Note: Patreon supporters received access to this review on September 13th, 2024.

This album was released on August 30th this year. I was pretty excited when I found out about this collaboration. Both of these guys are important fixtures in the underground scene that I’ve tapped into. A lot of my favorite releases of the current decade have either come from these guys or associated artists, so for them to link up on a full album like this was really cool to see. At one point in the past few years Bloodmoney Perez was producing under the name Spector Gadget. I think he also used the name mofonghosst. I guess they decided to go with his more well-known stage name so that people wouldn’t be confused about who’s involved, or maybe Bloodmoney just decided that he doesn’t like those names anymore. Anyway, I kinda had a feeling that this would end up being not only one of the better releases of the year, but one of my favorite albums from either of these artists period. I’m happy to report that my gut did not mislead me.

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The album begins with the title track, EMBLEMS, which may actually be my favorite song here to be honest. I love how they really started this shit off with such a bang. It’s one of the most energetic tracks on the project, and it immediately demanded my attention. The way Headtrip flowed on this shit is crazy. His breath control and cadence sound absolutely relentless. It really makes me wonder how the hell they created this song because he effortlessly raps on beat before the percussion even comes in. Headtrip comes swingin’ straight out the gate, and the first verse is amazing. His flow is just so mesmerizing to me.

Stitchin' up the busted seams in my, “Trust me, I’m aight!” suit
While you combin’ this motivation desert with a fine toothed
Tryna find out why you grind through the night 'til the sky blue
Don’t know why, but you’re dyin’ to
We call it planned obsolescence, they call it a design fluke
Don’t overlook the asterisk after “fireproof”

One of my favorite lines in the first verse is about how Lt. Headtrip’s music requires multiple listens to fully appreciate, which is definitely something I’ve noticed with past releases.

If it don’t make sense the first listen, it’s ‘cause I didn’t write it to
They call me "Headtrip" for a reason, need I remind you?

I guess I’ve never really considered the connection between his name and the traits and skills he exhibits in his music. Anyway, the first verse is fantastic, and I even like the hook a lot despite its simplicity. The energetic, explosive production helps to keep things interesting. The second verse is somehow even more dense than the first one.

Antisocial constructs, postmodern apocalypse
The dissolution of knowledge due to group self consciousness
Curious how your most esteemed philosophers are all misogynists
“Human nature’s an oxymoron,” says the crusading anthropologist
Hormones in your chocolate milk, spermicidal condiments
Product placement in your talking points, conversational partnerships
Commoners in the slaughterhouse, overlords in your parliaments
Who pledge allegiance to the flag waver tax evader sponsorships

The guitar contribution from Manuel Reyes just adds another layer of dopeness to the track. The additional vocals from Christina Pecce add a lot too. Again, it’s one of my favorites on the album. I think it’s dope as fuck. The last track on this album is technically a remix of this song done by KILLVONGARD, and I actually find this a little frustrating because I really can’t decide which version I prefer. I mean that in the best way possible though. It’s a good problem to have for sure. I’m definitely glad both versions are included because I’ll be listening to both. The main facet of the beat from KVG that stood out to me at first was the percussion. The drums just sound really goddamn great. It’s boiling hot fire. Track 2 is called Home Cooked, and I believe it was released as the second single from this album if I’m not mistaken.

Bloodmoney’s production here is awesome. The beat has kind of a dark, mechanical aesthetic that’s really cool. It’s like if an alien spaceship was somehow a musical instrument. This is what that would sound like. It’s deceptively melodic in a really cool way too though. The opening verse from Headtrip is of course fire. This line stood out to me the most…

Crashed on more couches stained with someone's fond memories than I can remember

“Stained with fond memories” is crazy. Headtrip, you’re crazy for that one. It’s not the most profound line in the verse by any means, but it definitely got the biggest reaction out of me. My jaw dropped the first time I caught it. Speaking of which, I probably didn’t even catch it until my 5th or 6th listen of the album. I live for shit like that. It seemed like some additional drums kicked in after about 47 seconds into the track, so that was a cool little detail to notice.

I'm, uh, gonna speak more directly 'cause I feel like nobody gets me
But my tongue functions independently from the rest of me
Just keepin' it together ostensibly
Rockin' the same existential stressors as yesterday, like, "Can you tell that I slept in these?"

OLD SELF’s guest verse here is awesome too. Every single feature on this album sounded really great. I think a reason why they came out so good is that none of the other rappers approach rapping and flowing the same way Lt. Headtrip does, so they always spice things up nicely. The production here is nowhere near as laid-back as the stuff on A drop in the bucket is still a drop, so this feature has a completely different vibe from that project. If I had to compare OLD SELF’s flow to someone more ubiquitous, I would say it actually reminded me of Aesop Rock.

It’s weird enough to act tough like Justin Bieber does
And still watch your steps as to not get your sneakers scuffed
Maybe I just need a hug, I do it for the love
And rock a set for compliments, and a slice from the pizza truck
Self expression, a hunger for acceptance
Pop culture reference, mom on the guest list
I don’t have change, I hope you got a cassette deck
And if you don’t get it, it’s okay, I’m not for everyone

The scratches on the hook from Samurai Banana are a really great touch, and I even liked the speech from that person named t0dd. The song’s really dope. It’s followed by another highlight called Elementary Space Madness, which was released as the lead single for the album.

I recently learned more about Yung Daddy in my interview with Headtrip. She really left a big impression on me with her verse on this track. First of all, the production from Bloodmoney here is excellent. This is easily the grooviest song on the whole album. The only thing I could think of when I first heard it was Erick Sermon & Redman to be honest. Prime Redman would absolutely scorch this beat. The opening verse from Yung Daddy is really awesome. She just oozes confidence on the mic, and it’s really captivating. She just sounds charismatic when she raps. I’m gonna use a slang term that was popular when I was younger, and say that she sounds like she has “swag.” God, I’m embarrassed just typing that out. I’m such a dork. For real though, she just sounds cool as shit here.

I approach these rap niggas with a enmity
But I don’t have the energy to make y’all niggas enemies
Trust me you know if you are or are not a friend of me
‘Cause Daddy has a tendency to keep it elementary
Yeah, that’s no hassle for you bums
Yeah, I’ll take your shit and run for no reason, just the fun
Catch you later then I pull off into the sun
Marijuana in my lungs, it ain’t did until I'm done

Her verse is great. She has a very velvety voice, and it sounds perfect with the smoothness of her flow. She killed it. Speaking of having a unique, recognizable voice, Googie of course sounds very good on the hook. The organ from Andru Dennis that comes in during this part is really cool too. This might be my favorite verse from Headtrip on the whole album. His flow is incredible here. I think I’m gonna do a Tik Tok where I’m dancing to this verse because his flow just makes me wanna move. It’s hard for me to hear this flow without swaying along to it. His cadence is like the tide coming in and out on a beach. It’s really mesmerizing. It’s also just amazing lyrically too. This is my favorite couplet in the song…

The folds in my brain matter display patterns
That take after arcane sacraments when traced backwards

To be completely honest, that might be my favorite line in the whole album. That shit is so fucking dope, man. I love it. I think I’m gonna use that couplet as an example for the rest of my life whenever people ask me what type of rap I like. It can be hard to explain to people what I’m into without just showing them, so that line will come in handy. I also really love the closing line from his verse.

Don’t mistake the transcendental ramblin' for inane banter

The song honestly grew on me more and more with repeated listens. I think it’s incredible now, and one of my favorite songs of the year. The following track is called Keeps Him Alive, and this moment kinda marks a shift in tone on the record. Elementary Space Madness is the kinda song that Ilajide would refer to as a “jammy.” In other words, it’s a very fun song that could be played at get togethers. Keeps Him Alive is very different though. This one has a noticeably darker vibe. The beat has kind of an eerie, tense atmosphere to it. I think “suspenseful” would probably be the best way to describe it. It’s still got some melodic elements to it that are really pleasant though. It sounds like the album cover. It sounds like Bloodmoney Perez went into an old abandoned house, and used anything he could find in it to make music. It’s really awesome. Headtrip murdered it too. I love his flow during this part of the verse…

Game, set, match
'Fore the first serve passed
When his aim fixed adamant and fatal
Trained to stay detached
In his service, then abandoned
When his nation deemed him adequately lethal

The more melodic elements that come in during this part are really nice. The writing is excellent as well. I was really hooked by the grim storytelling and descriptions.

His moms said, “If you ain’t findin’ meaning in life, then find a reason to die"
Still haunted by the pain in her eyes
He just grinds like meat, employers are anonymous
Likes to be discrete and keep his torture methods pocket sized
Better hope you’re not his job tonight
Otherwise it’s lullabies, shut your eyes, rockabye

One of the coolest little details in this song is the last line of the hook, which is performed with a monstrous pitch shift.

The Devil keeps the lights on, don't wait up

It’s awesome because this line sounds like it’s actually performed by a demon. That’s what makes it so cool to me. The second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion, at least from a technical standpoint.

Another day, another corpse, another dollar, he
Livin’ check to check while they bleedin’ out his salary
Every red cent he get, he guzzle, chuff, devour
Leavin’ nothin’ left to spend or save, no room to repent or blame
He offer the grisly service of offin’ the city’s vermin
But also innocents suffer his occupational hazard
More often than not his targets are filed as missing persons
He’s neurotic to an art form, go Pollock on bloody canvases

Out of all the songs on this LP, this one grew on me the most. It went from being my least favorite track to being one of the best on the album. It’s dope as hell. Track 5 is called Junkyard Innovation, and it’s another one that grew on me. It’s not a highlight for me, but I can’t really think of it as a low point either because it still adds a lot to the album. I love the kind of strange, hypnotizing production from Bloodmoney Perez here. It sounds like elevation in the form of music. However, it simultaneously sounds like it’s thousands of leagues under the sea. The verse from Headtrip is really great too. In terms of subject matter, this song actually reminded me of Cambatta‘s nXggXrla tXsla. It’s not the same, but it’s kinda similar in a way. They’re both about being inventors, so that’s why I thought of the Cambatta song. Anyway, once again, the storytelling here is really cool.

I invented a cyber organic engine that fed off its own ambitions
And taught it that it was special, but not to be egotistic
A corporeal carburetor, a broken heart for the pistons
Perpetual motion driven by untenable motives within
I felt like an awful parent, but also an awesome wizard
I witnessed it grow sentient and question it's own limits, we almost did it
But then it grew too triumphant and lagged, now that's scrap

The hook doesn’t really stand out much to me, but it serves its purpose as it bookends the track. I think the song’s really dope. The album was already fire, but I actually think the second half is even better. No Time to Spare features SKECH185 with a godly performance. I absolutely love how he opened up this track. I feel like he has mastered the art of vocal delivery. He just sounds so incredible every time I hear him. It’s one of those situations where I feel like he could say anything and I would think it sounds hard as fuck. However, in his case, there actually aren’t many artists who can write nearly as well as him either. He absolutely slaughtered this verse. It’s easily one of the best features of the year.

Time’s a motherfucker we wrestle with until the finish line
Perhaps because in our minds we’re still just some kids who rhyme
This for all those who spoke up and didn’t lie
Yolked up but didn’t cry, choked up with shit inside
Woke up and didn’t die
Party broke up, we signify
Refocus and switch the grind
Became more clandestine for hiding places in different signs
Age is a treasure, the dim have it misidentified
'Cause they didn’t know a thousand folds would give a blade a different shine
And some who never did shit will tell you to pick a side
Then decide to switch the path to feel like the shit this time

Goddamn. I love the reference to Bloodmoney Perez’s Time Is a Motherfucker album, and, as Headtrip pointed out in our interview, the line about a thousand folds giving a blade a different shine is so beautiful. That shit is incredible. That’s only half the track though. Headtrip follows that verse up with his own mind-bending performance, and the result is one of the best songs of 2024.

Somebody once told me that time was a predator who stalks us relentless until our lifespan’s complete
See, I rather believe that time’s a companion who reminds us to cherish every moment, each by nature fleeting

His flow and rhyme schemes feel different here than some of the other tracks. This is maybe one of the most lyrical verses on the whole project. Headtrip really packed a lot in here. It’s a very lyrically dense performance that I probably listened to over 10 times in a row just to get a better understanding. I couldn’t really follow the story on my first listen because it’s so wordy and there’s so much going on. It’s amazingly written though. I think the complexity was probably intentional now that I think of it. I had to google the word “byzantine” at one point when trying to decipher the lyricism, and it was kind of a head trip 😏 because I can use that word to describe the verse itself. I think “byzantine” probably has a negative connotation though, so I won’t use it here. “Intricate” would probably be more appropriate. As I told him in the interview, you can tell he studied linguistics just by the way he raps. He killed it. I also love those subtle tones that emerge in the background during his verse. I don’t know what instrument is making that sound, but it’s cool as shit. The song’s dope as fuck. It transitions really nicely into Shoulda Known Better, which I think is my favorite song. Everything about this one just worked for me. I love it. The instrumental has a really bizarre melody that I love, and I really appreciate the more personal, emotionally-tense lyrical content. This was my favorite line from Headtrip’s verse.

I loved you, that’s why I said, "Fuck you," not "Goodbye"

The closing lines about him not being able to leave his ego behind are really awesome too. This song has my favorite feature on the whole album, and a big reason why is because Headtrip set him up perfectly. The way Bloodmoney Perez comes in on this track is so fucking incredible to me. He sounds so goddamn good. I guess I hadn’t realized that it had been so long since I’d heard Bloodmoney Perez rap, so it was really nice to hear him again here. I think the reason this is my favorite song on the album is simply because of the juxtaposition in their vocal deliveries. Headtrip has a really lowkey performance here. He sounds really despondent, which is awesome when combined with the devastating lyricism. On the other hand, Bloodmoney sounds like a fuckin’ beast when he comes in. I love the way he just comes in with “PICK APART THE FAMILY POX.” I’d love to see people’s first reactions to his verse because I’m sure a lot of people perked up when he started rapping.

Pick apart the family pox
Curse on your house, I hope all of your offspring rot
Did my best to reverse the plot
What’s the best point of cross hair spots?
I’ll crawl for shots
I heard my name on the card for funeral plots
But here I am
Resurrected man
Full of holy hell and goddamn
Grand fails and tee ball grand slams
Split the difference, pick an instance
I’ve probably scared a dozen, what’s the litmus?

I also just really love the way the instrumental switches up for his performance. The energy increases to match his explosiveness, and the melody that comes in just sounds so sad, but it’s beautiful. Bloodmoney might have my favorite feature of 2024. I can’t express how much I loved it. This shit is dope as fuck. Track 8 is called Precious Minerals, and it’s less than two minutes long. Due to the way it’s structured, it kinda feels like an interlude. I don’t mean that in a bad way though. There’s not really a verse here—Headtrip instead spits several hooks that really mix with the dreamy instrumental well. Listening to this song is kinda like when you’re only half awake but you’re still kinda dreaming. The way Headtrip raps here is like what I’m thinking during those moments.

I can see the symbols from here
Such great heights, it’s all so clear
I can finally read the legend
And I can feel the gravity now

I haven’t really decided yet what I think the emblems/symbols represent. I really dig the metaphor though even without knowing exactly what it is. Just the fact that it’s there is cool as hell to me. My favorite line is “I can finally read the legend.” I know it’ll be even doper once I think of my own meaning to apply. The song’s dope as hell. The penultimate track is another highlight called New Age Crusaders. I love this one. The beat sounds scary as hell. If I was listening to this while exploring the location depicted on the album cover, I’d probably be shitting bricks. As the title indicates, Headtrip uses this song as an opportunity to explore the subject of colonizers.

She thought it appropriation, he taught her to hold her lizard tongue
Her culture was broken and ancient, that's where he got his inspiration from
He saw a ghost in her that he’d hoped to turn a profit off of
Raid the immaculate sepulcher, we got an invaders' sanctioned business to run
His mission statement was written in piss on pavement with his
Dick left hangin’ in the wind in case he wanted to make changes on a whim
His interests ranged from indigenous customs to pitiless destruction
In the name of academia, all praise the marauder's media

The entire first verse is a really awesome. This is an incredibly detailed verse about the white man’s tendency to make things worse. I recently asked Grand Mega Flowers of SECRET HOUSE AGAINST ALBUM REVIEWS whether he engages in supplementary media for an album that he plans on covering before or after he reviews it. Him and I agreed that we usually like to do our reviews independent from other people’s reviews and interviews, mainly so that we don’t end up accidentally biting other people’s observations. With that said, I actually did watch FreeMusicEmpire‘s interview with Lt. Headtrip & Bloodmoney Perez about this album in particular before writing this. When discussing this song, Headtrip talked about how it’s important for the white people to be the ones sharing this message. I completely agree. Some dumb white dude named Chet is more likely to listen to his white cousin telling him that cultural appropriation is a real thing than a non-white person. Also, if you’re participating in our culture, that’s even more reason to learn and teach about how you can avoid being a vulture. This is a much appreciated song. Headtrip honestly does a better job than I could of highlighting just how fucked up and far the manipulative practices of Whiteness have gone.

A systematized history of sickness, got a monopoly on the prescriptions
You're stripped of your traditions, but it's still kickin' inside your innards
The sponsored definition of wicked reflects your current condition
Seek salvation, white savior privilege
Who builds and burns your bridges for you? Physiological inhibitions
While they arm you against your neighbors and sell ‘em the same equipment
Suckers for security, projected protective restrictions
Adjust or become extinguished; decisions, decisions

I love the song. I think it’s dope as hell. The closing track is a highlight called Back Catalogue. Along with the opening track, I think this is perhaps the most explosive moment on the project. Damn. Okay, as I was just listening to the song again I kinda learned something about the album. Headtrip kinda addresses the emblem metaphor in the verse here.

I’m talkin’ emblems—deliberate patterns
You can judge a city by the conditions of its encampments
January 6th was a Civil War reenactment
Or a dress rehearsal dependin’ on how this pans out

Those lines kinda put the whole album in perspective. The aggressive, energetic production and vocal performance make this one of the most exciting tracks on the project. I love the hook on this one too. The electric guitar melody during that part sounds really great to me, and I just love the lyrics.

Tryna satiate ravenous minds
Hungry by nature, naturally primed
Tryna navigate in turbulent times
Hungry by nature, never satisfied

Headtrip addresses a lot of different shit on this song, including the idea of a “white savior” in Hip Hop, as well as bi-erasure. I have close friends in my circle who are very guilty of bi-erasure, and to be completely honest I haven’t done enough to push back on it. Headtrip addressing it here influenced me to stop tolerating that shit, so that’s pretty cool. Anyway, I really love how they ended this album with such a bang. This shit is really fiery. It’s dope as hell.

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^{This is an amazing album, and easily one of the best I’ve heard all year. As I told Headtrip in our interview, I was really excited when I heard about this collaboration, and it ended up giving me exactly what I needed. To be honest, this is actually my favorite album from either of these guys now. I think Headtrip’s rapping ability is incredibly refined at this point in his career, and Bloodmoney is an incredible talent on full display here. It’s really cool that they both contributed production to a lot of these songs. From what I understand, Bloodmoney produced everything, and then Headtrip added some adjustments to certain tracks. There are some other additional contributions from artists such as Brian Perez & Northern Draw as well. The cover art for this album is very fitting in my opinion. It sounds like an old abandoned home filled with obscure ancient art. I think they knocked this record outta the park. If you’re into alternative Hip Hop—anything that doesn’t sound basic and predictable—you do not want to miss this record. It may not be for you, but it’s definitely worth giving a listen because I promise you will at least find it interesting. I think it’s phenomenal. Check it out. This shit is dope as fuck.}

Favorite Song: Shoulda Known Better
Least Favorite Song: Junkyard Innovation

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