Focus Hip Hop

Music Writing with a Focus on Underground Gems

  • Best Singles of the Week | 2021: Week 9

    Was6p, y’all. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you probably remember that popular “Best Singles of the Week” series that I did last year. The reason I stopped doing it was just because it took me a really long time to write them, and it was hard to stay on top of…

  • EP Review | Darias Lanham – tape 01: 2.18.21 Oppression Is the Tool of Capitalism, But We Gonna Get These Feelings Off Though

    This EP was released on February 18th this year. D. Lanham released two of the best EPs that I heard in 2020, so, needless to say, I was really looking forward to this project. The one most obvious difference right away is that Ronesh wasn’t involved in this project at all. This one was completely…

  • EP Review | A.M. Breakups – O G B

    This extended play was released on February 19th this year. A.M. Breakups is a producer from New York who I first became familiar with when he had a placement on billy woods‘ debut solo album, History Will Absolve Me. I became a huge fan of his production through his work with Elucid as Cult Favorite.…

  • Album Review | Nas – King’s Disease

    This album was released on August 21st this year. I should apologize now for taking so long with this review. The main reason I didn’t cover it when it dropped is because I was on a strict schedule and had a lot of other shit that I was prioritizing, mainly because I thought this album…

  • EP Review | Sylvan LaCue – Young Sylvan Ep. 1

    This extended play was released on February 19th this year. Sylvan LaCue released my favorite album of 2018 with Apologies in Advance, and Searching Sylvan is probably my favorite mixtape ever, so it goes without saying that I was pretty psyched for this project. About a year or two ago he sent me a track…

  • Don’t Sleep | Patchz & Scorcese Lorde Jones – Lobster Tales in My Tesla

    Don’t sleep on this album from Patchz & Scorcese Lorde Jones. It was released on January 21st, just about a week after Scorcese‘s untimely death. The reason I’m doing a “Don’t Sleep” write-up instead of a full review is because I just can’t bring myself to write one on a personal acquaintance who’s no longer…

  • Album Review | The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death

    This album was released on March 25th in the year of our lord 1997. This is the second and final official album by The Notorious B.I.G. I mean, he had some posthumous albums, but I’m not gonna listen to those ones. I think there are some people that like this album even more than Ready…

  • EP Review | JPEGMAFIA – EP2!

    This extended play was released on February 12th this year. JPEGMAFIA is one of the most popular left-field rappers out right now, but I have to admit that my enthusiasm towards his music has kind of dissipated over the past year or two. I liked All My Heroes Are Cornballs to an extent, but it…

  • Don’t Sleep | T.R.3 – Triangles

    Don’t sleep on this new album from T.R.3. It was released on January 6th this year. T.R.3 is an Atlanta artist who I’ve covered a bunch of times over the past 12 months or so. My favorite project from him so far is his GRIEF EP, but based on the singles that I heard from…

  • Album Review | Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams – Gandhi Loves Children

    This album was released on October 16th in 2020. Fatboi Sharif is an artist from New Jersey who I first became familiar with last year when he started dropping singles with Roper Williams. I covered him back when I did my Best Singles of the Week series, and I knew he was dope from the…

  • Album Review | Junior M.A.F.I.A. – Conspiracy

    This album was released on August 29th in the year of our lord 1995. I honestly did not want to listen to this album at all, but I was informed that since I covered Thug Life, it would only be fair for me to do this. Junior M.A.F.I.A. was a group containing The Notorious B.I.G.,…

  • Album Review | Willie Waze – Avant Scarred

    This album was released on October 16th in 2020. Willie Waze had already released one of the better albums I’d heard last year back in April, so I was looking forward to this one. I’d already heard one track from this album ahead of its release, which was dope. On top of that, I just…