By Alex P80 Parks

There’s really just too many dope albums coming out to review all releases. This edition tries to cover some ground by showing several albums from the last couple weeks that shouldn’t be overlooked, regardless of the buzz they’re generating or the coverage they’ve received thus far.

Chris Crack drops a 20 min, one-track EP produced by August Fanon. This Will All Make Sense Later drops only shortly after his Let’s Just Be Friends album from last month. This EP is full of beautiful soul samples and features several of his frequent collaborators and Chicago compadres. The beats are warm and rich, allowing Crack to show fans how talented of an emcee he really is. Chris Crack blends his humor, harsh truths, playful innuendos, and of course his singular voice perfectly on this short, but highly enjoyable EP. August Fanon blends and attaches the beats fairly seamlessly into one another for a relaxing, smoked-out ride from Chris Crack.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-will-all-make-sense-later-ep/1411150005

Lord Juco Clockwork produced by Won87 adopts the theme from the iconic cult film A Clockwork Orange. Juco is at peak form here, shit-talking and leaving heads with rhymes to ponder, just lingering in the air. Won87 provides some bangers here for Juco to spit his increasingly impressive flow. The 5-track EP shows Won87 going from bluesy guitar riffs, church-like organs, psychedelic guitars, to jazzy horn loops on the tracks. Juco ensures the mayhem by offering plenty of memorable lines. Juco continues to elevate his skills and showcase his broad choice of dope beats on this EP.

http://lordjuco.bandcamp.com/album/clockwork-3

Magno Garcia Element of Surprise is a 4 track EP produced fully by Elements. Mag comes out the gate blazing, with the standout track “Aziatic”. The track boasts a gorgeously balanced strings sample with a perfectly-placed soulful vocal sample for Mag to shine on. Elements brings his sharp beats from UK for Mag to carve up with his thoughtful lyricism. Heads are only left wanting more of Magno’s intelligent rhymes to rock out to. Fortunately for fans, this EP serves as an appetizer to hold them over until Mag drops his Monastery Monk Methods LP.

http://magnogarcia.bandcamp.com/album/element-of-surprise

Producer No Pulp laces us with Imports and Exports, a primarily Lo-if beat tape, with some interesting flips and some dope samples. The last beat on the tape, a Robert Plant “Ship of Fools” flip, is pretty dope and interesting. The range in using a wide variety of genres and sources make this worth checking out. It’s a fun and enjoyable beat tape for heads with varying tastes in samples. Listen to it on SoundCloud at:

Ecto-84 gives us DVNV, a nostalgic return to the iconic Ghostbusters film with this beat tape. Naturally, it’s full of snippets from the 80’s flick. The titles also share an association with the spooky comedy movie. He’s got a few dope soulful samples on the album, one of which on a standout track “For Life”. The beat tape is a dope vibe and cool retro theme, using Ghostbusters as a focus.

http://ghxstrvppers.bandcamp.com/album/dvnv

Grimm Doza Grimm Unltd, Vol 1 is a short, but fulfilling beat tape showing his atmospheric vibes. With these mostly murky and ominous beats, Grimm Doza paints a bleak soundscape, supplying plenty of thump for head-nodding. The perfect pairing of crackly lo-fi and synth effects for fans to envision a crumbling futuristic wasteland. Often creepy and dark, heads will want to vibe out with some intense cyphers or just ride out to this short but satisfying instrumental EP.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/grimm-unltd-vol-1-ep/1412344568

Killer Kane Forest for the Trees has Kane displaying some unique arrangements on this 5-track EP. Almost off-beat at times, the tracks can be jarring, but always enjoyable. Killer Kane shows some creative chopping on the samples and layers plenty of crisp drums. Balancing the lo-fi sound with some unique and interesting chops, the tracks create a hazy vibe, perfect for sizzling summer days and humid nights. Veering in a different direction from some of his peers, Killer Kane is becoming a producer with a unique sound, and keeps showing growth with each project. Check this unique instrumental album out.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/forestforthetrees-ep/1411150027