Don’t sleep on this collaborative album from LUNAR & Skip the Kid. It came out on February 2nd this year. You probably recall me covering a different LUNAR album entitled ARCOBALENO at the end of 2023. Since this album right here followed it up kinda quickly, I wasn’t really sure how it would compare. The silly cover art also kinda influenced my expectations. However, to my surprise, this shit ended up being just as great as ARCOBALENO. As soon as I heard the first track, I knew I was probably gonna have to write about this one.

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Since this isn’t a full review I’m just gonna talk about a handful of highlights, although it should be noted that there’s not a single track on the album that I don’t like. The album begins with a song entitled DEBBIE COOKIES. The first aspect of the song that immediately stood out to me was the dreamy production from Skip the Kid. I think I’ve seen Skip’s naming floating around social media for at least a couple years, but this was my first time actually hearing any of their work. I was kinda caught off guard by how good their production is though. This beat is really great. The vocal sample that was flipped sounds excellent. I have to admit that I personally am not into sports and have never followed it, so I had no idea who Nick Saban was before listening to this project. Before LUNAR starts rapping on this song, we get an audio clip of Nick Saban discussing his affinity for oatmeal cream pies, which I guess explains why he’s holding a box of them up on the album cover. I was really confused about that before I listened. Anyway, LUNAR sounds really good over this beat once he starts rapping. It’s not just his flow, but a big part of the appeal—for me at least—is just his vocal delivery. The dude just sounds really charismatic on the mic in my opinion. He’s also actually a very technically skilled MC if you pay attention to his rhyme schemes.

Asked Stone Cold why he wastin' that beer
Said he's coppin' cases on clearance
Dropped the cod on the hot plate and seared it
I got the short sword like Jet Li in Fearless
Insatiable taste for consuming them human spirits

Everything about this song just came together really well. The verse from LUNAR is great, and it fits over this lush production beautifully. Skip the Kid gave LUNAR a really nice backdrop to perform over. I think the song’s dope as hell. It’s followed by another highlight called THE PAUL FINEBAUM SHOW. I honestly think I like the instrumental on this song even more. It’s really soulful. Not that the preceding beat wasn’t soulful too, but this one has a different feel to it. I think it’s absolutely stellar. It might be my favorite beat on the album. I also think LUNAR was rapping even better on this song than he did on the opening track.

Passed you the water as I watched you choke on the indo
Saw you chattin' with Officer Winslow
Toss you in the canyon attached to a thin rope
Leave you stranded, half dead in a gorge
On the bus they sang Georgie Porgie
They still on the bus, I'm hangin' in the porsche
Test my hand and face the full court press
Used to hate the Ensworth kids on Cortland
Now I'm planning on obtaining the mortgage
Haters get crushed like accordions
Eat the fried plantain with gumbo in New Orleans

This song has a similar structure to the preceding track. However, the clip of Nick Saban speaking is placed after the verse instead of before it. I mean, I think that’s Nick Saban speaking. It could be someone else. I don’t know his voice. Anyway, this song is just as fire as the opening track, if not more so. The next song I wanna talk about is called RAT POISON. The instrumental here sounds kind of like a less wack, dirtier version of something an Army of the Pharaohs member would rap over. LUNAR’s energy on this song matches the tone of the instrumental really well too. His verse is really nice. The song features Mourning Run, who I’ve been following on Twitter for a while now. However, this was admittedly my first time hearing a performance from them. I feel dumb now. I have been sleeping so fucking hard. They absolutely killed this track. This verse alone had me totally convinced of their top notch skills.

I'm not an acolyte
I'm rappin' like you wish you was rappin' like
Get some passion in your life, I pray the math is right
You're not cut out for this craft, just look at the crap you write
My paragraphs are like double my jacket prices
A horde just beyond the castle's light will catapult a mounted pike
Reaper walkin', playin' sole to sole back to life
Matches strike, captain goin' down with the ship
Powerful shit, topple towers in an hour or less
I'm at the bar, I'm taking Crown to the neck
I keep the big red button, release the hounds on deck
Pagliacci how the clown saw death
Wolf jaw snap the groundhog neck
Jabroni blood make the hacksaw blessed

Speaking strictly from a technical perspective, this might be the best verse on the album. That’s definitely the smoothest flow you’ll encounter on this project. I love it. The song’s fire. The last track I wanna mention is called Papillon Frames. I really love how lighthearted and chill the beat on this one is. LUNAR killed the opening verse too.

Your grandma doing my taxes
Swing the axe like Asteroth
I maxed and relaxed in your mama's bathtub
Your pops tried to throw me a towel and dapped me up
I'm at the masquerade rocking glass papillon frames
My wallet looking like the Amazon canopy
Lookin' like Mission: Impossible Ving Rhames in the Grand Cherokee
Don't make me break your hands unbearably
Got the RX-8 keys on the carabiner
Cross a line, I'll put your pet parakeet in the freezer
I'm coughin' off the medical with the deezers
Drop bombs like Expendables in theater
Guap stretching like Ms. Incredible
Took your mother to prom in the vintage two seater

Pro tip: if you want to win me over easily, sneak a Soul Calibur reference into your verse because I will have no choice but to praise it. Honestly… I know this is an extreme statement, but that might be my favorite LUNAR verse that I’ve ever heard. I really think he killed this shit. I can say the same thing about the guest verse from 2 Dolla Will too though. This is the best verse I’ve ever heard from 2 Dolla Will. He absolutely slaughtered this track. He continuously rhymed for over two minutes, and pretty much every bar is quotable.

My homie showed me your shit, said he thinks it's sorta kinda dope
I was like, "Bro, you're gonna need to find a new ride home"
Underground rappers all kinds of broke, talkin' 'bout money
Buddy, that dough must've been filo
Drug sheds, busted and bent light poles
Lycanthrope sacrifice a goat
That's what I might need in return for you to receive a verse
Might hold a contest; I'll send a free verse to the first person to kill Mr. Beast first

The dude absolutely snapped. I think if they both rapped for the same amount of time that they would’ve been about equal on this track, but since 2 Dolla Will’s verse was significantly longer, he ends up having the more memorable performance. This shit is absolutely fire overall though. I actually like it even more now than I did when I first heard it. This is one of my favorite songs that either of them has ever made. It’s dope as fuck.

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^{This album is great. This is one of the best projects I’ve ever heard from LUNAR to be honest. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d probably still be partial to ARCOBALENO, but it’s pretty much neck and neck with this one. This was a really great introduction to Skip the Kid’s production skills. There’s not a single beat that I didn’t enjoy on this record. I think my affinity towards LUNAR’s music is just intensifying as he releases more and more shit. This isn’t even his latest release, so I’m excited to check out the stuff that came out after. If you’ve been a fan of LUNAR up to this point, this is a must-listen album in my opinion. It’s some of the best music I’ve ever heard from him. I didn’t have any expectations going into it because the funny cover art had me confused about what it would be like. This isn’t something you’re gonna wanna miss if you’ve enjoyed LUNAR before though. I think everyone involved in this project did a pretty nice job. Again, I liked every track. There’s really nothing that stood out as being bad. Check this shit out, and let me know what you think of it in the comments below.}

Favorite Song: Papillon Frames
Least Favorite Song: COUNTRY BOY ASS WHOOPIN’

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