(Angel Dust)

Just when I go and praise Reek for expanding his horizons, we see he’s teasing a single with two of the grimmest names in the game. Classic Reek Osama move, and if you thought for one second that I ain’t craving his scummy overlord shit? Then you’re out of your fucking mind; he’s THAT GUY for real! 

New single (off a different album to promote), and this one features the MC’s Reek Osama and my main man Hank Dope! Together, they are accompanied by SkumBag Diggs, and this trio is back to remind the underground what REAL ‘Muddy’ music sounds like, and it’s fucking glorious!

Starting with that production, we have one of the most eerie and gritty beats I’ve heard all year! I’m talking about that minimalist use of haunting keys, slow drum patterns, and bass strings so deep you’d have to go to the bottom of the ocean to find it! 

These few elements alone helped create a beat so raw and no-nonsense that it’s built SOLELY for only the strongest MC’s who don’t need that fake flashy shit or a million and one layers to make listenable music! This one is for the real OG’s, and that’s exactly why we have these two on the case!

Plus, I love how the last few minutes are spent in just instrumental with no words, just letting the beat ride to really nail home that production! Incredible decision!

Now, onto the raps. You won’t be able to find a more solid duo than these two; both men are as grimy as each other and more present A+ street poetry with in-your-face wordplay, stomping flow, and lyricism so sharp that you could fuck around and cut your head off!

The chemistry these two present is something every MC should dream for! It’s in their brotherhood that they can be so strong as a unit! Both men understand exactly what the other needs in a verse and how much energy to produce before handing it off to the next!

Both men are notorious for their muddy representation of Boom Bap, and when they’re on a track together? Forget the rule books; all hell breaks loose, and they utilise that instrumental perfectly!

Trust me, this is a single (and soon an album) that you don’t want to play with! It’s dark, gritty, and phenomenal all in one! Check it out now!

https://open.spotify.com/track/03z0wetunLpyHHxDnlYCbQ?si=LG-vjORtSlGAp5fTWaalWw

(Every Night)

Damn, maybe it’s just me. But I’m really feeling this new shift in Reek’s sound! We heard this on his latest album ‘Things Will Never Be The Same’ and it seems he’s keen to keep that same shift in production and consider me his biggest support of it! It somehow suits him so well!

So, across this two-minute track we have MC Grimelord Reek Osama with a track produced by Blaq Medici and together they release one of those rare tracks that stands out for its sound alone!

Let’s start with that production! We have this beautiful 70’s disco ‘Daft Punk’ sounding instrumental with those plucked strings, infectious drum pattern and synth chords in the background to bring the whole track together! Thing Song has such a nostalgic vibe to it and if you had told me last year that I’d hear Reek on a beat like AND that he’d absolutely suit it? I would have called you crazy but the fact is, he really does!

Speaking of the man we have REEK. A man who has made a career out of providing the underground with some of the most muddy and gritty sounding music we’ve EVER heard but nowadays he’s more focused on expanding his horizons and I’ve never heard him sound better!

Across this track we hear him with one of his most smooth verses yet! His lyricism feels personal and a tad bit sexual! He seems to be in a mood and showing his more ‘sentimental’ side but in a more street way like a DMX love ballet (it might be about love/sex but it’s still by X) 

As usual, his wordplay is methodical and he’s taking his time laying the bars, making sure to put emphasis on the words he says, and how to say them! He’s making sure he doesn’t waste such a gorgeous beat and he makes the most of it in every way possible!

Based on this single, I couldn’t be more excited for the new album! 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5DYrMI99VDoV566N6MzEJK?si=O60VpXLYRJ-zG2NH8UT7XA

(Smooth Jazz)

Is my Jazz/Rap bias going to kick in here? Absolutely. Easily the best Hip Hop subgenre out of all, and with these two on the cut? Nah, it’s a wrap! (Pun included)

This is the latest single by MC’s Che Noir and 38 Spesh and producer The Other Guys to provide you with this two minutes of excellence that has put all of 2025 on notice!

Starting with the production. It has one of the most beautiful jazz instrumentation I’ve heard in a minute! I’m talking those long and grand jazz notes in different octaves coming in and out of the track with some heavy thudding drum patterns and light and subtle keys in the background!

This is Miles Davis meets old-school Bom Bap! A perfect fusion for all hip-hop heads! The production itself is flawless, infectious, and most importantly grand and surreal in execution! A beat I could listen to for hours!

And on the rapping side, you couldn’t find two better MC’s to go off on this track with! Starting with Che with her trademark stern, charismatic, and conviction-heavy bars! Her rhythm is next level on point on this one, and although her verse is short, it’s flooded with sharp rhymes, slick wordplay, and rhyming patterns that make your favourite rappers look weak in comparison!

She definitely brought the heat, only to have 38 come in and destroy the back end with his powerhouse enthusiastic meets street attitude and cadence! His bars are as usual in your face, heavy-handed, and at the same time, he lets his street poetry talk about his life experiences, the tough situations he’s faced, and how he’s overcome! 

Again, a short verse but one that is undoubtedly coated in complex wordplay, smooth flow, and raw talent that he’s used over the past few years that makes him and Che household names!

This is one hell of a single! It’s gritty, smooth, atmospheric, and raw all in one! Definitely the perfect lead single for the upcoming record! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2apjTZx6337XanbcqkUbW1?si=ojgO-0L5RcipyfD-SgKMVA

(BUTANE Vol. 1)

Oh my fucking god. To say I was excited to see this thing drop would have been an understatement! And I’ll be real with you all, beat tapes are nice, but they aren’t my normal hype records! But when you’re the calibre of producer that this man is! You can’t help but get rowdy over what’s sure to be one of the dopest instrumental tapes, period! Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new Jackpot Records exclusive release by Hip Hop Underground’s legendary producer ‘BONE WESO’ of 23IncredibleIndustries, the man who in the space of a few years has helped create some of my favourite records of ALL TIME.

Borirock -Infinite Wave

The Hidden Character- THEHIDDENSPLASH

Codenine -The Cost Of Gold

Estee Nack- SYSTEMATICALLY WE WERE NEVER FREE

And with these albums alone, he’s shifted the bar for what real ‘quality’ and ‘organic’ production stands for, making himself a man that is guaranteed to come with a modern-day classic if he’s behind the beats! 

Now, we are giving a 10-track glimpse into the perfectionist and street-smart mind of Bone, and it’s a fucking dream and a half!

Right off the bat from the opening track ‘lagoon fog’, we have what actually sounds like sonic fog. We have these long, repetitive, and eerie jazz horns in two different varieties. 1. As the main beat and the second as the beat breaker that lasts about 3-5 seconds at a time.

Accompanied with some shimmering keys in the background, this thing is equally one of the most unsettling and yet beautiful cuts I’ve heard from him and actually the perfect introduction for a Bone beat tape!

From there, we have a variety of old

school/new school flavoured tracks that have his trademark professionalism/quality-infused production and technical work that has made him so infamous to begin with!

I fucking love the second track ‘alfombra Rona’ because it has this combination of 70’s Soul/Groove’ with these sticky strings, minimal drums and this infectious vocal harmony sample that is left on loop and it’s absolutely gorgeous! This whole track has a lighthearted aesthetic to it, that I fuck with heavily! 

Also to note, there are a few beats that are taken off the ‘Borirock Infinite Wave’ record such as

– up the brand 

– eurowitty which have the words (infinite wave) beside it to clarify which!

The latter is a beat I would listen to for hours on the actual bori album, so to have access to the instrumental version? That’s early Christmas shit! 

Every new track had me popping hard, then the last! His attention to detail, his in-depth sonic flavours. This guy is bringing the musical equivalent of a 24-hour slow-cooked brisket to the table every time he gets into the booth for every song! He ain’t just dropping one classic track and leaving the rest to be mediocre. He’s allergic to the word!

This man, in his short career span thus far, has put out more modern-day classics than 95% of the roster out right now! 

Another aspect as to why (for me) he’s on a different planet is the amount of variety he uses and instruments he utilises! From his trademark jazz beats, he can also incorporate soul, blues, contemporary, guitar-heavy, boom bap, art rap and so much more! He’s a walking sound palette with every genre under his belt that he can use at any moment!

I can’t express how much I love this record. As someone who (modern drops) wise was only really hyped about the Conductor Williams (Conductor We Have A Problem) series, this one is now easily one of my favourite beat tapes I’ve EVER HEARD! The atmosphere he provides, the surreal detail and his perfectionism mentality make this a MUST LISTEN for any and all hip-hop heads. 

https://jackpotrecords.vip

(Requiem For A Nightmare)

It’s time to uncover a new artist today, new in the sense I don’t think I’ve covered them yet as I’ve seen their names appear across socials in my many hip-hop circles, but now it’s time to see what all the hype is about! Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new record by MC Eclyse and the producer Forge One. Together, they release six tracks with 21 minutes of content and features from 

-ill temper 

-VersaTilla

-Bleach

Now, right off the bat, I gotta say the production style was pretty neat! Across the six tracks, it was presented in a darker, no-nonsense, gritty art rap fused with boom bap undertones to create its own lane of hard-hitting and eerier beats that are without a doubt unique to this album alone! 

Even though there are only 21 minutes of content, there’s no sense of filler or time wasted in any of the tracks, which is a sign of strong production techniques and mindset in the studio! Each beat and instrument is not only well-tuned but crafted and composed in such a way as to feel the perfect blend of ‘Heavy/Intricate’, ‘Raw/Atmospheric’, and ‘Memorable/Explosive’ all in one EP. Fantastic job to him!

On the MC side of things, we have Eclyse, the man behind the instrumentals. From all the hype I’ve heard of him across the social worlds, I was curious to see if he warranted the acclaim, and I can comfortably say he does!

What makes him stand out from most is his attention to detail in his performances, his witty yet gritty one-liners and puns, his delivery and flow that are equal parts sharp, hard-hitting, and smooth! The way he puts his enthusiasm, passion, and love for the game on his sleeve in every verse he delivers!

He has a certain presence on the mic that showcases his complex pen game, his strong swagger and aura, and also his originality and ability to craft words in a way not many others could! A true student of the game!

Although I can’t say I’m too familiar with the features on this album, they all do enough to keep their parts fresh, memorable, and exciting throughout the tracks they were on and kept up with E and his high energy and conviction on the tracks!

For a short EP like this, I came out of it feeling very pleased with what I heard. Besides the creepy-as-fuck imagery that forced me to review/listen to this during the day to make sure I didn’t get nightmares! This album was surprisingly a lot of fun with a lot of great performances!

https://open.spotify.com/album/3nQr2IYmtLNufJgOpttZaa?si=ddMQwBCSSMORtOeLPpYlJQ

(Cardiac Kings)

I tell you, man, Slade ain’t like anyone else in the game. There’s something about him that just screams ‘originality’ with whatever records he drops, and now I come to find out he’s out here doing a duo record? This man’s ambition never ends! Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand-new collaboration album between MC’s Mondo Slade and Minister Hyde! Featuring producers

– Minister Hyde

– King R.E.M.

On this occasion, we’re talking NO FEATURES, just straight bars from these two titans of the industry who have decided to pair up to show everyone in the game right now why they are the two to beat right now!

These two have some of the best chemistry you could ask for! Both highly energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate above all else when dropping words!

They’ve got slick wordplay, explosive verses and bars along with witty one-liners, puts, and doubled-down lyricism that will make the most legendary MC’s scrunch their faces up at the vocabulary dropped on this one!

The way they pass the verse to the one coming next in the most seamless way possible is insane; the first sets up with devastating precision and powerhouse rhythm and pen game one of the dopest verses you’ll ever hear in your life, only to pass the magma down for the same level of heat to be created by the second! 

When you have 2x MC’s of this calibre, it’s a surefire thing to have quality tracks! They haven’t missed a day in their life, and they don’t start here! Showcasing that, features try to keep up with THEM and not the other way round! These two have the same level of chemistry as a duo that’s been together for 2x decades! 

Such synchronicity and partnership across each of these 12 tracks, it’s a beautiful thing to witness!

As far as the production is concerned, this is where I hear Slade’s influence most because part of what makes him such a unique and stand-out artist is his trademark of adding either comic-related/Noir/Old School samples that remind me of a different era in time! Always over-the-top, entertaining, and interesting snippets that give the album that special level of ‘vibes’ that no one else is really doing!

When talking about the music, I would describe it as atmospheric East Coast Hip Hop with a sprinkle of Ambient Aesthetic! I wouldn’t say this is a ‘Gritty/Grimey’ project as much as it is an ‘introspective and larger-than-life’ record with a lot of surreal and methodically paced instrumentation that puts the listener in a consistent state of engagement for the whole 29 minutes!

You’ve got those plucked strings, those harmonic/Folk-inspired horns, those synth chords, and those minimalist drum patterns! Very skeletal and yet at the same time wavy and concentrated in such a majestic manner that it makes your body go into a trance-like state as you just sit back and enjoy a dope record!

I love the prolonged instrumentals, the feeling of depth and precision across these tracks! It’s trying to make sure it sounds nothing like anything else this year, and it’s doing that in spades!

As usual, Mondo hit a home run! Alongside Minister Hyde, they are a dynamic duo that can’t be stopped! Make sure you check this one out now!

https://open.spotify.com/album/5K2dVJ4g5EaNJVKCQhvNWU?si=l4W9CzoaTLqT_9Q5Ja_sTw

(WSTFIELD)

This is a man that I’ve seen going viral in the last few months. His name has been everywhere on my socials and mentions alike, so when he reached out to me to cover one of his albums, I knew I had to check it! So without further delay, let’s talk about it!

This is the 8th of June release by MC Wst. Taylor featuring ten tracks and the likes of 

-Macc Dolo

-Nyeusi Loe

-Kaleo Jacobs

-Dionys

-Red Amandala. 

And Production from

-Tea The Truth

-AbbotJackson

-Chewy

-Created Lanes

-KMF Eddie

And sometimes from the first track, you can tell a project is going to be special, and that’s how I felt on this one! Because what I feel off this project is that he’s bringing the energy and charisma from the golden era of rap and bringing that into the modern day!

I love how right from the second track in, he’s going off the cuff and straight into that rhyming shit! He ain’t playing around. I’m talking straight bars, hooks, bars, and sharp wordplay that will cut any competition off!

He kind of reminds me of a splash combination of Kendrick Lamar and D.O.C. You’ve got that colourful and creative rhythm and flow style of Kendrick, and then you’ve got that hard-hitting, in-your-face street dynamic that comes with D.O.C! Imagine To Pimp Meets No One Can Do It Better, and that’s what this record reminds me of! The best of both worlds between Complex and Muddy! 

I was blown away with his performance and lyrical ability! I know I heard some of his verses across other people’s projects, but on this one, he really goes off! He’s rapping for his life on this album, and you can hear his enthusiasm and his passion for this shit in every single line he delivers. It’s absolutely surreal! 

As far as the production goes, it’s something I also love. This again feels like an inspiration of the golden era ‘West Coast’ era Hip Hop but modernised for the present day. Paying homage to the old school while creating something absolutely original and fresh!

I love how smooth, fluent, and atmospheric the instrumentation is. This feels like a throwback to the classic DJ Quik or Nipsey Hussle! In the way those elegant sounds meet the tough West Coast streets, it’s the perfect balance, which isn’t easy to do, which is why only a handful of artists in the genre over the decades have been able to pull it off!

Plus, I was addicted to the soul/R&B and jazz sounds that came out towards the second half of the record; they were incredible! Really reminded me of 2000s hip-hop with those single tracks you’d hear on radios and clubs around the world! Absolutely incredible!

Man, this thing was a work of art! I’m not joking; as soon as I finished listening to this, I bought it on Bandcamp immediately because this thing is worth it!

Only $9? Come on, man. If you’re telling me you can’t break a digital $10 to support the underground, then what are you really doing? 

https://flacowst.bandcamp.com/album/wstfield

(WAY OF THE GUNZ)

The 6th Man Army are back! They have been taking over the industry this year, and it looks like they have no signs of stopping as we have another edition to the dominant 2025 discography list! Let’s go!

This is the latest album by Producer Van Gunz! It features the likes of 

– Shade Cobain

– Crotona P

– Juxx Diamondz

– Honey Dinero

– Tone Spliff

– Poe Mack

– The Bad Seed

– Xcel

– Jamaal Matters

– Seven Da Pantha

– ILLPO

With that star-studded roster, you know there’s no way this can miss, and it doesn’t! Neither does Van, as the responsible beatmaker, he unleashes his most impressive and sharp instrumentals the world has heard yet!

I’m talking hard-hitting, bone shattering old school influenced east coast flare combined with soulful, smooth and delicate vocal snippets and funky grooves that come together to create the perfect balance of ‘Raw, Fresh, Heavy and Intricate’

Every one of the 11 tracks flows into the other amazingly! Even though each track has its own sonic identity and characteristics, they all fit in a tight balance within the record that helps each song feel refined and comfortably entwined to create one of the strongest records I’ve heard in a while! 

I love how this album sounds like a homage to the old-school era. Taking inspiration and influence from the ones that have come before! It takes skill to create a record that pays respect to the classics while being able to do so in a modern/present way that shows originality and creativity! That’s exactly what we have here!

Now, onto the powerhouse roster. What makes this record extra impressive and memorable is the fact that each and every single man and woman brings their own individual A+ game to the record and uses the opportunity to record some of their best verses you’ll hear from all of them!

You’ve got the trademark 6th Man roster on the case, all absolutely killing it! I was especially impressed with Crotona P and Honey Dinero! They seemed to deliver their magnum opus verses I’ve heard personally!

Seed, as usual, presented his savage, no-nonsense honest bars that you’d expect from the veteran! ILLPO was a nice surprise for the finale track, who came in with their notoriously ridiculous bars and verses!

It’s common to hear Poe Mack on a project with Van, and they obviously mashed up perfectly! Juxx Diamondz on track three destroyed the song as well! 

Again, you won’t find a bad verse from any of these artists, so all you can do is find which tracks with which feature you love most! Because each of them is absolutely immaculate and shows the purest form of MC work!

Easily my favourite Van Gunz release so far this year! Ridiculous performance with production and MC’s! This is a 6th Man album you don’t want to miss!

(Sidewalks To HillTops)

It’s truly been a minute since I last covered this man. If I’m not mistaken, it was one of my earliest reviews on this website that had me discover him, and now as we have a brand new release, and it’s got me hyped! Let’s talk about it!

This is the brand new album by MC JFliz with Hilltop Productions on the beats! 12 tracks with the likes of 

-MONEY MOGLY 

-DJ DECEPTA

-G-Fam Black

-Mike Titan

-DJ Lump

-Tali Rodriguez 

If you don’t recognise him already, maybe this album isn’t for you! because they are some of the heaviest hitters in the game right now, and they don’t play! And neither does JFliz on this one. Just like the last one I covered, he comes here swinging! 

On this one, he comes with a bit of a razor’s edge! He ain’t playing around and he’s letting his words speak for him! He’s putting his sensible and teaching mindset aside and coming for blood! Hearing him flex with his sonic blood lust is something that literally gave me goosebumps!

We hear him spit savage verses with chaotic frequency, cold flows, and threatening lyricism! We are seeing the darkside of this man unleashed, and if he wasn’t already considered one of the most lethal MC’s in the game before, he fucking is now! 

His presence is otherworldly. He sounds like hip hop’s grim reaper that’s done enhancing life and now is here to take it! His tones and cadence are night and day from what I remember him from in the past, and with these new characteristics come sharper, deadlier, and more ruthless bars and presence!

Especially on tracks like ‘Knuckle Up, Buckle Down’ and ‘Madness’, first of all, the fact he can match G-Fam’s energy is ridiculous. That alone deserves praise. When I heard his verse, I was like ‘oh, that’s a dope G-Fam verse’, then heard G-Fam’s verse, and I was like ‘what the fuck?’ That wasn’t him already? 

And ‘Madness’ is perfectly titled. We hear J completely unhinged and letting the most insane version of himself appear on a track, and it’s shocking to say the least!

I can tell you one thing, this level of performance by JFliz will be standing out in 2025. It was engaging, entertaining, and memorable 10x! Unbelievable!

As far as the production goes, I love how theatrical it all sounded. You’ve got various elements from thick bass lines to plucked guitar to infectious drum patterns and subtle piano keys! 

Groovy synth chords, atmospheric jazz notes, and classical melodies as well. This album even has some vocal snippet loops! This record contains everything you could ask for in an album and all done with the most finesse and care I’ve heard in a minute!

Hilltop made sure not to over-saturate any one track. The formula seems to be (for the most part) to isolate a small handful of instruments, enhance and master said instruments until they sound absolutely cinematic in execution, and proceed to make a catchy and memorable tune out of it! 

Nothing worse than either a record that has the ‘throw it all to the wall and see what sticks’ OR ‘is so minimal that you’re only one beat shy of listening to ASMR Static’. That’s why people need either balance or professional utilisation of production and whatever elements chosen!

That’s why I’m very happy with the sounds on this record! How it’s crafted, how each song flows into the other seamlessly while also standing out each track to the next! It’s definitely a fine line to walk, and it was nailed perfectly!

This one will be going viral over socials for sure! This is the kind of album that will be talked about for months to come! Make sure you don’t miss out on the experience!

https://open.spotify.com/album/24HDCxb86JXoBcOynUnnkX?si=8LaoJeJuTNeWpgKEkgMFlw

(Therapy Session)

Nothing excites me more than my continued quest to discover new artists, and today is that day. With both MC’s and producers foreign to me, I had the opportunity to not only further my knowledge in the underground but provide myself with a hip-hop therapy session.

THERAPY SESSION

This is the latest EP by MC’s Benny From The Sandlot and Square 2 God, and production by S-Dot, and together they dropped six tracks, 18 minutes of content, and a feature from

-Mic Hoffa.

Not that I had any sense of ‘expectation’ going in as I had no previous experience with either person on here, but I was surprised with the level of intense and crisp quality sounds on here! Right from the opening track ‘Lost Souls’, you can hear that grand instrumentation combined with those muffled and angelic vocal snippets waving in and out of the track in an almost ghost/spirit-like sense! 

As the album goes on, while maintaining that cinematic style, we get a more traditional early to mid-2000s hip-hop feel with those booming drum patterns, chipmunk-adjacent vocal harmonies, and those plucked chords! Real stadium-level music that you’d expect to hear on radios and clubs around the world!

The main thing I take from this album is that although it continues to dive into more trademark and familiar hip-hop sounds and inspirations, it never loses sight of its theatrical or cinematic nature in its execution! It’s like elevating an already established dish higher! Whether it be in the technical ability of the production itself or the absolute emphasis on those instruments themselves and how crisp and smooth they are! Everything on this album, from the beats to the atmosphere they provide, is on a whole different level and should be celebrated as such!

As far as the duo goes on this record, again I’d have to say I’m impressed with the level of chemistry and synchronicity both men possess! 

You can hear both men giving Masterclass in rhythm, flow, lyricism, and wordplay in their respective ways! I love how they both feature incredible charisma and enthusiasm on their tracks as they pass each other the spotlight to deliver their own verses and showcase their abilities! 

I also love the level of depth and rich lyricism featured in their bars! They aren’t just spitting for no reason or dropping pointless verses; they are telling stories or enlightening the listener with witty puns and one-liners or entertaining braggadocio lines to flex on the audience! No matter what they seem to do, they hit it out of the park!

There’s only one mentioned feature, ‘Mic Hoffa’, who does the job of making his verse memorable and in keeping with the overall energy and flow of the record!

All in all, especially for an 18-minute EP, this thing hits on all cylinders from the production to the verses! I highly recommend everyone check this thing out ASAP! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2h20Vy81zPvTj9hq2H773Q?si=N4TPNAzTSmWT5qsZMGbYyw