Payne and Producer Drega33. Both men dropped a solid seven-track project with 15 minutes of pure, unadulterated adrenaline that is sure to make you feel like doing an hour of heavy exercise while listening to this, thanks to all the energy you’re going to get from the album!

Let’s start with the production. For those who have been following my website up until now, you’ll know that Drega had my ear for a lot of it! Not many had the same level of taste, technique, and personality that was woven into his instrumentals that make you feel like you’re listening to a professional score filled with lavish instrumentation, grand execution, and the most colourful/surreal moments and takes that you’d expect to hear out of million-dollar composers!

As he’s come to trademark in his career, this album is filled with more minimal, layered tracks that Drega works to enable and enhance until each string, chord, and key sound is absolutely immaculate. Each second of the tracks is sharp, vivid, and conducted with the utmost respect and care so that when the audience plays the songs, they feel the love, passion, and conviction! 

He ain’t just making simple beats; his goal is modern-day classics, and I feel these seven tracks are another step forward in that direction!

I love how fluent and rhythmic each track feels; it ain’t just about seven bangers; it’s about seven songs that work tightly with the others before and after it. It means having a cohesive and consistent atmosphere that runs throughout the entirety, and that’s exactly what Drega does here! He doesn’t need 33 tracks to make art; he just needs seven! 

The MC in question doesn’t need any introduction! He’s already a legend in this game, and he’s back to remind the culture exactly who he is, utilising only 15 minutes to get his point across, and boy does he ever! 

Although a short burst of content, it might be his most dynamic in a while! When you know you don’t have the time to waste, you kick it into high gear, and that’s exactly what RJ does on this one!

He barely takes a breath; he’s just straight bars! With his notorious in-your-face attitude, his confrontational nature, and his bold, raw, and brash pen game that can out-rap the best of them (and piss them off at the same time), one of the kings of Bully Rap!

In this album, he’s just shooting his shit, using his experience and knowledge to run circles around the rest of the culture! He knows he’s the man, and he’s doing nothing else but doubling down on the young cats who don’t know respect and the old gen who refuse to give flowers when they are due! He’s after everyone!

Not only is he one of the nicest, but he has powerhouse flow, surreal and vivid imagery (when he wants to show that side of him), mean street poetry, as well as the occasional personal lyrics taking about his history in life. He’s the type of rapper that can take over any lane if he felt like it! But chooses to just talk about and rock what he feels like at any given time, and it’s that versatility that makes him such a profound MC and one with such longevity! 

Anyway, this should be a no-brainer. No features, just two dope artists coming together and creating quite possibly the HARDEST 15 minutes you’ll hear all year. Go support below and be prepared to be rocked! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/0SfuUfeS4LY8M8zYy8hDFM?si=uAR5QDpcS9-Zd3AW1Vpjdw

(Plenty Pressure)

If I were an artist and had to compete with an album that features two of the hottest names in the culture coming together, I’d call that PLENTY PRESSURE TOO! A historical fusion made three years ago and is still felt to this day, and with Bars Over BS recently picking it up for the physicals, you know I had to peep and give it a long-overdue write-up, so let’s get into it!

This is the 2023 drop by the collaboration of MC Powerhouse Chubs and Producer Machacha, with features from 

-Mickey Diamond

-Snotty

-O The Great

-Bloo Azul

An absolutely savage list of names that have the capacity to run any of your favourite names into the ground solo, so together? That’s overkill at its highest level.

When we take a look at the production, we see Machacha on his abrupt, fixated, and aggressive take. A man who has been described as the ‘King Maker’ for having the uncanny ability of working with future legends, he’s done just that with Chubs and done so with the utmost ruthlessness and cutthroat instrumentals that you can feel in the back of your soul.

On this one, he ain’t worried about sounding fancy, being overly experimental, diving into his many bags of sonic tricks, nah, he’s on his brutal, minimalistic, and heavy shit that is perfectly suited for someone like Chubs to go off on! 

You have tracks like -Liquid Death, which sounds like real-life ‘Chinese Water Torture’. You’ve got that looped distorted chord progression that gives off an eerie feeling as it haunts the whole track! 

It’s combined with some thudding drums and some thick bass and what sounds like a super subtle yet sharp key that appears for half a second each time in about 10-second increments! 

Or we can talk about tracks like -Can We, which again is a minimal masterclass at its finest. You’ve got those angelic chord progressions that make the track feel as light as a feather! Which is continued by some methodically paced drums and a beautiful vocal harmony that has a classical melody to it, which glides over the instrumentation! 

Hell, we have the track – Shots From The Jaguar, which has this 80’s movie villain soundtrack vibes! With those deep-toned synth chord influences, brash drums, and some irregular sounds and snippets that come throughout the song, giving it a bit of controlled chaos to keep the song feeling unpredictable in nature! 

This is Mach at his most powerful and focused. Don’t get it twisted, he can utilise any sound on any given day. But on this occasion, he’s getting cosy with the ‘Boom Bap’ lane and putting his own spin on the iconic sound!

Speaking of ‘Iconic sound’, we have Chubs. A man I first discovered early last year with his ‘40 Cal Capone’ tape, and I haven’t looked back since. He has a one-of-a-kind flow, killer charisma, and a presence across the beat that I’d say puts him in the top 5 as far as substance on any given song goes. He’s never one to just ‘rap’ but instead create a whole experience that lives on rent-free in the minds of fans across the culture! 

On this album, he doesn’t disappoint. The first thing I loved was how fast he got into his work. The intro track was barely a second in before he was already spitting! He was eager to get started, and he didn’t stop till the end! I loved how he incorporated a variety of mesmerising chorus lines, ‘most notable on the song Liquid Death’ but shown throughout! 

All those aspects help push his verbal narrative when the spitting starts. I’ve said this since I first heard him that he has the same level and skill in flow as legends such as

-Method Man

-Notorious B.I.G.

-Redman

You name it, he can rock with the best of them in that department. He’s never one to skip a beat; his words are magnets, they immediately stick to the instrumental and grip tight until the tracks are done, word for word, bar for bar, he’s never missed once.

I can’t believe how fucking fluent he is! Smooth, precise, vivid imagery in such short bursts. In just two lines he can make you picture a whole situation and then some! He actually has an incredible smart pen game also. Because if you really listen to his verses he’s choosing a collection of words per bar that shows syncing rhythm with the 4-5 that comes before and after! Making sure he sets up a bunch of words that end with ‘ass’ or ‘Ill’ or ‘Ight’ then finding words that sound similar to those that don’t end that way, it’s a whole fucking science that he’s mastered to a tee!

We have to bring up the fact he’s keeping up with arguably the most stand out rappers in the game right now and holding his own! Each feature track doesn’t just have a superstar name but they pull their weight and drop some of the dopest verses I’ve heard from them to elevate the album as a whole! (As if this album needed any more reason to be elevated!) 

You’d have to be a brain dead retard to assume this duo would fail. An absolutely unreal album that I’m kicking myself for not finding sooner! Shoutout to all the killer features for their contributions! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2OaOFMyAEwMAwtzQ6KarOt?si=_ZrmCBLSQEu2hO-HUWDPgQ

(PINKY AND THE BRAIN)

Man, I gotta give a shoutout to the artist for these albums. They always make the records so enticing with the art alone! Put it this way, if you’re too young to remember ‘Pinky and The Brain’, then we’re too young to link. ON GOD! But these two remember how dope that show was and decided ‘fuck it, let’s drop an album inspired by it’ and with that mindset alone, I respect them! 

This is the 28th of November 2021 release by dynamic twins THEMELLOS! It features nine ‘Episodes’ with a set-up like you’re about to experience a whole season worth of the cartoon in one short sitting! But of course with an underground SPLASH twist! 

Something I feel a lot of journalists (or fans) can lose sight of is that sometimes artists just want to have fun with their releases! Sometimes it doesn’t have to be about anything more serious than just childhood nostalgia mixed with creativity! That’s what this album is right here.

You’ve got the trademark Acid X Boom Bap fusion that these two are so known for but laid out under the umbrella of a cartoon about two fucked-up mice trying to take over the world! 

For example, that intro track -EPISODE 1 has a beat that’s heavy in electric guitar notes, combined with some synth/ambient background noise and rhythmic drums (of course combining sound bits of the show itself).

Even the track right after it -EPISODE 2 which takes a more serious, gritty tone as we hear this heavy traditional Boom Bap experience with those glistening keys, thudding bass, and minimal drums! The classic bare layered instrumental that hits you hard in the face!

When I think about it, the instrumentals and production signify the personal differences between the two. Sometimes you have more laid-back and wavy cuts of beats that would identify as Pinky’s side of the album while the more cerebral and darker shades of instrumentals signal Brain! (Quite ingenious if that’s what they were trying to)

Either way, all nine EPISODES have a compelling atmosphere attached to them that makes you feel like you’re in the presence of these two peculiar mice and watching their lives unfold under some of the most hard-hitting and memorable rap you’ve heard in your life!

What’s better than an album based on a classic TV show? Having two men as charismatic and energetic as THEMELLOS twins be the ones to do the performances! If you’re looking to capture the essence and versatility of shows like these, you need people like them to be able to reach that type of aura, cadence, and conviction! You can hear it in their voices, in the way they spit their bars! They are literally competing with nostalgia, trying to pay homage to it in the best way possible!

By utilising their natural chemistry as brothers and their inevitable talent as MC’s they combine sharp lyricism, precision, and wavy power that turns every breath they take into gold that you can’t ignore! See, that’s the thing, allure, magnetism, and appeal are things you don’t buy; it’s something you HAVE, and that’s why these guys stand out!

They have the vibe of natural performers with the experience of legends. They are verbally aggressive and yet equally as smooth and swift when they drop their various lyrical movements across the beats! 

I’ll never get sick of hearing their immaculate synchronicity. As someone who has twins in his family, I can tell you firsthand, there’s no substitute for it. Their type of connection can’t be replicated or learnt. You hear these two effortlessly spitting back and forth, sharing the flooding of ad libs and clever puns, witty one-liners mixed with street poetry that is ever so slick! 

Not to mention how well they tapped in with the various features: 

-ERG-ONE

-KALEO JACOBS

-SHIZZYOP

-NIKOLA 

Each artist a monster in their own lanes but come together under this one nostalgic vision to create magic and showcase their raw power and synchronicity with the powerhouse twins! 

Listeners, ‘are you thinking what I’m thinking’? You think so? Don’t worry, Mr. Hoover won’t notice a missing evening gown! It’s time to take over the world! BUT FIRST, go cop the album and support below!

https://themellos7.bandcamp.com/album/pinky-and-the-brain

(Stained Glass)

Well, it’s safe to say that every day I continue this website, the more I discover fire. On this occasion, I’m back with a man who I’ve covered in the past, who left a solid impression on me and now is back to light a new spark into my soul! Alongside a producer who I’ve seen making waves in the current scene! Will this new combination of artists accomplish the same result as last time? Let’s find out together!

This is the brand-new EP by MC Sam R I and Producer Truelove that features the likes of

– Willie Marshal

– APOC KRYSIS

And across this ten-track offering, we are greeted with an even more exciting, evolved, and innovative version of Sam than I’ve ever heard him before; he’s not fucking around! He’s bringing his A+ game, and it shows.

I want to discuss the production real quick because even though I don’t have much experience with him personally, I’ve heard and seen great things, and it seems only fitting that now I get to fully embrace his character and see why he’s being mentioned across the underground scene! 

Firstly, what he brings across to me is theatrical brilliance. The instrumentals don’t feel ‘underground’ per se but more in the realm of the 90s mainstream scene! I’m talking that prime RZA, DJ Premier, Dr. Dre level shit! It’s truly remarkable! 

Each of these ten tracks feels crisp; they feel raw and lavish all in one. There’s a certain hypnotic element to the music with those rhythmic vocal loops, plucked strings, and skeletal drums, as well as those classic scratches that come together in small doses, layers that create the perfect landscape for an unbelievable atmosphere! One that is equal parts nostalgic and refreshing! 

This truly feels like Truelove studying and took home the best lessons from the golden era and combined them with his own personal techniques and experiences to create his very own take on a surreal score of hip hop that I guarantee will be blowing everyone away once they listen to this! No doubt!

When we talk about Sam, as I mentioned just after the intro, he’s bringing his A+ and now I know why. When rocking with ridiculous production such as this, he had no choice but to massacre the beats and that’s exactly what he does here!

He’s absolutely ruthless on these tracks, with his calm yet malicious tone, he ain’t gotta ‘push’ nothing since he has his cadence locked to a ‘T’. 

He’s got that smooth yet impactful rapping performance where he uses his nonchalant attitude combined with his sharp lyricism and sniper style precision to create devastating verbal cues without anyone knowing what happened until they see the hypothetical body lying on the floor! 

He’s one of the most interesting MC’s I’ve come across in a minute because he oozes confidence and conviction but does it in such a laid-back style, kind of like a Guru from Gang Starr or a Napoleon Da Legend adjacent! A man who knows he can out-rap anyone in the room yet doesn’t have the need to overly flex or pretend to be a tough guy! He lets his abilities speak for him and that’s what I respect him for!

The features on this project do their part well also! Providing added energy and fire to the project while maintaining solid fundamentals and chemistry between the two men! Nothing worse than features brought in just for ‘feature sake’, absolutely not the case here as they attempt to match Sam in execution, passion, and overall delivery!

Make sure you give this EP a chance, Sam is stronger than I’ve ever heard him, TrueLove blew me away and the music speaks for itself! Check it out now! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/5nqzh0KGgpxAJNmHj3F7dk?si=CTGxSOEdTt-tiOX2cQno_A

(Pecado En La Nave)

Is it ever a bad time to receive news about a new single by this man? The answer is no. He’s one of the most creative minds we have going, and I know whatever he decides to grace us with is going to be a banger one way or another! So let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new single by MC J.O and Producer Sticky Banger! Definitely not the first time the pair has linked, and I doubt it will be the last! One thing is for certain: combined, they don’t know the meaning of taking an L, and they sure as hell don’t start here!

What we are looking at across this 1 minute and 45 seconds is a more dreamy, soulful, and gracious experience in the form of a smooth instrumental!

On this one, we have these 80’s Synth Pop-reminiscent Jazz horns on that beautifully crafted loop that is accompanied by a string of melodic bass and distorted sounds that make you feel like your underwear listening to the music! It’s got that outer body feel to the sound and touch! I also love how this song has these delicate piano keys that perfectly synchronise with the other instrumentation to create a song that just simply takes your breath away! Definitely the most satisfying and surreal beat I’ve heard J.O rap on yet, and a big shoutout to Sticky Banger for creating this masterful track, once again proving his impeccable technique and craft to the audience!

As far as the MC work goes, it seems J.O has decided to give us that multilingual performance as we hear both English and Spanish across his short but ever-so-impactful verse!

As he’s come to be trademarked for his lyricism and wordplay hits, that little bit different. His structure, the way he glides his words across beats, the way he resonates with the audience by saying sentences and bars that hit with a certain demographic and make them FEEL exactly what he’s feeling/thinking when he was writing his words!

He has a way with connection, he ain’t just rapping, he’s manifesting. Whether that be his methodical flow and pacing. Or his extremely vivid imagery he places when crafting his verses, or whether that be his mellow charisma that is calm, collected, and composed, which is exactly what a beat like this needs!

I can’t say I understand what he’s saying when he’s switching from English, but I do love how he uses this transition of language to suit the final 30 seconds of the track and uses his voice to wind down the song before its end. Gives (in my opinion) more potency to the language switch! 

All in all, a very refreshing and enjoyable track that feels like a minute and 45 seconds of pure stress relief! Go check it out now and tell me what you think! 

https://jo2024.bandcamp.com/track/pecado-en-la-nave-prod-sticky-banger

(AKIRATORIYAMATUNES)

Nah, as a massive anime fan and a DBZ loyalist, this right here is the toughest album cover and album name. I don’t care when this came out; it’s already on the top of my list for the homage paid alone. I NEED TO JUMP INTO THIS ONE!

This is the 2024 project by the iconic twins themselves, THEMELLOS, as they decide to create an eight-track dedication album to honour the creator of the Godfather of Shonen Anime himself, ‘Akira Toriyama’, and let me just say right off the bat, this hits me in my heart as a die-hard fan.

Firstly, I love the concept of using Japanese symbols for the names! I have no idea what they mean, but it’s a nice touch, and each song is instrumental, light, short, and ever so touching to the memory of the man. Let’s go through the various songs!

Firstly, we have track 1, which includes this absolutely epic soundtrack to Frieza vs SSJ Goku type shit. I got goosebumps immediately! You have those plucked rhythmic violin strings in the two different notes as well as those massive parade-style drums that all come together for this dramatic and theatrical intro to the album that would no doubt make Toriyama proud! 

On track two, we have a more ‘The villain is gone for now, let’s make sure the family is okay and eat some senzu beans’ type vibe with this track. We have some swaying chord progressions that are ever so delicate! 

Accompanied by some mesmerising drum patterns and super subtle keys that loop around the track every 2-3 seconds, providing that little bit of extra texture to the track!

Track three, we have Vegeta was just possessed by Babadi and turned Majin for the first time! The world is scared, everything is thrown into chaos! We have those powerful chord progressions combined with that sharp flute sound, raw bass, and more hypnotic drums that really sell the intensity of the moment: WHERE ARE YOU, GOKU?!

Track four and the battle has just begun! Goku has arrived, shocked at what he’s seen but knows he has to handle this immediately for the sake of planet Earth. This track has those super high, sharp horns that have two different layers, one high pitch, one deep and low in the bottom layer! Combined with that thick bass and minimal drum beats, and you’ve got the perfect storm of chaos! A bare-back, striped sonic experience to let you know (as a human) that the world is FUCKED unless Goku can save us!!

Track five, it seems Vegeta came back to his senses, his power lust has died down thanks to Kakarot. But there’s a threat looming in the distance, they must go check it out. In this track, in what sounds like Dabura’s entrance music, we have a platter of string progressions in a variety of keys! Some bigger and some higher pitch! There’s also some jazz horns running through the background to provide an extra layer of mystery and chemistry with the drum pattern! Will everything be okay now that Goku and Vegeta are on the same team?

Track six says yes. The villains release with the two Saiyans coming to investigate, all hope is lost of winning. We have a triumphant array of horns that are combined with some victorious key progressions and solid, thudding drums and bass to remind the enemies who exactly they are fucking with! The Prince and Goku! An unstoppable duo!

Track seven, as the villains have crawled back into their holes in the ground, the Z Fighters take a much-needed rest for planning, training, and preparation for the next attack. We hear these beautifully orchestrated strings that feel absolutely angelic! Not to mention those delicate keys in the background and those extra violin strings! Put that with those drums, and this is what heaven must feel like (whether King Kai isn’t there at least). 

Track 8 the finale. The much needed time has come to an end, the next threat is coming and FAST will the Z fighters be able to hold it off? They bring with them some diabolical combination of Horns and disgustingly heavy bass drums that kick you in the fucking stomach! Combined with those varies layered horns mentioned and you have a universe threat coming your way! 

Will the earth be okay? Will THEMELLOS make a sequel to this? Is this the dopest beat tape you’ve ever heard? Find out below on the next episode of 

DRAGONBALL Z!

https://themellos7.bandcamp.com/album/akiratoriyamatunes

(Notorious Conductor of Audio Interference)

Just the name of this project feels ominous. It seems hip hop has a new dark horse, and this man might be it! Someone to take the reins of the deeper depths of the underground, the more noise and experimental heavy. The type of hip hop that ain’t for the weak of heart, and that’s the exact genre push that I crave! Let’s go!

This is the brand-new album by MC (and producer) No Shadow, representing Jackpot Records! Featuring 11 tracks that are guaranteed to push how you see, feel, and touch hip hop in general.

When I first listened to this project, I honestly felt my ears become sensitive to the sheer abrasive nature of the record! The production itself is purposefully eerie, raw, and avant-garde in execution! 

It’s so fucking grimy and rough around the edges that it brings a certain sense of danger and uncertainty to the atmosphere that I honestly couldn’t get enough of!

In what resembles (to me) an influence combination of people like -DATKIDBRAVO and -Al Divino, you hear that messy yet controlled chaos dynamic combined with that underworld depths of grime. 

It’s like you’re listening to an aftermath of a car crash; it’s completely unhinged, but for the niche audience who appreciate sounds such as that, I know it’s going to resonate, and more so I feel the audience of Jackpot Records.

The other aspect that caught me off guard (considering its brash nature) was the level of cohesiveness and structure to the production. There does feel to be a sense of reason to the songs being placed where they are and connecting one to the other! Like how violence amplifies even more violence! I feel the same sense of progression for this album. In its own twisted way, there is fluency, and it makes for a score so unsettling that it would put most cinema soundtracks to shame! 

If the production is so wild, it only sets the stage for No Shadow. A man I haven’t heard from yet, but one who only needed one album to prove his worth and why he should be one to look out for in the coming future, and he did that AND THEN SOME!

This man possesses what I’d say is a new generation of the iconic ‘splash style’. He’s all over the place on this record, but in a sharp, distinctive, and brutally accurate manner that sets him apart from the rest!

His lyricism and wordplay are coated in precision. His performance is wild, unkempt, and savage like a wild animal roaming its habitat, preying on any unwelcome visitors to approach him! 

His rapping style is entertaining. It’s vibrant (in a gritty way). He’s verbally aggressive and has a hypnotic presence about him across these beats. There’s something about his frantic flow that makes you hang on his every word, in a sort of anticipation of what could come next since he’s so unpredictable! 

You can feel it in how he says the words and delivers them that he’s completely in his element. This is his wheelhouse (as a producer of his own beats). He’s comfortable yet hungry for more, hungry to elevate each and every song and bar that he drops, and that’s why I feel there’s such a vibe of ‘animosity’ in the air! 

It stems from his hunger to make more, say more, DO MORE! He’s a workhorse who I feel is using this album as a reflection of what he’s capable of and what’s to come in the future, and this could mark a new lane for Jackpot and his artist, but one thing is for certain:

This will not be the last time we hear or see of this man, and I guarantee you his upcoming discography is going to be art-worthy! 

(SUPREME ZINGER)

We finally made it to today, one of the most anticipated releases of 2026 so far! By a man who had one of the strongest discographies last, now he’s ready to continue his run on top with his first offering of the new year, so let’s get into it!

This is the brand-new studio album by MC and FEED THE FAMILY member, BoriRock! Accompanied by him on the production is Vish, and the features are

-Rome Streetz

-Estee two powerhouses are all you need, two strong names rather than a hundred weak ones! 

And right off this bat, this album has the same energy to be as ‘Infinite Wave’ with the more atmospheric, eccentric, and smooth feel to it compared to a number of his other drops in the past!

This is my favourite type of production from him. I love when he embraces that surreal and elegant variation of wavy coke rap that makes you feel like you’re listening to a cinematic score that immerses you completely.

Right from the start, you hear those rich sounds, masterfully executed instrumentation that’s equal parts delicate, melodic, and powerful! This whole album runs like a fever dream. It’s like you’re stimulated and high and just letting your mind trail off into that blissful vibe state where all the sounds, colours, and textures are 10x more vivid! 

This is the type of experience you get with ANY Bori album. His beat selection process is legendary, always able to turn his beats into damn near mythical proportions of audio that speaks to you on a whole different level!

There’s a reason his albums have such high popularity and replay value. It’s because of production just like this. The type that feels mind-blowing and wavy, they take you on an otherworldly journey using music as the medium. You never just ‘listen’ to a Bori album, you LIVE IT!

Speaking of ‘living it’, that’s exactly what Bori brings to the table with his rapping. I’d say it’s a no-brainer that he has the most charisma and drip out of anyone in the game right now! Always high energy, always bright and aura-filled. For Bori, one of his bars equates to whole albums’ worth of excitement and performance! He’s tapped into that frequency, making all his verses feel alive and eccentric beyond the usual!

From the very opening track, we hear his trademark classic adlibs that have become a staple of his music for years now! It helps increase the entertainment value of the record and puts adrenaline inside your body like a sonic energy drink, pure caffeine hit!

There are some pretty wild parts added to this album, such as having a woman seductively saying Bori’s catchphrases at the end of the song! Or how we have a man talking to another man who’s struggling and wondering how he’s even surviving without a phone!

Such interesting additions to the record, and once again, Bori proves what it means to be a true performer. His bars are packed with eccentricities that you can’t touch; his one-of-a-kind lane of street poetry and drug raps have a mesmerising effect on the fans as we hang on every word he spits because of how talented he is at expressing his wordplay!

Undoubtedly fluent flow and a rhythm that is nothing but original. Honest to god. He doesn’t need features to rock an album (the two he chose are legends in this game), and I love the chemistry they provided, especially Estee, as we saw the magic they make last year on ‘Infinite Wave’, and Rome’s legacy speaks for itself, sharing a strong sense of power with Bori!

But as I always preach, Bori is one of the artists that can absolutely maintain a project with just him! He’s that fucking organic and natural with his extensive allure that he’s more than enough solo! (Ain’t nobody saying Jay-Z needs a feature to slap) and I want you to put the same respect for Bori!

Another HOME RUN for the main man. It seems his discography run ain’t stopping anytime soon. I’m sure this will be another takeover year for Bori, and FEED THE FAMILY! Shoutout to Vish for the incredible performance as well! 

https://borirock.bandcamp.com/album/supreme-zinger

(Bucket Up Universe Mixtape Vol.)

You’d have to be living under a pretty isolated rock not to know who Sam Buck is! His reaction series and his collaboration with 1000 Forever have done more for the culture than most artists themselves can say to have accomplished! Spreading awareness and attention to an array of different MC’s and producers, and we get a small example of that with this first volume! So without further ado, let’s get into it!

This breakout mixtape curated by Sam Buck consists of a whole roster of artists, as the list will include: 

-JUS

-Jacob Matthew

-Tetsuo

-Ill Java

-067RED

-Loveable Rogue WILT’S

-DJ Lucas

-b333ps

-Adam Killa

-Danny G

-Ant Kelly

-AU

-Here$ Johnny 

-Eric Frm Salem

-FAWKEM

-Big Sleepy

-Phonos

-aryeh 

-Sketch Turner

-Nick Shea

-Dewone 

-Kool AD

-J.Z

And this is still surely just a fraction of names he’s promoted over his time, but even so, a genuinely impressive list of MC’s and producers that represent the essence of the underground culture.

Although it’s not specifically stated on the info for the album, I think it’s clear that this is meant to be a celebratory release. One to highlight and showcase the various acts the industry has to offer, and I think that’s a very important aspect to remember.

Why? Because the traditional things I’d normally nitpick don’t apply here. Such as fluency or cohesiveness (across the project). 

This ain’t meant to be a conceptual mixtape with a story to tell. It’s first and foremost Sam bringing to the forefront a collection of individuals that impressed him and wants to shine light on, and so in that light, this shit is dope!

What I love about this tape is the level of variety; literally every single track of the 16 is different. No song is the same, and they all provide a unique chemistry, texture, and atmosphere! 

For example, we have tracks like -Dark World, which has one of the more chaotic elements I’ve heard on the record. With those scattered key progressions, combined with those heavy, distorted bass and a drum beat running through the track that feels overwhelming (in the best way possible).

Not to mention the absolutely unhinged performances by both -DJ Lucas and b333ps, who leave tradition in the wind and replace it with verbal anarchy that feels intrusive but sharp at the same time!

Or we have tracks like -Temptations, that consist of those dual-layered vocal harmony loops, plucked strings in two different notes, as well as some super skeletal drums that make this track feel loud and abstract! It’s a lot more smooth and harmonious than the other track with Tetsuo and Jacob working together to create a surreal experience that is definitely memorable!

A track that surprised me was -Greatness Is Spelt JOHNNY! Because it consists of two of my favourite artists in -Here$ Johnny and Eric Frm Salem as they work over this delicate soundscape with those classical vocal arrangements in the loop as well as those soulful keys and light jazz drums!

For such an angelic track, I find it wild you’d have such an aggressive act as Johnny, but he shows us why he’s one of the most adaptable rappers in the game and can work on anything!

The song -Aerosmith is another track that also impressed me! It has this folk-like instrumentation with those groovy synth chords with those piano keys subtly reminiscent in the background to give this track that extra layer of artistry that the MC’s go OFF ON! 067 and FAWKEM are a dangerous duo! 

Eric is a powerhouse as usual, and the MC’s are absolutely ridiculous!

The track -Bucked Up Universe felt like Sam’s very own Justice League team of artists! They make this track into a mainstream masterpiece! This feels so larger than life that it’s insane not to fall in love with the sounds!

From those sharp violin to those light background to those plucked strings that subtly go off in the background! With such little layers they somehow create a beautiful score that feels lavish in execution!

And the names that come to feature on it is absolutely insane! My favourite verse has to be Tetsuo! He always goes NUTS! 

Again, I don’t want you to go into this album with a mind set of structure and concept. Those things are important yes, but not in a case when it’s clear why this album was made and so with that in mind I feel this is one of the best examples of someone truly pushing the culture forward!

P.S I gotta give a specific shoutout to the song -Au Jou. This is definitely one of the most WILDEST tracks I’ve ever heard in the underground PERIOD! It’s vulgar and ridiculous in the most infectious way possible! With the beat being that famous techno song ‘Bla Bla Bla’ an absolutely unique song!

Everyone from the beat makers to the production did justice to this record. Considering this is a ‘Name Your Price’ EP there should be no excuse to check it out, trust me an investment into this speaks more for your brand of service to the culture then not getting it! So link below and do yourself a favour! 

https://sambuckedup.bandcamp.com/album/bucked-up-universe-mixtape-vol-1

(HUNGER)

Well, talk about a trio I wasn’t expecting! All three men I’ve experienced with in various degrees, and all are critically underrated artists in their own rights, so to see a single with them all together is one with incredible potential! So with that in mind, let’s talk about it! 

This is the brand-new single by MC’s B1 The Architect & Young Reese Dude with production from 6th Floor. Together, they decided to drop a solid three-minute track that has the capability of being one of the best singles of the month! 

Let’s start with the production. When we talk about 6th Floor, we discuss a man who has shown a range of variety in his instrumentals, and on this song, he’s switching it up again! 

We hear him utilise these plucked strings and sticky key progressions that come full circle into a loop with some heavy bass, and as the song continues, we get a faster-paced hip-hop beat transition between each MC’s verse!

This song has more of a mainstream feel than I was expecting, but it suits the energy and passion of the three men connected! Shoutout to 6th Floor for this incredible track!

As we talk about the MC’s we see a chemistry that I wouldn’t have expected to be as smooth as it was, but now one I can’t ignore. Firstly, I want to mention how much I love the back-and-forth they do across the track instead of just sticking with the traditional one-verse-each formula, definitely loving that!

They are sharper than I’ve heard them in a minute! Strong conviction, sharp lyricism, incredible flow, and a charisma that you can’t contain! Both men share impeccable synchronicity as they take turns proving their MC work and trying to outdo each other in brotherly competition!

Both men share incredibly similar styles while, of course, showcasing their own unique personalities and capabilities. Honestly, it gets to me sometimes when two MC’s I fuck with who I didn’t even know knew each other appear on the same track together! It can be a wild revelation, but in this case, I couldn’t be more happier!

So, what are you waiting for? The link is down below! A trio worth your time and support! Let’s get into it! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/5zsP48n337QSih8fpimu32?si=ukN8JcCMTOCdP1OqixCfww