DJ Muggs — Winter

Studio album number 18 for DJ Muggs, seventh solo. The producer, famous member of Cypress Hill and founder of Soul Assassins, creates all the beats of the edition and collaborates with several rappers emerging from the underground circuit, including Rome Streetz, Eto, Crimeapple, al.divino, RLX, veterans Meyhem Lauren and Boldy James, and a guy I don't really know how but managed to be considered a column in both the mainstream and the underground, Cappadonna.

After a light piano intro, Boldy James is the first guest on the tape: jazzy boom bap, raw drum midtempo, good samples, the Detroit rapper delivers a slow and monotone, cold and icy, smooth delivery, making a good tune. "Olympic Stamps" features a Don Cappachino in exceptional form: on a rough and dark boom bap by DJ Muggs, who keeps Wu-Tang vibes for this production, with slow and pounding drum and good samples, the MC kills the cut with his rough and hardcore style. A dark and somber rhythm follows with a distant slow drum to accommodate the slow and raw rapping of RLX. "Food on My Fork" boasts the presence of Rome Streetz, who spits bars with regular rapping on guitar riff supported by an eclectic, slow and incessant drum machine.

The posse "Veneno", featuring Meyhem Lauren, Eto and Crimeapple, should be among the best pieces, however, something prevents the choice from flying as it should: decent boom bap, not excellent, with simply decent sample and slow pounding drum machine, in rapping nobody makes obvious mistakes. Eto with his syncopated and flowing style and Crimeapple with quick and fast rapping, they both sound better than Lauren, nevertheless, maybe Muggs fails to deliver one of his best productions for this posse. Hologram is the brother of Meyhem Lauren and, I wanna be generous, he provides an honest joint in "Resume", on a decent skeletal rhythm by Muggs. Al.divino delivers slow and smooth syncopation on a good production, without drum, with dark and gloomy samples, tense and guitar riffs. It closes a four minute outro with an elegant piano, the tape is closed by festive and cheerful children who come out of a school, I think, the feeling I had is that.

Muggs composes this tape of 9 tracks and 23 minutes of listening: it's a good tape. There are several solid traits, and overall, it's pleasant enough, should be considered for East Coast and street rap fans: but it's not something I want to go back to, for some reason.

Highlights: "Warning Shots", "Olympic Stamps", "Food on My Work", "Roll the Credits".

Rating: 7/10.