Che Noir Expresses Gratitude on Her 5th EP ”The Last Remnants” (EP Review)
This is the 5th EP from Buffalo emcee/producer Che Noir. Catching my attention after 38 Spesh signed her to TCF Music Group & fully produced her first 3 EPs, it wasn’t until her Apollo Brown-produced full-length debut As God Intended & then her self-produced 4th EP After 12 during the 2nd half of 2020 where her potential began to blossom exponentially. She just dropped her sophomore album Food for Thought at the beginning of the year & is rounding out her 2022 in the form of The Last Remnants.
“Handicap” is a 2-minute opener with Che belittling her competition on top of a weepy boom bap instrumental whereas “Therapy Session” takes a more soulful approach to tell the story about herself as a Buffalo queen. Ransom comes into the picture for the atmospheric yet dusty “Bidding War” produced by Trox speaking on the music industry just before Elcamino tags along for the classy “Summertime” talking about how they kept fighting to be where they both are today.
Meanwhile on “Wine & Dine”, we have Jynx716 assisting Che on top of a rich boom bap beat comparing their love for this rap shit to that of their own kinfolk leading into “Wash the Dishes” weaving a funky bass-line & a vocal sample together produced by Chup so she & Benny the Butcher can flex their boss statuses. The song “Lately” with Klass Murda finds the 2 over a more whimsical instrumental talking about being stressed as of late while the penultimate track “Promised Land” with 38 Spesh returns to soulful turf celebrating their success. “Art of Patience” however serves as an ambitious conclusion to the EP needing to know if the goals she sets are achievable.
Che has already proven herself to be one of the most skilled women in the game today & if The Last Remnants is only an appetizer for something bigger coming down the pipe in the near future, then it’s most definitely on par with all 4 of the EPs that she’s given us in the past. The concept of her thanks the man upstairs for the bread on her table & blessing it is incredibly profound as she takes a backseat behind the boards to allow some of the best producers in the underground to shine.
Score: 8/10