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”Keep Me Company” Shows Skyzoo at His Most Vulnerable (Album Review)

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Brooklyn, New York veteran Skyzoo signing to Old Soul Music for his 9th solo LP. Emerging in the underground off the 9th Wonder produced Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, he continued to make a name for himself with a consistent discography. Highlights include The Salvation, the !llmind produced Live from the Tape Deck, A Dream Deferred, Music for My Friends, the Apollo Brown produced The Easy Truth, In Celebration of Us & my personal favorite: the Pete Rock produced Retropolitan dedicated to his home state. All the Brilliant Things built itself around gentrification & coming off The Mind of a Saint dedicated one of my favorite shows Snowfall, he’s calling for everyone to Keep Me Company.

“Community Service” featuring a spoken word out from JRose is this jazzy boom bap opener produced by JR Swiftz discussing scriptures written in threads seemingly holding us all together & the aptly titled voluntary work lasting for eternity whereas “Finder’s Keepers” keeps the jazz rap vibes going talking about not leaving until finding what you came for. “Home Away from Home” addresses still being the one they call up even though he’s been gone while the atmospheric boom bap joint “Ayinde in the March” talks about the corner getting immortalized soon as it dies.

As for “Drug Free School Zone”, we have Sky acknowledging that his footprints are on the soapbox trying to rebuild pride ahead of “Prayers for the Customers” getting back on the jazz rap tip warning to not run around like you one of them after you done with them. The bare-boned yet layered all at once “Courtesy Call” featuring Chuck D advising to stand down if murder’s involved, but then the soulful “Esoteric” describes the feeling as abstruse.

“Record Store Day” after the “Store Runs” interlude playfully talks about women in record stores, which is very much my type personally while “Sleeping Beauty” pushes further towards the final leg of his Old Soul Music debut by talking about your presence speaking volumes before you even say a word. “Wins of the Father” points out that being proud goes both ways on top of sending an open letter to his seed & “Jazz in the Projects” sends it off with an 8-minute jazz rap closer hoping you win the wars you haven’t told anyone that you’re fighting.

Centered on the idea of growth, Keep Me Company shows Skyzoo at his most vulnerable since he speaks on his current personal state along with the effects of the past & the assumptions of the future. Feeling alone in this growth spurt of sorts, Sky come across people who felt the exact same way & lets everyone know that they should fear none if they’re in the middle of their own spurt too since the blessing of growth can be sometimes disguised.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Mickey Diamond’s Most Ambitious Album Yet “Gucci Gambinos” Prod. by Big Ghost Ltd. Gives Flowers to “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…” (Album Review)

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Detroit, Michigan lyricist & one of the finest in the underground currently Mickey Diamond returning for his 14th LP. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 13 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. But for the past year, Mickey has been consistent putting out some of the best material of his career thus far. This includes the Gucci Ghost album & it’s sequel produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Ral Duke-produced Oroku Saki EP, the Sadhugold-produced Death Threat$ album, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Capital Gains album or more recently the 3rd & 4th installments to the Gucci Ghost saga this past winter. Diamond & Ral Duke got back together for the outstanding Oroku Saki sequel Super Shredder & only 3 months after It’s 5:00 Somewhere, he & Big Ghost are linking back up for Gucci Gambinos.

“Fruits of Wisdom” featuring Pro Dillinger perfectly opens things up by hopping over an orchestrally drumless instrumental referencing former オール・アジア・タッグ王座, 世界ジュニアヘビー級王座, KO-Dタッグ王座, FMWインディペンデントワールド世界ジュニアヘビー級王座, 2-time IWGPジュニアタッグ王座, GHCジュニアヘビー級タッグ王座 & current 新日本プロレス Jr. Heavyweight タカ みちのく of the ジャスト・フォー・ガイズ unit whereas “Word Bond” works in a sample-driven boom bap beat responding to everyone saying he ain’t outside.

Pro Dillinger returns on the soulful rock crossover “Green Paper” promising that the money will come if you keep pacing leading into “Truth or Dare” featuring Method Man taking it back to the basement instrumentally so they can talk about getting killed in the 313 & the 718 respectively advising to use y’all heads. “Speedknot” hooks the sampling back up for only a minute to make way for Diamond to shrug off these funny muhfuckas, but then the classy “Ice Cubes” talks about weatherin’ the storm & whippin’ out the pyrex.

“The Untouchables” featuring Pro Dillinger aggressively reaches the halfway point calling out those believing in their favorite rappers saying they finessed bricks when they were legitimately bullshittin’ just before the duo stick around for “A Man with a Dream” bringing the soul samples back cookin’ the dope up & baggin’ it in less than 80 minutes. “Cold Summer” gives off more of a solemn vibe to the beat reflecting on having the whole block in a submission chokehold prior to Pro Dillinger returning on “Rusty Blades”, promising to shoot back if they shoot 1st.

Getting the final leg of Gucci Gambinos going, “The Last Gangster” mixes a vocal sample with kicks & snares to talk about it being another day & another dollar while the song “Rockin’ a Gold Tooth” pays homage to the iconic Wu-Tang Clan single “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)”. The title track featuring Pro Dillinger gets together for an orchestral boom bap joint kin to “Wu-Gambinos” & finally, “Crime Paradise” also featuring Pro Dillinger finishes the LP with both of them rawly breaking down their exquisite lifestyles.

Ghost & Diamond achieve their mission of restoring a feeling by taking equal inspiration from Raekwon’s solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, early Hong Kong action movies, Martin Scorsese & Francis Ford Coppola films, the Avirex & Pelle Pelle fashion brands & finally the 90s dopeboy money gettin’ era. Pro Dillinger’s verses feel reminiscent to Ghostface Killah’s on OB4CL & it feels like the listeners are reliving or experiencing for the first time what it was like at the peak of the golden era of hip hop culture.

Score: 9/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Body Count Makes a “Merciless” Return (Album Review)

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Body Count is a crossover thrash/rap metal band fronted by the O.G. of gangsta rap, actor, songwriter, producer & author Ice-T. Introducing themselves with an acclaimed posthumous debut, their next 2 offerings Born Dead & Violent Demise: The Last Days proved to be additionally well received although Murder 4 Hire marked their return after a near-decade long hiatus to mixed feedback. Manslaughter became Body Count’s strongest body of work since their debut, later resulting in Bloodlust & Carnivore maintains that consistency. Considering the steadily consistent output, the band’s 8th album had me anticipating it.

After the “Interrogation” intro, the title track starts us off on some rap metal shit talking about having only 1 life to live & 0 fucks left to give whereas “The Purge” featuring Cannibal Corpse frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher embraces more of a death metal vibe drawing inspiration from the titular film franchise conceptually. “Psychopath” brings back the rap metal sound showing his psychotic tendencies leading into “Fuck What You Heard” dissing the Democrips & Bloodpublicans since he taught me both wings are on the same bird.

“Live Forever” featuring Howard Jones raps over more heavy metal production about the idea of immortality while “Do or Die” promises that no one is safe from the war that’s going on outside & that it’s either kill or be killed the way Ice-T sees it. “Comfortably Numb” featuring David Gilmour is a cover of the Pink Floyd track of the same name & religious beef prior to “Lying Motherfucka” blasting the United States president-elect Donald Trump.

Sepultura co-founder Max Cavalera joins Body Count for the song “Drug Lords” talking about the world we’re living in being in complete chaos as it is covering it all up using lies & schemes while “World War” talks about the possibility of World War III turning our own inner cities into battle grounds with the possibility of it all getting set off either next year or maybe tonight as we speak. “Mic Contract” finishes Mercilessin the form of this 1 final rap metal joint wanting his muhfuckin’ money.

After persevering through personal tragedies along with social opposition & an army of naysayers, Ice-T & company emerges bloody but unbroken & with more rage than ever to the point where you can’t take any more & you’re done. The metal production is on par with their last couple Body Count offerings & the west coast O.G. himself doesn’t let up venting genuine anger through the iconoclastic lyrics.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Ice Cube Dedicates His 11th Album “Man Down” to His Day 1s (Album Review)

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This is the 11th full-length studio LP from Los Angeles emcee, songwriter, actor, film producer, CubeVision founder & BIG3 founder Ice Cube. The cousin of Del the Funky Homosapien & Kam, he started as part of the C.I.A. gained notoriety as a member of N.W.A until departing after their historic debut Straight Outta Compton. Cube later got his own Priority Records deal as a solo artist, teaming with The Bomb Squad for his own debut AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted & later Kill at Will. Death Certificate went on to become another west coast hip hop landmark due to some of its racially & politically charged content, with his Lench Mob Records debut The Predator mainly addressing a lot of on racial tensions in the United States at the time. Lethal Injection was more g-funk heavy and the War & Peace double-disc effort marked the end of the former Westside Connection member’s Priority contract. Laugh Now, Cry Later distributed by Virgin Music & EMI Records was a solid comeback in ‘06 after mainly focusing on acting during the first half of the 2000s & then Raw Footage had it’s highlights although it was decent as a whole. I’m the West became his most negatively received body of work & the Interscope Records-distributed Everythang’s Corrupt showed to be an improvement although still average, so hearing Man Down would be a I’m the West sequel had me hoping it would be far superior to the original.

“Rollin’ at Twilight” starts with a trap intro that Cassius Jay laced looking to make highlights with his real ones whereas “It’s My Ego” takes the g-funk route instrumentally thanks to E-A-Ski talking about giving a demonstration in front of the nation. “So Sensitive” was the weakest single of the 3 decently giving Cube’s take on gender & modern etiquette, but then Mount Westmore gets together for the funky pop rap banger “She’s Sanctified” discussing women.

Nottz gives “Not Like Them” more of a traditional west coast vibe to the beat feeling like the world doesn’t make sense this day in age while “5150” aggressively talks about this bitch being crazy. “No Cap” featuring Ishadon has to be one of the most underwhelming moments despite the Zaytoven beat & the theme of everyone doin’ boss moves in a cesspool just before the industrial/trap crossover “3 Lil Piggies” talks about 3 cops.

“Ghetto Story” strips the drums completely finding his glory & doing it all for the streets to get his bag while “Facts” featuring J-Dee of Da Lench Mob finds the 2 reuniting so they can talk about mobbin’. “Fighting for My Life in Paradise” featuring Kurupt hops over a soul sample explaining how good it feels living the lives that they do while the boisterous “Let’s Get Money Together” featuring B-Real goes back & forth with each other as they make paper.

As for “I’mma Burn Rubber”, we have Cube going from 0 to 100 over a hyphy instrumental prior to the self-produced “Especially You” hooking up some prominent synthesizers talking about needing everyone to head for the dance floors. “Break the Mirror” featuring Xzibit links up the pair for a hardcore west coast heater pointing out that nobody wants the truth anymore while “Talkin’ ‘Bout These Rappers” takes a jab at wack MCs over a Lil Jon beat.

“Scary Movie” pushes towards the end of Man Down by tapping in with Lench Mob Records in-house producers Hallway Productionz promising that breaking your shit is certain while “Take Me to Your Leader” moves like an eagle looking regal on top of a vocal sample that David Banner provides. The closer “Ego Maniacs” featuring Busta Rhymes & Killer Mike wraps it all up with an insane sequel to “It’s My Ego”.

Laugh Now, Cry Later was probably the last Ice Cube album that I enjoyed consistently top to bottom & Man Down over 18 years later as a dedication for all his Day 1s improves on his few LPs since 2008. The more consistent production than some of his past recent material eclectically ranges from g-funk to hyphy, trap & drumless enlisting a tight list of guests to help reaffirm his status as a west coast veteran.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Skribbal’s 4th Album “Electric Lungs” Marks an Exhilarating Stylistic Departure (Album Review)

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Los Angeles, California emcee Skribbal teaming up with both his uncle Katfish & the multifaceted SVH for his 4th studio LP. Coming up in 2016 off the strength of his full-length debut Drug Spun Funk, would catch the attention of the rising Wisconsin underground label Force 5 Records & they would put out his sophomore effort Skinwalker a couple years later. Once he dropped his debut EP Quarantine Sessions a month after the pandemic started, he would leave the label to form his own Splatterbrain Records & celebrated this newfound independence by dropping his 3rd album Black Eyed Children distancing himself from horrorcore in favor of a more hardcore hip hop style. Last time I covered him was the winter of 2022 with the Road to Dystopia EP & Electric Lungs is now making a daring shift from underground hip hop to nu metal/

After the intro, the first song “Gaslight” sets the tone of what’s to come with this nu metal opener rapping about the opps’ tactics backfiring on them & losing his own sight whereas “Suffer the Fall” works in some more heavy guitars except he’s singing this time looking to make the world believe. “Forged in Fire” kinda has this industrial hip hop vibe cautioning a violent storm forming since the Devil resurrects when the beat drops leading into “Torn” going full-blown rap metal to talk about being ready for war.

“Iron Sky” after the “Military Industrial Complex” interlude continues being hip hop & metal music together making room for conscious lyricism while “Start All Over (Bad Side)” kinda feels reminiscent to LINKIN PARK’s early 2000s output discussing coming from a broken home & having a broken mind. “This Graveyard Earth” takes the boom bap route instrumentally bringing hardcore lyricism to the table, but then the trap metal-inspired “Breaking Out” promises to never let them take away who he is.

Ashes Like Rain joins Skribbal on the song “Shadow Bleeding” getting back in his nu metal bag with rap verses & guttural screaming on the hook talking all these hoebags nowadays embracing the propaganda while “Run Rabbit!” featuring Myalansky of prior Wu-Syndicate fame & Praise1 just before the outro properly finishes Electric Lungs with more of a hardcore hip hop-driven closer talking about haters being mad over their return from Hell to rob rappers of their chains.

Combining the lyrical depth and underground sensibilities of hip hop with the aggressive instrumentation of metal, the Splatterbrain Records founder takes us on a genre-bending journey tackling subjects from government corruption to dark occult conspiracies in addition to inviting listeners to embrace their own strength and individuality in a world that often seems oppressive through his confidence & bravado.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Boldy James Teaches Lessons From “The Bricktionary” Prod. by Harry Fraud (Album Review)

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Boldy James teaming up with Harry Fraud for his 9th full-length studio LP. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), the Detroit lyricist would later go on to land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up. Once coming home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China at the beginning of last year. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson become one of is best & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP despite IceColdBishop’s verse on “Hot Water Tank”. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven became one of his most acclaimed bodies of work until Penalty of Leadership surpassed it & Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave is up there too as is the Conductor Williams-produced Across the Tracks at the beginning of the summer, so I knew The Bricktionary would live up to my expectations.

“Pressing My Bunk” is this drumless opener promising that the new shit will make toes curl daydreamin’ of the big stage whereas “Rabies” featuring Benny the Butcher works in a guitar so they can rap about still trappin’ & having motion within the jungles. “Pillar to Post” takes the trap route instrumentally likening this shit to a vicious cycle feelin’ worn down just before “Speedy Gonzales” hooks up some sampling & hi-hats shakin’ the bag at record time

Tee Grizzley joins Boldy for the slick lead single “Cecil Fielder” getting on their authentic d-boy shit together prior to the chipmunk soul/trap hybrid “Ronald Bishop” talking about wanting people to stop calling him crazy. “Shrink Wrap” featuring Babyface Ray brings a cloudy trap vibe to the table flexing their dope game being as cold as it is while “Shadowboxing” hops over more soul sample chops & hi-hats sparrin’ with his demons.

“Harvey Grant” nears the conclusion of The Bricktionary by asking God to forgive him for his sins the evil in the hearts of men with a luxurious trap beat backing him, but then “Thuggin’” properly finishes the 3rd classic that Boldy’s put out this year soulfully admitting he’s got bad habits & furthermore explaining the moral of the story being that the 227 Concreatures were steadily cuttin’ them corners.

A lot like Penalty of Leadership & Across the Tracks respectively, Boldy James nears the end of what has been a prolific year for hip hop musically by going on a 3-peat in terms of releasing some of the very best music of his entire career. Harry Fraud’s production puts a bigger emphasis on the chipmunk soul undertones of its predecessors & throwing a hint of trap in the mix, allowing Boldy & his guests to spit game from The Bricktionary itself.

Score: 9/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Bobby J from Rockaway & Dom Dirtee Take Us “Higher” (Album Review)

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This is the sophomore effort from Queens emcee Bobby J from Rockaway. Coming up as a protege of Kwamé, he would begin to turn heads in the underground during the summer of 2019 off the strength of his full-length debut Summer Classics along with his Statik Selektah produced debut EP Endless Summer, the latter being my introduction to his music along with 1 Mic & a Drum’s eponymous EP. Bobby then joined forces with Detroit veteran Hush to drop the collab album 718 II 313 last summer, of which they had the honor of playing 80% of to me at a studio a year before it even dropped. Nef produced the Radio Days EP nearly 2 years ago & is tapping in with Dom Dirtee to take us Higher.

The title track starts with this otherworldly beat wanting to take it to a new level whereas “Once Again” takes the boom bap route instrumentally so Bobby can talking about being back up in this bitch with the hardcore composer. The 2nd single “Vibin’ (All By Myself)” gives off more a playful tone discussing the relatable subject matter of having fun by yourself in your room listening to music & after the “Mr. Walt Checks In” interlude, the lead single “Dangerous” lets their aptly titled mentality be known when facing them.

Paul Wall joins Bobby on the 3rd & final single “I Gotta” for both of them to go hard with their respective squads while “Outta This Club” tells the DJ to not stop playing this heater. After the “Tape Stand” skit, “Round N Round” makes their head spin over kicks & snares leading into “Get Away” passionately feels the need to escape. “Hello” nears the end agreeably saying he deserves more exposure & “Break Me Down” ends by refusing to crumble.

It’s already been 5 years since Summer Classics, but Higher comes off a couple EPs & group projects allowing him to elevate us with Dom Dirtee joining him in succeeding at that. Majik Ninja Entertainment in-house producer Fritz the Cat’s engineering is superb, Dom’s production reasserts his status as the hardcore composer & Bobby holds off from having any guests MCs unlike last time to snap for 36 minutes.

Score: 9/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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”Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 2” Improves on the EP Tha God Fahim & Nicholas Craven Put Out Last Weekend (EP Review)

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Tha God Fahim enlisting Nicholas Craven for his 48th EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. But dude has been on a CRAZY ass EP run in 2023 with the standouts being the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull & the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & & more recently Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. 5 years since Tha Myth Who Never Quit, we got a 2nd AND a 3rd installment last month. Coming off Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap from last weekend, they’re dropping a sequel.

“Tha Unfathomable Horror” is this soulful intro promising that your wounds won’t ever heal & that he’s forever ill whereas “Shogun Jump” takes more of a chilled albeit hardcore route instrumentally talking about his legacy being set in stone calling himself the golden goose the litter. “Planetary Exploration” hooks up a prominent piano sample likening his raps to war & proclaiming himself as a scholar for dollars while “Planet Vegeta” keeps the keys in tact to talk about the game being watered down.

To kick off the other half of the EP, “Otha World” soulfully writes tracks of sorrow since he’s borrowing time & staying strong after losing loved ones just before “Onslaught” pulls a bit from orchestral music showing his steadiness with the aim. “Mad Life Menace” gets back on the chipmunk soul tip assuring he’s still a menace on the mic & “Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 3” finishes the EP with a jazzy installment of the titular song trilogy.

It wouldn’t even surprise me if Fahim dropped Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 3 next weekend or the weekend after since he’s dumpin’ nonstop in the last month, but he & Nicholas Craven continue to prove themselves as an unstoppable duo. A lot like the other 3 projects that they’ve put out in the last month, the latter’s production during the 20 minute experience is absolutely flawless & the Dump Gawd goes harder than he did last weekend.

Score: 9/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Eto Takes the “Long Way Home” (Album Review)

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This is the 7th full-length studio LP from Rochester, New York emcee/producer Eto. Learning of him through his verse at the end of the 6th installment of Westside Gunn’s infamous HWH mixtape series & eventually his DJ Muggs-produced full-length debut Hell’s Roof a few months later, this was followed up with Long Story Short as well as & Front Row & The Beauty of It. The Futurewave-produced Dead Poets would be as acclaimed as his debut & coming off Integrity 2 produced by Body Bag Ben which was a solid sequel the original EP itself, Eto’s taking the Long Way Home.

The title track has this unsettling atmosphere to the instrumental beginning by talking about the fact money comes a long way when you take the longer route back to the crib whereas “Purge Night” strips the drums completely alluding the titular series of films. The cutthroat “Yes Lord” featuring Flee Lord finds the RocAmeriKKKa duo getting in their hardcore bag lyrically prior to “Judas” produced by Chup finds him stuck at both ends of the pitchfork.

“New Money” hooks up a guitar sample thanks to V Don talking about that new paper coming in being speechless to him just before “The Light” featuring Tony Yayo seeing both artists over a boom bap instrumental from Nottz aggressively talking about how it got dark out. “No Pun Intended” featuring Kurupt cautions that neither one of them want any kind of trouble since the extended can extend in minutes & “Tearz” runs it all back up effortlessly.

Starting the final leg, Mephux brings a gospel trap flare to the table on “Oath” reflecting on when he used to play in the cold while the self-produced “3 Strikes” featuring Dark Lo & Nyce da Future jazzily refuses to make any kind of deal with the Devil going forward boasting they can go on for eons. The closer “Durnan” ties up the album refusing to share the proceeds choosing between a Desert Eagle or a box cutter.

Long Way Home isn’t on the same par of excellency as Dead Poets & Integrity 2 both were per se, nevertheless it still remains as an enjoyable offering from the Rochester lyricist & beatsmith. Yes the production on the last couple albums were more consistent, but Eto unquestionably sounds like he took his time with the verses & the brief amount of guests who join all match his level of lyricism finely.

Score: 7/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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”Living Proof” Prod. by araabMUZIK is Dave East’s Best Album Since Leaving Def Jam (Album Review)

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This is the 5th studio LP from Harlem emcee Dave East. Breaking out in 2014 off his 8th mixtape Black Rose, this resulted in the man signing a joint deal with Def Jam Recordings & even Nas’ independently owned Mass Appeal Records as well as a spot in the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class. However, his full-length debut Survival wouldn’t come out until 3 years later & was very disappointing in the sense that he tried appealing to a more mainstream audience that just didn’t exist. The Harry Fraud produced sophomore effort Hoffa proved to be better as did his final Def Jam offering Fortune Favors the Bold & APT 6E produced by Mike & Keys marked a return to his independent roots, so hearing would be Living Proof fully laced by araabMUZIK gave me a feeling it would be one of the most essential listening experiences of Dave’s career.

“Percocet” is the synthesizer driven boom bap intro talking about there not being any better feeling re-uppin’ whereas “Bet My Life” shifts towards a cloudy trap direction instrumentally flexing that he’s on his 2nd-wind. “Solid N****z” featuring Cruch Calhoun gives off a bit of a victorious flare to the beat as they tell the difference between the real & the cowards. I also owe Cruch an apology for what I said in regards to his verse on “The Win” when Hoffa dropped, I was wrong & I own up to that.

Fabolous joins Dave for the orchestrally hardcore “Buss Down” to discuss all that they ever wanted was a Rollie so they got some prior to “Walk wit Me” working in a bit of a jazz rap vibe for the instrumental advising y’all to take a walk with him real quick. “Lift ‘Em Up” featuring Benny the Butcher returns to a symphonic edge talking about having better patience & only broke people think money can solve problems, but then “Roll Up” pulls influence from jazz music once again not knowing too many living the life he does.

“Joe Jackson” featuring O.T. the Real starts the other half of Living Proof with both of them cautioning that rappers acting like something they’re not is what leads to them getting shot while “All I Know” heads back for a trap direction putting on for shit that he could die for. “Same Shit” featuring Giggs finds the 2 boasting they’re still with exact same group of homies they came up with while “Everything for Sale” featuring Ransom samples “To the Other Man” by Luther Ingram admitting they’ve done bad & grew better.

Starting the final leg of the LP on a psychedelic note, “The Love Fake” tackles themes of envy and no smut being put on his legacy once he’s gone while the luxurious trap flavored “Run Down” featuring Millyz talks going through it in the midst of everyone else not understanding it whatsoever. “The Other Side” pushes towards the final moments exuberantly warning that money ain’t a thing since you can’t take it with ya & “Barbara” ends by telling the titular person that he misses her.

Highlighting the shared vision & chemistry of both collaborators, Living Proof delivers one of the year’s standout releases & of course amongst the most important high points in the 2016 XXL Freshman’s career. araabMUZIK’s signature production throughout is a lot more consistent that it was on APT 6E pulling from boom bap to trap, chipmunk soul & jazz rap making more than enough room for Dave East to go harder lyrically than he did during the summer.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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