Saigon — 777: The Resurrection EP

Brian Carenard returns to release a project six years after the last one, entering the scene with a twenty-minute EP consisting of seven cuts and four guests to support Saigon's aggressive lyricism, including Krizz Kaliko and Kool G Rap.

The LOX — Living Off Xperience

LOX were one of the bands that most represented the East Coast in the late nineties and early 2000s: if from a recording point of view the Yonkers group wasn't among the most prolific in the city that never sleeps, between the group and their solo careers have committed themselves to be present in over one thousand albums over more than 20 years.

Flee Lord & Mephux — Pray for the Evil 2

Flee Lord recalls Mephux to deliver his studio album number eight in 2020, a direct sequel to "Pray for the Evil". Half an hour of listening and 14 short songs: the guests are Evidence, Trae tha Truth, Roc Marciano, Eto, Westside Gunn, Keisha Plum and 38 Spesh. Flee Lord maintains purely hardcore and drug rap topics, delivering a project similar to the previous ones but aided by an extraordinary musical choice.

AAVV — Baker's Dozen: XIII

The Baker's Dozen label series doesn't seem to stop and after providing the twelfth album in three years, the Fat Beats subsidiary releases its "XIII" version. It features thirteen rhythms from thirteen different producers, including Pete Rock, Statik Selektah, Madlib, Alchemist and Black Milk: you shouldn't expect them to keep their best rhythms and place them in a compilation that practically no one will ever listen to, however, their beats sound adequately good, neither surprising nor disappointing.

Nice & Smooth — Nice & Smooth

In 1986 the New York emcees Gregory "Greg Nice" Mays and Darryl "Smooth B" Barnes form the rap duo Nice & Smooth. They sign with local independent label Strange Family Records, releasing their debut single "Dope on a Rope" as Greg Nice & Smooth Bee. In 1988 the duo makes an agreement with Fresh Records, and the next year debuts with a whole LP. Written, mixed and produced by Nice & Smooth, the project stands out from the rest of the scene for the comic rhymes and sarcasm present in every track.

Mulatto — Queen of da Souf

Debut album by Alyssa "Mulatto" Stephens, rapper from Atlanta, winner of the first edition of the reality "The Rap Game" in 2016 and freshly nominated in the Freshman Class of XXL, which has been worthless since at least five years.

Flee Lord & 38 Spesh — Loyalty + Trust II

By now you should have lost count. Flee Lord flies to the halfway point and slaps his number seven studio album of the year in your face. This record is the sequel of the collaborative effort released by the two artists the year before. Production entirely supplied by a guy who is proving to be up to Buckwild and Pete Rock, recent collaborators of Flee Lord: 38 Spesh puts another set of beats at the service of the shiny hardcore bars of the New York rapper.

RZA & 36 Chambers — Cut Throat City EP

This guy is really pissing me off, really pissing me off. The RZA invented the Wu-Tang, but he has been trying to destroy it for more than a decade and I don't understand why. As a die-hard fan, it's something completely inconceivable.

Inspectah Deck — The Resident Patient

Inspectah Deck's third studio album comes during the second wave of Wu-Tang Clan releases in the mid-2000s. It's not an easy time, oh man, it really isn't. The RZA hasn't loosened its rope of creative control around the necks of individual Clan members and is now losing them all one after another.

Cage — Death Miracles

It's really bad not to feel like doing anything at the age of fifty. Sixth solo album for Cage, if you also count the one under the name of Sam Hill.

Boldy James — The Versace Tape

Fourth studio album for Boldy James, Detroit rapper on his third album in 2020, the first one after signing with Griselda Records. This 23-minute, ten short-cut tape, often composed of a single verse, is entirely produced by New Jersey beatmaker Jay Versace, a rookie in the role of main producer.

Tech N9ne — More Fear EP

Third project of the year for Tech N9ne, which inevitably ends up disappointing here. The production is mainly done by Seven, the intro is left to the Kansas City rapper, while the sixth joint is co-produced with Dominique Sanders, and the last one is a beat made by three different beatmakers, KDaGreat, ItsNicklus, and Freek van Workum.

Cookin Soul — Polo Beats

This instrumental album starts with "4 Yall", good jazzy rhythm with female soul sample looped tight in background. It follows "Bitterwest", splendid female soulful sample looped in background, then boom bap jazzy light, relaxing vibes, good one. Good male soul sample looped in background, jazzy rhythm, lively, cheerful for "Good Lovin". "Brand Nu" has a pretty average jazzy production, with male soul sample. The fifth track is "G.O.T.D.": splendid boom bap jazzy, simple, with soul sample in background, great instrumental short cut. "Real Life" is another pretty great instrumental cut: light, almost relaxing jazzy beat, light drum machine. "Girlfriend" is one of the longest instrumentals here: rockin' rhythm, with a jazzy fundament, minimal boom bap, with soul sample in background in the second part of the song. "Real World" presents jazzy rhythm with some middle-oriental elements, kind of Neptunes stuff; good beat. This tape maintains its jazzy identity even in "Emotional", with a heavy and minimal drum machine, xmas bells in background dominated by the boom bap. It follows by "4 Bar Drop", heavy jazzy production, pretty nice. This tape is closed by "Chicago", light and relaxing smooth jazzy beat, simple, beautifully realized.

Highlights: "Bitterwest", "G.O.T.D.", "Chicago".

Rating: 7/10.

Loveboat Luciano — IBTS 2

Second studio album for Buffalo rapper Loveboat Luciano, member of Benny the Butcher's Black Soprano Family. On a poor trap production, Luciano spits mediocrely and in an amateur way for almost 37 minutes and twelve cuts overall.

N.W.A. — Straight Outta Compton

After thriving in New York City for much of the 1980s, hip-hop began to look toward Los Angeles. While the New York hip-hop scene evolved from its dance and party roots, turning the listener's attention more towards the emcee than the DJ after the great success of Run-DMC's self-titled debut album (1984), the Los Angeles scene remained anchored to electro until the mid-1980s when Ice-T, inspired by Philadelphia rapper Schoolly D's single "PSK What Does It Mean?", released the single "6 in the Mornin'" (1986). Ice-T's song became an unexpected hit and gave rise to a new rap subgenre, which was later named "gangsta rap".

Kool Moe Dee — How Ya Like Me Now

A few months after releasing his debut studio album, Kool Moe Dee begins work on his second LP with basically the same producers as his previous effort, recording the project in London.

Killarmy — Dirty Weaponry

A year after releasing their debut, the hardcore rap group Killarmy, closely affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan, releases album number two. This is very important because, at the time of release, Killarmy are among the few acts to have produced two LPs, along with RZA's two groups (Wu-Tang himself and Gravediggaz), with GZA (the former is released before the birth of the Staten Island supergroup) and with the Wu-affiliate Shyheim who's the second to get two solo records (after GZA) and whose second album comes out even before the debut of that of his cousin, Tony Starks. Method Man, Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna are down to one, while Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa haven't yet to release a solo LP. Killarmy's cousin group Sunz of Man released their first record about a month earlier, while the third collective of the trinity of groups closest to Wu-Tang, Royal Fam, have gone into a development hell involving everything they have attempted to produce.

As in the previous disc, the production is almost entirely entrusted to 4th Disciple. RZA is replaced by another Wu-Elements member, Allah Mathematics, who provides two beats. Russ Prez has a beat. The rapper at the time still a member of the Black Knights Holocaust aka Warcloud is the only credited guest on the effort. Killah Priest of Sunz of Man is uncredited.

Kool Moe Dee — Kool Moe Dee

Mohandas "Kool Moe Dee" Dewese born in Harlem, Manhattan, passionate about hip-hop, in 1978 he formed his own group together with Lamar "L.A. Sunshine" Hill, Theodore "DJ Easy Lee" Moyé, and Gabriel "Spoonie Gee" Jackson, the latter left the group at the end of the decade, remaining an affiliate. Occasionally, DJ Bano B, DJ Crazy Eddie and DJ Reggie Reg also collaborate to the group, the Treacherous Three. With the departure of Spoonie Gee from the group, his place was taken by Kevin "Special K" Keaton, a mutual acquaintance of Kool Moe Dee and DJ Easy Lee.

Buckwild — Fully Loaded

Third album in 2020 for Buckwild, the first non-instrumental if we exclude "Hand Me My Flowers" by Flee Lord, which is among the best hip-hop projects of the year. On the typical boom bap jazzy production of the producer, several rappers are called together including Raekwon, Little Brother, Rome Streetz, Rim, Fly Anakin, Rasheed Chappell, Asun Eastwood and Chris Rivers, to provide mainly thug, braggadocio and drug rap lyrics.

MC Ren — Kizz My Black Azz EP

According to many fans, he's the best member of the N.W.A even in the period with Ice Cube and certainly the most underrated. MC Ren emerges as the overlooked rapper that fans have listened to the most and praised least. Three classics, "Str8 Outta Compton" (1988), Eazy-E's debut "Eazy-Duz-It" (1988), where Ren does practically everything, and "Niggaz4Life" (1991), which for many is another absolute classic of the gangsta genre, even better than the NWA debut.

Cookin' Soul — Orange Season Instrumentals

It opens "The P", splendid soul female sample looped in background to accomplishes a pretty nice cheerful jazzy rhythm. It follows a good jazzy production, with amazing soulful female sample looped in background, beautiful and ethereal, heavenly ("Love Jones"). "3rd Girl" is a great rhythm, strong boom bap with jazzy vibes and a sample from "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson that relaunches the cut through a heavy synth line that dominated the whole instrumental for few moments. Bridge near the hook, with slowed beat and some chops. "Choose Up" presents a lively and cheerful jazzy rhythm with a simple and minimal drum machine and some soul shots scattered in background. The next instrumental has a frenetic piano looped, jazzy rhythm, with dope female soul sample looped in background and a simple drum machine to puts out a vivid boom bap. "Game for You" is the last one: frenetic boom bap, ethereal jazzy production, male soul sample looped in background and score of strings that composing a pretty dope beat.

Rating: 8/10.

Napoleon da Legend & Giallo Point — Street Universe

Third collaborative album between French-born rapper Napoleon da Legend and English producer Giallo Point. Ren Thomas, J-Scienide, Sicknature, Micall Parknsun, Scorzayzee, El Gant and John Robinson are the guests of the tape.

The Treacherous Three — The Treacherous Three

In 1978, the hip-hop group The Treacherous Three was formed in Harlem, Manhattan, New York, consisting of Theodore "DJ Easy Lee" Moyé and emcees Mohandes "Kool Moe Dee" Dewese, Lamar "L.A. Sunshine" Hill, Kevin "Special K" Keaton and Gabriel "Spoonie Gee" Jackson, the latter left the group at the end of the decade, remaining an affiliate. Occasionally, DJ Bano B, DJ Crazy Eddie and DJ Reggie Reg also collaborate.

2Pac — 2Pacalypse Now

After doing the roadie and the backup dancer in the group Digital Underground, Tupac Shakur made his debut with the group in "Same Song", track presents in the EP "This Is a EP Release" and in the soundtrack of the 1991 film "Nothing but Trouble", and in the same year he embarked on a brilliant solo career by releasing his first studio album. Thanks to the group manager and his performance in the song, 2Pac manages to sign a contract with Interscope Records. He carried out the entire project in the studios of Interscope, a Time / Warner branch, initially focusing on the party songs he had seen performing with the Digital Underground, before later turning to more political and social issues. The production is made by Digital Underground, which provides a simplistic funky sound: the music is simply decent and is the weak point of the whole project, stopping it almost in the bud without allowing it to become a political classic, the rhythms are minimal, skeletal, dirty and essentially functional to the MC lyrics, they force you to pay more attention to the 2Pac bars.

Eric B. & Rakim — Follow the Leader

The enormous success of the duo's debut album convinced MCA to sign the duo to a three-album deal worth $1 million, the first rap group to do so. Eric B. & Rakim's second album is similar to the previous one. The production of Eric B. (or whoever for him, several beats are realized by DJ Mark the 45 King) is more developed, clear and well executed compared to the debut, makes a more frequent and accurate use of the samples, often giving up the usual James Brown in favor of sounds closer to jazz: one of the rare samples from Godfather of Soul is featured in "Lyrics of Fury", while Bob James' "Nautilus" is the perfect soundscape for the title track, where the rapper delivers one of the best hip hop tracks ever with an incredible unstoppable flow, Rakim seems to be able to go on forever and still proves to be the best.

Run-DMC — King of Rock

In early 1985, less than a year after their debut, the hip-hop group from Queens Run-DMC released their second album, whose title, conceived by their label executive Corey Robbins, established the boys' desire to bring their musical genre ever closer to the attention of the mainstream public, declaring themselves the kings of both rap and rock.