J Reno is a 39-year-old emcee/producer from Windsor, Ontario, Canada who introduced himself over 20 years ago with his debut mixtape Ground 0, as well as his full-length debut album Unleashed and second effort The Lunatic’s Back. Before Crossworm signed with Dirtcore Music, he released six more albums: Lost in the Dark, Politikilla, Into the Fire, Welcome Home, Blood, Guts & Boom Bap, and Me & My Demons. Last Hallowwicked weekend, Misery Coast released his self-titled debut EP, and then he will officially debut under Dirtcore, launching the first work of The Dirttape trilogy.
Following the “Meet the Maker” intro, the self-produced “Exhumed” opens with a creepy boom that tells the entire tape saga, complete with curses, while “Kill Flow 2” works over some strings and piano as a sequel to one of the final moments of “Lost in the Dark.” Sleep Lyrical’s “In the Ring” embraces a darker vibe and even further talks about being undefeated, while “The Juice” shrugs off the hate he gets because he has moves and they don’t.
“Evil” follows a once-promising town now inhabited by zombies, while “That’s How It Should Be” suggests that he committed crime instead of pursuing a career in music because we’re poor slaves to the rich. “NBT4LYFE” featuring Krimmy Van Skull has a nice mix of boom beats and horror-core lyricism, although Krimmy’s lyrics are fine for me personally, while “Kill at Will” is about acquiring a skill set throughout that allows him to murder anyone at any time.
Following the “Voicemail” skit, “FU” contains what is most likely my favorite beat, sounding like some ’90s East Coast shit, explaining that rappers and their opinions are the only two things that haven’t changed in the underground world, while “Stand on Biz” featuring Bukshot finds the duo warning those who don’t take responsibility for themselves that they’ll take it all plus interest. “What You Fighting For” talks about the oligarchy in a mature rap-rock style, and then discusses those who don’t know what it’s like to be “The Man.”
With nearly 26 tracks spread across The Dirttape, it will be his most ambitious work yet on a solo record, and assuming the next few songs will split these upcoming songs in half, the start of a new era in his career is some major improvements over Me & My Demons a few years ago, and it’s a great way for Dirtcore Music to kick off 2026 and start fresh after a tough 12 months. The piece is primarily centered around Boom Bapu, with fewer guests aside from some hints of rap rock and trap, and the lyrics conceptually introduce us to a character called “The Tape Keeper.”
Rating: 9/10
