Author: EDITORIAL FEATURES

This is the 9th full-length album from Detroit emcee Ty Farris. Coming up under the name T-Flame, he was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. But coming fresh off his 3rd EP Moments of Mayhem alongside his last 2 albums Fluorescent Mud & Pain for Ya Vein respectively, Ty’s liking back up with Trox for a 3rd installment of the Room 39 saga.

After the intro, the first song “Defiant Stance” is an impassioned opener with Ty talking about not tolerating any disrespect & smiling when slitting motherfucker’s necks whereas “Came a Long Way” with 38 Spesh finds the 2 over a soulful instrumental talking about how far they’ve made it in this rap game. “Another Crackbaby” works in a high-pitched vocal sample with some kicks & snares getting on his battle rap shit, but then Rome Streetz comes into the picture for the woozy “Different Bracket” justifiably comparing & contrasting them from anyone else bar for bar.

However with “Disloyalty Meets Greed & Revenge”, we have T-Flame over a mellow ass beat coming through with some remarkable storytelling for 3 & a half minutes leading into the groovy “Please Don’t Overdose” of course talking about that cocaína. “You Didn’t Know You Was in Hell” returns to the boom bap welcoming you to a place where everybody be plotting just before the song “Let’em Out the Prison” going into more conscious territory with a somber yet dusty beat. The penultimate track “Seize It” with Noveliss sees the pair over a flute talking about waiting their lives for this moment & “Venting” is a confessional closer with a slick instrumental.

Everything that Trox has laced for Ty is just absolute gold, so it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Welcome 2 Room 39 stands as my favorite project that he’s done since the 4th installment of the No Cosign, Just Cocaine series. I know I’ve been like a broken record for the past year by mentioning the long-awaited 5th & final entry set to arrive next month, but this continues to bring the astonishing cohesiveness that made Room 39 & it’s sequel highlights in T-Flame’s discography.

Score: 9/10

Eto is an MC from Rochester, New York who I first caught wind of him in 2018 with his feature at the end of the 6th installment of Westside Gunn’s infamous HWH mixtape series & eventually his DJ Muggs-produced full-length debut Hell’s Roof a few months later. This was followed up with Long Story Short as well as & Front Row & The Beauty of It, but is enlisting Toronto’s very own Futurewave behind the boards to make Dead Poets his first solo effort in 2 & a half years.

The titular intro sets things off with a bare piano instrumental talking about people trying to leave them in the dark & still shining regardless whereas “Vintage” works some raw kicks & snares declaring that he’s still living like the king he truly is to this day. “Bullets & Pills” was a good choice for a lead single keeping things in boom bap turf talking about having to clean up shop if one got the bills prior to Daniel Son tagging along for the gritty follow-up “Make It Out” as they both vividly describe being fortunate enough to get out of tough situations alive & well.

Moving on from there with “Poetry is Dead”, we have Eto over lavish piano chords pointing out the fact that those cut from the same cloth as him won’t live if the grind stops leading into “Cut the Robbin” returning to the boom bap declaring shop to be open for business nor to forget the unforgiven. The solemn titular interlude prioritizes self discipline & addressing that he hasn’t taken any losses or even wins yet just before G4 Jag comes into the picture for the jazzy “Did You Hear?” answering the question if either of them heard what others have said.

“My Poetry Deep” talks about how rare it is to see a costless person fall after learning that scared money gets it all over a boom bap instrumental with some harmonious background vocals while the song “City Broken” with Warlord Ironsheik has a more morbid approach sonically as both MCs advise not to slip & that slowly is the fastest way to get to where you wanna be in life. The penultimate track “Black Star” is a symphonic boom bap hybrid speaking on what those who die good men will receive & “Don’t Listen” ends things with Tearz handling the verses calling himself Van Gogh with a hoodie & Timbs on top of a tranquil beat.

From the moment Dead Poets was announced over the summer, I knew it was bound to be a great comeback from Eto after nearly 3 years of dropping a solo effort & I’m more than satisfied with the outcome of it. Although I respectfully wasn’t too crazy about the features during the back end of the album, Futurewave’s production is incredibly consistent & Swayze himself sounds rejuvenated on the mic.

Score: 8/10