(Library Of Sound)

You know sometimes an album names itself so perfectly that I don’t even need to add anything to it. This project does indeed sound like 

‘A Library of Sound’

This is the latest album by MC M-Dot and Producer Confidence. Together this duo drops 13 tracks featuring the likes of 

– Alexander Padei

– Kore

– Big Shug

– Royal Flush

– EMS

– G-Dot 

Now, after my first few listens when talking about the production, I noticed that the producer Confidence, in keeping true to his name, dropped a heavy variation of hard-hitting, grand, and classical interpretations of Hip Hop that is sure to be having real Hip Hop Heads bumping all night long!

That intro track, for example, ‘No Bail Out’, sets the tone perfectly with the mixture of those jaw-dropping vocal samples mixed in with those classical instrumentation and old-school boom-bap feel to create the idle interlude for the album!

From there, the album only gets more creative, interesting, and dynamic with tracks like ‘Rollercoaster’ which features that short snap pattern of those robust drum loops combined with those vocal snippets in rotation to create what feels like an old-school prime ‘Common’ beat made by Kanye!

Throughout this whole album, this man finds 13 different ways to articulate, evolve, and adapt the current wave of Hip Hop sound and make it his own! I guarantee you, you won’t find sounds the way he’s making them!

Obviously, we can’t talk about this album without mentioning ‘M-Dot’, the man of the hour! This man brings that classy and dynamic production to a different universe with his rhyme patterns! He’s like a man uncaged, a man who has finally been able to let loose and a man who is most dangerous when he’s in his zone! 

I loved his verbal arrangements over this album, everything from his sharpened wordplay to his extensive vocabulary to his swagger over the beats. He’s in a class of his own and he knows it!

To me, he came across as a man who has a strong introspective mindset with a heart of fire and a will forged of steel and lyricism for days! He’s the kind of guy to have the whole room

go quiet to listen to his every word, bar and verse because of his immense articulation, artistry, and ability on the mic!

Overall, this album was the definition of DOPE, two men and company coming together for a solid, no-nonsense Hip Hop album that is sure to impress everyone who listens to it!

https://m-dotboston.bandcamp.com/album/library-of-sound

(Kill Writers Block)

Ironically, this album actually killed mine. I was stuck for the last 24 hours, no inspiration to write anything, then I had two separate people recommend this album, so after giving it a chance today, I can safely say, it blew me away! Let’s talk about it!

This is the blockbuster new drop by two of the dopest MC’s in the game, period. We have MC’s Artisin and REKS. Both men who have helped shape the underground as we know it today, and when they come together, they are on a mission to reshape the industry once again!

They come accompanied by producers 

-Artisin

-ShortFyuz 

-TapeGhost

And features such as

-Estee Nack

-Ea$y Money

-Hectic

-Termanology 

-Superstah Snuk

-DJ Deadeye

-Queen Philosophical

 

I just love how right from the start with the opening title track, we have the example of what they mean by ‘Kill Writers Block’ with a track featuring nothing but four minutes of straight back-and-forth verses, bars, and some of the most incredible wordplay you’ve heard all year!

These two ain’t playing. Throughout the whole album, that’s all they concern themselves with. While the production is incredible (and we will discuss that further down), it really feels like they are purposely prioritising lyricism and spitting over the quality of production. 

This album is very no-nonsense, it’s built to be a showcase of bars between two legends, to show the rest of the industry how it’s meant to be done. REKS and Artisin don’t take any shortcuts, don’t do any trend shit or fake shit. It’s literally just them and their god-tier flow, vocabulary, storytelling, incredible writing, and wordplay.

I also loved how they decided to make track two the song ft someone who is quite possibly the new king of the underground right now. Estee Nack and this trio absolutely destroyed the beat and further pushed the agenda of superior pen game.

I knew when it was these two on the field that it would be a landslide, but I never expected this. These performances just prove if you’re in the hip-hop game, you don’t have to bother with all that ‘extra’ shit if you want to make a dope record. If you can show the culture and your contemporaries that you’re one of the dopest on the mic and that you’re natural, organic, and authentic, you will gain respect, and that’s exactly what the world has done after listening to this one. Show nothing but RESPECT!

Although I do feel the production wasn’t as important as the bars, it doesn’t mean the sounds don’t go hard as fuck! What you’ll experience here are a combination of grand old school Boom Bap and skeletal and raw instrumentation that helps emphasise the verses of the MC’s on the album!

For example, we have the track ‘Super Powers’ which has that incredible intro featuring the original DBZ Broly movie (the superior one, by the way, fuck Super Broly), but regardless, after that badass intro, we have these orchestral strings that sound like a live band is in the studio with them! Accompanied by a real minimal drum pattern to let those strings take centre stage and turn this track into a cinematic offering!

We can even talk about the track ‘Young Homies’ which has a very different sonic texture than the one previous. Which starts off with this interlude that’s almost ‘folk’ inspired with those gorgeous chords. 

After that, spoken word snippets, we have a beat switch into this fast-paced track with melodic synth chords, that phase in and out in a more hypnotic pattern followed by a more in-your-face drum loop than the previous track! It’s very stripped back but at the same time, a more intense and atmospheric track than any other on the album!

I love how although most tracks are bare-boned, the producers make sure to have every song crisp, memorable, and above all, quality-checked! 

This is truly a record for the ages! From the creative and aesthetically pleasing production to the flawless verses by the duo and company! This is an MC’s favourite MC’s favourite record! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4T4fouxLCUuzAX6YK2zdeQ?si=07_A7jWfQdyqA8gFpPw3Dw

(Alive & Free)

Man, I’ll tell you what I’ve done. Almost 500 reviews this year, and I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen artists who have ridiculously consistent and somehow hit with every project, and I’ve seen artists who take their time to make new albums and do the waiting game. And I’ll let you know, there is nothing quite like waiting for an anticipated drop and having it hit on all cylinders! That’s what happens with this one, so let’s talk about it!

This is the latest EP by MC Borden and Producer 80Rock, who earlier this year killed it with their last album ‘Dead Prime Ministers’, which helped put these guys on the map for me in the first place! Now they are back, and trust me, they’ve somehow managed to hit even harder than before!

Let’s start with the production side of things. 80Rock. This man is a true gem in the industry, as his style is one that I would describe as ‘Grand Minimalism’, and let me explain why.

In this 5-track EP, we have some of the most bare-boned, skeletal rendition of Boom Bap that lends itself to the 90’s East Coast era with a modern-day twist.

You have those harrowing notes, those devastatingly heavy drums, and those delicate keys that remind me of something Nas would drop during his (Illmatic-It Was Written) era, those unforgiving synth chords, and those haunting vocal samples (such as on track 3) that loop around, combined with those piano keys that make for a truly eerie listening experience.

But in its ’simplicity’, there’s a strong atmosphere and detail in the sonic stylistic choices in this production. It’s not just that the music itself is raw; it’s the fact that by using the ‘less is more’ theory, 80Rock is able to add emphasis, build up, and elevate each instrument and loop until it sounds as cinematic as possible! 

Some people come across as inexperienced with the lack of instrumentation, but it’s not the case here. What we see here is genius restraint, the understanding of not wanting any filler or waste in this five-track EP and deciding to utilise those beats to its most theatrical and high-end conclusion!

These songs may sound skeletal, but trust me, trained ears can tell just how extraordinary these production choices are! Absolutely love it!

Where would this album be without the right-hand man in Borden? The more I navigate the underground landscape, the more I feel that MC’s who remain solid but don’t do any wild shit or do dumb shit to get attention get overlooked, which is such an annoying thing to witness when you have so many solid down to earth MC’s such as Borden who work and perfect the art he’s best at, and just because he isn’t doing viral trends or going with the flow of things, he’s not as big as some of the other names.

It’s a true shame because what he accomplished on this EP in the short eight-minute time span is more authentic, genuine, and meaningful than 90% of the rap game can say for themselves!

I love his style because it’s the definition of ‘organic.’ It’s no nonsense, just pure & unfiltered bars over dope hip-hop beats as the game was meant to be.

I love his monotone and cold exterior on the instrumentals. He sounds and acts ruthless on the tracks but at the same time, he spits in-depth street poetry with the vocabulary to match! 

He’s equally intense and introspective. He’s smart and calculated while also maintaining his cold-blooded pen game, lyricism, and sharp tongue across the tracks!

As expected, another fantastic project by this pair. A duo who just focused on making a dope record and nothing else. Nothing over the top or complicated and not following any stupid trends, just salt of the earth, amazing hip-hop, and that should be celebrated! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/5b5Wyoc6nm3HBEehIa0uXK?si=YsHeWa2pS5O28Pvl6wNzEA

(The Obsidian Tapes)

So, according to the intro track Emerg Da MC claims ‘There’s no woman spitting it the way she’s spitting it’ and with that exciting standard set to live up to, I’m hoping it provides me with something original, unique, and more! Let’s get to it!

So, this is the 11 June release by MC Black Silq and is produced by Lo Katana, which features 16 tracks and 35 minutes of content. 

I’ll tell you right off the bat, this thing definitely is different and in all the best ways possible. What Black has done is create a whole mini universe for herself within this record where she is the ruler and anything she says goes, and she definitely utilises that control! Because this thing is a wild roller coaster ride that is filled with personality, colourful imagery, imagination beyond compare, and characteristics so wild and off-cuff that she could lend her aura to 50 other artists and still flood the system with her overwhelming energy and charisma!

This is definitely not your average Hip Hop album as you’ve got a lot of skits and spoken word elements, a lot of self-reflective and dramatic moments in this quirky, free-form vocal style that Silq has managed to capture and create for herself that I haven’t heard done to this extent yet!

Imagine Doechi but 100x more frantic, mixed in with those Jean Grae books about her life and childhood in that fun, animated voice she does, and then sprinkle in some prime-era Missy Elliott nuances, and you can kind of picture what she was going for, but even then that doesn’t do it justice! 

This is really the type of sonic experience you have to try personally to understand its magic, but trust me, it’s definitely a lot to absorb and take. There are so many unpredictable moments of pure, unadulterated emotions and thoughts, personality, and fixtures that it feels like you’re walking into her brain firsthand and getting a front-row cinematic seat to her madness, and it’s absolutely incredible!

If your one, for pushing the boundaries and trying something new then this definitely qualifies as that! It’s intense, interesting, original and unique. I can guarantee you with some certainty that you won’t hear an album like this anywhere else all year! 

As far as the production goes to match this incredible cadence and charm we have Lo who has done an incredible job at providing these low key, skeletal and minimalistic sonic offerings in what I can only assume are attempts to provide contrast to the brash and in your face vocal performance by Black Silq and offer up a more refined, smooth and delicate production style!

I love the fusion of Lo Fi, Ambient, RnB and Jazz elements on this project. Each track feels like an instrumental equivalent of getting into bed when your seconds awake from passing out and you know once your eyelids close that’s it for the night. 

That level of mellow energy, the relaxation and peace of mind mixed in with some experimental influences and you have a recipe for a bare yet ASMR lane production that perfectly contrasts the overwhelming and memorable vocal performances by Black Silq!

I am so happy that more people are taking turns like this in their careers and being bold enough to pave a new wave, sound and lane for themselves that’s outside the normal. We need more people like this and I encourage everyone to give this a try! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/6N9wHP3KxWKA4KAjQhZk9b?si=w8PXPGIPTmm90lHd-LVo2Q

(MENNBLVCK)

It’s always an exciting day to review the brand-new project by FlyG! I’d go out on a limb and say he’s one of the most underrated MC’s in the game right now! Based on all the different projects I’ve covered by him, he has a certain style that not many can replicate, and this time around he might have outdone himself yet again! Let’s talk about it!

This, as mentioned, is the latest album by FlyG! This time around, he’s working alongside French Producer Drega33 who has worked with the likes of 

-RJ Payne

-Mike Shabb

-Che Noir

-Tha God Fahim

-Planet Asia all this year! and together they dropped a collection of nine tracks with 18 minutes of length!

I gotta start with my main man FlyG. Over the months, I’ve seen him evolve unlike any other; he’s truly a student of the game, and he expresses that with every new release!

What makes him stand out is his surreal and methodical pacing on his songs, his sharp penmanship that instantly transports the listener into any scenario or situation discussed in the verses!

He has an uncanny flow that just glides over these beats like no one’s business, and his pen game is unique in that it’s equal parts lethal and dominating and somehow intricate, smooth, and graceful as well! He walks that fine line between street poetry and immersive storytelling; it’s truly remarkable!

Also, on track five, he said something I never thought about until he said it. How he doesn’t cus, and only then did I realise, he really doesn’t. Taking the Chamillionaire route, I suppose, a route not very common amongst the culture, but I respect it nonetheless!

Look, as I stated above, FlyG is one of those rare artists who continue to evolve after each release. The fact he can do that plus rock a whole album by himself with no features! Trust me, it’s not something everyone can do, but he just showcased why not only can he do that effectively and effortlessly but why he’s THAT guy to look out for! This album performance proves it!

Now, onto Drega33 the man who was tasked with matching the incredible techniques and style of FlyG and let me just say not only does he do this flawlessly but creates what could be some of my favourite instrumentals of the year! Holy shit was this dope!

Each track has it’s own minimalistic, skeletal feel with various elements such as 

-Jazz

-Soul

-Ambient

-Funk

-RnB

-Traditional Hip Hop

-Blues

-Gospel

And the way these sounds are incorporated is master class display level. Because each note, chord, drum pattern, string and key sounds elevated, grand and absolutely cinematic! The way he chooses to handpick a couple of sounds at a time per song to really emphasise the instruments and bring the best out of them without the worry of overlapping or overshadowing by using too many sounds in one!

If I’m being honest. This sounds like a project I’d expect ‘NxWorries’ to make with similar angelic and beautifully crafted production that is bursting with flavour and color. The kind of beats that run throughout your whole body and takes your senses onto a musical trip that you don’t want to end!

Legit, as I was listening to this album I felt my mind, soul and body become one as my thoughts wondered and my stress disappeared and then as soon as the album ended I felt the crashing feeling of reality hit me back to life and it honestly made me sad! 

This isn’t just an album, this is a score of the highest purity, organically produced and performed. This feels like theirs an actual live band in the studio with them helping to record this album! It’s that fucking natural and filled with life that it compares to no other this year!

Honestly, with only a few days a way before my June Serpent Tongue Awards I think they just secured themselves a spot. It’s gorgeously produced, the MC work is equally phenomenal and engaging and it all comes together to create an atmosphere that I haven’t heard in a while! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/1SIho8cufuFIi6rcsSkcGd?si=y01Re7wySpWfUMzvkbVoCg

(The 17th Cipher Presents.. Cold Work)

Man, I can’t believe it’s been just shy of five months ago since I last reviewed this producer. February with Reek Osama’s album was the last time we linked, and now I have the exciting opportunity to work again, and this time featuring a new artist! Let’s talk about it!

This is the latest collaboration project between MC Mar and Producer Work Scorsese, and presented by ‘The 17th Cipher’, and together they drop nine tracks featuring the likes of 

-O Dawg

-Bub Rock

-Liym Capital

Now, right off the bat, the first thing I noticed that hit me in the face was that overwhelming soul sample-heavy production. This thing is lavish and moving as fuck!

I love how Work utilises those beautiful vocal harmonies, those rich synth chords, those light and effective drum patterns, and subtle bass lines!

I love how Work used the most bare bass and skeletal these sounds represent! Each song normally has a small handful of instruments and vocal harmonies to reinforce the ‘less is more’ practice, which has Work keep things refreshingly simple yet powerful in its simplicity and ‘minimalistic’ boom-bap vibe! 

If I had to describe this vibe, it makes me think of the 90s East Coast Era. Variance on the actual beats, but the same formula applies, using just a few choices of instruments to create an atmospheric rhythm and effect that artists who try do too much could never do! 

Work understands the importance of this (as he did with the Reek album) and is repeating that winning recipe on this album and makes sure each sound, instrument, and harmony has a chance to shine properly, and it’s fucking dope!

As far as Mar is concerned. This is an artist I’ve never heard of before, and yet with this one record, has impressed me enough to leave him on my radar permanently!

What impressed me about him is his smooth, laid-back flow and rhythm that kind of reminds me of Guru or Napoleon Da Legend. He ain’t worried about rushing or ruining his vibe with none of that dumb shit; he’s got that surreal vocal aesthetic that makes every word he spits feel like bars of gold!

His lyricism is street poetry mixed with introspective storytelling! His pen game is lethal, and his wordplay is intricate, creative, and ever so compelling!

I love the attention he grabs when he’s on the mic across these nine tracks; he truly reflects his supreme artistry in the way he presents words, the way he bends the beat to best apply his verses, the way he keeps his composure while still expressing strong narratives and insightful lyricism that makes the audience teleport into the situation he’s describing! Truly an artist’s artist! 

I love the chemistry between these two men. From exquisite MC work to flawless production. You won’t find a pair stronger! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2R611xW3qlNQvNmLumINOr?si=TPIulDKVSiSsVe_4syJB0Q

(DIVINEWISDOM)

This is a public service announcement that has to be said right off the bat. Specifically, a message to ANT:

‘That line and topic focus and play on HBK kicking Stan didn’t hit like you thought it did!’ That shit was corny as fuck, and this is coming from a massive wrestling head!! 

Anyway, back to the official review!

This is the latest album by one of the dopest up and coming MC’s out in the underground, Ant Kelly! With this latest 7-track project, we have producers such as:

– DJ Krooked

– DB

– Skip The Kid

– Ant

And 

– Monstah 357 on the features.

Now, considering this is a 21-minute project, this thing goes OFF! You can tell based on the production alone that experimental and off-the-cuff instrumentation and sample uses give this record a more dark ambient and atmospheric experience than most don’t!

If I had to compare these sounds to anyone, probably Al Divino’s latest batch of EP’s off his website. In similar fashion, these are unprecedented, unpredictable, and highly addictive and infectious beats that just stick with you long after the album is done!

None is more true (for me anyway) than the final track produced by Skip. That is one of the most interesting and memorable instrumentals I’ve heard in a minute. From those haunting piano keys, skeletal hip-hop beat, and then that fucking grand heavy organ loop that sounds like Dracula has just arrived in the building waiting to bite your neck and drain your blood! 

I couldn’t think of a better fit for the outro track, but that is perfect. It’s different and leaves an impression!

As can all these tracks, can be! I love how all these producers are focused on providing an unforgettable listening score that you won’t find anywhere else! Definitely sonically has to be my favourite Ant album so far!

Now, onto the MC himself. Although he failed miserably in making a tough aura on ‘IJUSTKICKEDSTAN’ as far as his MC skills go, he has shown rapid improvement and actually a switch-up in his earlier material (at least this first project I ever heard of his).

I remember back a few months ago he was sounding like the next era NEMS in his bully rap lyricism but now he’s become someone who has developed a solid pen game with fluent flow, intriguing wordplay and a skilled rhythm across the tracks! Not sure what happens but I’m loving this progression!

Across these 7 tracks he’s like a human AK-47 just going off barely stopping to take a breath. Just spitting bars after bars, clever puns, one liners and comparisons that leaves the audience impressed with his level of performance, confidence cadence and enthusiasm across the songs he’s on!

He’s always the one with the infinite energy, always trying to outdo himself and do better than he did before and each album is different in their own way. I love his chemistry over these more avant grande type beats and I feel it suits him organically!

Overall, as I find myself saying after every new album this is my favourite Ant yet! The production is ridiculous but right up my alley! The verses are precise and dope and everything comes together perfectly!

https://open.spotify.com/album/2sv8yZfUYPtt1XGyzt7XZG?si=Yld4gKoDSwqUzyXlYm-LtQ

(Flip Wilson)

Man, ya’ll ain’t ready for this one. I can’t believe I’m saying this after the calibre of releases we’ve had up until this point by the 6th Man general, but this shit is NEXT LEVEL! Let’s talk about it!

This is the third release by MC Legend, Veteran and leader of 6th Man, The Bad Seed. Accompanied on the production by fellow 6th Man artist Shade Cobain, they together drop this 12-track album featuring 

-MIMS

-Honey Dinero 

-Crotona P

And as I stressed before, if you thought Seed was a magnum opus before now, then you haven’t seen anything yet! This man is off his chain with this one, and that’s largely thanks to the beatmaker himself, Shade.

Shade has already blown me away with the work he did on that Penlordz album a few weeks back (one I was blessed to be featured on via the outro), and so when I heard he was working on this one, my expectations were high, and even so, I couldn’t have expected a record as rich, powerful, and damn right tough as this turned out to be!

As the album title suggests. This album focuses on ‘Flip’ and flipping certain joints, as on this album, we have sounds from 

-Michael Jackson

-Ghost Face Killah

-Nas

– Wu-Tang and more!

What’s incredible about these beats is how Shade is able to walk that fine line of paying homage and keeping the nostalgic beats intact while simultaneously making the tracks original, fresh, and modern in their own ways! 

Most beats start off with that blast of nostalgia within the first few chords but then quickly become shifted and ‘flipped’ just enough to stand out as its own new track but keep the momentum and rhythm of the originals! As I said, a very intense fine line to walk, I’m sure, but Shade makes it look easy!

With the Penlordz album, he showed the world how cinematic, atmospheric, and ground-breaking he can be when he sets his mind to it. On this one, he’s showing just how incredible he can balance, craft, and tell the story of the cultures’ forefathers without resorting to cheap heat plagiarism and biting. This man, as far as I’m concerned, is the real deal stylistically, technically, and socially! 

I can honestly say after listening to those beats that I couldn’t think of anyone else better suited to go off on them better than Seed! I ain’t just talking biased shit because I’m cool with the man I’m talking about from an artistic standpoint because Seed showed a more creative and animated side of him that I haven’t seen in a minute!

To be clear, I heard Seed singing lines off the song Thriller! Trying to hit notes and all! I heard him rapping over a flipped NY STATE OF MIND BEAT! Do you understand how fucking incredible that moment was to me?

He’s already made an unofficial part II to Nas’s ‘I Gave You Power’ song years ago, but this is next-level shit! It really makes you realise if all those major MC’s back in the day on their grand blow-up singles had Seed on the track alongside them, he would have matched if not SMOKED the men on their own songs!

As per usual, you get the trademark honesty and raw perspective bars from Seed. He even has a line on this album where he’s saying ‘I was suicidal, the haters gonna love that’ this man is on some B Rabbit shit! Telling his shit first before they can! 

Just like a fine wine, he doesn’t get slower; he just gets more flavourful and sharp, and that’s exactly how his bars sound! 

They are lethal, in your face, that real East Coast shit! Regardless of his status, money, followers, views, whatever, Seed will always be Seed, and he’ll never be the one to conform to the trends! 

Everytime I hear him rap he brings out a new level of admiration and adrenaline to my body! Because you just don’t hear that level of authenticity and attitude in rap anymore. Of course everyone is bragging and cocky in their lyrics that’s standard for rap but the person he is on the outside of music and in the studio is literally the same!

I’ve had many conversations with him on posts I’ve made that he’s called ass! He ain’t some angel off the mic he’s a real OG shit talker that the community and culture respects because he is REAL! He ain’t pretending to be someone he’s not he lives this 24/7 and that’s what his fans and friends appreciate the most!

Look, this beat palette takes the sound of Seed to a whole different universe. Love him or hate him I refuse to believe there’s gonna be Hip Hop Fans out there who won’t dig this album! 

(Copenhagen Crates Presents The Formula: 250)

Man, what an extraordinary and exciting project to be able to experience! As if this man hasn’t done enough this year, he’s back and in a big way! This time around, producing for what could be the biggest and best compilation album of the year! So let’s talk about it!

This is a Copenhagen Crates release, entirely produced by Machacha. In this huge compilation project, the roster is as follows:

– Supreme Cerebral

– World Be Free

– Mickey Diamond

– Vega7 The Ronin

– Bloo Azul

– Ferris Blusa

– Al-Doe

– Jamil Honesty

– Andre DeSaint

– Substance810

– DJ GrazzHoppa

– Tree Mason

– Apollo

– Josiah The Gift

– Figerson

– Waterr

– Sean Links

– Maze Overlay

– Willie The Kid

Now, if that roster doesn’t give you goosebumps, then get the fuck outta here. This album ain’t for you! This is for the real ones, the hip-hop heads who appreciate bars over bullshit and want substance over fake, mainstream garbage, and this is where this album is a celebration of authenticity, originality, and integrity!

When you have Machacha on the beat, you literally can’t lose. For this album and the 14 tracks included, we have Mach using his mastery and technical prowess to mould and craft the perfect beat depending on who’s the one on it! Some are faster, some slower, and some more bare or intricate than others! 

Regardless of the song’s tempo, you have the same trademark elements that include: 

– Grand instrumentation

– Theatrical atmosphere

And with these two elements he’s able to create the blueprint for some of the most ground breaking and explosive boom bap offerings we’ve had in the past few years especially if we are talking 2025 and his ridiculous quantity! But especially on a record like this where he’s catering to so many different names and making sure each name gets whatever style and aesthetic they want it would be the kind of job that could overwhelm most but it’s nothing to a legend like Machacha!

As far as the roster goes, I mean you did read the list right? It’s a conglomerate of monsters. These men are the best of the best in the industry and to have them all on the same record is a dream come true for all the real ones!

We start the record off with Supreme Cerebral/World Be Free and closes with Maze Overlay and Willie The Kid which is an insane sentence to type because even if it was just those names alone it would make for a ground breaking album let alone 15 fucking more!

These men have perfectly crafted their own studio characteristics, styles and rhythms on the tracks that make each song so distinctive because they all ride in their own lanes and refuse to copy or sound like anyone else but themselves! 

From the sharpest wordsmiths to the grandest aura’s you’ll ever hear in the game you’ve got all of them here. The return of Mickey Diamond on a track all by himself was dope! To hear Vega7 alongside Substance810 was a ridiculous combo I wasn’t expecting to see!

Not to mention Bloo Azul and Ferris Blusa together was also phenomenal! So many goated moments on this compilation album that proves this is the ultimate experience of its kind!

This is one compilation album you don’t ever want to sleep on! From that perfect production to those flawless and stand up performances you can’t go wrong! Definitely check this one out!!

https://open.spotify.com/album/25nBa3ZetYIVaU2CCPWvEn?si=5iRcMqZgR6i_wfyzW4mMjQ

(Foul Play 3)

I knew it had been too long since these guys dropped a project. For most, it would be a career’s worth of releases so far this year, but for the infamous ‘Penlordz’, this gap in projects is unusual at least! But the wait is over, and now we can listen to this brand-new album! Let’s go!

So. This is the latest drop by Pen Lord Arsinel, and this time around, he comes with producers: 

-Slowzilla

-Mgerm 

– Worldwide Culture

-Kheyzine 

And as far as features go, you’ve got the trademark Audio Messiah and Fam Ross! I feel at this point it’s pointless even releasing projects under their solo MC names since it all comes together as a collective record! But regardless, this is ten songs and 27 minutes of straight fire!

Talking about the production, although it’s a variety of names this time around, they all work together well to create a raw, minimalist, and compelling set of tracks that give off a strong atmospheric and theatrical presence within its bare-boned presentation!

On most songs here, we have a formula of a few key instruments wrapped around a beat, whether that be elegant horns, shimmering keys, bass strings, or synth chords that all come together to form some of the most beautifully crafted and unique instrumentals you’ve ever heard!

To me, the song that stands out most is the track ‘My Earth’ due to its groovy, infectious Caribbean dance feel to the beat. It’s lighthearted, fun, and memorable! All the Penlordz go off on this track, and that simplistic chorus is perfect for what the track is! 

Overall, the producers work in harmony to create an original and down-to-earth vibe across this album that works to the advantage of Arsinel and the rest of the Pen Lordz involved!

Speaking of, we have the MC himself, Arsinel. One of the three of the collective and equally as dangerous lyrically and savage on the mic. If I’m not mistaken, he was the first of the Penlordz I discovered alongside Kheyzine at the end of last year! So by default, I’ve had the most experience with him, and he hasn’t let me down since!

He’s always had this wise, knowledgeable, and street-level introspective style to him. Like a street pastor walking around preaching his shit while having a reputation as being someone you wouldn’t want to fuck with! 

He has sharpened verses, relentless flow, impressive vocabulary, and a presence so strong I wouldn’t be surprised if he scared away most of the competition around him.

He has a very methodical approach to his rhyme schemes. He’s not one to rush to get words out or say things just for the fuck of it. He’s a man who thinks about everything he says and does, and that’s what makes him a cultural threat! 

Along with him are the other two Penlordz who have backed him up his whole career, and that hasn’t changed at all! Both men appear on every track (except the intro and outro), and both help elevate the tracks from dope to legendary! 

Once again, Penlordz hit again! I’ve actually lost count of how many drops they’ve done so far, but regardless of the quantity, they never miss, and you should NEVER sleep on the all-mighty PENLORDZ. 

https://open.spotify.com/album/6LXY5tLiu64ibmpXSSENRu?si=9-Y7nHlXTyOo7ZMKVTbRIw