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Atmosphere – “Mi Vida Local” (Album Review)

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Atmosphere is an renown independent hip hop duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota consisting of producer Ant & MC Slug. They’ve released a handful of classics through their label Rhymesayers Entertainment including Lucy Ford, You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having, Sad Clown Bad Dub 9 & my personal favorite: God Loves Ugly. Last time we heard from them was with with Fishing Blues in summer of 2016 but now, they’re finally returning with their 9th full-length album.

Things start off with “Jerome”, where Slug introspectively talks about being underground & depression over an organ & a guitar. The next track “Stopwatch” talks about is an empowering rap rock anthem while the song “Virgo” talks about the current political over an acoustic instrumental. The track “Delicate” goes in the mind of a young Atmosphere fan over a smooth instrumental while the song “Drown” with Cashinova, deM atlaS & The Lioness talks about depression once again a somber boom bap beat.

The track “Anymore” talks about deceiving people over a gloomy guitar while the song “Earring” with Musab sees the 2 talking about cheating women over an alluring soul sample. The track “Trim” is a laidback love tune with synth heavy instrumental while the song “Specificity” does have an angry tone to it, I wish it was a little longer. The track “Mijo” vividly describes his love for his children over a spacey instrumental while “Randy Mosh” is an AMAZING Dynospectrum reunion. The album then finishes with “Graffiti”, which is a positivity anthem with an empowering instrumental.

Honestly, this might be Atmosphere’s best album of the decade & one of their best albums period. Primarily because both lyrically & sonically, Slug & Ant pretty much show us how much they’ve matured over the years.

Score: 8/10

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Ghostface Killah & Big Ghost Ltd. – “The Lost Tapes” (Album Review)

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Ghostface Killah is a 48 year old MC known for being a member of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. He’s easily the most consistent member of the group with albums like Ironman, Supreme Clientele, FishScale, Apollo Kids & 12 Reasons to Die just to name a few. Last time we heard from him was in 2015 when he dropped Sour Soul & 12 Reasons to Die 2 but now, he’s finally returning with his 14th full-length album & he has enlisted Big Ghost Ltd. to produce it in it’s entirety.

After an intro from Michael Rapaport, we go into the first song “Buckingham Palace”. Ghostface on here links up with Benny, 38 Spesh & KXNG CROOKED to tell you to watch how you talk to his goons get over a soulful beat with some triumphant horns. The track “Majestic Accolades” with Hus Kingpin & Planet Asia sees the 3 bragging about their skills over an instrumental kin to the Wu-Elements while the song “Cold Crush” with Chris Rivers, La the Darkman & Ras Kass is filled with battle bars an eerie beat with a prominent grimy guitar-passage.

After the “Put the Ghostface on It” interlude, we go into the song “Saigon Velour”. Where Ghostface gets with E-40 & Snoop Dogg to talk about the code of the street over a soulful beat. The track “Constant Struggle” with Bishop Lamont & Killah Priest sees the 3 vividly describing life in the hood over a soul sample with thunderous drums while the song “Done It Again” with Big Daddy Kane, Cappadonna & Styliztik Jones gets romantic over a piano & some horns.

After the “Reflections or C.R.E.A.M.” interlude, the penultimate song “Watch ‘Em Holla” with Raekwon, Cappadonna & Masta Killa feels like a classically gritty Wu banger with some horns. And before things end with a Michael Rapaport outro, the final song “I Think I Saw a Ghost with Sheek Louch & Vic Spencer is a rap rock anthem that’ll make you wanna flip your table over.

While it is short & I wish there were a couple tracks where Ghostface is rapping by himself, this is another solid effort. Big Ghost’s vintage production style perfectly suits Ghostface’s lyricism & the guest verses are great, too.

Score: 8/10

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Theghost&I – “Paper Trail” (Single Review)

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“Paper Trail” introduced by Theghost&I genre-bending Duo made up of Inaiah Lujan of The Haunted Windchimes & In/Planes and ZETfree of Bullhead*ded & Made Up Minds. This is a very interesting song with an equally interesting cover that provokes thought & conversation based on the symbolism. The genre is hard to put a finger on but has a country Hip-Hop overtone making it completely unique. I love the rhythmic feel as the artist builds and creates a structure that hooks you in singing alone.

The story is what will make this piece of art live on. Overall genius I can’t wait to see what else this supergroup brings to the table, it reminds me slightly of Shwayze creators of “Buzzin” & “Corona & Lime”. The emotion behind this record is what brought out the impact I was able to connect with it right away. Bigge Smalls mentions he used to listen to country music as a child and it enhanced his storytelling ability.

As time goes on I can only see this duo’s chemistry growing and creating more hits as the result. “Paper Trail” rhyme structure is better than most emcees these days as he crafts the master of ceremony attributes in many ways. Personally, I love an artist who steps outside the box and finds new ways of expressing themselves through musical arts, this is the type of content that moves our culture forward.

Check out Inaiah Lujan of The Haunted Windchimes & In/Planes and ZETfree of Bullhead*ded & Made Up Minds on Facebook & Instagram.

RATING: 7/10

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Cypress Hill – “Elephants on Acid” (Album Review)

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Cypress Hill is a legendary West Coast hip hop group consisting of MCs B-Real & Sen Dog alongside producer DJ Muggs & percussionist Eric Bobo. Their first 3 albums are widely considered to hip hop classics, but their material since then has been considered average. However, they are returning with their 9th full-length album after an 8 year hiatus.

After the Tusko intro, we go into the first song “Band of Gypsies”. Here, B-Real & Sen are spitting battle bars over a psychedelic beat. The track “Put ‘Em in the Ground” gets murderous over an eerie vocal sample & after the “Satao” interlude, we go into the song “Jesus Was a Stoner”. Here, B-Real makes many references to weed & religion over an instrumental with a haunting atmosphere.

The song “Pass the Knife” returns to the murder bars over an eerie beat & after the “LSD” interlude, we go into the song “Oh Na Na”. Here, B-Real of course talks about getting high over some infectious horns. After the “Holy Mountain” interlude, we go into the song “Locos”. Here, B-Real & Sen deliver street bars over a gritty beat.

The track “Falling Down” confrontationally talks about life over a distorted bass line & after the “Elephant Acid” interlude, the song “Insane OG” pretty much speaks for itself over a apocalyptic beat. However, I wish it was longer than just 84 seconds. “The 5th Angel” is an instrumental interlude that sounds like it could be playing in a trailer for an upcoming horror movie while the track “Warlord” talks about judgement day over a fitting boom bap beat.

The song “Reefer Man” is a sequel to “Dr. Greenthumb” with a tuba-inflicted boom bap beat & after the “Thru the Rabbit Hole” interlude, we go into the song “Crazy”. Here, B-Real & Sen talk about insanity over a trippy beat. The track “Muggs is Dead” is a psychedelic instrumental interlude while the penultimate track “Blood on My Hands” sees B-Real comparing himself to the Grim Reaper over an ominous beat. The closer “Stairway to Heaven” sees B-Real talking about his prediction of the afterlife over a prominent woodwind sample.

From front to back, this was a strong return to form for Cypress. Sure there are WAY too many interludes, but DJ Muggs’ production is just as gritty as the old days & it’s a bit more experimental too. The lyricism is sharper as well. If you wanna hear a fantastic comeback album from one of the greatest West Coast groups ever, PLEASE give this a listen.

Score: 8/10

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Vinnie Paz – “The Pain Collector” (Album Review)

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Vinnie Paz is a underground titan MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known for being the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective. He put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively, but returned in 2016 with the disappointingly average The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. And now just 3 months after the release of the latest JMT album The Bridge & The Abyss, Boxcutter Pazzy isn’t stopping with his 4th full-length album.

The album begins with “Winter Soldier”, where Paz gets confrontational over some strings. The next song “Necklace of Hands” gets bloodthirsty over a gritty yet soulful instrumental from Oh No while the track “Gasmask” is a mix of street & conscious bars over an eerie beat. The song “Sundae Bloody Sundae” intellectually compares himself to an ice cream man as a metaphor for a drug dealer over an alluring soul sample while the track “Jail Cell Recipes” continues this theme albeit in a much menacing & straight forward tone to it. The song “Tongan Death Grip” with Reef the Lost Cauze sees the 2 spitting battle bars over some sinister horns while the track “God’s Shadow” reflects on his early days over a woodwind-inflicted boom bap beat with a cool Biggie sample on the hook.

The song “DualTow Night Eagle” sees Pazzy getting back in your face over a haunting beat while the track “Blood on My Hands” gets back on the murder tip over a somber boom bap beat. The song “Floating Goat” sounds like it was recorded for the latest Soul Assassins album Dia del Asesinato, but it works very well on here. The track “Byzantine Jewelry” brags about how hardcore he is over a laidback beat with a beautiful soul sample on the hook while I do find the beat switch on the song “Requiem for Black Benjy in 2 Parts” as well as the verses from both Vinnie & Crimeapple, I found Tha God Fahim‘s verse to be pretty bland. The track “Pray for Sleep” goes into the mind of a insane murderer over a gloomy vocal sample while the song “HaShem on a Pentagram” with Non Phixion members Ill Bill & Goretex sees the 3 talking about criminal activity over an apocalyptic boom bap beat.

The track “Masked Stickups” talking about how he can have people disappear if he wants to over a piano & a funky bass-line while the song “Hollow Light Severed Sun” has a somber beat & I absolutely love how Paz experiments with his flow on here. The track “Cold in Philadelphia” tells the story of an immigrant coming to america over an acoustic instrumental while the penultimate track “Gracious” talks about all the things he’s grateful for over a vocal sample & some piano chords. The album then closes with “A Power Governments Cannot Suppress”, where Paz gets political & I absolutely love how the instrumental gets progressive throughout it’s 6 minute runtime.

Honestly, this is on par with Paz’s first 2 albums & I’ll even say it’s better than the latest Jedi Mind Tricks album. There are a couple weak spots & I feel like it 4 or 5 tracks could’ve been left out of the picture, but it’s just as rawly produced & angrily delivered than ever before.

Score: 8/10

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Roc Marciano – “Behold a Dark Horse” (Album Review)

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Roc Marciano is a legendary underground MC/producer from Long Island, New York who started out in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad. He then went solo in 2008 & has dropped 5 albums since, with his last one Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose being released in February of this year. However, he has decided to drop his 6th full-length album out of nowhere exclusively on his website.

Things start off with “The Horse’s Mouth”, where Roc brags about how dope he is over an eerie beat from Preservation. The next song “Congo” contains some gritty street bars over a Roc instrumental that contains some punchy drums & a guitar while the song “1,000 Deaths” gets confrontational over some strings. The song “Diamond Cutters” with Black Thought sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a middle eastern instrumental while the track “Amethyst” talks about being a threat in the streets over a somber instrumental from Animoss, but the hook halfway through was awkward. The song “Sampson & Delilah” gets back on the battle bar tip over a woodwind heavy instrumental from Doncee despite another wimpy hook while the track “No Love” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 talking about trust over a beautiful soul sample from Roc himself.

The song “Trojan Horse” with Busta Rhymes sees the 2 getting mafioso over an instrumental that reminds of me “Wildflower” off of Ghostface Killah’s classic 1996 solo debut Ironman while the track “Fabio” goes at talentless rappers as well as bragging about himself over an instrumental from The Alchemist that starts off laidback, but then switches into something more eerie halfway through. The song “Secrets” gets romantic over a spacey beat from Roc himself while the penultimate track “Whoolers” returns to the braggadocious tip over a soulful horn-induced beat from Animoss. The album then ends with “Consigliere”, where Roc gets into the lavish life once again as well as challenging his competition over an orchestral instrumental from Q-Tip.

As I expected, Roc didn’t disappoint at all. I don’t care for the parts where he’s singing at all, but the beats & the lyrical content are just as gritty as they’ve always been. If you wanna hear a horribly underrated vet sound rawer than ever before, then give this a listen.

Score: 8/10

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