A round-up of albums of significance we felt we needed to fully absorb plus reviews.
Juicy J: The Hustle Continues
Beginning with a promising array of rhyme and production the album falls short in many areas. Juicy J has challenged many to a fight of late, though this effort on occasion feels sloppy and lacks commitment to what feels like a rushed arrangement of musical listings.
Though the album offers a gem in the form of ‘1995’ featuring Logic, we’re ultimately let down by a case of trailer is better than the movie.
Clipping.: Visions of Bodies Being Burned
Eccentric, artistic and bold, clipping. have taken things to a new level on an album that could be described as arthouse Hip-Hop. The group experiment with beats that eclectically work in tandem with rapper Daveed Diggs of Hamilton fame.
Inspired by ‘90’s horror, the album follows on from 2019 first in the series ‘There Existed an Addiction to Blood’ and is equally as good as the sequel. With an appropriate amount of features and real song-like duration ‘Visions of Bodies Being Burned’ has hit the spot for Hip-Hop and non-Hip-Hop fans alike.
Megan Thee Stallion: Good News
It is unfortunate as the skill of Megan Thee Stallion has immense potential, but she chooses to follow through with a tired and dated genre of rap, which although can be enjoyable, is mediocre on this album.
Though ‘Good News‘ is full of party anthems, it charges forward but stalls on tracks like ‘Sugar Baby’ where the production is wildly off-putting.
Though the production levels off with a particular standard I feel it is wasted on the content that Megan is offering and can only be played for certain people/venues/places – an ingredient that can falter the efforts of most albums. She’s obviously talented, though this outing really does fall short of what she can probably offer. Unfortunately ‘Good News‘ is just okayish news.
Giggs: Now Or Never
We’ve all heard ‘Buff Baddies‘ and the super smooth remedial Hip-Hop served up by the legendary Giggs who came back during lockdown with descriptions of grandeur and storytelling of a high degree. ‘Now Or Never‘ experiments with various genres but ultimately can be described as a Hip-Hop album.
Featuring a compendium of artists that include Kyze, Aystar, Jorja Smith and Emeli Sande he has attracted a library of talent confirming his heavyweight industry presence. With a damaging flow of beats that are the envy of a genre, his clever wordplay and witty punchlines are showcased on ‘Now Or Never‘ in full-force and are a tremendous pot boiling over. Though it might not be to everyone’s taste, in the Hip-hop circle – it’s an instant classic.
Iyamah: Truth EP.2
Wildly flowing with infectious rhythm and vocal brilliance, British Soul artist Iyamah has crafted a work of art and it is embarrassing that we left it this long to review ‘Truth EP.2‘. Each track offers its own identity and reconciles that there is something for everyone on this album.
Iyamah’s idiosyncrasies need no time to grow on you, as she showcases with ease that she naturally bonds with each track and instrumental type. There is so much to say about this album and you can easily shout to the hills about it. It is one you want to tell everyone about as it holds a mixture of individual sound but ultimately holds the nucleaus of Iyamah’s style. It gets a solid 5 from us, and only the second release to manage it.
Stanisland Magazine 