Crill Gates - Broken Bonds and Burned Bridges (REVIEW)

DOWNLOAD: http://www.audiomack.com/album/vmg/broken-bonds-burned-bridges

The false conception about street rap is that it’s just criminals broadcasting their felonies without any real depth or beneath the surface talk about the realities of the game. Crill Gates proves that theory is far from true as his newest tape Broken Bonds and Burned Bridges is some of the most personal rhymes put on record in recent years. Through a soundscape of accessible production and incredible sequencing, Crill doesn’t waste a single track, verse or bar on this tape, providing guidance for those coming up, relatable quotes for those who have seen the life, and his own tales of the ups and downs of the life that many rappers will glorify but few will take you on a true journey through.

The first track alone is a clear indication that this is not the average coke rapper talking numbers and bodies as Crill provides not only a biography but a confessional on “Forgive Me For My Sins”. Up next is “Criminal Enterprise” which is fantastically reminiscent of Jay and Bleek’s “Coming of Age” as Crill spends the first verse teaching his protégé how to work, and as Blizzy Blanco proves himself on the second verse, Crill then hands the game over to him on the third. Immediately following this brilliant conceptual songwriting, Crill Gates digs deep and delivers a heartbreaking story of loss on “Mother’s Pain”.

Hip hop used to have the Triangle Offense of Budden, Fabolous and Paul Cain. It now has Crill Gates, Wink Loc and Rob White (a/k/a PUSH!) and “Dark Knight”, with its immediate throwback to 50 Cent’s “Thicker Than Water” is pure raw, uncut dope as all three drop verses that will no doubt require multiple playbacks not only to catch every line but to have time to let all that greatness from one song sink in. “Bonds & Bridges” highlights various famous accounts of backstabbing and contains lessons regarding trust as Crill acknowledges the game isn’t all gravy, while “Family Business” finds Preme Da Prez joining Crill over smooth drop top production. The “Rich Forever” 3mix is every bit as epic as the Rick Ross original, and showcases that Crill Gates is able to make a known beat his own with haunting lines like “homie beat the body so he copped out to possession” that make it absolutely clear that he is not just fabricating tales for entertainment, he’s really been in the trenches where every night could be your last.

“This is War” sounds exactly like the title, as the sample belts out creepily over the beat while the VMG artists spit fierce bars, and while “Street Confessions” showed up on Crill’s last tape, Gates Way to Hell, it is every bit as welcomed on this as PUSH! absolutely bodies the track and Crill more than holds his own with more lines that prove the authenticity in his raps. Finishing up the tape, “Can’t Love Just One” is layered with an amazing piano sample and a beautiful and catchy hook from Broadway and is a perfect way to wrap up what is a solid and cohesive project from Crill Gates.

Maturity and growth are everything. On Gates Way to Hell, Crill Gates let it be known that he was cut from a different cloth, but on Broken Bonds and Burned Bridges he has proven himself to be a well developed and versatile artist. He has grown so much in just the last year, and while his first tape was a solid effort, this is a huge step up as he has gotten way more personal in his bars and has songs that are not just a collection of verses but amazing stories which make you truly feel what he’s saying. Whether you spent time in the game or not, this tape has something that everyone can relate to, and it’s without question one of the finest releases of the year, and a praiseworthy accomplishment from Crill Gates. 

Blizzy Blanco - Son of Anarchy (REVIEW)

Killa Kounty Kartel been making waves for a minute and if you’ve been sleeping then it’s time to wake up. Crill Gates already blessed us with greatness through his tape, Gates Way to Hell, and now Blizzy Blanco steps up and further proves why this crew is not to be left unnoticed as his powerful effort, Son of Anarchy, is a fine display of street lyricism along with epic production which work well together to paint a vivid picture of the life of a hustler.

Wasting no time, Blizzy jumps right into “The Underdog” and gives us a short bio of who we’re being introduced to over a smooth soundscape. The powerful production slides in on “Progress & Profit” which features a catchy hook and a brilliant concept, lessons that everyone should learn. Not slowing down for even a second, “The Beginning” finds guest Mulan delivering an uplifting hook over a stadium ready beat while Blizzy dreams about greatness with a humble confidence.

One of the early highlights on the tape is the “Off Safety” 3mix. Slick gun talk and boastful bars as Blizzy easily hangs with the original USDA artists on this gem and honestly makes you forget for a minute who even originally made this joint. The Killa Kounty Kartel guests start showing up on “Men of Mayhem”, which is easily another highlight as all three deliver some of the slickest verses with quotables all over the place. “Crunch Time” once again finds Crill Gates paying the 2 guard to Blizzy’s always on point flow all over a horror movie beat with haunting keys.

What’s great about Son of Anarchy is that there really aren’t any skippable tracks. As each track finishes and you feel like the next one has to slow down the tape at least somewhat, Blizzy just keeps delivering bangers, as is evidenced by “AMC” being no less hype than “Crunch Time” or any of the tracks preceding it. But as every true man has a heart too, “Without” is a track that touches on the topic of females, as Blizzy reflects on a woman he loved and lost.

And just like that, having put your ears through a fine sampling of great street rap accompanied by amazing production and a slew of Killa Kounty Kartel guests, all showcasing why this crew simply can’t be ignored, Son of Anarchy concludes, but not without a couple bonus gems. Blizzy holds it down on the Outro, delivering knowledge along with a manifesto of sorts, complete with encouraging samples from Shawn Carter to allow those to grow with Blizzy as he sees the large picture in life. “The Underdog” remix allows Don Gang and Molotiv Blizz to shine over the same beat that Blizzy blessed earlier. Finally, we get “Dirty Harry” which is just a straight up raw track over a beat that is reminiscent of “I Shot Ya” with the same grittiness and solid rapping.

Overall, Son of Anarchy is a great tape. If this is any indication of what Killa Kounty Kartel has to offer then do not sleep on these guys. With Crill Gates setting the tone, Blizzy Blanco has only stepped up to further prove that this is a solid collective of great rappers who definitely deserve some shine and are carving their own lane in the street rap game with brilliant narratives over epic production culminating in great music. 

Download: Blizzy Blanco - Son of Anarchy

ALBUM REVIEW: Guerrilla Alliance - Empire of Fear

At this point, Guerrilla Alliance should be a staple in your hip hop education. Vega X and Macabean the Rebel have been blessing the masses with knowledge and eliminating the fake fraudulent false rappers for a couple albums now, and Empire of Fear is yet another gem in their catalog. As they continue to progress in their quest to inform those who are still sleeping on the realities of the world, their music only keeps getting better. Once again they have crafted an album full of raw rhymes and dark production that will have you exploring lost caves in search of the truth.

After a neck breaking intro, Guerrilla Alliance waste no time as their tear apart “The War Scroll”. Next up is a tribute to their fallen friend, Vee Eye, and following that is the first of many highlights on this album as the beat for “Ghost in the Machine” fades in and lyrical exercises commence. Joining VX and Mac on “Alliance of Peril”, Lone Ninja is just one of the many guests who contribute greatly to Empire of Fear’s deep bench of role players perfectly positioned to help Guerrilla Alliance spread their message. “Megiddo” and “Omerta” are both Guerrilla Alliance staple tracks which are perfect examples of exactly how Vega X and Macabean shine together and provide music that makes you think as well as beats you in the head with knowledge.

Where this album really kicks into overdrive is on “Scimitar” as Highdro and Tehutimo both contribute ridiculous verses and Vega especially shines over a beat so hard it will make you wanna smack an old lady square across the face for no reason at all. “Eye 4 An Eye” with Block McCloud and Black Earth with Rasul Allah7 only further the climb this album takes with more great guest features and a feeling that something big is on its way. Then, if the epic samples and even more epic beat of “Predatory Spiritualism” aren’t enough to have you slammed against the wall like those old Maxwell cassette tape commercials, Chief Kamachi rolls through and blazes through the song to provide more support to the Guerrilla Alliance team.

You knew the best was yet to come and “Ordo Ab Chao” is exactly that. The beat alone is a furious journey that feels like a battle happening right in front of you, Macabean and Vega both come as correct as possible and do the solid production justice and just when you think you’ve been defeated by an army of machete wielding soldiers, the great Canibus launches into a verse that sounds like it’s 1997 all over again and he’s hungry to break into the game. Say what you want about Canibus, but he absolutely bodies this track.

Sometimes labeled as conspiracy theory rap, what Guerrilla Alliance accomplishes with Empire of Fear is providing a musical soundscape that combines both the book heavy thought provoking raps about the Illuminati and battlegrounds comparable to the movie “300” with classic hardcore production and overall great rhyme skills. The verbal styles of Mac and VX are very different but they complement each other perfectly, and both make the beats their own as they tackle the cathedral like production. Having heard “Guerrilla Warfare” as well as Vega’s solo records and various mixtapes, it is safe to say that Empire of Fear is Guerrilla Alliance’s greatest project thus far and absolutely needs to be ingested and digested and kept on repeat to catch all of the brilliance contained within.  

ALBUM REVIEW: Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience Part 2

First of all…20/20 Experience Part 1 was pure greatness. That album had 9 minute songs that were too short. Part 2 though is filled with 9 minute songs that are too long. I can’t emphasize the amount of disappointment I’m feeling right now. This worse than when they killed Ricky. This worse than Rico turning on Mitch. This shit worse than the album version of “All Me” cutting the entire second Drake verse instead of giving us the whole thing. I’m gonna break this album down track by track to save yall 75 minutes that would be better spent playing GTA V and drinking Ciroc with white women.

1.      Gimmie What I Don’t Know (I Want) – how the fuck you gonna start an album singing about spirit animals? After the epic first 20/20 he already got me regretting downloading this shit for free. He wanna be Kanye so bad but naw we don’t want this nor do we need it.

2.      True Blood – this shit as long and as boring as the show.

3.      Cabaret – aight now we finally got something decent. Thank you Drake for reminding me why I should be listening to your album instead of this struggle music.

4.      TKO – I lowkey fucks with this. Keyword being “lowkey” cause it’s only a matter of time before I forget this track exists.

5.      Take Back The Night – this bootleg Michael Jackson single ain’t all that terrible but it’s definitely way too long.

6.      Murder – title is appropriate cause it makes me wanna kill myself. Even Jay knew it was wack with his bullshit ass verse.

7.      Drink You Away – fuck you Justin. This country ass shit is pure trash. I hope Jessica Biel cheats on you for making this garbage.

8.      You Got It On – aight now this album is finally getting good.

9.      Amnesia – yeah this shit is FIRE! He probably called it “Amnesia” cause he hoping we forget everything that came before it.

10.  Only When I Walk Away – this joint aight but he too fake mad on it.

11.  Not a Bad Thing / Pair of Wings – Greatest. Songs. Ever. I cried a river of tears to this shit and keep it on repeat while I call every ex I have and beg for them to take me back. This got me crying more than Lauryn Hill when she’s forced to take a shower.

There it is. Fuck you Justin for putting out this bullshit but I guess it’s cool cause the last two tracks are better than everyone else’s catalogs for the last 6 decades. I did the math and this shit is 16.6% dope. If that ain’t enough reason for you to skip this trash then you probably listen to Stalley on the regular. Peace.

Crill Gates - Gates Way To Hell (REVIEW)

 

Street rappers have been claiming how real they keep it for a minute now. With all the bars artists kick to prove how authentic their life is, there’s a huge difference between knowing how to make your drug raps seem like reality and actually speaking about the reality of what you know. This is where Crill Gates sets himself apart. On Gates Way to Hell it’s very clear that Crill is really about that life as he delivers a tape so gutter that you feel like you’re in a dirty hallway working a 24 hour shift.

Right from the jump Crill calls out those who are not on his level with “Gangsta”. A lot of people talk it, but he makes you truly feel how much he lives it with his slick gun talk and shouts to all the legends that have moved work in various capacities throughout the years. “Stray Souls” continues the hypeness and allows Crill Gates to put his brutally smooth flow on display. For someone speaking about such dark topics, Crill glides over the track with a hunger not heard in years. “Pop Off” boasts a menacing piano line as Crill goes into beast mode and “Ready For War” will bring you back to the old G-Unit days with straight up bars and an infectious hook. One of the highlights of the tape is “Facts of Life” with its beat straight out of a horror movie and the Wire references are absolutely brilliant.

PUSH! rolls through on “Street Confessions” which is another highlight of the tape for a multitude of reasons. For starters, lines like “if they using 12/12 skinnys, we using glad bags” let you know that Crill is most definitely about this life, and that he’s also very smart when it comes to business and is damn good at what he does. PUSH! also bodies the track while Crill holds his own as they trade bars, plus the hook is way too real and the beat is perfect for riding through the sunset with blunt smoke pouring out the sunroof. Also from MIB, Wink Loc shows up on “Hustle Hard” on an epic track that sounds like a war is about to break out. This is the type of track that will bring anyone who’s been inside right back to the yard. And following that up, the smoothed out “Papers Pt. 1” is as close to a track for the females as you’re gonna get on this tape, but it still maintains that street mentality which is so dope as it further proves that Crill is diverse while still maintaining the consistency of a project made for the streets. The “3mix” tracks, “Financial Freedom” and “Lean Wit It” both confirm that Crill Gates is very much at home over recognizable production and has no problem making other peoples’ tracks his own. And the closeout, “I Grind”, finds all three artists on the track (E Mac, Don Gang and Crill) lacing into a beat that will have you so hype that it’s only necessary to play the whole tape right back after.

The two qualities that a lot of street rappers lack are abilities that Crill Gates excels in, honesty and passion. With bars so lethal and detailed, it’s clear that Crill is not giving us fantasy lines, and his intensity in every verse showcases an incredibly degree of passion. Gates Way to Hell is not for fans of happy friendly hip hop. This record is for those who have looked forward to bubble coat season for the pure fact that it’s easier to carry work. If you’re looking for music to get money to, or you remember the days of checking the rearview with multiple felony charges in the whip then you’ll definitely have Gates Way to Hell on repeat.

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