(CORNA STO DOG FOOD)

With what could be considered his darkest release yet, Here’s Johnny comes through with a 2024 record with Stadix, and together they release something so unhinged and unforgiving that it leaves an imprint on you long after the album is done!

So, 9 tracks long. Featuring producers’ credits with the likes of 

-Trust2o1

-Retrohype

-Slumlord Swigs

-Oni the Ancestor

-Stadix

And starting with that production, this thing is just simply put, disturbing. If I had to summarise the sound inspirations on this thing, it would be

-Drone

-Noise

-Experimental

-Grime

-Boom Bap

And it’s not only the fact that these specific sounds are utilised; it’s the way that’s done. The way it’s been distorted and toned. The heaviness of the production and the depth in which these elements have been portrayed is something I don’t remember hearing in the 2024 period. One specific moment that stood out to me is the ending of track 7 ‘SUEGRA’S BACKYARD’, continuing into track 8 ‘JOHNNY’S RAGE!’ And the way the beat morphs into this diabolical skeletal rhythm that just drones out, inviting Johnny to pull off some truly incredible bar work and performances.

Now speaking of Johnny. Someone I’ve covered many times in the past, and honestly, although he stood out in all former projects, this one I feel he’s exceeded the most! Just paired with this ridiculous production, he has transformed the man into the literal embodiment of Jack Torrance, and makes his ‘Here’s Johnny’ line that much more believable and terrifying.

He has this raw, uncompromising, direct flow that makes his sound like a man possessed. It also sounds like the vocals haven’t been mastered and just left rough around the edges to complement the instrumentals! Now I can’t confirm that is the case, but it does sound like it! And as I spoke about above, his lines directly

On the end of

Track 7 to track 8 was absolutely bone-chilling. It sounded like he didn’t give a fuck about timing or studio time or anything except letting his inner demons come out through his bars, and it’s something I could replay till the end of time, absolutely incredible.

But as per usual, his flow, cadence, wordplay, and performance are all top-notch. He’s the kind of artist that can morph and fit any production style you put in front of him and make it work; it just so happens he’s decided to become a man enraged with this release!

If you haven’t checked it out, make sure you don’t fucking miss out! 

https://m25music.bandcamp.com/album/corna-sto-dog-food

(Stadium Lo Champions)

Sometimes, an album will drop that doesn’t need any promotion by the artists involved. A project so big and anticipated that once it drops, the culture will move the product on your behalf. This is such an album, one many have been on the edge of their seats for, and now that it’s here, does it live up to the hype? Let’s talk about it!

So, this is the latest collaboration album between rapper Raz Fresco and producer FutureWave, who many consider to be 2024’s greatest producer, with the amount of modern-day classics he dropped, a few of them being:

-STONE TEMPLE PYREX -Featuring Estee Nack

-BUSHMAN BODEGA – Featuring Daniel Son

-DIRTWAVE VOL I&II -Featuring Pro Dillinger

And now he’s back with his 2025 joint, and this time around, he brings your usual gang of names such as:

-Daniel Son

-Sonnyjim

-Gritfall

-Estee Nack

– Al. Divino

-The 6th Letter

And across these 16 tracks, we see Future Wave take the stone-cold grimy approach he’s infamous for and somehow further enhance, elevate, and transform into something that sounds larger than life and, dare I say, polished. He’s literally performing a magic trick, like turning grit into smooth out of pure mastery and impeccable technique and execution of his production talent.

From the opening narrative intro about the history of the Olympics, and then it goes into one of the best songs I’ve heard this year beat-wise. ‘Mind Light’ has this eerier yet beautiful vibe to it with the use of that female vocal loop that’s been edited and chipmunked, and when you pair that with that heavy bass gargantuan boom Bap beat, it somehow makes the perfect chemistry where the two opposite spectrums work together to create an atmosphere that’s absolutely infectious.

You hear across the whole album different voice clips about people and their varied situations, which help give this album that extra level of depth and emotion, but regardless of that, each instrumental on this thing is absolutely incredible.

Not a flaw to point out in sight, banger after banger for 16 tracks in a row. At this point, it just feels like FutureWave is just doing extra side missions in his career after using last year to run multiple victory laps over the industry and now is just dropping these LP’s as a fun side game to rub it in the faces of those still trying to find the finish line.

Far from his first working with FutureWave , Raz comes into this thing hot and ready to spit. He’s coming for blood, and he leaves soaking in it. With each verse, he’s dropping his trademark methodical approach with his raspy voice and cadence that makes you realise ‘he ain’t the one to fuck with’ and to keep your distance. 

Regardless of the beat, he drops flow so smooth that it feels effortless for him. His witty and clever wordplay and master penmanship are felt bar for bar across this project with him having the ability to make the listeners hang on every word he says like magic.

As I stated above, he’s not alone. In fact, he’s with a lot of the artists Wave produced for the year prior and names who are giants in this game, but even so and as brutal as they were, Raz showcases his lethal, cold-blooded, and calculated verses that could match anyone of those names and anyone going right now, which is saying a lot! Considering who’s involved.

All in all, to say this album lives up to the hype could be the biggest understatement of the year so far! The production is beyond flawless, the verses are phenomenal, and the features kill as only they can! If you ain’t fucking with this album, then I ain’t fucking with you! Period! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/1qufNEugTd3nyA5Iue1RSZ?si=RVEqusTNSxqY7QHgw1XVsg

(Crystal Castles)

There’s a shortlist of producers that actually get me hyped when they release. The kind of hype that feels like an early Christmas, and my man Swab is one of those names. Every new drop makes my day, and today is absolutely no exception! Let’s talk about it!

So, this is the latest record by Swab featuring General Backpain. A man who I admittedly don’t have much knowledge of prior to this release, but anyone who sides with Swab on a full-length project is guaranteed to be dope, and that is exactly what this was.

Starting with the production, over the years we’ve heard Swab try this hand at a variety of different sounds, cuts, and samples. I’m certain you can point at any genre of music, and he’s probably had his toes in all of them to some extent. But after multiple listens, if I had to summarise this album in one sentence, it would be 

(A Love Letter To The Classic Era)

The production feels refined yet masterful. It feels more skeletal than other projects (especially compared to his record earlier in the year with Supreme Cerebral, which had a more up-front, in-your-face boom bap feel to it, while this one feels elegantly down-to-earth and yet done with the best technique anyone could ever do it).

I love the crisp and clean instrumentation across the album and the atmosphere that’s built across this. It’s clear Swab was going for a certain soundscape for this breakout record with General, and one he nailed perfectly!

Now, onto the star in question. General Backpain, a man who I’m starting my discovery of today and what expectations he has to fill working with a legend, but as anticipated, he hit the home run on this project!

Has this raspy and rugged voice that is well fitted for a record like this. I love his raw and deep wordplay with his glass shattering flow and his witty yet lethal lyricism. When rhyming over these beats he brings an undeniable aura which each verse that makes you hang on every word and bar spit. His level of confidence and ability can be felt track to track and his passion for this game can be heard.

I love how throughout his verses he just feels like he’s strolling through the instrumentals, taking his time letting his words breathe because he knows he’s the man and there’s no reason to rush it! He has this methodical pace and tempo over the tracks that is just infectious to listen to, nothing worse then an artist whose trusting to rush things and ruining the song or album but thankfully we don’t have to worry about that with this one! 

Overall, this is easily one of the dopest albums to come out this year (no surprise) the production is immaculate and the rapping the same. This 

album was worth its weight in gold!

Shoutout to the features!

-Lupus Dei

-Killy Shoot

-Chuck Chan 

https://open.spotify.com/album/6MBjUxbDUzeH6pCtkh1mud?si=rKMnXa6NRFynO4WX6It-7w

(Awaken The Sleeping Giant)

As much as I discover new artists and albums on my own, there are still times when friends will point me in the direction of some dope drops that I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise, so on that note, let’s get into this one!

So, this is the brand-new release by female MC ‘Queen Herawin’, a brand-new artist for me, and across this new 10-track album, we have production credits from:

-Bear One

-Marlon King

-Neff Beatz 

-Empee Lee

-King Rem

-J.Depina

-B Money

-Johnny Slash

-Supastition

And that’s 9 producers for a 10-track album (with Bear being the only repeat), so it’s essentially produced per track, and as someone who normally prefers the set-up between one rapper and one producer for the whole record, I find this a very interesting project!

Each name included provides their own stylistic elements and larger-than-life hip-hop that exceeds all expectations! If I had to describe one specific thing I love about it, it’s the sound; it’s that it’s both ‘stadium large’, meaning it’s the kind of beats you could expect to hear across the radio stations, clubs, and bars, but in the same breath, it’s surreal, thought-provoking, and at times even introspective, the way the beats grab onto your soul and don’t let go! The way it makes you feel like you’re standing in front of a one-way mirror that isn’t looking back at you! 

Considering the fact that this album is a range of different artists working together to create such an atmosphere, it’s truly special indeed!

And when we discuss the topic of ‘special’, that’s when Herawin comes into play. She has a special brand of lyricism and passion that can’t be said about most. Her infectious enthusiasm, uncanny energy, and spirit is something special to hear on an album, and she utilises all of her unrivalled talent and personality to her advantage across this project!

Although not alone, she comes with the following: 

-Breeze Brewin

-Pretty Bulli

-Illa Ghee 

-Open Mike Eagle

-Ke Turner

-DJ Deception

-Poison Pen

-Aaqil Ali

-Rachel Walker

-Apathy

-Mickey Factz

All of which are just a who’s who of underground legends and powerhouses she’s decided to associate herself with, all in the efforts of elevating and creating a star-studded project across the culture.

Even next to these S Tier names, Queen holds her own marvellously well and makes you truly feel like she’s a true champion in her own right across the mic!

All in all, this is definitely a special record that I feel hits every aspect perfectly and should definitely be viewed and listened to by everyone in the game! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/3sE4i5jmeB03vbu2tUMBBF?si=oocDfHLCR76bvTp1XTSsuw

(Welfare Island)

This is the first time in 3 days where I haven’t had a review request to fulfil, and as much as I love being the workhorse who keeps up with all the demands, there’s something beautiful about just searching and finding an album for myself that I find interesting, and that’s exactly what’s happened here! So let’s talk about it!

This April release is the exciting collaboration between rapper ‘Knowitall’ and producer ‘bop phrases’, who the latter I only discovered recently as he produced the ‘Twogeebs’ record ‘But Wait, There’s More’, and since I loved that record, it only made my fascination with the man stronger! The rapper I’ve never heard of until now, and I have to say across this brand-new 10-track presentation, it is absolutely dope!

So, starting with the production, what we have here is a brilliant blend between elements of:

-Soul

– Lo-Fi

-Ambient

-Art Rap

– R&B 

And when you combine these types of sounds, you’re left with an album that is an absolute treat for the mind and the ears. From the very first song, you could hear your mind at ease and your stress vanish with the gorgeous harmonies, the soothing atmosphere, and the blissful intentions woven into every sonic fabric of the production.

Also, I love how the album began with that old-school narration sample introducing the concept of ‘Welfare Island’, which really helped pinpoint the narrative and the ideals that this duo wants to convey to the audience across this album, and I just love how using that into they were able to craft an entire emotional connection and experience with us based on one idea that blossomed into one of the most powerful and serene projects I’ve heard all year!

Now, onto the man of the hour (well, man of the 23 minutes) if we are talking album-length accuracy, ‘KnowItall’, a man with a telling name and one I expected a lot from considering the grand production set up, and he absolutely nailed it!

If Bop is the harmony of the project then KnowItAll is the confidence, passion and enthusiasm of the project. He provides various levels of quality, personality, creativity, originality and honesty will on the beats. One line that really stood out to me that stuck to me days after I finished listening to it was the opening line on the song ‘BlackWell Asylum’ where he goes 

‘Got Trauma from my Momma’s past, that I wasn’t even alive for’ that kind of honesty on the tracks is what makes him stand out. That line still sticks with me on the daily, so heavy.

When he’s rapping he commands the beats and showcases his fluent flows, his consistency in his world play and down to earth lyricism.

Another thing I love about him on this one is that he’s doing it all alone. Not many albums these days has no features and working solo he still kills every single song with absolutely no skippable bars or verses!

I’m so happy I took the chance on this one because it blew all my expectations. Absolutely fantastic chemistry and I hope we can get a series of these two! This feels like the new Apollo Brown X Philmore Greene collaboration and I’m down to see more! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4ZmQGQ06QqixumEyPcj9rR?si=Q8f6pBdLSi24r_RC4eWhuA

(CIRCLE OF BLOOD: KUNG FU)

You know, once you do this long enough, you start praying for something exciting to cover. Concept albums are my favourite type of music, and so you best believe before I even listened to the music, I was hyped! So let’s talk about it!

So, this is the latest album by MIYAGISUN X GHOSTMACHINE! The latter I’ve only had experience with once before on a single featuring Here’s Johnny, but otherwise, he’s still very fresh, and first, I can’t say I’ve dealt with him before, but regardless, they’ve dropped an 11-track experience with a ton of interesting content and cinematic appeal that will appeal to the ‘storyteller’ fans in the scene.

Right off the gate from the first track, this thing feels theatrical and movie-like. The aspects of well-produced, crystal-clear dramatic audio cuts and snippets fused into the music as if you’re listening to a new action-packed trailer on your Bandcamp app.

You can tell Ghost was going for an ‘Action/Thriller’ type vibe on this album that’s full of suspense, cliffhangers, and adrenaline-rush momentum that could replace your energy drink addiction in a heartbeat with the amount of dopamine and endurance this story gives the listener— it’s wild!

Across the Tarantino atmosphere, the actual music itself and its variety of Boom Bap and Modern Hip Hop is done with excellent production, technical skill, and sound quality that can actually be portrayed as theater-like to begin with; it’s not like he’s just focusing on the ‘cutscene’ parts or the intense dialogue but instead trying to make sure the album ‘as a whole’ is as colourful and larger than life as possible, and I feel that dream was executed immaculately across this concept record!

Now, onto the rapping (which features the following):

-anomolly 

-J shxnobi 

-Lex Swank 

-Fingerson

-Stadix

And MIYAGISUN alongside these men helps embrace and innovate the same conceptual narrative as the production! With fantastic and at times animated performances to capture that true film spirit.

There’s parts of this record where I hear them trying to rap stories as verses similar to what Sticky Fingaz did on his album ‘Black Trash: The Autobiography of Kirk Jones’, where every sentence rhymed.

I feel the same energy on this, depending on the track you’ll hear passages and back and forths in this style and I honestly dig it! It just adds to the mood and the consistency of the record to put this much effort and discipline into making the whole project work even if it means putting in that extra bit of effort!

On top of all that, the flows are fluent, the lyricism is excellent and the vocals themselves are fun, thrilling, engaging and above all else done well, which is probably the most important part, you can be the reincarnation of Shakespeare but if you sound ass, your ass.

The Verdict. This album is astronomically fire! (Get it Ass-Tronimically?) anyway, pun aside, I mean it. I love the concept it was conveying, which I didn’t want to spoil because I wanted the listeners to find out on their own and be surprised!

And the performances involved are all top tier and deserve to be checked out at the very least! 

https://miyagixghostmachine.bandcamp.com/album/circle-of-blood-kung-fu

(Heavy Set)

You know what time it is! Time for yet another album review and once again for the 13th time this week along, no for the 13th time in 3 days! I get to discover new artists. It’s wild how many new discoveries in such a short time span, but with that being said, let’s get into it!

So this is the January 2025 release by ‘Bottom Feeders’ which consists of ‘Cap Jones’ the rapper and ‘Jay Fehrman’ the producer and together they come with 10 fresh tracks for the listeners!

Starting with the production side of things, from the opening track this just screams ‘old school’ I felt like was transported to the latest 90’s and early 2000’s era with those big booming beats, lavish and loud instrumentation and polished, stadium quality Hip Hop that was built for the radios, clubs and stereos. 

This thing doesn’t just feel ‘Big time’ it is. The way he utilises the Hard Rock/Classic Metal influences and samples. The way he mixed in elements of Classical and Renaissance style sounds and inspirations then on top of all that creates a method to fuse all 3 of these genres of

-Rock/Classical/Hip Hop into one project that somehow balances all the pieces of the sonic puzzle in such a way that the puzzle never spills out into places it’s not support to and stays fluent, vibrant and absolutely infectious and original in the execution which is something not just anyone can do and trust me I listen to so much music over the years and especially for reviews and the difficulty in finding that ‘perfect balance’ with sounds is all too common so for me to hear so many styles in one album speaks nothing but admiration for the man behind the machine! 

Now onto Cap. The man who is paired with such interesting and unique beats. What’s sick about him is his low, killer, monotone voice that makes everything he says feel 10x more intense due to how he’s delivering every line.

How flow sounds dangerous, his cadence is lethal and his wordplay is phenomenal and eye-opening, especially paired with how he talks. He sounds like the kind of guy who could literally find a way to come out of your Spotify app just to kick your head in for a snarky comment, a real solid dude with a voice of a ruthless killer.

His cold-blooded speech across the songs really helps amplify the feeling and atmosphere of the project, as he’s putting on a Masterclass in sonic visuals and storytelling from expressions, energy, and aura, and in this department, he’s the artist of the month.

Long story short, this shit goes HARD. This duo has amazing chemistry who both excel in their respective roles on this album and deserve to be recognised for this! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/73s18vTa1CHufJSwv9rmAr?si=h5mvHRr2RCOzSSdQJrUjGg

(A Doctor’s Strange Love or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Become the Atom Bomb)

Well, I think I can safely say that this is the longest album name I’ve seen all year. Also, this could be one of the most bizarre and dark/twisted records to come out in 2025. So let’s talk about it!

This is a 14-track experience unlike no other, featuring the likes of 

-THE HERETIC

-DRAYYARD on production and 

-SmokeInTheEye

-PERSON

-Black Mugen on the feature verses, and to say that this thing is ‘deep’ would be a grave understatement. This thing has layers and waves that go deeper than the Mariana Trench and act more mysterious than the Bermuda Triangle. What we have here is a sonic mind restructuring event that is tasked with changing how we as listeners perceive and interpret music itself. 

A lot of these ‘songs’ can’t really be called that as they act as more psycho analytic interludes and cognitive dissonance. From short tracks to the even shorter various less than 30 seconds or 60-second increments that feel like jolts to the nervous system and to test your tolerance for various signals and waves to see how you

react.

For me personally, I’ve spent most of my life since a teenager exploring the absolute darkest depths of music, so for me, this is (although very extreme in comparison to anything else going right now) nothing I couldn’t handle, and I couldn’t help but applaud the efforts by Deity V for trying to construct an atmosphere so devoid and sick that it reframes the mind. Although the protect is littered with rhymes and verses either by V or the mentioned features, this doesn’t really feel like a ‘hip-hop album’ but more a grand overture of destructive proportions that is designed solely for the purpose of shattering boundaries, refreshing the mind, and starting anew.

To all involved, a great thanks for trying something truly original. We see that word thrown around too frequently, and some not deserving, and what’s interesting is anyone who steps too far out of the box gets judged or looked at a

certain way because of fulfilling the criteria of ‘original’.

Either way, these guys did that, and this will

definitely be remembered as being ‘original’. 

https://anonymatopoeia.bandcamp.com/album/a-doctor-s-strange-love-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-become-the-atom-bomb

(Realest Alive)

April seems like the era of dope singles, and this one just seems to add to that legacy because out of all of them, I’ve heard this month that this one might be the one that SLAPS THE HARDEST, or you could say it’s ’The Realest?’ Let’s get to it!

This is the latest single produced by 2wo Offishal and features Cyphersick & Vic Spencer. All three of these names are prominent powerhouses in the game, and they help create a track that could easily be played at any club or radio station in the world right now! It’s that dope!

First starting with the production, this one has a mellow G Funk-reminiscent feel to it with soft and slow instrumentation with those delicate keys and synth notes! When I first played this, it reminded me of a track you’d hear off Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Kush And OJ’ mixtape. It shares the same groovy, chill, and infectious tones and energy that makes you want to lay back and smoke a fat one while vibing heavy to a fresh beat, and that definitely describes this!

This track wouldn’t be as pump without the two lyrical superstars on the beat making this thing pop! I love how they both produce their own style and characteristic on the beat while simultaneously being at once with what kind of energy and atmosphere the track should have! They balance a fine line between being original and stand out to ruining the track with having opposing forces that taint the instrumental, but thankfully, as two professionals go, they both figure out the best way to do their own styles while keeping the rhythm alive!

They both, as per usual, have slick flow, witty wordplay, and fun, vibrant, and high energy that matches the sound they are rapping on. They even share this vibe on the chorus! You can just hear it in their voices; they are having a good time rapping on a funky beat while spitting some lethal bars and creating a hit song in the process!

If you’re looking for the freshest song of the year, look no further because this is it! Trust me, this will be the track that stays on your repeat for months on end! 

https://youtu.be/MnkbwufENX4

(Fons Et Origo)

Look who’s back? It’s MALCOLMSEF, the main man who presented us with that killer single from my

previous review, and this time he’s back and this time with the producer ‘The Olympics’, and together they release another dope single into the game!

Starting with the production, compared to the other one, this one feels a lot more subtle, relaxed, and dreamy. The soft-spoken jazz notes that quickly dive into the background and a more folk/harmonic chord structure with some light vocal tone to help create one of the most beautifully crafted ambient-driven beats I’ve heard all year. I love the choir-style vocals, the serene instrumentation, and the light, traditional hip-hop beat wrapping all this up.

Speaking of rapping, we have the man in question back, and just like with the first single, he’s back on his top-notch rap shit.

Considering how short this track is, he’s wasting no time showing off his solid flow, his complex wordplay, witty puns, and dope penmanship. There’s no time for filler on this one, and he doesn’t have any! He’s just rapping solid and with great energy, passion, and cadence that gives off a confidence vibe that lets the listener know that he is ‘that guy’.

This single was short and sweet with a fantastic performance by all involved. Great recommendation and can’t wait to hear more from both!

https://open.spotify.com/album/64qziD0Yvv8SWpRgZCvjOP?si=_ldYn_UxTeCVeW2cJCcXJg