(Inspired By The Corner)

You know, it’s very rare for me to say I’ve covered a full solo project by the legend himself Tone Spliff but I’m honoured to be doing so. If you don’t know who this man is then that’s truly the biggest crime you could be charged with.

He’s one of the most prominent, profound and prolific producers going right now and I’d even consider him one of the greatest of all time, period. The way he’s shaped and melded the underground is beyond incredible and his infamous level of quality is notorious and with all the different work he’s done for other projects (my favourite being his collaborations with Vic Monroe) and now he’s going solo and I can’t fucking wait to dive in!

So this brand new Beat tape has 14 tracks and all production is done by Tone of course has what he delivers here is one of the grooviest and infectious beat tapes we’ve heard all year! So many different influences from

-G Funk

-East Coast

-Soul

-RnB

-Funk

-Boom Bap

-Jazz and more. 

He’s a master of his craft that can transform any element of sound into a dope beat that can ring in your head for days on end. 

I love his use of technique and old school loops and instrumentation that just makes you feel like your listening to beats from the late 90’s early 2000’s era in how larger than life they feel or how bold and powerful each sound was and how it made you wanna groove and you can just imagine the whose who of rappers, rapping over these joints because of the perfect execution on the production and how bright and colourful they are! 

Also the fact that there’s a variety of different inspirations and styles makes this project that much better. Whether your talking the track ‘MMM HMM’ with his tasteful use of that vocal sample over that traditional Hip Hop beat or if your talking about ‘SPENDID LOVE’ with that smooth, heavy synth sound record which has a blend of soul and funk mixed it with a 90’s classic era Hip Hop beat in the forefront as well as that harmonious female vocal snippet added into the mix.

The point being no matter what track you decide to play it will be masterfully done, passionate, energetic, lively, original and unique in it’s own special way because that’s just the kind of artist Tone is. I’ve been following his career even years before I started my website and he’s not made a subpar track or project yet and this one is no exception!

So please, sit back and tune in to this masterclass in production as he’s one of the very few who can provide this experience! 

https://tonespliff.bandcamp.com/album/inspired-by-the-corner-instrumentals

BRAP (Born Rewards & Penalties)

It’s time for Estee to add another producer to his ever-growing collection of collaboration albums, and this one is bound to be a banger! Let’s talk about it!

This is the 2023 collaboration between Estee Nack and producer V Don, who has also been putting in his time in the underground, and together they come together with 11 tracks and 33 minutes in length! With the features as follows: 

-The Hidden Character

-Primo Profit

-Rigz

-ETO

These monsters would be a lethal addition to anyone’s arsenal, let alone a powerhouse like Estee! And in my opinion, what they accomplish with this record is a ‘celebration’ record. This is a ‘we’ve already crossed the finish line 4x over and now we’re just having fun with this shit’ type album, and the way the sounds are surreal and rich in cultural instrumentation and big bass notes and chords makes me feel like they infused Louis Vuitton fabric into the music itself to make it that extra rich and vibrant shit.

A lot of these tracks feel pitiful and petty, as if they are making this dope, dark, raw, and gritty beats just for the sole purpose of giving off the sonic middle finger to the composition. This definitely must have been a side mission project for these two who didn’t need to massacre a dead boy but decided they just had to flex the competition for the fuck of it, because they can, and you can hear the well-deserved arrogance woven into the production!

Speaking of. Once again Estee is on that methodical, take his time to murder the game type shit. He’s not worried about going crazy on this one as he’s already the top of the game, so he’s sending a warning message to everyone who dares standing up to face him again.

There are a few sentimental-sounding tracks like ‘Who to Trust’ with that harmonic beat, and he’s talking personal shit on it, but at this point, he can talk and do anything on a track, and it will come out excellent.

Of course, with the lethal MC’s by his side, he uses his natural talent and charisma to accompany them in sharing dope verses, fluent lyricism, and god-tier pen work. 

This one, as said above, feels like a victory line album. Like a couple of Goodfellas circling around the area they just beat down to see if anyone’s even up just to shoot at the corpses. Absolutely insane record and amazing chemistry as expected! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/0IdvFvVuQfrssVKNxiA2OT?si=Jc14nLjFQwSEhX18OW1a4g

(IWANNAFXCKCARMENHAYES)

Besides discovering one of the best discographies in the hip-hop period, one other aspect I love about diving down into his old albums and aligning myself with his producers from back in the day is that if they collaborate again, I can be familiar with them, and none more important than Grubby Pawz, who is working on the latest Estee X Al album in 2025, but before that, he helped release two of Estee’s most expressive and interesting albums in his catalogue!

This is his second collaboration and somewhat sequel to his ‘I WANNA FXCK’ series with Grubby Pawz! Featuring 14 tracks with the likes of: 

-DJ Rec One

-SPNDA

-Hidden Character

-Codenine

-RLX

-Datkidbravo

-Singapore Kane

-Al Divino

Now, I have to say, Grubby this time around has released one of the most ‘grounded’ Estee Nack albums I’ve heard since his earliest days. The production is so skeletal and grim, combined with beautifully orchestrated jazz and also dark, cinematic ambient drone sounds (especially at the start), that it sounds like ‘Noise Metal’ inspired. As the album goes on, we have more down-to-earth beats such as track 2 ‘HOODSANDHAV’NOTS’, where it’s just a straight-to-the-point, heavy bass, traditional beat boom Bap track.

Of course, you have gorgeous moments on the album such as track 5 ‘SEXAPHONESESSIONNUMBERSIX’, with those angelic jazz notes and Estee practicing some nice singing on this to make for an overly sexual love song, something like Snoop Dogg’s ‘Sexual Eruption’ track but definitely muddier in execution.

Regardless, I love how down-placed this album feels. Of course, we have probably weeks of hours’ worth of experimental and chaotic drops by Estee, and so on the occasion when he switches it up, it’s a refreshing switch of pace to hear! 

Going along with this different production, we have Estee also trying new, more laid-back, and sensual delivery and style, and I gotta say it suits him! This album feels like his rest mode album that he makes before going wild on the project to come!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not boring, and he still has his signature charisma and personality that brought him to the game, but it just feels like he’s taking his time, spitting fun and more witty bars, and just flowing with the instrumentals more instead of trying to manipulate or craft it differently, just working alongside it, and as a result, it sounds more fresh in execution!

Of course, you still have certain tracks like ‘UNTITLED’ featuring his partner in crime Al Divino, where he snaps back into his beast mode, but other than that, in comparison to other projects, this one is a lot more groovy and savvy than usual, and I’m all here for it!

Another banger to add to his discography and pairing with Grubby. It all makes sense why he’s the one chosen to represent him on his latest upcoming album! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2NQwtfti76DLzWx5F7hecr?si=zSRgdmQWQbehv8fEbe_EJA

(PLEASE! PUT MY MIND TO EASE)

*Players, ready to FIGHT!*

Nah, I kid. But for real though, this kind of music reminds me of Tekken! I was rocking hard to this, picturing myself as Jin Kazama killing the competition! But I digress. 

This is the latest EP, Beat tape by producer ‘Ernest H. Carter’, another opportunity that was made possible by him reaching out to me, which I’m always eternally grateful for! And as I mentioned, this is a beat tape, so instrumental in structure with five tracks in total. 

Now I’ll admit, right off the bat from the first song ‘DANCE CUT’, I thought this was going to be some straight Fight Game Tekken hype music (and that track was), but as the album got deeper and I stopped visualising myself as a jacked 8-pack Japanese man, I discovered this album has a lot more sonic depth than I expected. A lot of elements such as: 

-Jazz

-Piano

-Rock

-Soul

-Ambient 

-Experimental

-Hip Hop

And the way these all blend together honestly remind me of the late great Nujabes in the way he’s able to blend all these elements in an exciting and originally creative way to make sure every genre shines and it’s all brought together into this music soup where every flavour is recognisable. 

I fucking love projects like this when you hear a quality beat tape, NOTHING else compares. Like for me, my favourite beat tapes are: 

-Knxwledge ‘Hud Dreams’

-Madlib ‘Shade of Blue’

Both these albums represent and glorify each specific sound to its utmost significance and peak. Making every beat, every chord, every note sound magnificent in result. This is how I feel with this one.

Every track is beautifully crafted, composed to perfection but done in HIS WAY, not losing an ounce of his originality or fun with making the record, and honestly, what’s a project without fun? A boring one.

Can’t say I was expecting what I got out of this, but damn it was FIRE. Let me put your mind at ease, Ernest. YOU KILLED IT. 

https://ernesthenrycarter.bandcamp.com/album/please-put-my-mind-at-ease

HD (Hosted By DJ Flipcyide)

It’s been a minute and a half since I last reviewed CAOS. In fact, if I remember correctly, it was his Valentine’s Day album that I covered last! Now he’s back with his label ‘XECUTIVE HUSTLE ENTERTAINMENT’ and with the legendary ‘DJ Flipcyide’ as the host, this has the potential to be something special! So let’s talk about it.

This is the latest compilation record by Chaos featuring the likes of 

-Muzikk 

-Nike Genre

-Nero

-T.G

And produced by the likes of 

-BEAZOOTH

-CAOS

-SIDESWIPE

-ISAC NO BEAT

-SEAN DIVINE

-LOB BEATS

-BOUKLAS

-MIRROR BEATZ

-BANGERZ

Now, you can tell CAOS and all affiliates involved were focused on making this as grand, lavish, and big-sounding as they possibly could. This sounds like a statement to me as if they are trying to say ‘it’s our time now, everyone else move out the way’ and the way they utilise their energy, enthusiasm, and big ball aura across this record.

This kind of project feels like a stadium mainstream Hip Hop record you’d expect to hear from the mid to late 2000s with your 50 Cents, your Young Jeezy’s, your early Kanye West, etc., very glamorous and high-end shit that is meant to come across as a tier above the rest in its presentation, which I find dope!

DJ Flipcyide definitely adds a good vibe to the album similar to how a DJ Drama would do in the same fashion, adding that hype and excitement for the listener’s experience, helping to level up each track from good to bumping! The formula of having different names on each track gives it a ‘cypher’ feel to it that is dope to feel that level of friendly competition and grind between the artists, which is always great to see and hear!

The names involved definitely feel they put their best foot forward to create the best atmosphere possible. Each verse is original, lethal, savage, and satisfying! They made sure to prioritise their chemistry and synchronicity on this album. Nothing worse than listening to a compilation like this, and the features feel forced or awkward or bad in general.

Thankfully across this one, we don’t have that problem. Each man is not only dope individually but work well as a team which is super important in this setting!

Overall, a fantastic big time showing by XECUTIVE HUSTLE ENTERTAINMENT and curious to see where they go from here! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4llL0LsVoSkCI7yKi7Sbaw?si=aqmkASKLSrGwYrM94N8o2w

(Battle Royale)

If I had to think of all the great groups, artists from the 90s who have been thriving and growing their consistency and originality in the present day, is there a better answer than Onyx? In the last few years, you’ve had Fredro blow up in his production career, helping make dozens of solid projects, and then the group as a whole releasing banger after banger, not including the album they just dropped not even a month ago, and now this? 

THIS IS HOW YOU MAINTAIN A CAREER.

Anyway, this is a collaboration album between Oynx and French hip-hop group L’Uzine, and together they are featured by producers: 

-G High Djo

-Tony Toxik

-Stab

-Cenza 

-DJ Rolxx 

-Gash

-Permafrost

-Draw

-Fredro Starr

-DJ King Flow

-Effet Papillion 

-Chilly Gonzales

And man, this one definitely feels larger than life. I know I repeat the phrase a lot, but it definitely feels like it on this one because you have a real studio ‘Battle Royale’ taking place across this album. These two super groups going back and forth is like a free supply of adrenaline to the bloodstream and also provides the perfect example of the fact you don’t need to understand the language to catch someone’s infectious energy, passion, and aura on the beat! 

Even if Onyx wasn’t in English, there’s no way people could deny their ruthless power and intensity, and the same goes for these boys, French or not, they absolutely destroy the tracks with their flawless flow, precise tones, and rhythm across the tracks! The chemistry between the two acts is undeniable and makes you feel like you’re listening to a gang from two regions coming together in unity, which is a scary thought to witness in person, but on the musical side of things, it’s absolutely dope! 

On the production side of things, it’s just as giant as the MCs involved. We have big, bombastic beats and chords/strings that come together with sharp bass and gargantuan presence and surreal atmosphere that is the perfect battlefield for these two Titan collectives.

This ain’t the album to go for if you’re looking for a ‘sentimental’ or ‘thoughtful’ experience. Nah, fuck that, this is full-blown raw boom bap in your face, relentless tunes that don’t pretend to be anything but the savage sounds they are! 

This is 53 minutes of unadulterated madness, with each producer going pure chaos mode and bringing out the reckless intensity of the MC’s and possessing them with these rhythms that will kick your teeth in if you’re not ready to handle the heat! 

Warning. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t come in the fucking kitchen! But to the real ones, be ready to experience one of the greatest collaborative albums in years!

https://open.spotify.com/album/3lAQ6ADktTeYIR9Nt3utr5?si=3xiSbJWWTrmACQUWo2fqKQ

(T.R.L.T: The Road Less Traveled)

It’s been a minute since I covered the MC ‘MALCOLMSEF’, and this time he’s back with a short 12-minute EP featuring eight tracks, so let’s get into it!

So, this EP features MC ‘MALCOLMSEF’ and is produced by ‘Skip The Kid’, and together with this shirt EP, and after reviewing a few singles by the man, I understood he prefers shorter tracks. I just didn’t expect the EP to be this short! In fact, the longest track is the finale song, which I already reviewed, which was ‘2 minutes and 42 seconds’.

Regardless, I feel MALCOL does have a speciality to him that not many others have. He does have a level of confidence to him, a rare form of aura, and dedication to his craft that is infectious to hear. His rapping is methodical and timely; he’s never in a rush, which is great to hear! 

His flow is on point, and he has witty and interesting lyricism followed by crisp and enthusiastic wordplay that makes him a treat to listen to on the tracks.

He doesn’t have to stay long per song to make an impact, and the fact he can do more with less is even more reason why he’s a unique player in the game right now and definitely underrated!

Skip The Kid, the man who I’ve seen praised all over social media, and now I know why. This man has excellent technique, and on this EP, he brings a more ‘Ambient/Lo Fi/Introspective’ instrumentals and beats that put the body to ease and give the listeners a stress-free, relaxing yet experimental listening experience that lets your mind wander while appreciating dope beats and dope verses.

It’s also interesting the few snippets of skits, one about someone not having a reason to get out of bed or a cat with a ski mask on holding a gun, such random offerings, but in a peculiar way, it works on this one!

With only 12 minutes of content to utilise, he brings us all on a sonic adventure that I guarantee won’t be replicated! 

So, join this dynamic duo on a journey that won’t take you long to finish but will forever be remembered!

Also shoutout to twogeebs for his killer verses across the project!

https://open.spotify.com/album/5lxMg8WnLZUa4140xXg6DZ?si=wa4Zzbk_Tb-nyQt1A-1NVQ

(Wavy Bullet)

Just because Bori Rock and FEED THE FAMILY are running shit right now, don’t get it twisted. The boys have been on their grind shit for years now and this collaboration is the perfect example of that! Going back two years and still one of the hardest records to come out, period! Let’s talk about it.

This is the 2023 album between FEED THE FAMILY MC BoriRock and underground powerhouse producer Grubby Pawz, and together they dropped a 13-track album with the following roster behind them!

– Al. Divino

-Shaykh Hanif

-The Hidden Character 

-Estee Nack

-Reyski45

-Dun Dealy

-TOP HOOTER

And featuring this stacked lineup, there’s no way they can lose, and spoiler alert, they don’t. 

Starting with Grubby’s production, the man focuses on a blend of serene, harmonic chords and strings mixed with tough and cold boom bap sounds that make for one of the freshest listening experiences of the last few years!

For example, that intro track ‘Bullet Rain’, which just consists of an instrumental almost ASMR rain track that leads into a smooth Jazz/Hip Hop blend into the second track ‘Hoot Sinatra’, and the variety blends only gets better across the rest of the album.

We have tracks like ‘Feds Listeni’ featuring Al Divino and Shaykh Hanif, which adds these theatrical elements with those ambient chords in the background, that skeletal beat, and those light piano keys that combine to a smooth yet muddy hip hop track.

Even the track ‘Wave Affair’, which features the same two names and The Hidden Character and Estee Nack, who bring levels of aura that no other artists could hope to replicate, and that beat which sounds like a combination of Godzilla is coming and the cinematic universe sound for bees swarming. It’s truly a masterpiece of sounds coming together to create a thrilling hip hop beat that complements the names involved.

Grubby Pawz uses his immense skill to provide the audience with a variety of sounds and doing so without sounding awkward or messy but smooth and fluent!

As far as the rapping goes, BoriRock has always been a man in his own self-created lane. He doesn’t sound, rap, feel like anyone else but him, and that’s what makes him such a powerhouse in this game. With every new release, he’s only building on ‘himself’ and no one else. His trademark high-pitched vocals and his unrivalled energy, combined with his raw and gritty lyricism and booming flow, always make him a favourite to tune into in the scene right now.

His adlibs are also infectious as he announces himself with full passion and enthusiasm across each track, which fills the listener with a level of adrenaline that most artists can’t provide!

Across this masterful production, it does feel like he’s trying his best to use his unlimited power and MC skills to make the instrumentals shine 10x fold, and with the help of the other titans on track with him, all combined, they make this record one to remember!

If you’ve been impressed with Bori Rock today, then you’ll absolutely love this one and no doubt appreciate the chemistry between him and Grubby Pawz as they both continue their run of untouchable consistency that most wish they had! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4cT5zvT4mBLlWOLIuy2vAX?si=4iLpcXYYT6ylEChHjK597g

(Let The World Burn)

Man, talk about an explosion of a record! The number of people that are featured on this roster is staggering, and the quality between the main MC and producers is something to be studied, so let’s talk it!

This is the latest collaboration between MC C. Rae and a banger list of producers and MC’s he brings with him, the likes of: 

-JACK THE RAPPER

-Crown

-Shifty Eyes

-Prototype 

-DC The MIDI Alien

-Fiché Hess

-Young Zee

-Juxx Diamondz

-Watts

-Baddfxsh 

– Executive

-Illtemper

-Marcus Paris

-Madchild

-Past One

-Floun 

-K3voh

-Suspect

-Swab

-King Magnetic

-Mikey Bingo

-Lateb 

-Chris Rivers

-Moth

-Slaine

-Scandalist

-Big Kurt

-Thea Alana

-D Rec 

-The White Shadow of Norway

-Celph Titled

-Sars Kuma

-Chief Kamachi

-Doap Nixon

That is literally an army. So imagine trying to navigate this many artists in one place? Well, amazingly, it’s accomplished across this one! Let’s start with the production.

What these various producers are able to accomplish is creating a grimy Australian boom Bap street rap experience that we haven’t really heard (or at least I haven’t) in the last 10 years or more back during the ‘Grind Time Australia’ movement, back when the DCORP cypher supergroup was active and Kerser was just coming up and before all that controversy of 360 and his mainstream sell-out phase.

During that era, you had arguably the best Aussie rap in the game, and although not all artists in this compilation album may not be from Australia, most are, and they help bring the essence and era of that time to the present day.

For those who aren’t from Australia, imagine the Hardcore East Coast Grime but mix in old-school scratches and DJ work from the 80s, early 90s, and add in an extra level of muddy atmosphere, and you have the recipes for ‘prime era’ Aussie rap, which is replicated here in spades.

I’ll be honest, beside that era, I never really paid attention to Australian rap, but this album brings back my nostalgia of that era, being a teenager listening to this shit in a hot shed getting high blasting DCORP cyphers, and so for that, I give this album mad props!

It’s ruthless, unforgiving, with nothing but shape and precise boom Bap-inspired production with beats so tough if you’re not careful, it will crawl out your headphones and punch you in the face for taking it for granted!

As far as the rapping goes, you’ve got what I can only assume is the present-day cream of the crop in the Aussie market of Hip Hop spitting their motherfucking asses off, as well as legendary names such as ‘Swab’ and ‘Celph Titled’ assisting on this record to give it that extra muddy flavour.

Each song features more than three different MC’s per track, and each of them destroys the tracks they are on.

Each dominates the tracks with their infectious delivery, raw lyricism, and flow, as well as a lethal cadence that leaves an impression long after the album is done.

This has to be the most stacked album of the year, and with all the quality on sight MC’s and producers alike, this one will definitely be one for the record books!

This gargantuan record is something you don’t want to miss! Trust!

https://open.spotify.com/album/4snPCH5DhTjdxKtmqmdb0x?si=03zNXWrHQmawKchkYs1ITA

(Minimansiondust Vol 5)

We’ve officially made it to 2021 and, more importantly, Vol. 5 of this incredible series. We’ve had quite a journey going through, from his debut to the various sounds and styles to Estee finding himself and his current form, to just how far he’s willing to explore and experiment over the years, and now we are back with this! So let’s get to it!

This one by MC Estee Nack and production by Mr. Rose, a collaboration for the ages that seems exclusively for these volumes regardless. Always love to hear when they work together! With 11 new tracks and just over an hour of content, we have features from

-Jae Nes 

-Kashi2x

-Singapore Kane

-Wst. Taylor

-Smedgo 

-Kaleo Jacob’s

-Xcel

-Shalom

-Willy Will

And you know what, this time around I don’t know what Mr. Rose was on for this one, but he went in a direction I wasn’t expecting! It was a mixture of psychedelic, traditional Dominican music mixed with gritty boom bap and smooth classical and jazz instrumentation. It’s wild!

It’s as if he’s gone ‘why not combine all the inspirations I used off the last four volumes and combine them all into one extraordinary piece of music?’ And let me tell you what, it’s a sight to hear! 

Everything is done to such a perfectionist degree that it’s impossible to spot any faults! It’s grand, it’s soulful, it’s raw and it’s groovy. It’s literally everything rolled into one but done in such a way that feels natural instead of clunky and awkward as some records can come off by other artists who try to incorporate too many things at once! If anyone deserves the award for most underrated producer, he definitely deserves a spot in that conversation for all the brilliant work he’s done on these series alone!

Onto Estee and Friends, which again unfortunately doesn’t include Al, who is normally such a staple figure to Estee, but once again the roster he brought with him are powerhouses in their own right that make up for the fact!

We have lyrical and charismatic phenoms who have haunted the industry for years with their abilities, crazy approach to the underground, and sheer talent that will scare away any fake ones from trying them.

Then we have Estee, the bilingual powerhouse himself, who has proven himself time and time again why he’s one of the most popular and sought-after names in the industry, even back then, let alone tenfold now. His undeniable charisma and flow put him in the GOAT conversation, and the way he can manipulate words and beats is something to be studied, as very few (if any) can replicate this mastery.

Once again, in this golden series of albums, both Mr Rose and Estee pull off another (dare I say) modern-day classic, as you could make an argument each of the volumes is. If you ain’t checking these volumes out, you’re the one missing out! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/1tsecJW9rV3ncBaFEvlMSN?si=ut8LW1upTYSEabBbzdqdqQ