Category: Slander

  • Memphis Bleek ft. Smoke DZA x Benny The Butcher – “3 Kings”

    Memphis Bleek ft. Smoke DZA x Benny The Butcher – “3 Kings”

    In an industry that runs on bullshit, there’s no greater sin than being boring. Lying, cheating, stealing; all par for the course, but nothing can save you if the product is undercooked. He had a wild ride, but in the end, Memphis Bleek couldn’t escape the microwave dinner limitations of his own bar game. Nostalgia…

  • Central Cee & 21 Savage – “GBP”

    Central Cee & 21 Savage – “GBP”

    Central Cee is hard to avoid right now. That’s because he’s the latest doomed attempt to make UK grime blow up here in God’s Favorite Country. This time, it’s the Sony Music borg burning USD trying to turn anthems about GBP into club hits in ATL. This is not a recipe for success, but I’ve…

  • ANKHLEJOHN – Pride of a Man

    ANKHLEJOHN – Pride of a Man

    Few rappers are more deserving of a caps-lock moniker than ANKHLEJOHN, a pure spitter who brings a superhuman intensity to the booth every time. People who don’t like that are objectively incorrect. The man is straight dope; there ends the discussion. He carved his lane out with a frenetic run of polished, thematic LPs that…

  • Joey Bada$$ – “The Ruler’s Back”

    Joey Bada$$ – “The Ruler’s Back”

    New York City has never needed champions. Mecca is the sun around which all other scenes & cities spin; nobody has to advocate for Ground Zero. That’s never stopped anyone from crushing themselves under the weight of putting all five boroughs on their slender shoulders. (Word to Troy Ave!) The latest contestant, once again: PRO…

  • 6LACK – “F**k The Rap Game”

    6LACK – “F**k The Rap Game”

    Wish I knew what the real, secret name of this song was, but I can’t figure it out. Some things are better left mysterious. This is art, after all. 6LACK is often dismissed as an “industry plant,” but the reality is this cat has been paying dues in the trenches longer than most of his…

  • Mike Shabb – Sewaside III

    Mike Shabb – Sewaside III

    Summer 2024. I was coasting into a Walmart parking lot a few miles from the Canadian border when I decided that rapper/producer Mike Shabb was a genius. Unambiguously. No qualifiers. That word has been abused mightily in the past decade, as the music journalism equivalent of The Loudness Wars drowned out all but the most…

  • Sleep Sinatra x TELEVANGEL – Incorruptible Saints

    Sleep Sinatra x TELEVANGEL – Incorruptible Saints

    “If you still sleepin’ on Sleep then you smokin’ crack,” as AJ Suede puts it on the second track. Taste is subjective, but his diagnosis rings true: Sleep Sinatra has built himself a modest empire in the independent rap scene. That he did so almost entirely from the frozen wastelands of Lincoln, Nebraska only makes…

  • Memo From The Chairman’s Desk (8.1.24)

    Memo From The Chairman’s Desk (8.1.24)

    Back around January, I was catching up with an acquaintance in the publishing space and mentioned I was contemplating writing reviews again, purely for fun. “Nobody is running album reviews anymore,” he generously corrected me, “that’s all happening on video now.” He listed off a bunch of mongoloid influencers I will die knowing nothing about.…

  • Da Beatminerz – Stifled Creativity

    Da Beatminerz – Stifled Creativity

    Only one question matters: if you’re a fan of Da Beatminerz legacy, will this new compilation album disappoint you? The answer is “Fuck no.” Go cop it & enjoy it all summer long. That said, there is much to unpack here. Mr. Walt and Evil Dee have laced up everyone from Ultramagnetic to Black Star,…

  • Gangrene – “Magic Dust” ft. Evidence

    Gangrene – “Magic Dust” ft. Evidence

    Gangrene has always been One Big Fuck You, in the best sense. Their catalog is studio art from two top-tier producers trying to one-up each other on the beats, but the most ruthlessly violent competition they’re engaged in is against nearly every other rapper alive. Both of these cats can get a sixteen off that’s…