2025: julio
This is the cover photo for Hey! the 1981 album by Julio Iglesias, reimagined by WBN.
When the wind set down in funnel form and pulled you in.
We are on the backside of 2025, hanging on to the year’s ass. Gripping that GYAT. Clinging for dear life. Is it just me, or does it seem like everyday is getting us closer to more chaos instead of more peace? Where’s the love?
When my son wants something, instead of asking for it, he might start sounding out the name of the thing that he wants. He’s eight-years-old and neurodiverse. Lately, he’s been into playing the video game Spider-Man 2. When he wants to play it, instead of asking me directly, he’ll come up to me and say, “Sssss”, or he’ll aske me, “What sound does the letter S make?” Sometimes he’ll speak out a bunch of nonsense words and then say the name of the thing he wants. It’s amusing, but we’re working on getting straight to it with a simple, “Dad, can I play Spider-Man 2?
Cool story, bro.
Farewell
Rest in peace Malcolm-Jamal Warner (August 18, 1970 - July 20, 2025)
Rest in peace Ozzy Osbourne (December 3, 1948 - July 22, 2025)
Rest in peace, Hulk, brother (August 11, 1953 - July 24, 2025)
Theo Huxtable did no wrong. He was a pesky little brother, a protective older brother, a bonehead son with a big heart and a million-dollar smile. He was the kind of friend I would have wanted to have. Theo Huxtable seemed like an extension of Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Genuine. Kind. He died tragically, too soon to be taken away from his family.
Ozzy Osbourne was the Godfather of Metal Music and the grandfather to millions of metal heads. He also seemed like a genuinely kind person. When all your peers cosign on that story, you’re the real deal. He took it too the limit on stage and in his personal life, and he got about the most you could out of seventy-six years of living. That still doesn’t seem like it was enough time.
Ironically, Hulk Hogan ended up spending the latter part of his life as Terry Bollea mired in more controversy than the Prince of Darkness (Ozzy, not Satan). The Hulkster was my favorite WWF wrestler back in his heyday, which coincided with my childhood. I liked his larger-than-life presence in the ring. I followed the Hulkster when he became Hollywood Hogan in the N.W.O., but let the fandom go not long after the clock struck 2000. Depending on your political and social views, you either loved or hated Terry Bollea, especially in the last decade. I know he wouldn’t let Theo Huxtable to date his daughter, and I’m not a fan of that ignorant shit.
Old Heads FTW
The 2020s have been a good to for fans of 90’s era rappers. Nas got this decade in hip-hop cracking off with his King’s Disease and Magic trilogies, and old head rappers, like E-40 Too $hort, Cube, Snoop, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Method Man, and Redman have also released albums in the past five years. It’s been a renaissance for Golden Era rappers and their fans, and July 2025 was fit with three exceptional releases. Clipse, Raekwon, and Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist dropped new albums this month, one after another in succession from Virginia to Indiana, with a detour to NYC. The red hot summer of hip-hop began in June with my friends’, Da Flatlynerz, dropping their latest LP, and it isn’t over yet. Rumor has it Ghostface Killah is going to bless us with Supreme Clientele 2 in early August. Hopefully, it is at least in the same stratosphere as the first edition. That album is [perfection meme].
Da Flatlynerz
Showtime At Da Rialto
California is a big state with a lot of diversity in its people, geography, food, styles, and sounds. A lot of well-known rappers have repped the Golden State. Everyone knows the Dres and Snoops and E-40s and Kendricks, but no one knows Da Flatlynerz, and if anyone knows Rialto, they know it’s dusty and hot. Caught slippin’, get shot. Da Flatlynerz bring a new perspective to West Coast street stories and vibe jams. After some creative detours re-imagining of Alfredo and Magic, these dudes are back to form with a proper LP that has you feeling like a feene.
Standout tracks: “Salute”, “Amateur Night”, “Ain’t Nothin Changed”
Clipse
Let God Sort Em Out
Say hello to the bad guys. The critics say they are tired of hearing Malice and Pusha-T rap about drug dealing and making money. This is especially true of their sentiment towards King Push, who hasn’t stopped making music since big bro Malice went on his walk with God. The bros are back with Let God Sort Em Out, a slick coke rap, shit-talking album. Pharrell lends his production gravitas to the project, and Pusha and Malice sync up like it’s in their DNA.
Standout tracks: “Chains & Whips”, “M.T.B.T.T.F.”, “Inglorious Basterds”
Raekwon
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Raekwon has stayed in the lab since breaking out with the Wu in the early 90s. He has consistently delivered solo projects along with some group side projects sprinkled into the mix, but the quality of those projects hasn’t been consistent. I hate saying that about one of my favorite rappers, but facts are facts. My ears don’t lie. Rae’s latest album isn’t the same level of product that Only Built…2 was, but it is his best work since then. Haters will tell you that Rae hasn’t done anything creatively adventurous in years. I’ll tell them to “shut the fuck up about it.” Like Clipse, like Tarantino, like Michael Jordan; when are exceptional at one thing, don’t try anything else. Rae stays in his lane with street raps and owns the road.
Standout tracks: “Wild Corsicans”, “The Omerta”, “Mac & Lobster”
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist
Alfredo 2
2020 was a fucked year, but at least we had Alfredo. Freddie Gibbs can rap over any beat thrown at him, and he’s worked with some of hip-hop’s best producers. Statik Selektah, DJ Mustard, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League all brought their signature sounds to Gibbs’ projects. Most notably, Gibbs has worked with Madlib and The Alchemist, who has brought the best out of Freddie as of late. Recency bias has me feeling like Alfredo 2 is better than its predecessor. Only time will tell, but these boys are cooking on this album.
Standout tracks: “Lemon Pepper Steppers”, “Ensalada”, “Feeling”
Saturday Night Special
Episodes 51 through 54 dropped in July. We’re keeping it consistent if not entertaining.
SNS 54 was a shoutout to Ozzy.
