Monthly Archives: May 2022

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Your Old Droog Returns to a More Abstract Sound on “YOD Stewart” (EP Review)

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Your Old Droog is a 32 year old MC from Brooklyn, New York who caught my attention when he dropped his self-titled debut & many first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. Nonetheless, he’s reached legend status at this point by proving that he was in his own lane off later projects such as Packs as well as It Wasn’t Even Close & TIME. He just his incredible 5th EP YOD Wave produced entirely by Nicholas Craven almost 3 months ago at this point & is following it up in the form of a 6th EP.

“Nightmares & Dreams” is a psychedelic opener produced by Conductor Williams talking about appreciating the simpler things in life whereas the drumless yet atmospheric “Mind Your Business” saying we’re better off if we don’t stick our noses where it don’t belong. “I Knew You Was a Bitch” works in some pianos to call out an ex of his leading into “Toxic Love” being a more abstract cut detailing how poisonous this woman was to him.

The song “Love & Basketball” mixes in a soul sample & a guitar to describe his new bitch while the penultimate track “Go to Sleep” has a jazzy boom bap flare to it thanks to Tha God Fahim talking about staying home some days to cash out. “The Ballad of Krutoy” ends the EP with some organ melodies admitting that he feels like crying sometimes even though the tears won’t just come out.

Although I find YOD Wave to be more superior, that’s not to say YOD Stewart isn’t worth checking out for those who fuck with Droog as much as I do. The production takes it back to the more abstract vibes of some of his more recent work & I admire how personal the lyrics tend to be during it’s short runtime.

Score: 7/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Your Old Droog Returns to a More Abstract Sound on “YOD Stewart” (EP Review)

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Your Old Droog is a 32 year old MC from Brooklyn, New York who caught my attention when he dropped his self-titled debut & many first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. Nonetheless, he’s reached legend status at this point by proving that he was in his own lane off later projects such as Packs as well as It Wasn’t Even Close & TIME. He just his incredible 5th EP YOD Wave produced entirely by Nicholas Craven almost 3 months ago at this point & is following it up in the form of a 6th EP.

“Nightmares & Dreams” is a psychedelic opener produced by Conductor Williams talking about appreciating the simpler things in life whereas the drumless yet atmospheric “Mind Your Business” saying we’re better off if we don’t stick our noses where it don’t belong. “I Knew You Was a Bitch” works in some pianos to call out an ex of his leading into “Toxic Love” being a more abstract cut detailing how poisonous this woman was to him.

The song “Love & Basketball” mixes in a soul sample & a guitar to describe his new bitch while the penultimate track “Go to Sleep” has a jazzy boom bap flare to it thanks to Tha God Fahim talking about staying home some days to cash out. “The Ballad of Krutoy” ends the EP with some organ melodies admitting that he feels like crying sometimes even though the tears won’t just come out.

Although I find YOD Wave to be more superior, that’s not to say YOD Stewart isn’t worth checking out for those who fuck with Droog as much as I do. The production takes it back to the more abstract vibes of some of his more recent work & I admire how personal the lyrics tend to be during it’s short runtime.

Score: 7/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Bishop Nehru Takes Us Through What It’s Like Battling ”Heroin Addiction” (Mixtape Review)

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Bishop Nehru is a 25 year old MC/producer from Nanuet, New York who started out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia. His profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM, putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. However for this 5th mixtape of his, Kelz Scott has decided to base it around his experience with trying heroin.

“HELLo” opens up the album by ominously welcoming listeners to a land of corruption whereas the title track cavernously talking about being at the highest trying to escape. “The First Hit” takes a more hazier approach proclaiming that he’s losing his shit leading into “Sun Showers” talking about being prepared for the rain outside over a minimal instrumental with a soft vocal sample throughout that I actually find to be a nice addition to it.

Meanwhile on “World of the Gods”, we have Bishy seeing through the façades on top of a shrilling beat just before “TheScornEmperor” mixes some keys & synths to attack his detractors. “Can You Feel My Soul?” has a twangier vibe talking about how amazing it is once you start to heal the spirit while the song “Abandoned” goes full-blown trap expressing his desire to advance & not be deserted. The penultimate track “Is It Okay If I Wanna Die?” takes a turn into cloudier territory opening up about his thoughts of suicide & “Goodbye.” closes out the album well with it’s forlorn instrumental & Bishy bidding farewell due to how he’s feeling inside.

Ever since this album was announced, Bishop has been accused of doing it all for the clout which is ridiculous considering that he’s always had elements of conscious hip hop throughout his career. That being said, solid tape. I wish some cuts were a little longer, but whole idea of Heroin Addiction is well conceived & I appreciate how much his production game has evolved in the last decade.

Score: 7/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Bishop Nehru Takes Us Through What It’s Like Battling ”Heroin Addiction” (Mixtape Review)

Leave a comment

Bishop Nehru is a 25 year old MC/producer from Nanuet, New York who started out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia. His profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM, putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. However for this 5th mixtape of his, Kelz Scott has decided to base it around his experience with trying heroin.

“HELLo” opens up the album by ominously welcoming listeners to a land of corruption whereas the title track cavernously talking about being at the highest trying to escape. “The First Hit” takes a more hazier approach proclaiming that he’s losing his shit leading into “Sun Showers” talking about being prepared for the rain outside over a minimal instrumental with a soft vocal sample throughout that I actually find to be a nice addition to it.

Meanwhile on “World of the Gods”, we have Bishy seeing through the façades on top of a shrilling beat just before “TheScornEmperor” mixes some keys & synths to attack his detractors. “Can You Feel My Soul?” has a twangier vibe talking about how amazing it is once you start to heal the spirit while the song “Abandoned” goes full-blown trap expressing his desire to advance & not be deserted. The penultimate track “Is It Okay If I Wanna Die?” takes a turn into cloudier territory opening up about his thoughts of suicide & “Goodbye.” closes out the album well with it’s forlorn instrumental & Bishy bidding farewell due to how he’s feeling inside.

Ever since this album was announced, Bishop has been accused of doing it all for the clout which is ridiculous considering that he’s always had elements of conscious hip hop throughout his career. That being said, solid tape. I wish some cuts were a little longer, but whole idea of Heroin Addiction is well conceived & I appreciate how much his production game has evolved in the last decade.

Score: 7/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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“Stima” Shows Rick Hyde at His Most Determined (EP Review)

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This is the 9th EP from Buffalo emcee/producer Rick Hyde. One of the flagship artists on Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he would go on to drop the impressive full-length debut Plates at the beginning of 2019 after warming everyone up with his first 7 EPs & a feature-studded sequel last summer that was preluded by an EP of it’s own. But coming fresh off that, Ricky’s still applying pressure by releasing Stima.

“Who Am I?!” opens up the EP with a chipmunk soul banger properly reintroducing himself to the world whereas “Y Bother Talkin’?” works in some operatic vocal loops to declare no mercy on the weak minded. “Arrivederci” takes a more sinister approach in terms of sound thanks to Daringer dissing the wankstas leading into the braggadocious “La Spina”, which goes into somewhat of a more futuristic direction with the instrumental from Ricky himself.

Meanwhile on “Like This”, we’re treated to a dusty yet raw B$F posse cut describing what real d-boys look like while the song “Ms. Young” gets on his hustler shit & the beat here is kinda similar to that of “Lemon” off Conway the Machine’s classic debut From King to a God. The penultimate track “Poza” with Rome Streetz finds the 2 over a brassy Alchemist instrumental belittling their competition & “Perspective” finishes it off on a glossier note talking about where he’s at now.

For an EP, I’d say Ricky delivered some of the best work of his career with Stima. In comparison to his last album, I really admire how he decided to step it up in the production department & tone it down on the features so he remind everyone that he can undoubtedly hold it down on his own because some of his best pen-work pops up here.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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“Stima” Shows Rick Hyde at His Most Determined (EP Review)

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This is the 9th EP from Buffalo emcee/producer Rick Hyde. One of the flagship artists on Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he would go on to drop the impressive full-length debut Plates at the beginning of 2019 after warming everyone up with his first 7 EPs & a feature-studded sequel last summer that was preluded by an EP of it’s own. But coming fresh off that, Ricky’s still applying pressure by releasing Stima.

“Who Am I?!” opens up the EP with a chipmunk soul banger properly reintroducing himself to the world whereas “Y Bother Talkin’?” works in some operatic vocal loops to declare no mercy on the weak minded. “Arrivederci” takes a more sinister approach in terms of sound thanks to Daringer dissing the wankstas leading into the braggadocious “La Spina”, which goes into somewhat of a more futuristic direction with the instrumental from Ricky himself.

Meanwhile on “Like This”, we’re treated to a dusty yet raw B$F posse cut describing what real d-boys look like while the song “Ms. Young” gets on his hustler shit & the beat here is kinda similar to that of “Lemon” off Conway the Machine’s classic debut From King to a God. The penultimate track “Poza” with Rome Streetz finds the 2 over a brassy Alchemist instrumental belittling their competition & “Perspective” finishes it off on a glossier note talking about where he’s at now.

For an EP, I’d say Ricky delivered some of the best work of his career with Stima. In comparison to his last album, I really admire how he decided to step it up in the production department & tone it down on the features so he remind everyone that he can undoubtedly hold it down on his own because some of his best pen-work pops up here.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Novatore’s 8th Album “Master of Morbid Imagery” Lives Up to It’s Name (Album Review)

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This is the 8th full-length album from Chicago emcee Novatore. Coming up as a member of the Infamous Crew, he’s also built up an impressive solo career in the last 6 years by dropping 4 EPs & 7 albums, the previous being the C-Lance produced Embrace the Darkness II: Explorers of Experience last year. He just teamed up with A.M. Early Morning a couple months back for the Stu Bangas-produced collab effort Kingdom of Criminality & is celebrating the 1-year anniversary of his last solo effort in the form of Master of Morbid Imagery.

After the “Ascend the Heavens” intro, Chris Crack & Moecyrus tag along for the spacey boom bap opener “God Level” produced by Young Bangas talking about burning lots of shit whereas “Sentient” works in a high-pitched vocal sample thanks to C-Lance flexing how elaborate he is. A.M. Early Morning comes into the picture for “Chemical Experiments” comparing themselves to mad scientists over a rap rock instrumental from none other than Stu Bangas, but then “Split” throws in a crooning loop & mixes some dusty drums in talking about having 2 personalities.

Meanwhile on “Cyborg vs. Nazi”, we have Novatore telling the story from the point of view of a cyborg being a prisoner of war over some uncanny boom bap production leading into “Lab Rats” going into battle rap turf over an instrumental kin to Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. The song “Eat Their Brains” with Moecyrus finds the 2 paying homage to my mother’s favorite song of all-time “Wonderwall” by Oasis over a boom bap beat with a dirty bass-guitar riff while the penultimate track “Can’t Relate” with Wildcard has a more heinous sound to it talking about not having respect for those who don’t have a passion for their craft. “Sci-Fi” with Eto & Lord Goat ends the album with a futuristic Johnny Slash instrumental to get gruesome lyrically.

To hear how much Novatore continuing to level up as an MC throughout the years has been incredible to watch & Master of Morbid Imagery further solidifies that. The performances from the features are 50/50, but the subject matter definitely lives up to the name & the production is consistently raw.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Novatore’s 8th Album “Master of Morbid Imagery” Lives Up to It’s Name (Album Review)

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This is the 8th full-length album from Chicago emcee Novatore. Coming up as a member of the Infamous Crew, he’s also built up an impressive solo career in the last 6 years by dropping 4 EPs & 7 albums, the previous being the C-Lance produced Embrace the Darkness II: Explorers of Experience last year. He just teamed up with A.M. Early Morning a couple months back for the Stu Bangas-produced collab effort Kingdom of Criminality & is celebrating the 1-year anniversary of his last solo effort in the form of Master of Morbid Imagery.

After the “Ascend the Heavens” intro, Chris Crack & Moecyrus tag along for the spacey boom bap opener “God Level” produced by Young Bangas talking about burning lots of shit whereas “Sentient” works in a high-pitched vocal sample thanks to C-Lance flexing how elaborate he is. A.M. Early Morning comes into the picture for “Chemical Experiments” comparing themselves to mad scientists over a rap rock instrumental from none other than Stu Bangas, but then “Split” throws in a crooning loop & mixes some dusty drums in talking about having 2 personalities.

Meanwhile on “Cyborg vs. Nazi”, we have Novatore telling the story from the point of view of a cyborg being a prisoner of war over some uncanny boom bap production leading into “Lab Rats” going into battle rap turf over an instrumental kin to Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. The song “Eat Their Brains” with Moecyrus finds the 2 paying homage to my mother’s favorite song of all-time “Wonderwall” by Oasis over a boom bap beat with a dirty bass-guitar riff while the penultimate track “Can’t Relate” with Wildcard has a more heinous sound to it talking about not having respect for those who don’t have a passion for their craft. “Sci-Fi” with Eto & Lord Goat ends the album with a futuristic Johnny Slash instrumental to get gruesome lyrically.

To hear how much Novatore continuing to level up as an MC throughout the years has been incredible to watch & Master of Morbid Imagery further solidifies that. The performances from the features are 50/50, but the subject matter definitely lives up to the name & the production is consistently raw.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Conway the Machine’s Latest EP “Organized Grime 2” is Superior to the O.G. (EP Review)

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Conway the Machine is a 40 year old MC & entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York who blew up in late 2015 as part of the 3 OGs of Griselda Records alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their cousin Benny the Butcher. Ever since the trio have rose to prominence, they’ve had hip hop lock by their constant work ethic balancing quality & quality as well as vividly detailing their lives in the streets on top of boom bap production kin to that of RZA & Havoc in their music. Con’s full-length debut From King to a God was my Album of the Year for 2020 & just dropped his Shady Records-backed sophomore effort God Don’t Make Mistakes back in February, which is the most personal he’s ever been. But to celebrate his freedom from the Eminem-owned Interscope Records imprint, La Maquina is reuniting with Trillmatic Goods to host his 10th EP.

After the rock-tinged intro, the first song “Chop 22” kicks off the EP with a lavish Mephux instrumental with Con declaring he’s still on go time whereas the soulful “Phone Call” produced by Detroit’s very own Apollo Brown talking about earning everything he has from hustling. Rome Streetz tags along for “Murder He Wrote” to advise you don’t push them backed by a ghoulish boom bap beat from Hobgoblin leading into Benny the Butcher & Flee Lord coming into the picture for the cloudy “Marathon” talking about running it on the blocks.

After the “Intermission” interlude, the 2nd half of the EP starts off with the cinematic “State” reminding that he’s the illest rapper alive just before the organ-laced “From the Bottom” reflecting on coming up from nothing. The penultimate song “Soul Cry” with T.F. finds the 2 over some horns talking about never capping & prior to the turntablism outro, “Keep Up” with Vic Spencer ends the EP on a jazzy note pointing out that they can’t keep up with them.

Organized Grime is one of the best EPs that Conway has ever put out in my opinion & I happen to think this sequel is even better than it’s predecessor. In comparison to the much more personal approach that God Don’t Make Mistakes took, Con sounds a lot more rawer lyrically & some of the best producers in the underground currently went as hard as he did behind the boards.

Score: 9/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Calvin Harris Drops ‘Potion’ with Dua Lipa and Young Thug

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Calvin Harris is bringing the funk once again.

Just in time for summer, the certified hitmaker teams up with Dua Lipa and Young Thug on “Potion,” the first single off the upcoming sequel to his 2017 album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. With its synth-heavy groove, the undeniable bop has song of the summer written all over it.

“Late night conversations / Electric emotions / Sprinkled with a little bit of sex / And it’s a potion, yeah,” sings Dua, while Thug brings his own electric vibes.

The first Funk Wav Bounces was released in June 2017 and spawned the hit “Slide” with Frank Ocean and Migos, plus appearances from Future, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, Pharrell, Ariana Grande, and more. Vol. 2 is set to arrive this summer.

“I wanted to just make this again and really go for it and know that I can get these amazing artists on this music that no one else is going to give them,” Harris told Apple Music, while also teasing his next single with two legends. “I do not know how I pulled it off, or how we pulled it off… Not only has it got someone that, someone in a song where they shouldn’t be in this song, but they sound perfect for it.”

Summer starts now.

Source: Rap-Up.com

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