Music Review: YP @RAYISYP "A CLEVELAND STORY: HEART OF THE CITY"

YP is an artist with a knack for telling stories and he illustrates that very well with his project, "A CLEVELAND STORY: HEART OF THE CITY".  “A CLEVELAND STORY: HEART OF THE CITY” gives you a look into YP’s life starting with the intro that features a news clip that sets the stage for YP, and the overall message seems to be, that it’s a jungle out there. “The Life I Lead” is a very revealing look into YP’s life and his struggles from being a father to being a hustler and how the end justifies the means of it all.  I absolutely love the flow YP delivers on “SoufSide” and how serious it can get in Cleveland.  The most notable tracks on the project in my opinion are “Just Sayin” Featuring Flyy And Big O because of it’s high energy and the chemistry between all of the artists, “Where The Playas Go” (Prod. Big O) because of the laid back feel and how YP just seems so comfortable and on his pimp shit with this one.  “Follow Me” takes you on a journey or at least a walk through YP’s stomping grounds and the one thing I will say about this track is that YP is not just rapping to hear himself rap, he puts his heart into it.  “The Lover’s Feel”, “Run To“,  and “Reflections I II”, show a more present YP who sounds sure of himself, but the one thing that I don’t really care for throughout the whole project is the inconsistency of YP’s delivery and I’m not talking about the cadences, but more or less his confidence level which makes him sound a little unsure of himself on tracks like “Hold Me Down” and “Flashbacks”.  On the track, “Obituaries”, YP puts us in our feelings with lines like “You help us cus you love us, sisters and brothas, and where you going can be viewed as scary, but we gon meet again, that time apart is only temporary”, and sometimes we need to hear music that makes us feel and YP has succeeded at it.  I think YP is a standout artist and he needs to accept the fact that he can be confident on the tracks because when he attacks a beat that seems to really fit him, he absolutely kills it.  Definitely worth the download!     What I loved: I Love YP’s dedication to Cleveland and the talent that he has when it comes to putting together songs that make you think and his stellar storytelling skills. What I hated:  The inconsistent confidence level in some of the songs.  I would love to hear a more aggressive YP and more soulful sampled beats because that is where YP seems to shine the brightest. About the Artist: Raised on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, Raymond “YP” Simpson came up around the roughest of conditions. Though he endured harsh surroundings, trials and tribulations, YP never foresaw music as being an outlet to escape from it all. “I always liked to listen to music or whatever, but I never looked at it as something to do or get into. My focus was life and the struggle my family was going through.” he answered in an interview. Survival was the motto of his upbringing. However, these early years would eventually lay the foundation for YP the man, as well as the artist. An artist of many talents and unable to find adequate help musically at the onset of his career, YP took it upon himself to learn everything on his known. He is now known as an accomplished producer/rapper/songwriter/engineer. YP has always been a lover of music and hip hop in particular but did not discover his talent for creating music until the age of 18. In 2005, during his sophomore year at the University of Toledo, YP would form a strong bond with his newly met roommate “J. Keyes” and the group/company Young Hustlas was formed. The Young Hustlas quickly built a following on campus, releasing three street albums in a two year period to feed their growing fan base. Feeling the need to expand musically, YP began work on what would be his individual introduction to the world titled: A Cleveland Story. The album would serve as a musical autobiography that detailed his life experiences. To further expand the YHE brand, YP has spent the last couple years producing and writing for other artists in Cleveland and many other areas. His first solo mixtape, “IT’S ON ME” was released in May of 2010. Also a collaborative EP with Cleveland based producer Big O was released later that year, aptly titled, “Soul of The Streets.” However, feeling burnt out and stressed from the rigors of the fledgling music scene he took at break from everything dealing with me music in 2011. A four year hiatus that included an engagement and 2 kids followed. Something about starting a family seemed to have sparked his creative juices. “Man I could not write anything for like 3-4 years. It was crazy. I couldn't create. Then it seemed out of nowhere the bars, the hooks, the melodies just starting flowing.” In early 2015 YP reconnected with long time collaborator Big O and began to finish what he started 4 years ago. Then a major setback hit in April 2015. While leaving his fiancée’s house, he was robbed and shot in the back, thus putting the music on hold for about two months. Once released from the hospital and fully recovered, his debut single “Where The Playas Go” Prod. by Big O was released on July 20, 2015. The follow up single “I’m Just Sayin” was released in August 2015. His debut album A Cleveland Story: Heart of The City was released October 13, 2015 to nothing but positive reviews. “I’m just working man. I’m just really trying to take this thing to the next level. Once I’m done, the whole world is gonna remember me. Thats the goal.” YP’s follow up album Joyous Pain is scheduled for a summer 2016 release. Debut album from Cleveland artist YP, A Cleveland Story: Heart of the City. The album is a journey of the highs and lows of coming of age in Cleveland.

ALBUM REVIEW: O.W.E. by FUTA (@futadabeast) #ps9online

About the artist: Set to release his debut album, "O.W.E" (Out Work Everybody), Futa has been grinding for years in the music world trying to create the right sounds and songs to represent his state. Coming out of Little Rock, Arkansas, he is one the biggest prospects the small city has gaining attention from all over the world. Review: Futa came to my attention about a year ago on this radio show that I was co-hosting and his track Y.A.T.C.L. was being played and I ended up taking a real interest in his music because he was different and offered something new and original.  On his new project O.W.E. he gives a very polished performance that has replay potential.  The intro is crazy, "Talking out the side of your neck when your speaking on Futa, have you hanging off a tree like an old pair of Pumas" then he launches into the next track "OSOM", speaking on his struggle and dropping too many quotables, "Procrastination or dedication, what it's gonna be", "I don't listen to opinions, only my conscience" and through his words and amazing but somber production he paints a very vivid painting of his life and where he's from "Welcome to the city of the unforgiven" definitely one of the top tracks on the project. "Living Legend" would be the song with the most radio single popularity because of the tone and the motivation behind it, imagine Future with hope and no syrup, that's what you get here, "Gotta get it how you live, Show them niggas you the shit, show them niggas that you working and you certain that you gonna make it big".  I absolutely love this track, the damn chorus is more than catchy it's viral, "I'm a living legend make my life a movie".   Futa has a strong team, and I can hear it on the track, "I Apologize" with Monsta,Syril J, and Endoe Nova make a strong album track here where everybody shines.  "U Da Man" is dope, because I am a strong believer in affirming or affirmations rather and the chorus that rings the truest to me is, "I look in the mirror and I say this, "U da man, u da man, u da man, nobody do it like you can".  That is so needed and this project is almost like a blueprint on how to succeed if you pay attention and this is another one of my top picks, it is also radio single potential.  "So Special" which seems to be for the ladies,from any other artist might be mediocre, but Futa's energy and his ability to switch up the flow is what sets him apart here and I think that the ladies will love it. "Ease The Pain" gave me that "My Mind is Playing Tricks on Me" vibe but it is something I feel that many of us that grow up in the hood faced and are still dealing with and it was absolutely relatable,  speaking on addiction and poverty, something many artists are not addressing.  "GrindMode" is a big standout track, and he shares his life on this survivor track,  "I've been talked about a lot, but never been pushed around, snakes grabbin on my heels but never been tooken down", but when he gives you the hook,  "Grind Hard same plan, nigga every single day,I ain't changing my beliefs, only changing up my ways", I swear Futa is up NEXT, we need this type of positivity without compromise.  "I Really Do Miss You Sometimes" is a nice track, that everybody can relate to if you have an ex that you don't have any communication with but you still miss, and Futa made the beat among others he made on this project! That shows me a lot about him as an artist, and that is he carefully crafts his work.  "Glaciers" was a great storytelling track that shows his versatility as an artist. "O.W.E." the signature track, which stands for "OUT WORK EVERYBODY", is the anthem for those that need something to keep going and that is the overall theme of the whole project, and  FUTA uses this track to reiterate his message, or at least what I believe to be his message, and that is, he outworks EVERYBODY, and we all need to have the hunger that he has to succeed and to make it out of struggle.   Futa is really the present and the future, so in short he's up next, and I think he has the talent and drive to be the next young icon out here in rap.  This project is one that will be played over and over on my mp3 player, because it motivates me, Futa's flow is ridiculously polished and aggressive when need be, and the production makes me really feel the song.   Rating: A+ https://savageproductions.wordpress.com  

New Album Review: Laid Thomas @laid_thomas - "New Lazarus"

  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/new-lazarus/id1044711917     If "Hazardous was any indication of what I could expect from "New Lazarus", I was in for a dope ride. Laid spits this one line that I found to be the hardest through the track, "what you want your shirt to say, Laid sprayed me up?". I think Laid found his groove over this electric guitar filled beat, and I love it. "Life Like" is painted with a story telling vibe, and I fuck with it, because I felt like I was watching an episode of "The Wire". "Alleyway" ft. Lil Gudda sounds like music to chase the opps to, and even though I am not a gangster, I killed some people in my head to this and Lil Gudda and Laid seem to be relay racing and passing the baton to one another on this and they are winning. "Fork Tender" really hit close to home, mainly because it is a straight hustling anthem, no matter what field it is you are hustling in, the lines I found to be the dopest here were, "you can catch me at the arabs, buying 15 for the 15, if you want a verse from me it's 15 for the 16's" gotdamn Laid. I think this cat gets better with every album and that's what it is about. "Say Bye" is dope to me because he talks about how his life is despite his health issues, and he lets Kilo Gramz and Dr. Jeer come through and share their world on this one too and it just fits to me, it is one of my favorite tracks. Laid documents his life or part of it on social media and he is doing more than a lot of artists are out here doing despite things that he is facing in his personal life. "Move Careful", seems to illustrate much of my life in 2015, because people do not always have your best interest at heart, some want to be you, and some want what you have but hate you because you got it, but this line,"Envy in their eyes you gotta move careful", I can definitely relate to this and I think that's why this track resonates as deeply with me as it does, and it serves as a warning and a reminder to move carefully because the people that you trust and look to as friends and comrades aren't always what they appear to be, and Dr. Jeer comes through on Laid's tracks with the assist, I love their collaborations because it sounds natural and the chemistry is there! "These Niggas" featuring Lil Gudda and Dr Jeer, is an eerie track telling you why "These NIGGAS" will never be like Laid and his team, mainly because they aren't out here doing what they need to do to be successful like them, and what I will say is Laid seems to be extremely consistent with how he drops his albums, I REPEAT "ALBUMS". If you are going to drop music get paid for it, and trust me this album is worth the money. "Money Calling", sounds like my life, like I AM NOT THINKING ABOUT VAGINA when the money is on the table. This is a paper chasing anthem, and this is what you play on the late night tip when you trying to stack it up, "I ain't thinking about that ass when the money call, I'm trying to ball baby, I want it all", if that ain't the damn truth, this is my second favorite here because Laid's flow is to die for, seriously. "Own Lane" is another classic from Laid, it has to be up there with "Pine Box" from Laid's "Titanic Thompson" album also available on itunes. When Laid says he is in his own lane, he is telling the truth, because again I have worked with many artists, but Laid drops album after album, like he is Tupac or something with the music that he has stored, unlimited tracks. I think this album may be the best one so far, Laid's flow and songwriting has improved a lot from when he first started putting music out and he puts your favorite rapper to shame when it comes to supplying that demand. This is rated A+ to me and I think it is worth your money, make sure you check out his other albums on Itunes.