Focus Hip Hop

Music Writing with a Focus on Underground Gems

  • Tardy Album Review | Calvin Valentine – Napkins

    This album was released for free on June 6th this year. I actually hadn’t heard of Calvin Valentine until last year when he released his second album of 2018, Keep Summer Safe, under Mello Music Group. Even though he was signed to MMG, I chose not to check out the album because of his name…

  • Album Review | Chance the Rapper – The Big Day

    This album was released on July 26th this year. I have to be honest; I did not want to review this album. I didn’t want to listen to it. There really weren’t any reasons for me to check it out. It was universally panned by fans and… Well, some critics. I didn’t even like Chance’s previous…

  • Tardy Album Review | Georgia Anne Muldrow – VWETO II

    This album was released on June 21st this year. I’ve been aware of Georgia Anne Muldrow’s existence for a couple years now, but I didn’t bother checking out any of her work until recently. Before listening to this latest solo album, I went back and listened to all her other work. She’s definitely not one…

  • Tardy Album Review | Maxo Kream – Brandon Banks

    This album was released on July 19th this year. I actually reviewed Maxo Kream’s first studio album when it dropped early last year, but that was a weird time for this website. I was kind of going through a transitional period, and I hadn’t really figured out the right format for reviews. It was also…

  • Album Review | Nas – The Lost Tapes II

    This album was released on July 19th this year. I don’t think anyone could ever call me a stan of any artist. However, if someone was going to argue that I was a stan of anyone, it’d most likely be Nas. I’m one of the few people that actually liked NASIR, and I don’t even…

  • Tardy EP Review | Da$H & V Don – 5 Deadly Venoms

    This EP was released on July 16th this year. I’ve been aware of Da$H’s existence for about as long as I’ve been seriously listening to Hip Hop, give or take a year or two. I’ve heard a few singles here and there, some that I’ve really enjoyed. To this day, I think Shaded is my…

  • Tardy Album Review | Yikes the Zero – An Echo Storm Howling

    This album was released on July 16th this year. I first became acquainted with Yikes the Zero after I listened to Zilla Rocca’s latest album, 96 Mentality. Yikes was featured on my favorite track, Long-Winded Philly Shit. That album also introduced me to Disco Vietnam, who ended up releasing one of the better instrumental Hip…

  • EP Review | Earl Sweatshirt – FEET OF CLAY

    This extended play was released on November 1st this year. I was super nervous about this project. Earl Sweatshirt is one of my favorite rappers ever, which is why Some Rap Songs is the most disappointing album I’ve ever heard in my life. The fact that almost every single other person on the planet who…

  • Don’t Sleep | Haz Solo & Jansport J – SOLO SPORT

    Don’t sleep on this collaborative instrumental album from Haz Solo & Jansport J. It was released on July 8th this year. I wasn’t familiar with Haz Solo before I decided to check this project out. I’m really just here for Jansport J. If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you’re probably familiar with him…

  • Tardy EP Review | Lou the Human – Promise of Paradise

    Note: This review contains excerpts from OG NICK MARSH’s review of Sad, Fat Luck by Ceschi. This EP was released on July 5th this year. Before I talk about Lou the Human, I feel that it’s important to give some background on my relationship with his music. He’s an artist who I became familiar with after…

  • Tardy Album Review | Cloud Envy – Groovy Cat

    This album was released on July 5th this year. Cloud Envy is an artist from my hometown of Durham, North Carolina who I knew next to nothing about before checking out this project. Right before I listened to it, I found out what his government name is, and became a little confused. I might be…

  • Tardy Mixtape Review | Westside Gunn – Flygod Is An Awesome God

    This project was released on July 5th this year. For the longest time I assumed it was just an EP, and then I saw a bunch of people calling it an album. There were a shit ton of conflicting labels being used. I’m 90% sure it’s a mixtape though. Anyway, I really wasn’t expecting to…