Focus Hip Hop

Music Writing with a Focus on Underground Gems

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  • EP Review | Kill Factory

    This extended play was released on June 5th this year. Kill Factory is a newly formed duo consisting of Dope KNife & Factor Chandelier. This project was announced near the end of May, but I honestly kinda forgot that it was happening, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got an email about it on…

  • Best Singles of the Week | 2020: Week 23

    The past couple weeks have just not been letting up, and this week was the most intense. The protest I went to thankfully wasn’t too chaotic because the police in my city stayed the fuck out of our way, but other cities in my home state of North Carolina have really been brutal to its…

  • Album Review | Darko the Super – Nevermind

    This album was released on June 5th this year. I believe this is the second album that Darko the Super has released in 2020. He dropped The Devil Defeated with Steel Tipped Dove back in March, which was very good. I’m usually wary of albums from one artist when they’re released so close together, but…

  • Album Review | TreaZon – I Shouldn’t Be Alive

    This album was released on June 3rd this year. Last year, TreaZon released one of the better albums of 2019 with Troublesome, so I was pretty excited to hear this follow up project. I’d heard one of the singles that came out last year before I even knew this album was happening, and I liked…

  • EP Review | Calvin Valentine – Save the Planet

    This extended play was released on Earth Day this year, hence the title. Calvin Valentine released one of the most slept on albums of 2019 with Napkins, so I wanted to make sure I covered his newer work to give it as much shine as possible. I don’t really know much about this project aside…

  • Best Singles of the Week | 2020: Week 22

    Sunday, May 24th CUTIE PIE! by JPEGMAFIA Out of all the songs JPEGMAFIA has released this year, I’m pretty sure this is my favorite. This song focuses more on his actual rapping than any of the others have, and I really love the kinda low-key, jazzy production here. He’s still not an amazing lyricist or anything, but…

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  • Album Review | Westside Gunn – Pray for Paris

    This album was released on April 17th. Westside Gunn is the only member of Griselda that I’m not really a fan of personally. I think he’s a good curator, and he knows how to pick beats and good features, but as a rapper himself he’s incredibly weak. I haven’t kept my opinion of Westside Gunn…

  • EP Review | Anwar HighSign – Fleece

    This extended play was released on April 17th this year. I’m familiar with Anwar HighSign due to his affiliation with Mello Music Group. He’s released a couple projects under the label, and he’s worked with several other MMG artists, such as Open Mike Eagle & Castle. Speaking of Castle… Man… Where in the fuck has…

  • Best Singles of the Week | 2020: Week 21

    This was a pretty unforgiving week for female Pop stars. Karen Del Rey made a total clown of herself on Thursday, and Doja Cat turned out to be even more problematic than we originally thought. People let her get away with the homophobic shit because she’s hot, but they were pretty upset about her mocking…

  • EP Review | Iceberg Theory & August Fanon – Sophia Perennis

    This extended play was released on April 14th this year. I believe it dropped exactly one day after I published my review of Rinpoche, and I had no idea this was even in the works at the time, so it really caught me off guard. I wasn’t aware of how prolific Iceberg Theory is as…

  • EP Review | Sadistik – Delirium

    This extended play was released on April 10th this year. Sadistik released one of my favorite albums of 2019 last year with Haunted Gardens, and I still listen to it constantly. As a matter of fact I think either Eden or From the Gossamer is one of my most played songs of the past 12…