Brand new EP and 9th EP from Philadelphia, PA emcee OT the Real. About ten years ago he came home from prison and released his debut single “Papercuts”, started working underground and after showing his skills on radio stations or releasing 9 albums as well as mixtapes and finally 8 EPs, his profile began to grow. My favorites are the third EP “The Irishman” produced by Heatmakerz and the third album “Broken Glass” produced by DJ Green Lantern (released on my 25th birthday) and Maxed Out produced by Statik Selektah. Regardless, “Desperate of December,” “It’s Also Over” and “Red Summer” were all hit and miss for me until OT finally signed to Black Soprano Family Records and solicited araabMUZIK for Zombie to critical acclaim. “Prepare for War” and “Pale Horse” are decent, and Nickel Plated’s productions “Cost of Living” and “The Devil You Know” follow up on Moving Base OT’s self-titled debut. 38 Spesh completely produced “Possession” and “Intent” a few months ago, one of my favorite releases of 2025, a collaboration with Chop-La-Rok and Rare Scrilla on “The Wars I’ve Won.”
“Bird Flu” opens with a drumless rap-rock instrumental advising respect for the chain of command, while “Fishtown” opens with a vocal sample talking about getting on the highway fast because it’s the perfect plan for him. “Life+Life,” starring Benny the Butcher and TF, sees the trio mercilessly attacking the messing around in a booming beat that awakens sleeping dogs and ends with “Soldiers,” commemorating a brother who was killed by the police.
As for “Small Cars,” we’re already talking about OTs who just smoke cigarettes these days in more rap-rock production, while “Floor Boat” asks God if he can get into heaven on drums-less guitar. “Everybody’s Gone” speaks to the adoration of the streets and fans as he maintains a rap-rock sound, while “Mick Jagger” stoically boasts about rolling around with rocks. “End of the Day” ends “The War I Won,” giving him the middle finger to beef because he’s eating better now.
Chop-La-Rok and Rare Scrilla’s production on Benny’s 6th EP Pyrex Picasso and Rick Hyde’s 10th EP Lupara is still more enjoyable now than it was when they both dropped, but their new extended play with another skilled member of the B$F team almost rivals OT the Real’s TCF debut nearly 3 months ago. The jazzy boom bap style of “Possession with Intent” is combined with hints of rap rock, and adds drumless and chipmunk soul music to soundtrack his descriptions of battle victory.
Score: 8/10
