(Nephilim)

I’ll be real with you all. Before I even heard the music, the title alone got me hyped. I love talk and theories of giants, so it’s safe to say I was already hooked going in, which is a good feeling to have! 

So, this album is the latest by artist Mic Audio, who features 10 new tracks with just 15 minutes of run time. This is a very short listening experience, but the way it’s presented and displayed is far from ordinary!

Right off the bat, the music itself and the production remind me of legends such as ‘Ka’ or ‘Billy Woods’ field of style. Very introspective, artsy, and creatively grim and dark in the execution and delivery.

All the songs on this album are short, as 10 songs for 15 minutes of content would imply. As much as I feel musically it provides the same level of ‘deep and intimate’ aura as an album such as Earl Sweatshirts’ ‘Some Rap Songs,’ with its lingering aspects of extreme insight, personal experience, and grief, it reminds me of this in the way of short bursts of thought-provoking content given to the listeners in such a brief moment of time that, just as with the 2018 album, it’s an experience that can’t be absorbed with just one listen, one that takes multiple back-to-back over the coming weeks just to grasp everything the artist is trying to convey. This is the genius of Mic Audio.

Now, onto his rapping. The man has the kind of style that I not only cherish but grew up on as a teenager a whole 15-16 years ago when I first dipped my toe into the shallow end of the underground scene. Just like those artists of the time: 

-Illogic

-Aesop Rock

-Atmosphere 

-Eyedea

-Milo

All these men who I still listen to, to this day, remind me of this man Mic and his rapping style. It has this level of integrity and intelligence woven into the fabric of his rhymes with reflective bars, narrative-style flow, and extraordinary pen game. Not to mention the fact that he’s using his skills in such a short time frame, song to song, that he’s having to be time-conscious, which would make his task even harder. So, regardless, the way he formulates the songs with his lyricism is a work of art!

Simply put, this is the kind of album for those who want to sit back and have something to ponder. Not a record for ‘club hits’ or ‘bangers’ but a record to reflect and think on afterwards. If that sounds like a record appealing to you, then please give this one a listen! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/7Cb99CnIod083rvbf38lVL?si=olNXyGDgQ4K-1SPXP6uMSQ

(ALL MY HOMIES HATE TRUMP)

It’s been a minute since I heard from these boys. Unorthodocks and Solute, the boys who are putting Arizona on blast, and today they focus on their 4-track EP that is sure to blow you all away!

The tracks in question: 

-RFK Nephew (Featuring Gorgeous Jefe, Dr. Laflow)

-Smooth Deuces (Featuring Maze Overlay)

-Can’t Win (Part II) 

-Satriani In Santorini

And with a combination of production by Golden Arms and el, right off the bat with the opening track, we have this Denzel Curry-sounding track with big energy, a groovy beat, and hard-hitting verses that make it feel like a real cypher vibe that I fuck with heavily!

The second track has a more smooth and soulful atmosphere to it with those slowed-down keys with that traditional hip-hop beat making for an ambient-type instrumental that you’d be likely to hear in the Art Rap/Introspective Rap scene. Regardless, I love the relaxed vibe of this track and how each man raps on this one; they still maintain a strong energy but more suited to this slower beat.

Each verse hits hard and then ends in the most flex way possible with legend Maze Overlay driving the track home with his trademark signature flow and style!

Track 3 provides probably the most groovy and boom-bap flavour than any of the rest. It has this infectious what sounds like piano keys on loop in fast rotation paired with a light drum pattern and some extra synth keys scattered throughout the track.

I absolutely love the energy of this track! It has a fun, vibrant, and engaging sound to it that just makes your body wanna dance!

Across this type of production, both Unorthodox and Solute provided dope and fast-paced flow and witty, smart, and crisp lyricism across their respective verses; I fucking love it! Once again proving why they are such a formidable team.

The final track, and if I’m not mistaken, the shortest track on the whole project at 1 minute and 40 seconds. It features this classical vocal loop and instrumentation which sounds like notes you’d hear from a song in the 1940s with some light guitar notes playing in the background.

On this one, both men provide a smooth, delicately savage, and beautifully crafted verse that complements this beat perfectly.

I also love (as a wrestling fan) that the last line on this track was ‘Like John Cena, they can’t see me.’ 

A dope way to end the track and a dope track overall! Loved the sound, the rhymes— all of it was top tier.

Overall, this is up there with my favourite EP’s I’ve heard in 2025. It’s sonically strong, lyrically tight, and aesthetically pleasing to the listeners— nothing but love for this one! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/21aYC6pCWCqIsUb8Lpn4Pw?si=x9ARK4AqRNmXJku5nvn-DQ

Audio Messiah (The Mic Ronin)

You all would have seen the meme already of that Key and Peele sketch of Keegan in a suit screaming ‘Oh, I’ve been waiting for this! I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!’

Well, that’s me right now! When I woke up this morning for my shift and saw this was out, I was, no lie, doing this exact skit in real life at my work! This is an album that has been in my mind ever since I heard it was coming, and now that it has, best believe before I even took a post-shift breath, I pushed play on this! So let’s talk about it!

So, unless you’re Patrick Star and have been living under a rock, you would be well aware of the ‘Penlordz’ collective. A trio of:

-Fam Ross

-Arsinel

And lastly, Audio Messiah. The only man not to release a studio album until now. Although in saying that, just like the Raekwon ‘Only Built’ effect and how Ghostface essentially made that one a collaboration project, the same process can be said about Audio’s involvement in all the Fam Ross and Arsinel records; he’s always featured, and so it doesn’t really feel that important that he hasn’t dropped his own since. In early Griselda mixtape fashion, the trio was always together, but still, I knew he was talented enough to deserve his own, and now that it’s here, it’s literally made my dream come true!

This is a 14-track record with a 22-minute length. As expected, the collective came together on this one as well, filling any feature spots on the record, but since they are all essentially one mind, they don’t really count as features, more just family.

So, how does this album sound? In short. Unbelievable! In long?

This album reminds me of a mix between ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx’ and ‘Liquid Swords’ from the voice samples to the East Coast style sound loops to the sharing family verse-to-verse style, and the overall gritty and raw production qualities make this sound like you’re taking a time machine back to the golden 90’s era, and they follow the standards and quality as such!

I don’t normally like skits in music, but they incorporate all the narrative and conversational dialogue before or after the actual song, so again, it makes it remind me of those Wu albums as it makes the track as a whole feel that much more cinematic!

What’s interesting is that since Audio has already been killing it on every other Penlordz album, he’s been on, all this album feels like is a continuation or, more so, a confirmation of just how dope he is, and given more time to go off and prove to the world why he and the other two are the very top of the crop right now, I feel this album (as well as the other 5) released by the Penlordz should prove that fact!

This album vibes on the same S-Tier wavelength as the others. Only this trio can pull off the kind of theatrical, crisp, original, and beautiful takes on Hip Hop. They feel focused and zoned in. They are using their best years to tunnel vision on creating what very well could be the perfect discography in the game, and this is just another edition to that.

Overall, this album could very well be the best album of the new quarter! From the dope artwork to the Penlordz chemistry to the absolute genius lyricism and flow by Messiah, this thing has all the makings of a modern-day classic! 

Shoutout to the production by 

-PenLordz Arsinel

-Gnetics

-KHEYZINE 

https://open.spotify.com/album/5PvBHJuGkxtJkGGSN3Chui?si=U1nHnsXuTAqc4QZ919HiTg

(Brick By Brick)

Time for another single! And this time it features two underground legends in the rapper ‘K-prez’ and the powerhouse production by ‘Snowgoons’, and together they can’t miss! And that’s exactly what happens on this new single! Nothing but fire!

So, starting with the production. Right off the bat, you can hear those grand notes being played at the intro that quickly transforms into a mainstream feel boom bap feel beat with those soft yet noticeable drum pattern in the background and a new set of keys playing in a rhythm that, when combined with those drums, makes for a super infectious beat that you could probably play for hours and never get sick of it!

This is the perfect beat to use for a single as it’s equally grand and even has a hint of electronic quality to it with its drone-like repetition in the instrumentals but in a kind of way that makes for a beat you could listen to on any given time or day, and it will still be sounding fresh and sonically appealing after many repeats; that’s the kind of beat you need for a single that you want listeners to keep clicking on, and they did that job to a tee!

Moving onto the man of the hour, K has this certain level of infectious, passionate energy that makes you hang on his every word. Similar to the style of a legend like ‘Eddie Kaine’ in the aspect of having the unwavering confidence, cadence, and skill to manipulate the beat to his own will and make the song work best for him, not the other way around!

With every word/bar/verse he spits, he has such grit and skilled fundamentals in his arsenal that he makes every line feel special and important because of the way he delivers his wordplay and arranges his pen game and flow. 

These two legends on the same track together should be equally a treat to the listeners and a warning shot to the players in the game. This is the king of shit that can switch everything up, and that’s only ONE SINGLE; can you imagine a whole album? Let’s wait and see! 

https://open.spotify.com/track/4GNnun4Z8XRMptbp3i7w95?si=oMQAaoAPSy-Ag3Okv1lmEQ

(Garden Hate)

Man, my initial thoughts going into this are: What kind of a name for an album is ‘Garden Hate?’ Either way, it got me curious as hell, and so already before even pressing play, my interest is piqued, and so let’s talk about it!

This is a collaboration album between rapper ‘twogeebs’ and producer ‘SPGBamm,’ and together they reveal 8 tracks with a total length of 22 minutes.

Right off the bat, I LOVE the production across this project; it has a strong, smooth jazz feel to it, which is my favourite rap subgenre style. My favourite group is ‘A Tribe Called Quest,’ so whenever I hear those soothing jazz keys, it just brings my heart to rest and makes the enjoyment of the album 10fold.

What’s interesting is despite its beautifully orchestrated instrumentals, this album has a raw exterior with its consistent film snippets of violent encounters, which works as almost an oxymoron to the record, but regardless, SP balances the difference spectrums well, and in moments that feature those samples, you are engorged in the moment with its theatrical elements, but when it goes back to the breathtaking production, it just takes over your soul. It’s an interesting experience that I’m sure you won’t experience anywhere else!

Now onto twogeebs, who I’ll admit I never heard of until I was blessed to be reached for this review, and I’m glad I was because he has a one-of-a-kind style of rapping that definitely suits this kind of layered production.

I’d say his verses complement the more ‘gangsta’ side of the album. With his raw and gritty lyrical content combined with his ‘New Jersey’ braggadocio energy, real tough cadence, witty/fluent lyricism, and pen game. He navigates the various instrumentals with the greatest of ease, and he’s able to fluctuate between his ‘tough and delicate’ tones and flow. In one song, he could reveal a more ‘sentimental’ example of himself, and others, he could go back to his ghetto roots within a flick of a switch. I love that about him; he’s not worried about sticking to one style but is comfortable with himself enough to expand and express himself as he seems fit.

Overall, I love how this album shows the mastery of exhibiting two opposing forces wrapped up in one record, and that ain’t easy to do. Shoutout to this duo for making that happen! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/17fXSICbNwIJCKXh9Ycdxi?si=yY4IBujLTuy9tc5iY6y0AQ

(Pulp Nonfiction)

If you had to make a short list of artists who have been making waves and featuring on almost everything and everywhere you look, I’d like to think ‘Shottie’ is on top of that list. I’ve seen his name featured on so many different projects this year that I can’t keep track! It’s clear that everyone wants a piece of him, and for good reason, he’s one of the dopest MC’s at the moment. And what do you think happens when he’s on a studio album of his own? Well, let’s find out!

So this new 13-track album is produced by ‘Lupara’ and features the likes of: 

-Ace Cannons

-Fashawn

-Nino Bless

-Asun Eastwood

And of course, these are all heavy hitters in the game and complement Shottie well! It’s always a beautiful thing to witness when everyone on a project has seamless chemistry and helps elevate each other to new heights and maintains the atmosphere of the album!

Each bar has purpose, each verse amplifies for the song next, and it just feels like an overall collective effort! For example, the song ‘Rewire,’ which features two of the dopest verses I’ve heard in a minute, nothing but fire after fire after fire, and Ace does the same!

Shottie is utilising the same quality he’s recruited for on the countless projects he was on for his own work, and the result is one of the dopest albums that have come out this year. 

Now, speaking of Lupara the super group of all super groups that include the following

-Machacha

-Farma Beats

-MIGHTYHEALTHY

-FLU

-Timepiece

-Hobgoblin

-SB11

-Bohemia Lynch

The legends behind proving the epic sound of the album. Across this one, they provides a mix of old-school voice and movie samples across what can only describe as ‘introspective or retro boom bap.’ It’s not your usual grimy and dark sounds but instead features colourful and theatrical instrumentation and groovy/funky note loops to create a sound unlike anything I’ve heard.

The mixture of melodies and harmonies that you don’t normally associate with the art of boom bap really helps the artistry show even further! Lupara sounds in top creative form with their trademark Masterclass in technique, diversity, and noir-inspired sounds and samples to create a truly immersive and different type of listening experience.

Overall, a memorable and well-done record that I can’t imagine anyone else could have made the way it’s made, except for Shottie and the Lupara collective! Can’t wait to see where these guys go in the future!

https://shottie305.bandcamp.com/album/pulp-nonfiction-deluxe-edition

(Grimeball Crimelord)

OH SHIT, THE GRIME ERA IS BACK IN SPADES. I know this isn’t everyone’s favourite sound in the game right now; hell, most think this sound is oversaturated right now, but fuck all that noise because this project ain’t any old project; this features the REAL OVERLORDS of the subgenre. The ones that live the sound that everyone else waters down; these are the ones that you really don’t want to catch in a dark alleyway. Hustlers first, artist second. So with that being said, let’s fucking talk about it!

So this 8-track colossus of an album is produced entirely by King Ill Clinton, and as mentioned, he’s recruited only the pioneers of this grime shit.

-Reek Osama

-Mo Rukuz

-Eli The Don

-Snotty

-Daniel Son

-Estee Nack

-Al Divino

-DJ Prominent

-Goretex

-Vas

-CRIMEAPPLE

-Ty Farris

-Skrewtape

-GRIMM Doza

-Tone Spliff

-Ghetto MC

And I’ll be honest, even typing those names into my page for my review gave me goosebumps. This is the essential, perfect cast for the Grimes shit. This is the kind of roster you hire to kill so-called ‘A-List teams’— all those fake-ass superstars who talk big but only do so because they probably keep these boys in good standing because they know if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be talking anymore.

These boys absolutely DESTROY THESE BEATS AND THEN SOME. Every single bar had my face scrunched and my head bouncing. There’s only so much perfect verses in a row your brain can take before you spazz. To me, these are the artists I listen to most on my weekly, so to have them all on the same project is mind-blowing to me. It’s like my playlist came to life and started spitting new bars I haven’t heard before; this is unbelievable— the quality, the flows, the penmanship— I mean, talk about a collective to fear! 

I’ll Clinton, the brains behind the sounds, he’s the catalyst to all this shit, and he knew exactly what he was doing in the studio when coming up with these beats because, of course, they are all downright disgusting, raw, savage, and sinister. To call these beats ‘rough around the edges’ would be the year’s biggest understatement. These beats were never smooth to begin with; they were hacked with axes and left to rot before being utilised for this project.

I can’t stress enough how sick and twisted these beats are; they sound drenched in hatred, left to dry in hostility, and put in place with vengeance and anger until you get the most sadistic atmosphere you can think of!

If you ain’t a fan of this sound, then stay the fuck away! This ain’t for you. This is for the REAL ONES who appreciate the grit, and no one does it better than these names right here! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/66gnI96EghIzj9nrLVqQ2S?si=7vn1F_bDRNGrIoPiLDWC8g

(The Flame Conduit)

Man, I have to be honest with you. Although I do this to help bring much-needed attention and exposure to the underground community, there are some artists that just put a smile on my face whenever they drop. Artists I actually have fun covering, and those sentiments can be directed at one specific artist, and that’s the one who just dropped a new project! So let’s talk about it!

Today, we get a new 4-track EP by one of my favourite artists going right now, with Young Sinatra, and this time working alongside producer TROX. As is now custom with Sleep, this is a different-sounding project than has come before! That’s one of the main things I love about this man’s work. He could release 5 different albums in one week, and each would have something original and different about it compared to the one before!

Across these 4 songs and working alongside such a critically acclaimed producer who has worked with some of the biggest names in the mainstream, such as (50 Cent and Snoop), he transports that larger-than-life, stadium-sized sounds to this EP, and my god, does it sound fantastic!

Every track has marvellous production that sounds Dolby Atmos clear, feels more chilling than the Apple Vision Pro, and is more theatrical than the most powerhouse 8K recording! Everything on this EP comes with a cinematic atmosphere that just can’t be explained without listening to it yourself. It’s the sonic equivalent of being surrounded by 380P day to day, then someone comes along and provides you with a glimpse of 1080p, and you’re like ‘holy shit, music can sound like this?’ That’s the best way I can describe how this sounds.

TROX is definitely worth all the accolades he has earned, and even on my third listen, I’m still in awe over how he mastered the production so perfectly. If I could petition him to create albums for all my favourite artists, I would die a happy man. 

Now, Sleep Sinatra. He might not be Ol’ Blue Eyes, but trust that he’s doing this ‘his way’, and his rhymes and bars are some of the best I’ve ever heard of him yet! (Which is saying something if you’ve ever heard his music until now.)

He’s on a next level with the flow, more fluent than I’ve ever heard him. His pen game is so fucking cold that it sends shivers down my spine when he raps as well as he does over these splendid beats.

Although this is a short project, he’s not wasting any time to set these instrumentals on fire. Every word, every breath taken makes me feel a little more hyped, and that at the end of it all it feels like I’ve just had 3x energy drinks and I feel buzzed and feeling overstimulated by the combination of the production and the rhymes.

This is a MUST listen. Wait, scratch that. His whole discography is a MUST LISTEN. To think he could only get better is just ridiculous. Call this guy Sleep Jin Woo because he’s forever levelling up! 

https://sleepsinatra1.bandcamp.com/album/the-flame-conduit

(Beats By Dro Vol 2)

It’s that time again! After binge-reviewing this man’s incredible production journey, Fredro is back with a second Vol showing off more of his progress, and I’m here to talk about it!

So, this is the second volume of his ‘Beats By Dro’ chronicles, with his first bringing to everyone’s attention just how diverse and fresh he can sound when he’s on the beats rather than the mic, and he’s back again to double down on his claims as one of the best beatmakers going right now!

This new record has 11 tracks, 35 minutes in length, and features the following:

-UFO Fev

-RayZa

-Ricky Bats

-LaQuan

-Yah-Ra

-Red Inf

-Jody Larenz

-Kidd Pryde

And across this project, we see Fredro inherit and retain his early claim to fame with a lot of these beats sounding absolutely ruthless, raw, and hardcore boom bap royalty like back in the debut Onyx days!

With a combination of cold piano key loops and old-school beat rhythms, he uses his vast knowledge of the game and his newly found ability as a producer to combine and make one of  the most infectious and tough-sounding projects of 2025!

There are so many examples I could use, such as ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ with that repetitive loop that makes your brain go wild as the instrumental takes over your body, and your head is in a constant headbop for a straight 1 minute and 30 seconds. If I played this song daily, I’d probably be forced to pay for a chiropractor with the damage to my neck from the involuntary movement that would happen!

Let’s even look at the song next to it, ‘Cool 2 Rap,’ with a drastic switch-up with a classical music loop which sounds like something Gang Starr/Premo would make back in his heyday. It’s criminally smooth, crisp, and funky in ways most people could only dream of.

Should I take this examination even further? The track after even that one ‘High’ which has another change with what has a flavour of ‘Trip Hop’ elements with the combination of that drone like beat plus the way the female vocal tones go it reminds me of a type of track ‘Portishead’ would do in their prime.

See, this is the main aspect of Fredro. Although most of the skeleton and base of the songs have that OG Hardcore Hip Hop flavour, the rest of the organs are variations of different inspirations, sounds and textures that he’s incorporated through decades of being in the game, being a student of it and coming out the other end smarter, wiser and more gifted then when he came in. 

It’s for these reasons he’s such a threat to the industry right now because he was always an established one with his raps now he’s a double threat with the production? I can’t see anyone fucking with what he’s doing right now!

Of course, the rappers involved are solid. Did you see the list I made above? Can you imagine a world where any of them do mediocre? None the less while working with Starr? Yeah me neither. Each person destroys their tracks, dope verses, lyricism top notch and they all help maintain the atmosphere of the record which is exactly why there were placed on this record to begin with!

Overall. Unsurprisingly this one goes hard yet again. Whether it’s Onyx, Solo or producer he’s not one to be fucked with and all this is, is further proof that he’s the man to beat! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/1cT8pzpny9jSCUz1naGgkM?si=xOCuCSeCSb-lmGCd4t8aLg

(BERZERKER)

Lately, very few things get me as excited as a new Wulverine-produced album. He’s been on my radar ever since I heard his production on the Here’s Johnny album and then when he was on the latest Dot Com album. Since then, I knew he was the next to blow up, and I wanted to be there for all of it, so let’s talk about it!

This time around, he’s working with MC The Rebel Sky. Someone who is new to me, and so I had curiosity going into this to see what he’s like, and let me just say, he definitely surprised me!

Starting with the production of this 4-track EP. It has a very raw and skeletal grime effect. This time around, Wulverine has chosen loops that are very reminiscent of golden-era East Coast Hardcore Wu-Tang shit. Classical/Foreign music loops with various vocal snippets and an overall menacing vibe and atmosphere using, I think, snippets from the 2013 Wolverine film where it’s set in Japan (ironically the only one I haven’t seen), so the unfamiliar dialogue can only be that in my opinion.

Regardless, I love the dirty, ruthless, and rough-around-the-edges production style on this one. He’s keeping it messy and sharp instead of polished and boring. Hell, in track 3, ‘FUNERAL,’ halfway through the track, it’s just war and screaming with gun sounds and then transitions back to the rapping, that’s tough as fuck.

What’s interesting is after 3 conceptually paired tracks, the outro track ‘ECW’ just features Joey Styles commentary about Sabu (which is also dope because that was my favourite promotion as a teenager). It’s just wild how we go from 3 quarters of the album to be war and Japan-themed, then ends on pro wrestling.

It’s this level of creativity, originality, and mindset that I saw in him a few projects ago, and to hear how chaotic and off the chain he can be makes me happier more than anything, and I really hope he goes down this rabbit hole of experimentation because very soon he will be the one on everyone’s mind. I’ll just be the first to document the rise!

Now, onto the man of the hour, The Rebel Sky. A man who is tasked with bringing the magic words across this controlled chaos. I would describe Rebels style as ‘sharp, precise, and passionate.’ You can hear in his voice that he’s here to slay, and his hustler energy and dominant personality over the tracks make him a force to be reckoned with.

His flow is fluent, his wordplay is clever and pop culture heavy (which I love), and his penmanship is solid and definite.

I love his confident cadence across the bars and verses; he sounds like a man who came into the booth ready to destroy the project and leave the pages burning. 

There’s no features on this EP, so it’s up to him to maintain the quality and consistency across this production, and he does that with no issues at all. You can tell he and Wulverine have excellent chemistry together, and I hope there’s an album to come out of this short record because I’d love to hear more coming from this duo!

Overall, a short and sweet project with tons of replay value. With Wulverine brandishing his adamantium beats while Rebel hoisting his symbol of ‘anti clone’ together, they are here to drop the industry on its head, and if you’re not careful, a couple of blood-soaked Jordans could be your fate; don’t fuck with the BERZERKERS.

https://therebelsky.bandcamp.com/album/berzerker