G-Mo Skee & Stu Bangas Welcome You to “Filth City” (Album Review)
Richmond lyricist G-Mo Skee enlisting Boston producer Stu Bangas for his 4th full-length LP & the first since returning to Majik Ninja Entertainment. Emerging as a member of the trio Stampede & later the Inf Gang. He would drop 2 official mixtapes Got Filth & Got Filth II: The Great Adventures of G-Mo independently before Twiztid signed him to MNE in 2016. His full-length debut My Filthy Spirit Bomb coming out that same winter to significant acclaim, but I personally think G’s sophomore effort Chaly & the Filth Factory is his best work so far because of it’s incredible concept & the instrumentals accompanying it (mostly handled by former Strange Music in-house producer Seven). The previous LP The Filth Element commemorated his 30th birthday by proving that he didn’t need Majik Ninja until returning to The Dojo on 8 Bit Filth II: Hero Hunter last fall & is now turning Filth City from an EP to an actual album.
After the soulful intro, the title track starts us off by advising not to come to Filth City since shit can go left over a boom bap instrumental whereas the grimy ass single “Work Magic” explains to let the Filthnificent do his magic likening himself to Midas with the golden touch when it comes to flowin’ tough. “Jumped” hauntingly incorporates more kicks & snares obviously talking about not fighting fair with people who run up on him while “Evil Plans” sounds like something out of a horror flick keeping it dusty at the same time advising that you’re gonna see him act like an animal cleverly referencing The Animal.
After the interlude, “Diamond in the Dirt” links up with his Inf Gang brethren Jae Harmony & Nobe saying you’d have to time travel to beat them in a rhyme battle & to find them lurkin’ in the underground along with it being time for them to show ‘em what it’s worth on top of this eerie ass boom bap beat while “All in Your Head” featuring Linzy & Jaylin Skee on the intro & TheArtLawd on the outro brings these colorful vibraphones into the picture discussing fatherhood, worrying about shit that might happen & making good out of the bad he represents. “Autistic” featuring Kvng Moses has these sick ass synthesizers mixed with kicks & snares flexing that he eats more rappers than the ASTROWORLD Travis Scott entrance when they walk in it, but then the synths on “G-Mo University” feel like something out of a Sega Genesis game since it’s no secret that G’s a gamer talking about coming down to get a Filthication.
“Story to Tell” instrumentally goes for a dejecting approach telling a true story although he can’t say their names & that it gets messy while the rugged lead single “Postcards from Hell” talks about how he was raised with all the killers & dope fiends being on the frontline with everyone else in the nosebleeds. “2 the Side” featuring Young Zee of the Outsidaz aptly advises everyone to fall to the side over some Atari-like synths, kicks & snares calling your rap style more outdated than a payphone & that they’re more stuck-up than bitches are these days. And before the futuristic “Credits” outro, the final song on the album “Escape” serves as a climatic finish talking about the city to the point of no return & understandably looking to get the fuck outta there.
8 Bit Filth 2: Hero Hunter was a fun return to MNE for G, but I already knew Filth City would be a standout in his discography since his lyricism is unmatched & Stu Bangas is simply one of the absolute greatest underground producers ever. However after hearing that it wound up being an actual full-length after initially set to be an EP, my expectations increased immensely & we sure enough got one of the best albums of 2024 joining The Chainsmoker II from over a couple weeks ago in being a Hell of a way for Majik Ninja to start the year. Conceptually, the filthiest of them all takes us through what it’s like in Filth City as Stu gives G-Mo some of the coldest production he’s EVER murdered. I know it’s been a hard time for his family right now & I’d like to offer him my DEEPEST condolences, but this album is a special moment for him & I couldn’t be more proud of him. Be sure to catch him on tour with Rittz right now & at Attack of the Ninjas shortly after. I’m most certainly looking forward to the latter.
Score: 9/10
