(Sincero)

‘Perfect Piece Of Art’ has to be the best way possible to describe an album like this. As the intro states ‘To do each job so skillfully, so honestly that it’s like the perfect piece of art, sincere’ I wish I could have thought of a better intro myself but Louie beat me to it, I present to you 

‘Sincero’

This is the latest 13-track project by Louie Sincere that has been making waves across social media since its release and for good reason. This album is unique and diverse in many ways that it’s a force to be reckoned with by principle alone, but combine that with the vast amount of producers who help create this masterpiece and Louie’s bilingual rhythms and penmanship then this album goes from simply a piece of music to a modern-day art piece.

Starting with the production, I find this album alternates between so many different sounds such as 

-Boom Bap

-Stadium 2000’s Hip Hop

-Festive/Dance Beats

-East Coast Style Grime

I love this diversity. I love the fact he’s not feeling the need to stay grounded to one style of production, it’s a refreshing change and something I invite more artists to try this method!

Shoutout to the producers involved in making that happen 

-Dan Murphy

-Matteo Getz

-Hoccii

-Chuck Chan

-Ditty Broker 

-Doice Vita

-Reuel

-M.W.P

-Serious Beats

Now. Onto the star himself Louie the man of the hour who sounds as confident as ever! He has a killer flow, hard lyricism and passion to rival anyone’s! Also I love how easily he can switch it up from song to song. To me he reminds me of what Pitbull would sound like had he not sold out and what if he was a top-tier lyricist to begin with.

With every song he has this vibe that’s unmatched. Every word, every bar is felt, his emotions absorb the listener. Plus his puns are always on point, he definitely is an all-rounder if there ever was one!

The verdict? An album definitely worth the hype. I understand now why the world has been buzzing about this one and I can’t wait to hear more from him in the future! 

https://louiesincere.bandcamp.com/album/sincero-2

(Forgotsies)

Time for a new EP release! This time around, it’s a collaboration album by rapper ‘Freddy Stone’ and producer ‘Oldboy’ with 5 songs and 8 minutes of heat to drop. Let’s talk about it!

Firstly, the production has this old-timer quality to it that I really love. It’s like a combination of Classic Jazz/Lo Fi/90’s era hip hop. A mix between Miles Davis, Open Mike Eagle, and Mobb Deep vibes. There’s something menacing and cold yet crisp and vibrant about the instrumentation on this EP that is just downright infectious.

If I had to choose my favourite beat of the bunch, it would have to be ‘A Fiend Named Jesus.’ Not that the other tracks aren’t DOPE, but this one and its heavier jazz influence really connects with my taste the most. But the rest of the cuts are as raw and grimy as can be, absolutely savage.

Now, onto Freddy himself. Just like the beats he’s working on, he’s just as cutthroat and ruthless in his presentation. His ice-cold vocals, his downright monotone demeanour, and delivery make for a killer performance with clever wordplay, lyricism, and penmanship!

He has one feature to help him out on this thing with ‘Pootie,’ who definitely nails his feature, but otherwise, Freddy carries this EP himself on the mic and does a great job in doing so!

The verdict? An infectious and organically relentless collection of tracks that I can definitely see having lots of replay value! Definitely check out below! 

https://fuckfredman.bandcamp.com/album/forgotsies-ep

(Back 2 The Pulpit)

Back on this review shit and today we have the latest album by ‘JFliz’ X ‘Tali Rodriguez’, a sequel record to their acclaimed ‘Devil At The Pulpit’ and so with the release of this anticipated next chapter, let’s talk about it!

This time round this is a 10-track project featuring the likes of 

-DJ Decepta

-Crotona P

-Sankofa 

And with only 3 features including the producer himself, this album relies heavily on JFliz himself to swing for the fences and provide that killer, relentless flow we all know him to have and I’ll say he does that in spades.

From the very first track ‘Devil You Know’, it’s clear his intentions of his return and you can hear the hunger in his voice and his determination to bring something to the plate that is better than the rest!

His raw, raspy voice combined with his solid wordplay, penmanship, and flow all come together to create a series of memorable verses and bars that pair nicely with that dark and gloomy production!

He sounds more methodical than ever on this record; he’s patient. 

In no rush to get the words out, he understands the pros of taking his time and letting every word be felt and that adds that extra layer to every song on here. 

He wants you to feel every bar in your body and soul and honestly there is a sense of sonic possession that comes over you as a listener when you hear how he lays out his words and I dig in! Definitely a unique experience to hang on to every word spoken and I think it again fits perfectly with the instrumental landscape provided!

On the production side of things, it kind of reminds me of a more darker/grimy telling of one of those comic-style albums that you’d hear from likes of 

-MF Doom

-CZARFACE, etc. 

The vocal samples of monsters and such remind me of that but to put it briefly, if those types of albums mentioned above are the trademark 80’s style colourful world comic inspirations, then this would be the equivalent of ‘Christopher Nolan’s’ ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ more rooted in darkness and grit in comparison.

Regardless, Tali does a fantastic job with the raw and crisp production, the various elements of: 

-Boom Bap

-Underground

-East Coast Style Grime

To create a world that you wouldn’t necessarily want to be a part of but would make an interesting story to hear and learn about, and in this case, we are getting a firsthand masterclass in sonic adventure.

The Verdict? A great album with incredible concepts and dope production/features/performances across the board. The holy trinity was achieved on this project!

(Living Room)

This by far has to be the most interesting project I’ve covered this year, if for nothing else than the format of the album with two sides:

Side A (29 minutes and 56 seconds)

Side B (30 minutes and 4 seconds)

With no actual individual songs to dissect, this is just two incredibly packed parts of music that we will be here to talk about from ‘Q No Rap Name’.

So, let’s talk about production. As this is the main aspect of the album and there are many different layers, I’m going to try to describe them as best I can. What we have going here are elements such as:

-Lo-Fi

-Ambient

-Hip Hop

-Jazz

-Soul

-Electronic 

-Boom Bap

This kind of production style and design reminds me a lot of artists such as:

-Flying Lotus

-Milo

-Kenny Segal

-J Dilla 

So much personality and character in each beat, this is the kind of shit I personally love to hear. I can’t speak for all of the Hip-Hop community, but for me, my teenage years were spent on instrumentals similar to this, and so to hear an artist using this level of creativity and skill brings back nostalgia of the early to mid-2000s, and I couldn’t be happier that it’s returned better, more chaotic, and more evolved than ever!

Across these two sides, we have a set of rappers helping guide this instrumental tsunami with layers of sick verses ranging in style, flow, and penmanship. The names include: 

-Freddy Stone

-Vic Spencer

-Sweetdogg

-Nán Fiero

-Wülf

-Benji Socrates

-Lungs

-Teller Bank$

-Knowitall 

-Golden Joe

-Q3

-Fatboi Sharif

– Sequence

All these names provide their own levels to the production and band together to give variety and depth that you don’t normally get on a record due to just how different each personality and cadence is on this one! There’s definitely more than something for everyone on here!

The Verdict? A fantastically unique and interesting listen that I don’t think will be forgotten or replicated anytime soon. If you’re looking for something different, then this is definitely the project for you!

Shoutout to the extra production credits on this thing as well!

-Sadhugold

-Benji Socrates

-Chop The Head

-Sixteen

Mixed and Mastered by -Lungs

https://qnorapname.bandcamp.com/album/living-room

(Beautiful Soul)

Nothing quite as remarkable to see a duo who just have that ‘IT’ factor. We’ve seen many come and go, leaving their marks in Hip-Hop history, such as: 

-Gang Starr

-Mobb Deep

– Outkast

But the present is now, and today we have the likes of ‘Spectac and Amiri’ who are carrying the torch forward! 

This is the latest 12-track (1 remix) album by the fantastic duo. There’s a lot to love about this album, with, of course, the main talking points being Amiri’s colourful and larger-than-life production paired with the wonderfully introspective lyricism of Spectac.

Starting with the production, this album features so many lively and vibrant sounds circulating the sonic landscape, such as:

-Jazz

-Soul

-Hip Hop

– R&B

-Classical

And all these elements are done with such beautiful precision and passion that it literally feels like the instrumentals and samples are jumping out of 4D style to the real life in my mind and dancing around my head, truly spectacular. 

I can list albums on my one hand that I feel rival this level of vibrance, an absolutely incredible effort!

Now onto the wordsmith ‘Spectac’, this man couldn’t mix better with Amiri if they made someone in a lab. It’s as if they share the same mind; every clever bar spit, every interesting and introspective verse spun fuses with the production seamlessly and creates the perfect song-to-word ratio that very few albums share.

The Verdict? A sonic treat for the ears. Even for the synchronicity alone, but adding to it the mastery of lyricism and production, and you get an experience you won’t soon forget!

https://illadrenalinerecords.bandcamp.com/album/beautiful-soul

(God Forgives More Than I Do)

Only the 7th of February, and I’ve already discovered a new artist in ‘PEP57’ who has released this new 7-song project, so let’s get into it!

So, from the very first track ‘Careless ‘Bout A Lot’, we hear that chaos energy trademarked by Kheyzine, and it’s the perfect opener for this. It helps us introduce PEP and what he’s all about. I love the horrific and distorted screams at the start with those haunting notes that sound like chords or chords that sound like vocal notes— either way, it’s chilling. 

Past that track and working with many other producers such as

-JUSTON?

-DJOBIE

-SHOWALTER

-DRAY YARD 

All each provide their own unique sound and flavour to the tracks. For example, ‘JUSTON?’ provides a more glossy, high-spirited-sounding instrumental that sounds like a 70’s movie montage theme! While ‘DJOBIE’ provides a more somber feeling and sonic environment with this long loop over light drums and sounds in the background.

Point being, each artist has their own signature they are trying to charter for this record, and although I seem to lean towards albums produced by one producer, I can appreciate a record that decides to go this far out of the ordinary and allow a variety of styles and cadences! 

PEP himself has a very unique studio personality and sound that I can’t quite put my finger on. He has this low-tone, rugged voice that sounds both raw and sensual whenever he talks. If he were to make a romance album, he’d surely sell peak numbers!

His flow and lyricism are tight, and he definitely has a way with his references and puns on the tracks, which I can also appreciate! On this short album running only 13 minutes, he’s decided to run it alone, no mic features, which is also something I can respect and dig!

Overall, a creatively done short project that hits on many different cylinders that I guarantee there will be a sound for every kind of Hip-Hop head out there!

https://pep57.bandcamp.com/album/god-forgives-more-than-i-do

(Dead Prime Ministers)

I can safely say this is one of the most grime-heavy ghetto shit released this year. This is the kind of shit that makes Pusha T sound pedestrian in comparison.

With the latest drop by Borden & 80rock. They aren’t here just to make music but to carve a new lane for the hustlers and real street shit, and they do that in spades.

This is a 12-track project that runs just under 30 minutes, and from the very first minute, you can already hear the direction and influence of the album and what it will be focused on. There’s a strong, somber feel to the whole thing. When talking about the production, it’s no-nonsense, skeletal, raw street raps that don’t bother with any of that fancy bullshit but instead focus on cerebral aesthetics and brutally honest street raps.

This legitimately feels like you’re listening to a hustler on the street speaking his mind and expressing his real-time thoughts and emotions as he’s walking those deadly pavements. There’s not that usual ‘entertainment’ quality to this record that most albums have. This just feels as bare-bones as possible for a rap album, and it’s a refreshing sensation to be witness to a record this relentless and straightforward.

As I just spoke about above, the verses feel real, not rehearsed in a studio. If I didn’t know better, this is just a man who’s working in the streets who just happens to have thoughts that rhyme. The verses are solid, cold, calculating, and savage. They fit extremely well against the pairing of ruthless production provided, and together they make the perfect recipe for one of the most powerful and chilling rap albums released in the last few years.

 Sure, there are some features on here such as:

-MORI$$ REGAL 

-JUST MCFLY

-JRED THE DOCTOR

-PRO-V

-RVLR MAGZ

-FREIGHTRUNNER V

-KRIS THE $PIRIT

But all these names share the same cold demeanour, so they fuse with the instrumentals just as well, and it’s amazing how well they blend in and murder the songs they are on!

All in all, this is definitely one hell of an album that contains a level of aura that we won’t be getting again anytime soon!

Executive Producer: CUP

Mixed And Mastered By: MERKER MUSIC

Sound Engineer: TREH LAMONTE

Art Direction: LEMME KNO

https://open.spotify.com/album/5kAfoEbXwU7vMoxCfId3kL?si=kTYxBiAVQ62zx4QyClix2A

(Teflonious Monk)

Question: Is there a doper duo in the underground than ‘Teflonius Monk?’ That’s obviously a trick question because the answer is obvious: no. John Jigg$ X Butterknife Haircuts are a collaboration that no one can touch. With their level of unique chemistry and charisma, they are paving a new lane and standard that will revolutionise the industry!

With a project of 10 tracks, there’s so much variety and funky music to keep you entertained long after the record is over. From the production to the lyricism, each aspect makes you hungry for more. I guarantee this is the kind of record you can’t just play once.

Let’s talk production first because Butterknife brings this original style of funk/hip-hop/soul elements together for this one-of-a-kind project. It kind of reminds me of how ‘lively’ and ‘alive’ the instrumentals felt on ODB’s (Return to the 36 Chambers: Dirty Version). 

Each beat on here feels like it has its own personality and cadence. It absorbed every part of me listening to this, took over my mind and body, and had me grooving until the very end. Once the album ended, I actually felt a sense of sadness that the ‘funk’ inside my body had died, and I had to replay it immediately. It’s fucking infectious, and I can’t remember the last time an album did that to me!

Now to the rapping, John Jigg$ brings his usual, trademark, colourful, and crisp penmanship and flow on this one! He’s always had this unique energy to him that I loved to hear on a beat. Similar to a personality like ‘Mr. Muthafuckin’ Exquire’ in that he’s a one-of-a-kind aura that no one can attempt to imitate, and the same goes for John! 

Across this project, he brings with him names such as

-Illa Ghee

-Jay Royale

-Rim

– Desert Eagle

All who do their part and use their own individual skills and weapons to keep the vibe of the record alive! Especially Desert, his verse towards the end of the album was absolutely killer!

Even legend -Tone Spliff makes an appearance on the track ‘Vladimir’, and his skill is unmatched as everyone in the underground knows already. He’s a legend in this game, and I always love seeing his name on projects!

Overall, a one-of-a-kind fantastic groovy album that I guarantee if you give it a chance will take control of your body in the best way possible!

Mixed and Mastered by -Raheem Soto

https://johnjiggs.bandcamp.com/album/teflonious-monk

(Dominate)

When it comes to artists I’ll always be excited to listen to and cover two of these are on the same track together! That being Brutal Caesar and Tone Spliff! Two of my favourite artists in the underground and the fact they are united makes me unquestionably hyped for this track!

As the beat starts of you can hear that low vibe vocal tone in the background over a very traditional underground boom bap instrumental that would force any listener to bop their necks in addiction to this infectious beat!

Reks makes another masterful appearance on this single, last time I heard him was on the amazing ‘Great Minds’ record with Napoleon Da Legend and JR Swiftz but he’s back to drop more fire across two solid verses his flow, penmanship and lyricism are all as expected top tier and on point with this beat! 

Of course, Tone on the cuts is flawless, he’s never missed a step and he ain’t starting now. At this point his work is trademark, without even knowing once you hear it you can identity his work on each track.

The Verdict? Brutal Caesar, Tone Spliff and Reks are a powerhouse trio no one wants to fuck with. If these 3 did a collaboration album it would easily be considered ‘Album Of The Year’ but for now we will settle for ‘Single Of The Year’ fantastic work!

https://open.spotify.com/album/1BfKcX0X0qQIJtkw1VLc59?si=wym77p4aSA-c7shiA-Ff9w

(The Last Shadow In The Shade)

‘Don’t jump on Everybody’s idea of who you should be’

It’s only early February and I can say without much debate that this is by far the best produced album of the year. 

What we have here is the latest album by the legendary ‘Sy Ari The Kid’ a man who has let his skill, experience and quality speak for itself over the years, he’s earned the respect of his peers and of the culture. This time around, he’s here to drop an introspective masterpiece that lyrically delivers on sides that most just couldn’t think to touch.

Running 51 minutes with a 16 song album, one of the longest I’ve covered this year but the album feels more like a theatrical experience than a normal project. What’s more is the fact there’s 12 producers on this one including

-Gr4ff

-Jamar Johnson

-Vntg Jag

-Stoic

-Susano

-Vega7 The Ronin

-Homage Beats

-Pis.j

-Cedes 

-Sypooda

-Grimey Chops

-Sy Ari Da Kid

and yet the cohesive sound they all come together with sounds just like it was made by one guy.

When I listen to this album, it reminds me of Soul Era Kayne mixed with prime Common. Imagine ‘Be’ meets ‘The College Dropout’ absolutely beautiful soul cuts mixed in with some Jazz and Rnb samples. 

When the whole world went crazy to glorify last years ‘Common/Pete Rock’ project. Well this year this is the new standard to meet and I can’t wait for the world to soak and absorb this level of mastery on the production, incredible in every aspect! 

Now, on to the rapping aspect. Not only does Sy give us a Masterclass in the art of rapping with his flawless flow and lyricism and story telling abilities but he has the spirit to invite some of the best rappers in the world right now to test his style against! Such as

-Benny The Butcher

-CyHi

-Freeway

-Nick Grant

-Fuego Base

-Vega7 The Ronin

-Nu Jerzey Twork

-On The Radar

Each man on this list bring their absolute best game to the albums. Fantastic energy, passion and pure pen aggression! They don’t come to play, they come to kill and they all leave the track decapitated!

Overall, this kind of albums comes once in a blue moon. Even with the crazy consistency in the rap game right now this one stands out from most. Whether you’re talking about the production or the features or Sy himself everything is S Tier in quality and surely will be on everyone’s ’Album Of The Year’ list for 2025!

https://open.spotify.com/album/4eTOf8ASPKNkG2VhDNG4KN?si=qfL7N45bRbu44L_6N66T2w