Los Angeles, California host/producer AFRO returns with his 16th extended show. After winning the Rap Flow Defining Contest, he became a protégé of RA the Rugged Man, and with the support of Duck Down Music Inc., his fifth EP AFRO produced by Marco Polo introduces himself as a promising rising star in the underground music scene. “The Drawing Board” as well as “The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First” and “Crimson Fury” all proved his return with a vengeance in recent memory, coming off of “The Bad & the Ugly II” and “No More Patience… Let the Blood Rain Rain.”
The homemade “No HE Double Hockey Sticks” starts off talking about how he’s a man of God so he’s far from the pits of hell, while “The Hangman” goes for a symphonic bap vibe to make sure he’s not the one to fuck. In “Highway Robbery,” which features 4-Ize, the two talk about winning the lottery and having no one capture them alive, while “No Talk” presents a more legitimate appearance than those who often remain silent.
“Saints Row” kicks off Blood Rain’s beat in a funkier way, advising anyone nearby not to take action unless he says it’s okay, while “Antagonist” links an organ flip to talk about how he’s become more evil with age. “Burn It Up” has a more spooky boom bap Flare, it stayed golden because he would always have a good time with his little boat talking about being outside with his pixies and there would always be a beautiful little posse at the end of a good time talking about being outside with his pixies.
I’m sure his feature-length debut will be out in the next seven months or so, much like the finale of No More Patience… promised last winter, but Rain of Blood will suffice for those willing to zip through his mind in 20 minutes. The boom bap production is experimentally darker than much of his earlier work, even if I feel like the half of my production is stronger and he sounds noticeably angrier.
Score: 7/10
