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Gunna - DS4EVER Album Review

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  Released by YSL Records and 300 Entertainment on 7th January 2022 Gunna returns with his third studio album, DS4EVER, the fourth and final instalment of his Drip Season series that began in 2016. This marks the Atlantan-rappers first project since his 2020 album WUNNA which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Unique album covers have become a staple of Gunna’s discography since Drip Season 3 was released in 2018, and that trend continues with DS4EVER designed by Daniel Arsham. As the album begins with Private Island, Gunna repeatedly reflects on where he’s come from throughout the song as he raps about his past selling narcotics and knowing he would see better days. He also pays his respects to his close friend King Troup who passed away in 2015 ‘CIP Troup, I’m holding it down/You on my mind Charlie’. Perhaps the most anticipated song on the album after a snippet was posted on Gunna’s Instagram, Pushin P features fellow Atlantan rappers Young Thug and Future. The trio extravagant...

Don Toliver - Life of a Don Album Review

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  Released by Cactus Jack and Atlantic Records on 8th October 2021 One of the most anticipated albums of the year finally dropped on Friday 8th October. Texas-born Caleb Zackery Toliver - known professionally as Don Toliver, released his second studio album Life of a Don which follows on from his successful 2020 debut Heaven or Hell. It's quite amazing that back in 2017, the rapper had no previous musical experience, and just one year later he had blessed our eardrums with his feature on Travis Scott's 2018 hit 'CANT SAY'.  Just three days later he signed to Scott's record label Cactus Jack, and due to the hype surrounding him, released several singles throughout 2018 and 2019. Most notably 'No Idea', which became a viral sensation on the social media platform TikTok. Fast forward three years, and Don has cemented himself as one of the most unique artists in the industry, and has received praise from icons such as Pharrell - who gushed over Don in a recent i...

Lil Baby & Lil Durk - The Voice of the Heroes Album Review

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  Released by Quality Control Music, 4 Pockets Full, Only The Family, Alamo Records and Geffen Records on June 4th 2021 Following on from the success of each artists' individual albums, Lil Baby and Lil Durk decided to bless us with an 18 track project for the summer of 2021. An interesting part of the project for me was the production, usually the two artists use much more familiar producers such as Twysted Genius, ChiChi and ATL Jacob. However, on the project they branch out and use the crème de la crème consisting of LondonOnDaTrack, Wheezy and Turbo whilst also staying true to their roots with the occasional track produced by their regular household names.  Hailing from South-Side Chicago, Lil Durk is as real as it gets. It's a staple in his music that has followed him since he was a teenager, in the early 2010's crafting his drill-like hits such as "I'ma Hitta" that would land him a record deal with DefJam.  Yet, he was mismanaged, mishandled, and his pr...

My Top 10 Albums of 2020

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It's been almost three years since I reviewed an album on this blog, and after careful consideration I decided that my first post back had to carry some weight behind it. Although we are now in March 2021, reviewing my Top 10 albums of 2020 feels like a good place to start.  This was not an easy list to make by any means, due to the coronavirus and a global pandemic it meant that a lot of artists were able to record and release music to eager fans who needed to fill their time during quarantine. We certainly were not disappointed. There were 17 albums that I considered for the list, and it was extremely difficult to narrow down.  So, kicking the list off at number 10 is: Playboi Carti - Whole Lotta Red After a two year hiatus, Carti finally returned with his sophomore album - Whole Lotta Red, composing of 24 tracks.  One of the most anticipated hip-hop albums in recent memory, WLR gained an unprecedented amount of hype since it was first announced due to the success...

Sam Leoh Artist Feature

Gone are the days of burning songs from iTunes to blank CD’s. We are living in a generation dominated by streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, and this could be for the better. Independent music artists no longer require labels to make their own money and due to social media, making a name for yourself is easier than ever before. Independent Alt-Pop artist Sam Leoh from Bolton, has recognised that streaming is now more popular than hard-copies of music and is looking to take advantage of this. She believes: “I think it’s great that music is so accessible now, it gives everyone a chance to be heard. Streaming opens up doors to be discovered by new audiences too!” Sam and her band recently gigged at Manchester’s Retro Bar in March, and she is excited for what the future holds for an independent artist like herself. Sam said: “I'm embarking on a collaborative project which I am super excited about!” Whilst also not wanting to give too much awa...