This week was honestly a little slow for me, but it’s probably because I didn’t start writing about songs until like Thursday. I probably missed a few tracks. Anyway, this week I wanna highlight my review for Pro Zay & Timepiece’s collaborative album, ALLEY MUZIK. It’s got one of the best album covers of 2020, and I think the music matches it beautifully. Check that shit out.

Tuesday, March 23rd

Filth Element by G-Mo Skee featuring DJ Stigmata produced by Cotardz

I featured G-Mo Skee in last week’s Best Singles of the Week post if I’m not mistaken, but this track honestly blows that other song outta the water. Everything about this track is just super well done, from the production, to the flows and rhymes, to the music video itself… It’s all very polished. G-Mo killed it as always.

All these rich rappers don't got the it factor
So I drag 'em in the gutter by the timbs and kidnap 'em
Lit candles, eyes red, watch my head spin backwards
Summon 10 phantoms to spill blood and lick plasma

I love the scratches from DJ Stigmata on the hook, and the second verse is even better than the first. That line about cussing out deaf people in sign language was wild.

The beat is a hitchhiker goin' wherever the rhyme take it
Ride painted black with a mirror on the side hangin'
Violatin', cussin' out deaf people in sign language
Middle finger high waving, got the whole vibe changin'
The big dog from the Sandlot is back
You a copycat, blue stripes on your hockey mask
This the authentic, arsenic, hard-hittin', car-flippin'
Raw lyric hot enough to thaw chicken

He killed this track. I think it’s dope as hell. Check it out and let me know what you think. I’m looking forward to whatever album this eventually lands on.

Eating Never Stressing by Flee Lord produced by DJ Muggs

Flee Lord was one of 2020’s MVPs when it comes to Gangsta Rap artists in my opinion. The dude put out an album every single month of the year, and they were all pretty good. Granted, they didn’t have much going for them as far as song structure, but, if you’re just in the mood to hear some gritty rhymes over hard beats, he released a myriad of dope projects for you to check out. DJ Muggs has been doing a lot of collaborative work with underground Gangsta Rap artists for the past few years, so I wasn’t necessarily surprised when I saw this collab pop up in my subscription box. I was definitely excited though, and it ended up being just as good as I thought it’d be. The minimalistic production is super soulful, and Flee Lord went in like he always does.

You can hear the pain in this Muggs sample
I came in the game with a flame like a candle
My name is my handle, the lames spit it scrambled
They can't get it straight, I keep changin' up my angles
I'm droppin' once a month, big watch just to stunt
I'm comin' up, but never once forgot where I'm from

The song is from an album entitled Rammellzee, which should be out by the time this post goes up, so be sure to check that out.

Wednesday, March 24th

Halloween Apples by Skribbal featuring Damian Krypt & Celph Titled produced by Pragmatic

I haven’t really spoken about it before, but Celph Titled actually has my number 1 favorite voice in Rap, so I was super excited when I saw that Skribbal got him for this latest single. I’m not really familiar with Damian Krypt, but I thought he did a pretty good job on the opening verse. This song has kind of a Horrorcore tinge to it, so it reminds me of something I’d hear from The Circle of Tyrants. Skribbal still sounds a lot like B-Real to me here. He fucking slaughtered that second verse though. His flow was great. I’m not really crazy about the hook, but Celph Titled killed the last verse. I’d still say Skribbal had the best performance though. It almost felt like his verse was longer than that of the others, but I might be trippin’. Overall, I think the song’s really dope. Check it out.

Thursday, March 25th

One of the Last by Mello Music Group featuring Marlowe

This is the final single from MMG before they release their label compilation on April 1st, and I think it’s great. Marlowe was one of the better albums of 2018, and they were able to recapture that magic last year for its sequel. I was kind of afraid in 2018 that Marlowe would be a one-time occurrence, so I’m glad they’ve remained so prolific since then. I think this was a great choice of a track to put on the label comp too because it gives listeners who might be unfamiliar with the duo a pretty good taste of what their music is like. L’Orange is still slapping together these really animated, fun, sample-driven beats, and Solemn Brigham is spazzing over the production with a top tier melodic flow. If you’re a fan of Marlowe, it’d make no sense for you to dislike this. It’s dope stuff.

Mufaro’s Garden by Georgia Anne Muldrow

This is the lead single for the third entry in Georgia Anne Muldrow’s VWETO series. I reviewed VWETO II back in 2019, and it ended up being a lot better than I thought it would be, so I’m looking forward to the third one. I’m hoping it’s just as good if not better than the second one. This track in particular is super smooth and jazzy. It kinda reminds me of something that The Lasso would make. It’s a little long, and I wouldn’t say it ever really gets too adventurous, but I did enjoy it overall. Check it out.

Friday, March 26th

NO ME IMPORTA by MANNY SÁNCHEZ

MANNY SÁNCHEZ is an artist I’ve covered a couple times before in the past. He went through a much needed rebranding after releasing his debut EP, and we haven’t had any full projects from him ever since. I’m hoping we get another project from him sooner rather than later. The singles he’s been releasing have all been pretty fire, especially this one. I don’t know who made the beat, but I love how dark the production here is. I could see someone like Tyler the Creator rapping over this one. Manny’s lyrics here are pretty aggressive, but in kind of a humorous way. He doesn’t really come off like a street rapper to me. He just comes off like a guy who likes to have fun and isn’t afraid to get as disrespectful as possible. The flows are pretty tame; it’s really the production and aggressive delivery from Manny that makes the song entertaining to me. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Kolourz by Sauce Walka featuring Rico Glizzy

Sauce Walka is an artist I’ve been getting into more lately ever since he dropped a song called R.I.P. Buddy. That track blew me away, so I’ve been checking out everything else he’s been putting out. This latest track is really hard. I feel like he fits in really well with the Texas scene. I can definitely hear Bun B killing this slowed down soulful beat. Sauce Walka’s verse at the beginning of the song is hard as hell too. I wasn’t familiar with Rico Glizzy prior to hearing this track, but I actually really liked his melodic hook, which was performed in Spanish. His entire verse was actually performed in Spanish; I obviously understood none of it, but I thought he sounded good. He was flowing nicely. The song just has this really chill atmosphere to it. I don’t really know how to describe it, but the percussion pattern seems really off-kilter. It seems like this beat would be hard to rap over, but Sauce Walka & Rico Glizzy rocked it. The single apparently comes from an upcoming album by Sauce Walka entitled God of Texas, which I’m looking forward to. I don’t know when it’s supposed to drop, but I’m gonna be all over it when it does come out.

The Crush by Hus Kingpin produced by Macapella

Last year Hus Kingpin dropped a really dope EP that I unfortunately didn’t get the chance to review entitled Threesome. Obviously, just based off the title it’s clear that the content was pretty sexual. I actually did enjoy the project though. I think Hus is able to rap about sexual stuff pretty tastefully. He never got too gratuitous with the more vulgar stuff, so it never made me uncomfortable while listening. This latest single comes from the upcoming sequel to the Threesome EP, which is scheduled for release on April 5th. This is more of what I loved about the first project. He’s just rapping relatively tastefully about a crush he has.

She said "it's funny how we want what we can't have"
I said "it's funny how we fuck in the bath
Then switch to the shower, I send you home to your mans"
I smoke in my crib and crash

The beat is very lighthearted too. I can see Nas rapping over a beat like this back in his younger days. Like, pre-God’s Son era Nas. The song is really dope. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Through the Wire by NYM Lo featuring Smoke DZA

Back in 2014 when I first started this blog, the second review I ever wrote was for a project called The Outsiders by a group called R.F.C., who were led by Smoke DZA. Apart from DZA himself, the two members who stood out to me the most were Al-Doe & NYM Lo. It makes me happy that both of them are still around and putting out dope shit. I love how hard NYM Lo sounds on this track. The way he’s flowing kinda reminds me of ElCamino, but I think he’s a better rapper than ElCamino. His verse here is great. That “the pendant / dependin'” double entendre was nice.

Listen homie, here's a jewel to make your game change
Keep the main thing the main thing
Get some money, mind your business
Or you gon' be dependin' on a nigga like his chain swang
Gotta hold the ratchet tight, that's just a fact of life
'Cause where we come from, nah, that shit ain't paradise

I don’t know who produced this track—I’m guessing 183rd—but I really like the horn loop here. It sounds very elegant and majestic. I think Smoke DZA sounds great over it too. He killed his verse. His rhymes were on point. I think it made a lot of sense for DZA to work with Benny the Butcher because they kind of rhyme similarly in my opinion. The song was already really good, but Smoke DZA pushed this track to the next level for me. I think it’s dope as hell.

Inereyes by Dope KNife produced by Paul Abdul

This is either the second or third single that Dope KNife has released this year. Everything he’s been dropping lately has been really dope, so it has me wondering if he’s getting ready to release another project. This latest track has a really nice, traditional sounding boom bap instrumental from Paul Abdul, and Dope KNife of course rocked it as always.

They givin' us flack for all the shit we doin' in these city streets though
I'm bare ass, it's confusing all these pretty people
A square path's an illusion I consider lethal
I would rather die than end up snoozing in your shitty steeple
And that's the shit that's gonna warn my motive
So while y'all look like food, we'd be a swarm of locusts

The vocal sample that Paul Abdul flipped here is actually really pretty. I liked that line that Dope KNife had about attacking a nazi with a brick. That was hard. The song’s really dope. It’s got a pretty straightforward structure, so if you’re just in the mood to hear some tight rhymes over a soulful instrumental, this is for you. Check it out.

Papi Wardrobe by Vinnie Paz produced by Stu Bangas

This was one of the most pleasant surprises of the week for me. I actually had no idea that Vinnie Paz was working on another album. If you’ve been following me for a while you know I’m a big fan of Vinnie Paz, so this made me pretty happy. I think the sample-based production here from Stu Bangas is pretty nice, and Vinnie of course killed it.

Everybody caught gettin' hit like I'm an anatomist
I'm not a pacifist, I got lots of yops in the cabinet
The murder graduate, and that tough talk was the catalyst
Motherfuckers need opposition, I'm the antagonist
The school for catching hommies, the top of the class graduate
The pain is passionate and the mazes are too elaborate
The bodies piled up in a layer, they're like a laminate
Munafiqun, we everywhere and they a contaminate

As always, he sounds super angry and aggressive, which I love. As you can see, he was going ham & cheese on that “a-oh-ih” rhyme scheme. I think the kind of melodic hook sounds surprisingly good, and I’m glad he switched up his flow and rhymes for the second verse. The song is hard as bricks. Check it out and let me know what you think.

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^{Like I said, this was kind of a slow week for me, but the songs here are dope, so it wasn’t completely barren. Let me know what songs you think got snubbed, as well as what you enjoyed from this list. Peace.}