Note: Patreon Supporters recieved access to this review on August 2nd, 2024.

This album was released on August 2nd this year. Wolftone previously worked with AJ Suede on an album called Gotham Fortress, which was released back in 2017. When this new album was announced, I went back and listened to Gotham Fortress just to get an idea of what I may be able to expect. I enjoyed it, mostly because it was just so interesting to see the type of stuff AJ Suede was making back then. A lot of it was pretty different from the new stuff he’s been making. I wondered if Wolftone’s sound had the same kind of metamorphosis, so I was excited to check this new one out. Another cool thing about this album is that it was all made in person. None of the collabs were done through the internet. Everything was done in real life by Washington artists on a very human level, so that’s cool. Thankfully, this ended up being another one of my favorite albums I’ve heard from AJ Suede.

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The album begins with a highlight called Rent’s Dew.

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The beat here is actually pretty amazing. I liked Gotham Fortress, but the instrumental here just feels so much richer and more textured than the stuff that was on that album. This beat actually kinda reminds me of something noface might’ve made for Fatboi Sharif’s Preaching in Havana album. It’s kind of a lowkey, eerie vibe. I really love it. It kinda makes me think of shadows or hallucinations. The vocal sample sounds like it’s being sung by a ghost. Like, if I was going through another psychotic episode, I feel like this is the kinda shit that would be playing in my head. I mean that in a good way. It’s melodic, but it’s got a very cerebral vibe to it. It sounds really cool. I also like how Wolftone incorporated that sound of the phone ringing throughout the whole track. You’d think something like that would be annoying as fuck, but it works shockingly well here. It really just strengthens the creepy tone of the song. Suede killed his verse here too.

Beef the only way the major labels get the streams up
Damage be collateral, but really need that green stuff
Got them sleepwalkin' through delusions that they dreamed up
My season is premiere, you full of fear and live a re-run
On the mean one, but that's just the way my genes run
I was raisin' hell until the time that my teens done
Goin' through the dirty early twenties, had to clean it up
Thought you seen it all, that's the moment life surprises you
When you get comfortable, then it starts remindin' you
Trouble starts findin' you, better keep the street clean
They been programmin' you since you was a pre-teen

I actually think this is one of the best rapping performances I’ve ever heard from him. The song title did not mislead me. I really love the outro too.

How we so chill, but still rappin' like the rent's due?
Keep it so chill, still rappin' like the rent's due
So laid back, still rappin' like the rent's due
Wolf on the beat, makin' beats like the rent's due
'Cause it is

There’s really nothing I don’t love about this track. I loved it the first time I heard it, but then it grew on me even more as I spent time with the album. I think it’s amazing honestly, and one of the best songs he’s ever made. It’s dope as fuck. Track 2 is called Prove Me Wrong, and it features a singer named Maya Marie. I really like the production on this track. It makes me think of Mad Max. I say that as someone who only has a vague idea of what Mad Max is. Anyway, the vocals from Maya Marie are pretty great. She can sing very well. She plays such a prominent role in this song that she doesn’t feel like a guest. It feels more like a song by AJ Suede & Maya Marie than a song by AJ Suede featuring Maya Marie, if you get my drift. I fuck with it. She’s dope. This sounds like a supervillain’s theme song. I really like her hook, and her verse is tight as well. Suede’s verse starts about halfway through the track, and it’s really great.

Twirlin' the loud, we don't do no phillys
It's my job to astound, street magic in the city
Pioneering the sound, what they do too silly
Why they comin' around? Musta not've got the memo
Or they sluffin' on that, 'cause I'm givin' out several
Steppin' up to the bat, bring home the gold medals
With my senses intact, all at once, not subtle
Pulled up in all black like the pot to the kettle

I feel like he sounded slightly more aggressive than usual here. I really fuck with the song. This whole album has a really strong atmosphere going. This shit is dope. Track 3 is called Off Track Betting, and it’s got another really cool, kind of eerie instrumental.

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The relatively uptempo production has kind of a cartoonish loop, which sounds really cool. Suede really killed this track too.

The gold chain store scammin' rappers all crazy
Linin' niggas up, takin' candy from a baby
The 40 pulled up, couple fools smokin' blues
With the foil all burnt and their clothes are too
The smell is unbearable, so I turned back
And said, "damn, fam, why you gotta do us like that?"
Business as usual, here's nothing new to you
Even with the issues everything is still beautiful
The one with the initials in the name and the material
Gotta stay cozy, so you know the track suitable

The hook is pretty cool too. Despite the stellar performance from Suede himself, this isn’t really a highlight for me on the album. I think if the beat switched up or evolved more at some point then I would’ve appreciated it a bit more. Don’t get me wrong though, I still fuck with the track. I think it’s really good. Track 4 is called No Loss, and it features Perry Porter. The beat on this track is really great. I liked it the first time I heard it, but it grew on me even more with multiple listens. I really like the feature from Perry Porter on this song. Their voice is really dope. The first verse from AJ Suede is amazing.

Still I be smokin', up in the crib and all in the open
Smokin' that motion only way that I be copin', phones I be ghostin'
Coastin' to coastin', cape on, I'm thinkin' I'm Spaceghost
Yeah, I was dodgin' the plain clothes
I never fuck on no plain hoes
I never dreamed of a Range Rove'

I love the way his flow evolves throughout his verse. The hook is fire, and I liked the second verse Perry Porter a lot too. The instrumental outro on this track is also really cool. I love the song, and like I said it grew on me with more listens. I think it’s dope as hell. Same goes for the following track, Square Root of Two. This one features BlkSknn, and it’s got a really fun, lighthearted instrumental. I love the loop here with minimal percussion. Out of all the collabs on this project, I actually think this one is probably where there was the most chemistry. That’s just how it feels from my perspective. The way they were kinda going back and forth with their verses was really awesome. This part from Suede is fire.

Bring it to your door, I implore you to settle down
Going to the store for the score and like seven pounds
Playin' Twisted Metal now, talkin' 'bout the second one
Fraction of a penny every single time this record's spun

And then the way BlkSknn comes in right behind him is so dope.

On any given Tuesday, I can cook a whole EP like a soufflé
But I ain't Craig David, and today ain't my birthday
Soundin' like I'm on a different planet with this wordplay
I am Robert Horry and this Saturn, yo, that's hella rings
Big shot from the wing, hella drive, take a seat
Come along, we winnin' things
Championship type of team, ballin' like the big three
Picture perfect flow, hope the camera don't miss me

I was really impressed by this BlkSknn person, so I decided to follow them. I’m looking forward to checking out more of their material. In fact, I followed all of the featured artists on this project because every single one of them was enjoyable. Anyway, the song’s dope as hell. It’s followed by my favorite track on the album, Lost My Bag. This one is so amazing. I love this instrumental so much. It’s a really beautiful loop. It sounds very emotional. The vocal sample just carries a lot of emotion. It’s also slightly unsettling, which is cool. I love it, and the way Suede flowed over it with no percussion was amazing. His wordplay was really slick here.

Spawn of God, think fast like Ramadan
Type of time we on, twist your shit like Shyamalan
Feelin' Unbreakable until you had to Split the class
When it's Halloween you might see a Ghost of Christmas Past
Gimme routing numbers, I don't want my pockets full of cash
Smokin' like a chimney, drinkin' coffee 'til I fuckin' crash
Listen to myself and gang, I don't play that other trash
Black Mass, Whitey Bulger racist shit, gutter trash

He really killed this track. This is definitely one of my favorite songs I’ve ever heard from him to be honest. This & Radiation from Ark Flashington are the two I probably like the most. This shit is fire. The production is incredible, and AJ Suede murdered it. It’s amazing. Track 7 is called Limited Edition, and it has another feature from BlkSknn. This is one of the bouncier tracks on the album. The production is really great, and of course both the MCs rapped very well over it. I think for a beat like this, BlkSknn’s kind of monotone vocal delivery doesn’t work the best, but that’s just a nitpick. I still really enjoy the verse overall. I really liked AJ Suede’s flow on the second verse a lot too. I also loved the bars that he repeated for the outro.

Underground God so the verse not cheap
Every year is better, first couple they were sleep
Put myself in debt, bounced back times three
Charge it to the game, so the work not free

It’s a very dope song. I fuck with it. The following song is called Doctor Evol, and it features Perry Porter again. I think this song has one of the best beats on the album, and both of them sound really nice over it. Suede’s flow on the first verse is so good.

Another pyrrhic victory
Paper gets all of the intimacy
So much for financial literacy
Thought of investing in vending machines

The way Perry Porter comes in right after this part sounds really cool. This is another one of my favorite collabs on the project to be honest. I would really like to see a music video for this track in particular. I think they could do something really cool with this one. It’s a really dope song. The penultimate track is called Funhouse Mirror, and that’s a really fitting title. The beat sounds like some trippy funhouse type of shit to me. It’s a really awesome instrumental. It sounds really cinematic. I think it’s one of the best on the project. The song’s only a minute and 48 seconds long, but the length feels perfect. It’s short and sweet. I of course appreciated the Kingdom Hearts reference from Suede in the verse, and I really love the outro. The way he kinda switches up his delivery every time he says it is really cool sounding. I love the song. It’s dope as hell. The closing track is called Grimace, and it’s another one of my favorite songs on the album. I guess this would be considered a Cloud Rap song. I generally am not really into that style, but I think it’s really well done here. The production is kind of trippy and hypnotizing. I love it. This would be the perfect song to get high to. It’s definitely going on my smoke playlist. I appreciate the content as an avid stoner myself. The song features an artist named Wishbaby, who killed the second verse.

I be so high, I can never land
I get so low, I don't have to stand
Smokin' pot, I don't have a pan
Finish everything on my plate
Servin' at Paddy's no Mickey D's
It's a scrimmage, get a quarter back
Stuffin' grimace in my fanny pack
Me and Suede just finished half a sack

Songs like this tend to end up as some of my most played of the year because I listen to them while smoking so much, so I expect to have a long future with this track. I love it. It’s dope as fuck.

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^{This album is dope as hell. This is such a drastic leap in quality from Gotham Fortress, which is honestly really beautiful to see. It’s really fucking cool how much they’ve grown in the past 7 years. On Gotham Fortress there were some songs that felt a little trendy, but this new album just feels like really well made, original music from original artists. I really don’t have any consistent complaints with this one. I think this is a must-listen project for fans of AJ Suede. This is just such a consistent project. There’s not a single skippable track here. The production from Wolftone feels very moody and atmospheric, which is really cool. Suede says some really tight shit on this project too. I plan on copping one of those dope ass cassettes once I scrounge up enough cash, so hopefully it doesn’t sell out too fast. We’ll see. Hopefully I can get one. (EDIT: I got it 😎) Anyway, definitely check this project out, and be sure to leave a comment below letting me know what you think of it. Personally, I think it’s really exceptional.}

Favorite Song: Lost My Bag
LEast favorite Song: Off Track Betting

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