Don’t sleep on this collaborative album from MC Brian Ennals and producer Infinity Knives. It was released on July 11th, and I was unfamiliar with both of these artists before hearing it. Dan O of FreeMusicEmpire mentioned these guys at the end of the podcast episode that I was featured on, and I was pretty curious about them after that. Once this album finally dropped, I saw a shit ton of people praising it on Twitter, and then Ryan of NotRealMusic said it was worth giving a shot, so that was kind of the last thing that happened before I finally listened to it.

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Since this isn’t really a full review, I’ll just write about a few of my favorite tracks. The first song that really stood out to me is called Coke Jaw. This track honestly blew me away. I love the weird, Electronic production from Infinity Knives, and I was immediately hooked by Brian Ennals’ aggressive and politically-charged lyricism. The opening line is “fuck the Clintons & the Kennedys.” The first verse is awesome. That line about nailing rappers to crucifixes was fire. I love the way the instrumental builds too. The synths that come in for the hook sound amazing. My favorite lines from Ennals come once the beat switches up towards the end.

Chris Dorner is a motherfuckin' legend
I know that nigga's in Heaven
After we eat the rich, then we gon' murder the reverend

Honestly, this is one of my favorite songs of the year. I know this is gonna sound hella disrespectful, but I feel like this is the type of music JPEGMAFIA thinks he’s making. The political content isn’t just as simple as “fuck racist white people.” There’s actually some depth to it. I’m not saying that Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals are necessarily better artists than JPEG; it’s just that Ennals’ lyricism comes off a lot more well thought out. I still like JPEGMAFIA a lot though. I think he’s really talented, and honestly a collaboration between him and these guys would be crazy. Anyway, Coke Jaw is an amazing song. I love it. The following track is another highlight entitled A Melancholy Boogie. It’s got a surprisingly danceable and groovy instrumental. As Ennals put it, they got into their “Disco bag” on this track. I kinda dislike a lot of Disco music, but this shit is really well done. Ennals’ flow on the first verse is great, and I of course love the lyricism.

We used to say "no sellin' out," but now that we older it's "fuck it, let's get a bag"
Fuck Ted Cruz forever, I hope he gets stabbed
The country is bleeding, the cut isn't healing, at some point you gotta just peel off the scab
Cocaine and vodka 'cause I'm always sad

The sung hook is really catchy too. I liked that line where he said “pussy’s delicious” in the second verse. The way the instrumental kind of expands towards the end of the verse is really nice as well. It’s a fantastic song honestly. I think it’s dope as hell. The last track I wanna talk about is the penultimate song, Sambo’s Last Words. The production isn’t as wild and eccentric as that of the first track I mentioned, but it’s still very entertaining. I was really hooked by Brian Ennals’ lyricism on this track.

I'm in Chipotle with a robe on, wear boat shoes to shoot dice
And I just realized the American flag same color as cop lights
We in the sandlot, scared of the beast
But if you strike the shepherd you get murdered as sheep
They been burning churches forever, man, that shit ain't new
Niggas'll look you in the face and say the sky ain't blue
But a lie's only a lie if you know it ain't true
Lie all the fuck you want, just know who you lyin' to
Smoke circles the moon
My niggas roll joints that look like caterpillar cocoons

This is a really great way to end the album. I mean, it’s not the closing track, but it feels like a resolution to the project. It’s like the final scene in a movie, while the following track is what plays as the credits roll. Anyway, this is another one of my favorite tracks on the album. I think it’s dope as hell.

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^{This is a good album. I personally think it’s kind of inconsistent, and that some of the interludes could have been left on the cutting room floor, but there’s not a single track here that I would say is actually bad. Some of them just didn’t stand out as much as others. This album has some amazing highlights though. If you’re into political, experimental Hip Hop, I’d say that this is a must-listen project. If you’re a big fan of JPEGMAFIA—sorry for bringing him up so much lol—I can’t see you disliking this record. I’m really glad so many people are talking about this project because I almost missed it, and it’s got some of the coolest-sounding production I’ve heard all year. Don’t sleep on this shit. It’s dope.}

Favorite Song: Coke Jaw
Least Favorite Song: The Not so Tired Sounds of Brian Ennals

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