(Sorry I Was Pimpin’ 2)

Christmas came early again for me this year as one of my most anticipated artists, ‘Flames Dot Malik’, is back with his first official EP release under the ‘Black Soprano Family’ label. So being as excited as I can be, let’s fucking talk about it!

So we got 5 tracks (one bonus) with production from 

-Clypto

-Moose Tarantino, both past collaborators with Flames, and once again they re-unite to drop another stone cold, raw, and dangerous project.

This EP’s production reminds me of a time in Hip Hop that outside of a select few like Griselda doesn’t exist anymore. A time in rap when it was just gritty street beats with crisp instrumentals and a bloodthirsty atmosphere attached. This kind of sound reminds me of shit like 

-2000’s Era Jay-Z

-C-Murder

-RBX

-Goldie Loc and more. We’re talking OG Street shit that made you wanna go out and rob something, filled you with that confidence to step up to anyone who’s trying to prove something. Unfortunately, it’s a lost art in my opinion in today’s era of music and a style that I only see being done by the likes of Flames and his BSF crew! 

Now, as I was listening to this project on repeat after repeat, it dawned on me why I love this artist so much. It’s because he’s the definition of no nonsense. He’s just straight grit and bars, and that’s it, no flashy bullshit, no fakes shit, or gimmicks, just straight verses and thug cadence.

From the very first song when you hear his raspy, raw voice, you know shits getting real, and he keeps this momentum the whole 5 tracks. He ain’t worried about doing nothing but spit his gargantuan flow and killer penmanship and bouncing. It’s this attitude that makes him an elite stand out in the culture right now and specifically why he will remain at the top of my radar!

I don’t give a fuck if it’s short and not even 10 minutes. CHECK THIS SHIT OUT! Fuck that other shit you’re hyping on. These guys are the real deal and make REAL hip hop back to the classic era! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/161324SBlUffKkxKDGamBV?si=h1YEICZfToqqXrqu0tGHoQ

(Nohokai 3)

I’ll say this, I’ve never heard such an aggressive intro to an album in my life. That’s some ONYX, Pro Dillinger shit, but I dig it. This is the latest album by rapper ‘Coast LoCastro’ and producer ‘Nohokai’, and so with that, let’s talk about it!

On this new project, we have 11 new tracks with the feature list as follows:

-Johnny Slash

-Blind Vizionary

Now, leading up to this listening, I heard people call it some of the toughest rap they’ve heard all year, and so naturally, I was curious and already had my mind set on the standards it should meet, and after listening to it, yeah, I can’t say I disagree with those statements; this shit is hard as fuck.

Firstly, let’s talk about the production. We’ve got some of the hardest forms of raw, skeletal, gritty boom Bap we’ve heard all year. Every instrumental has enough to block your air drums out, step outside the AirPods, and strangle you personally. It’s mad tough!

Whether you’re talking about beats like ‘Black Hole’ with that haunted house introduction that leads into this creepy mix of horror and boom Bap that makes you picture zombies robbing people with Hennessy bottles to the back of the head and bouncing with the wallet and keys!

Or if you’re talking about beats like the beat for ‘Fuck Em All’ with that sharp and crisp interlude that turns into a monstrous heavy bass beat that feels like your skin is being blown off to expose your skeleton underneath, absolutely unreal! The point is the production on this is done to the absolute max! 

To complement such an atmosphere, we have Coast who brings the equal savagery on the mic. His words and lyricism are mean and deadly. He’s a bully MC, and he ain’t hiding it. If he’s not insulting you or shouting at you or hyping himself up, then he’s hitting you with that complex lyricism and hard bars that make gold look like paperweights. 

The song ‘Pon Di’ is the most gruesome of hip-hop medleys with Coast and the two features bringing nothing but lava on the tracks, and with the trio’s cadence melting that lethal production, it makes for a gang mentality track that will scare off your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper.

Overall, this isn’t the project to ignore. In the words of the men themselves, ‘Fuck around and find out,’ and in that respect, don’t believe this album is worth the hype? Then you know what to do!

https://brokencomplex.bandcamp.com/album/nohokai-3

(Remember To Breathe)

There a few things in life that can considered as ‘guarantees’ but an album being released under the Skyzoo ‘FGR’ label is something you can be sure will be fire from start to finish. Let’s about it!

So, this is the latest album by rapper ‘Landon Wordswell and produced by ‘Es-K’ consisting of 13 incredible tracks sure to please any and all Hip Hop fans.

Starting with the production, Es-K a man who is already a certified legend in the game is back to provide an album that shares a combination of tough Boom Bap rap but also featuring elements of smooth keys and subtle, beautiful atmosphere to create a one of a kind soundscape.

From the opening track where we have the conversation between I assume Landon and his son and how it ends with his son saying ‘Remember To Breathe’ I loved it. Helped set the tone for the rest of the album.

Every beat is equally infectious, head bopping and also heartwarming and vibrant! 

Now Landon, a man who is revered enough to be on the label with the man himself Skyzoo has come back to prove why he’s in that situation. From the first time we hear him rap he lets off! From his witty bars, his timely flow and his incredible penmanship he’s smoking every track on this one!

He has a few features along side him such as

-Skyzoo

-Talib Kweli

-Tessa

-Blu

And each person obviously well known and received in the game come to ride along side the high standards set by Landon on this one. Each figure brings the heat and delivers their own memorable verses to the mix that surely won’t be forgotten anytime soon!

This is definitely an ‘album of the year contender’ whether your talking the grand production or the larger than life lyricism or the elite features either way each aspect hits on a different level!

https://open.spotify.com/album/7LH3dL5NqJO5FcrwbXT7L9?si=jyWuQTniQ7qQ33rilZRNMw

(There’s Always Hope Vol.5)

Man, they don’t make albums like this anymore. This is the kind of shit that has a soft spot in my heart for underground hip-hop. This subgenre of the art is easily my top 3 in the whole game, and blaq kush just released a masterclass in it!

So, this is a 2024 16-track project with a list of producers such as:

-Csupreme

-SOO DO KOO

-Felix

-Raymond Jermaine

-JY

-Thxalx 

-Red Ben

-Clockwork

-Raspy

Quite a list, but each man helps create and maintain the fantastic atmosphere that is art/Lo-Fi tier hip-hop that I only really hear nowadays by acts like ‘R.A.P Ferreria,’ but early ‘Quelle Chris’ or ‘Open Mike Eagle’ records had this same energy!

This album sounds fun, unique, chaotic at times, abstract, and beautiful all in one. With each track that goes by, you can never guess what will come next but know that it will be refreshing and original!

These kinds of records let you enjoy your ‘ambitious’ side of music and not be confined to a certain blueprint of how albums in rap should sound or feel like and just sit back and absorb the controlled insanity that these producers provide on this one!

blaq man, he’s a sight to behold. The way he raps, I love because not only is his flow and cadence enjoyable and original, but I love his use of pop culture lines, whether that be anime or comic book or just movie/Tv show talk. I always love when artists mention stuff like this, and he does this in spades, which makes the record that much more fun!

His voice is energetic and has a hint of curiosity behind it as if he’s trying to figure out his own limitations and lanes for this album and where to take it.

Overall, this is one of the funniest and enjoyable records I’ve come across in a bit! From the relatable bars to the funky and vibrant production! This shit right here is the shit! 

https://blaqkush1.bandcamp.com/album/theres-always-hope-vol-5-2024

(FAITH AND A HAMMER)

Today, it’s time to go back to the start of this year. When the underground was in a state of speculation after such an incredible year in 2024, the fans wondered ‘How will this year go?’ And although we’re almost in March at this time, we had ‘SOO DO KOO’ to help the transition with this incredible album, so let’s talk about it!

This album features 15 tracks with all lyrics and production done by SOO himself. The first thing you notice about this project is how tranquil and beautifully unique the production is. It feels like a variety of different things to help maintain that lavish and smooth nature. Such as

-Ambient

-Hip Hop

-Soul

Along with these three, there’s also intricate keys played throughout the beats and vocal loops that can be heard in the background of the beats. This album sounds like a fever dream to me. That feeling when you’re high or buzzed or just really tired and how music just sounds that much greater and more magical than it would normally well— this is what this sounds like but can be experienced sober.

I caught myself listening to this album and closing my eyes and just letting the instrumentals run through me and spike my imagination— it’s truly a magnificent use of music, and to create this kind of reaction whilst listening is something not all albums can pull off, so respect for that!

Now, on to the rapping. As I said above, this is done also by SOO, and he doesn’t lose any points for his rap game because, as good as he is on the production, he’s equally amazing on the mic. From his engaging flow to his mesmerising lyricism and penmanship. He has this certain cadence to his style that I love, like a mix between confidence and knowledge. 

With every bar spit, he helps create a narrative song to song and helps tell a story! He knew what he was doing when making those beats, and his lyricism takes hold of that magical production and pushes the sound further until together you have an undeniably phenomenal project that any artist would cross off their bucket list if they had made this!

SOO started the year off strong. He helped invent a project that is not only dope but original. Letting Hip Hop fans experience something different while still maintaining that strong quality from the year before!

https://soodokoo.bandcamp.com/album/faith-and-a-hammer

(RESIN)

It’s always exciting to be able to discover a new artist, and in this case, it’s a new duo featuring the likes of rapper ‘ANWAR HighSign’ and ‘DR QUANDRY’ on production. Together, they make ‘The Fortunate Ones’, so let’s get into it!

This is a 10-track record, and from the first song ‘Glue’, you could hear how intricate and unique this project was going to be. The production done by ‘Dr Quandry’ is as captivating as it is original. There are so many elements involved, such as:

-Ambient

-Soft Rock

-Lo-Fi

-Hip Hop

-Soul

-Jazz 

And with all these influences coming together to make a project that’s equally smooth, beautifully soft in nature, and vibrant in aesthetic. Each new instrumental that I heard had me feeling that much more at peace, relaxed, and happy. Not in the sense of ‘boring’ or elevator music type but more slow and steady with elegant elements to make this record feel purely angelic. 

In the rapping side of things, ‘Anwar’ complements that beautiful production with his own soft-spoken yet engaging cadence within his voice. His penmanship is strong, his flow is immaculate, the way he can spin his bars with ease and grace that very few people can match.

He sounds like he’s one with the beats, as if he’s closed his eyes and letting his soul and heart speak for him, and it’s an absolute treat to witness.

This level of collaboration is rare to find these days. To have such chemistry, fusion, and synergy is unbelievable. You couldn’t find a better mix of people if you tried. This is the kind of album you’d play if you wanted to have an out-of-body experience or help relax yourself after a stressful day. 

As this record combines the elements of Smooth with elevation to help produce this one-of-a-kind album that I can guarantee wouldn’t be replicated anytime soon!

https://thefortunateones.bandcamp.com/album/resin

(I am NOT Your Negro)

I’m happy to be back covering another ‘Dot-Com Intelligence’ album. After listening to his last one, he immediately made it to my radar for future releases, and today is that day, so let’s talk about it!

This is a 2024 release with 12 songs and 37 minutes in total! Featuring the likes of: 

-Mike G The Writer

-Wesley Rocco

-LORD WHO

-No Face Rapper

With production from: 

-Original Super Legend

-That Blessed Girl

-MAMMON

-JUNE!

-Blaq Knight

-1AM

-ChordandJocks

-DieM Flood

-Grant4Ord

And even -Dot-Com Intelligence himself.

Now, right off the bat, from the opening track, you can hear the differences in the lyrics alone. While the last project I heard, ‘Precipice,’ was more involved in lore and mythology-style themes, this one is straight political and racial-themed. 

Which definitely makes this a more heavy project based on the topic, and as someone who isn’t Black, I can only speak of the power and conviction that’s flooding out of this record!

This is less an entertaining album and more a sonic statement. He’s using his platform and his penmanship to open the eyes of the world and have them realise the problem at hand with not only lyricism based on the issues but also various voice samples talking on these things, such as in track one and the powerful outro in track twelve.

Sonically, this definitely has a more grounded and skeletal tone than with the other one. The overall production took a mature turn in favour of the lyrics at hand, and I respect that! Each beat sounds moving, crisp, and compelling. There’s this aura of intensity surrounding it, and that’s why I feel this is the kind of album best placed from start to finish as an album, then picking out singles for a playlist.

Lyrically, as mentioned above, Dot-Com has his mindset and his heart on fire. He’s here to spread a message, and he’s making sure that we all hear it. You can hear this passion in his voice, the quality of his lyrics, and his nonwavering conviction. There’s an issue at hand, and he’s not going to stand back and just sit quietly while it’s a problem. He’s going to use every means at his disposal with his art to convey that important message, and it’s such a grand album that every time I would listen for the review’s sake, I would get goosebumps— it’s that fucking moving.

When listening to this Masterclass at work, I want you to go into it distraction-free and open-minded. To repeat what I said above, this isn’t the kind of project to pick and choose songs for a playlist but an experience best heard alone, with quality headphones, and to be studied. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/7L79eXzntq4ZCBadCQwTpS?si=Ww1mg6B9TYywiKJ3UG5I4A

(Precipice)

Today, we are going all the way back to 2022, and in June of this year, we were blessed with another Dot-Com Intelligence album, so let’s talk about it!

This album has 13 tracks with 46 minutes of content. The features include:

-Aakeem Eshu

-Dango Forlaine 

-Lync Lone

-Sleep Sinatra 

-Stik Figa

And on this one, the production, which was handled by none other than the legendary August Fanon, has this combination of ambient, jazz, old school hip hop, and boom bap flavour. If you were to mix that all into a pot, then this is what you’d get! 

Every instrumental feels crisp and heavy in a theatrical nature. To me, every beat has a mind of its own, like a sonic titan come to life, capitulating on all those inspirations to bring out its own aura, cadence, and aesthetic. 

If music could talk, then they would on this one. 13 beasts come to life, and 13 personalities capturing the attention and soul of any listener; it’s truly that simple.

When it comes to the vocals, we have Dot himself, who has the natural charisma, ability, and passion to not only ride alongside the titans but utilise their power and attributes to help not only elevate his own words but laminate them into the very fabric of the instrumentals!

His flow is smooth, his voice is crisp, and his penmanship is top tier. His deep tone fits the style of the album’s sound to a tee! 

You can also hear that every bar he spits is thought out and planned. These are some well-thought-out verses, and I fuck with that heavy! 

All in all, this was a treat and a half to listen to. Whether we are talking about that lively and truly monotonous atmosphere of the production or the passionate, well-written, and creative lyricism or even the banging, top-notch features on display. 

This whole project once again shows just how good the underground is, and I really hope you all can give this a shot!

https://open.spotify.com/album/7hLW6fIPr3EUpuRwNIpU2M?si=mcDeAPErTWKgHmloX_iAgw

(Flooded Temples)

This album review has been in the making for a while now. I was told about this album a good month or so ago. Circumstances back then wouldn’t let me cover it, but now I finally can, and I’m happy to say this album was definitely worth the wait! Let’s talk about it! 

So, this was an early January 2025 release by rapper Pruven and producer Sizorhandz. Both men I was admittedly unaware of until this project, but two men who have pleasantly surprised me to the point they will be on my radar from now on!

This album has 11 tracks featuring the likes of: 

-DJ M1

-Kenyattah Black

-DJ Toshi

And I’ll be honest, my first initial reaction to listening to this album was how much it reminded me of Billy Woods, but in the best way possible. Pruven has the same ability to make every word he spits feel like cinder blocks in weight. The kind of rapper where he snaps your attention up like that and doesn’t let go until the album is over.

With every song I was listening to, I was captivated by his intense flow, his methodical pace, and intricate lyricism! 

He sounds as well as he stated himself, ‘The Wordplay Messiah,’ and I feel that fits him perfectly. His deep, raw voice enhances the intensity of his bars and verses, and I fucked with that heavy! 

On the production side of things, this is as theatrical and larger than life as it gets. From the cinema-like production quality to the frequent drops of ‘Atlantis’ and ‘Ancient Civilisations,’ which I’ll admit I fuck with HEAVY as a big conspiracy guy, I was legitimately listening to everything that chick they sampled was saying! It had me hella curious!

But moving on, this album mixes elements of: 

-Ambient

-Orchestral

-Grime

-Dark Electronic Keys

There’s so much going on in this album that all together sounds like a soundtrack David lynch would have put together for one of his twisted movies.

Every instrumental draws you in with this dark curiosity and infectious energy and aura. This really is unlike any other project I’ve heard so far this year. 

The Verdict? A fantastic project that, as I said, was worth the wait 10x fold! This just gets me more hyped for future projects by them, and I advise every hip-hop head to give this a try!

https://pruven.bandcamp.com/album/flooded-temples-2

(Raymond)

This time around, we got a concept album! This one has been described as loosely based on the character ‘Raymond K. Hessel from Fight Club!’ Which is one of my favourite movies, so that alone got me hyped to try this one out, so let’s talk about it!

This Tokyo Cigar record has 13 tracks with one skit, and the entire production is done by August Fanon and mixed and mastered by Donnie Grogan.

Firstly, I want to point out how badass it is that this is the character he gets inspired to make a record about! Not Brad Pitt’s character or Edward Norton’s, but a cashier who gets threatened to be a veterinarian! I don’t know why, but when someone goes against the grain like that, it really makes me happy!

Although being my first time hearing a Tokyo Cigar album, he’s really impressed me with how he raps. He has this smooth yet complex style of rhyming that really captures your attention. Similar to how a man like ‘Open Mike Eagle’ raps! Composted yet passionate at the same time, and I really dig it.

This album has no features, which is another thing I can respect to hold his own over the 13 tracks. His penmanship was on point, his crisp flow, and his well-done lyricism to construct a concept album of this magnitude is definitely big props!

As far as the production goes, we get more of a Jazz influence by August but less smooth/soft Jazz and more Thriller 80’s ‘Lethal Weapon’ type music, which features levels of intensity, grit, and suspense woven into every note and key. This production helps elevate Tokyo’s vocal performance and makes them feel theatrical and movie quality, which I fucking love! 

Overall, another dope album produced by August and a fantastic showing by Tokyo for depicting a great conceptual album, and from now on, will definitely be in my radar for new albums!

https://tokyocigarmusic.bandcamp.com/album/raymond