Album Ratings (4/22/2023): Lloyd Banks, Pi’erre Bourne, redveil & Swizz Beatz

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Lloyd Banks – The Course Of The Inevitable 3: Pieces Of My Pain

I know y’all want me to do a full-blown review for this album, but after doing YoungBoy’s 33-track effort yesterday, I’m all album reviewed out. However, as I say every week now, I did get a chance to listen to this project.

On some real s**t, I am hella amazed at how good of a rapper Lloyd Banks still is. His punchlines are still crisp as hell, his style is still authentically gutter, and his lyrics are still intricate. With that being said, The Course Of The Inevitable 3: Pieces Of My Pain deserves a f**king chef’s kiss. The album boasts cold-ass street beats that I absolutely love, tongue-twisting rap flows that take serious skills to put together, and lyrical content that is so damn street intelligent. If you are someone that prefers NBA basketball over NCAA basketball, there’s a good chance that you will like this album.

Favorite tracks: “Pieces of My Pain,” “Onxy AMG,” “Money Machine,” “Movie Scenes,” “LSD,” “Keys To Success” and “Invisible.”

RGM RATING

(B)

Pi’erre Bourne – Grails

It’s official: Pi’erre Bourne has released more projects than Playboi Carti. Two weeks ago, Pi’erre dropped an EP called Grails. Though it’s short as hell (It only has eight tracks), it’s so action-packed, I think it’s impossible to hate.

Do you know what I like most about Grails? It sounds lighthearted. Throughout the project, Pi’erre Bourne hits us with fearless and exciting melodies that pair perfectly with his out-of-this-worldly instrumentals. You shouldn’t take the album completely seriously, but at the same time, you should absolutely respect Pi’erre’s unfiltered sound.

Favorite tracks from Grails: “Tabloid,” “IG,” and “NY in June.”

RGM RATING

(C+)

redveil – playing w/ fire

redveil has next. When will he reach his full potential? I have no clue; however, I can confirm that he has ‘it.’ playing w/fire is the DMV artist’s latest project. Though he has plenty of polishing to do, there are a few songs in which he gives me Juice WRLD vibes.

Aside from the Juice moments, I think this EP is very fun to listen to. It features some bombastic/complex instrumentals, very exciting hooks, and just entertaining raps overall. I f**k with what I heard a lot.

Favorite tracks from playing w/ fire: “giftbag,” “black enuff,” and “pwf.”

RGM RATING

(B)

Swizz Beatz – Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2

Hold on, what the f**k is Hip Hop Vol. 1?

Swizz Beatz has been around the world and has even made a song called “Around The World” with Cassidy. I say that to say he has a lot of big-time relationships in the hip-hop industry. Swizz shows off his popularity by releasing a new EP called Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2 that features Lil Wayne, Jay-z, Jadakiss, Benny The Butcher, Nas, and Jay Electronica.

Do you know what I like about Swizz Beatz? He always creates beats that make rappers rap. For instance, “Runaway” with Nas boasts a hard-hitting beat that gasses the New York rapper up to be the most competitive version of himself. All in all, not a single track on this album lacks energy. But let’s be real: Y’all came for “This Sh*t Right Here” with JAY-Z and Lil Wayne, right? The song only semi-disappoints (It features explosive Lil Wayne verses and only a weak-ass JAY-Z hook).

Favorite Songs: “This Sh*t Right Here,” “Runaway” and “Take ‘Em Out”