Big Tony — Only Rxllin Drank
While majority of H Town zoomers have departed from the drank-soaked, SLAB-driven chopped-and-screwed brand of rap Houston is recognized for, Big Tony—whose age I am not privy to, to be fair—has been keeping the old school spirit alive, and I love him for it. I’ve been tryna keep up with his singles and freestyles since the instant classic “Sittin Low,” and I’m happy to report this album is top-to-bottom candy-painted purple Cadillac on swangas music. Slow, loud, and bangin.
Score: 9/10
Father — Patricide
The lippy, deadpan Atlanta polymath known as Father continues to make genius appear effortless with his latest joint Patricide. The project is a sonic departure from Young Hot Ebony 2, one of my favorite albums of the last five years and a certified all-timer in general. While that one had a gothic gospel playing on a broken phonograph feel, this one’s got a bit of a pub basement married with early 2000s vamp rave vibe going for it that manages to amplify the brash lyrical content, delivered as always with a straight-faced softness. “Curiosity is the gateway to ruin,” “Sodom,” and “Capeesh, capisce, capiche, capisci?” are especially worthy of multiple replays.
Score: 9/10
Freddie Gibbs — Alfredo 2
Since discovering Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik on DatPiff sixteen years ago, I’ve trusted Freddie Gibbs to remain consistent in his breathless flow and street-themed lyrics, even when rapping over the minimal jazz bullshit that yanked the teeth out of once-biting rappers such as Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples. While the aforementioned and obnoxiously titled mixtape remains my favorite Gibbs joint almost two decades later, each drop—his latest included—is more than worth a few spins. Ignoring the ramen on the cover of something named after a different type of noodle, the entirely Alchemist-produced Alfredo 2 is a welcome reminder there are still a select few OGs who can go hard on the tamest beats. And, keep it a buck, though this jazzy nerd rap era has lasted way too long, the production on this particular jazzy nerd joint is tight and catchy.
Score: 9/10
Kevin Gates — Luca Brasi 4
Throughout his career, Kevin Gates has dropped different series of records that forecast a certain tone to expect from each one. The Luca Brasi series is supposed to be him in his gangsta poet bag. With a Luca Brasi tape, you should expect the unfiltered and vulnerable Gates to be blending confessional love songs with detailed stories of narco life. The latter element of that formula has diminished over the years, as Gates has become a stadium-level success story who seems more interested in fitness, parenting, and alpaca farms than tales that only certified street generals would understand. Luca Brasi 4 has a couple tracks that hit hard, but the majority of its runtime is more concerned with wetting pussy than chasing a bag. Make of that what you will. “Thuggin,” “Stutter,” and “Hard Work” are highlights.
Score: 7/10
That Mexican OT — Recess
That Mexican OT continues to carry the 979 on his back with each rung of the ladder he climbs. For putting Brazoria and Matagorda counties on the map with increasing skill and authenticity, the country boy in the city is a hometown hero. Up until now, I’ve been rooting for his glow-up while preferring his earlier, lesser-known work—the joints day-ones from the Dub to Surfside have kept on YouTube rotation at kickbacks for years—but stripping away bias much as possible, Recess might lowkey be Virgil’s masterpiece.
Score: 10/10
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YES. Keep these coming. I'd never have heard of any of these otherwise.