The new full-length LP and 19th offering from Hackensack, New Jersey lyricist Crimeapple. He became a fan in the fall of 2017 with his fourth EP Sweet Dreams, a collaboration with Big Ghost Ltd. on his feature-length debut album Aguardiente, and the following spring his underground profile has grown exponentially ever since. Wet Dirt by DJ Skizz, Medallo by DJ Muggs, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec, Sin Cortar, El León by Preservation, Bazuko, the official sequel to Aguardiente, This, Is Not That, Rose Gold by Apollo Brown supported by Mello Music Group and most recently Bulletproof Chicken by V Don. Nearly 3 months after the latter, Hanzai arrived just in time for Black Friday.
“Mastery” knocks on the door with a drumless beat that harks back to the time he was considered so valuable after a show in Tokyo, Japan, while “Cocainerose” is a sombre account of rising from the cocaine game to having his neck frozen. “14hrflight” went the boom bap route, aiming to subtly get his rights out of the payload before “Talmbout” featuring RLX, who had no business discussing smoke.
As for the Billy Loman-produced “Forever,” we have the criminally ominous talk of traveling the world, doing his best to inspire leads into “Zipfiles,” crudely making drugs out of Ziploc bags that he’s been stirring at his friend’s girlfriend’s place. “Bajo” again strips down the drum beats, lighting up in black and soft lighting over some gorgeous piano chords, but after “Sayonara” reunites with DJ Skizz, talking about leaving a hoe who likes toxicity too much, “Madamewoo” suggests imagining him not using his legs to run the game.
“MetroPCS” begins Hanzai’s final segment, where he explains that throwing hands at his team isn’t how he does things here, while “1,000,000 Miles” talks about running a lap around the entire city. “Brownbutter” contains an uncredited feature with a drum-less soul sample that clarifies that they only bang bitches and bank accounts, while V Don’s laced closer “Tippytoes” wraps it all up, talking about his time being modest and suggesting that people should take advantage of that at this point.
I can’t say I came away from Hanzai enjoying it on the same level as Rose Gold or Bulletproof Chicken, but Crimeapple’s fourth and probably final project of the year, not including the Escama collaboration EP with Primo Profit, contains plenty of high points worth your time. Some of the production might not have impressed me as much as his last few albums, and both guest appearances are passable, although his lyricism is still satisfying.
Rating: 7/10
