Detroit emcee/producer and founder of Reel Life Productions Esham returns with his 8th EP ahead of his 24th full-length album. Widely regarded as the godfather of horrorcore music along with his former Natas bandmate Mastamind and the late TNT, his work from 1989 to 2005 (notably the albums KKKill the Fetus, Closed Casket and Doubelengod?) set the stage for later horrorcore Core music laid the foundation. While I like the singles “SSMD (Stop Sell Me Drugs)” and Dichotomy respectively, his work from “Sacrificial Lambz” onwards (essentially after signing a two-album deal with Psychopathic Records in 2002-05) Still a bit of a mixed bag. However, “Psyops” was a creative detour for Esham, as he self-produced an entire body of work for the first time in a while, conceptually revolving around his time in Minneapolis during the George Floyd protests. and more rap-rock style sounds. But East Side Hoes & Money, which just escaped purgatory last summer, hopes to serve appetizers at Amuse-Bouche before moving on to entrees.
The first song “Détroit (De-twah)” is a dirty homemade trap opener about being trapped in a trap while trying to get cheese, and after the first “French Lesson” interlude, ” Back 2 Detroit” begins with a bang straight up telling the story of the evil one himself. After the “Ahmooz-Boosh” interlude, Stretch Money went from growing up listening to his uncle playing Dead Flowerz and KKKill the Fetus to collaborating with the inventor of psychedelic rap himself on the single “Transmission Fluid,” with its sombre vibe and hi-hats that epitomize the Eastern duo. Different generations, but then we saw a surprising sequel to the title track from Esham’s debut EP Erotic Poetry.
“Death by Snu Snu” is named after a line from one of the best episodes of “Futurama,” suggesting “They won’t let sex styles be broken again,” and after another “French Lesson” episode, Jack ·X-Men Starring Frost and Mastamind Give Thanks to Dead Heat Toward the end of the EP, all 3 MCs explained that some of you need to learn how to keep different hoes and “IGSOID (I gotta stop or else I”), which gives me a jazzy boom bap vibe. Lose your own life.
Bearing in mind that Esham will be releasing a brand new LP at some point in the near future, I totally understand why there are 7 new songs, whereas previously there were only 3 interludes thrown in between. In fact, this EP has me excited for the new album, as it further continues the trajectory Psyops started, and Purgatory further in the sense that he’s gradually making better projects again. His work balances old and new sounds, the handful of guests represent the different generations of Motor City well, and The Godfather of Evil proves that he’s still a very capable storyteller.
Rating: 7/10
