This extended play was released on March 1st this year. I’ve been following Stik Figa since 2019, and I haven’t come across a single project from him that I didn’t like. He was good in the 2010s, but I feel like he’s been releasing the best music of his career this decade. I haven’t seen much buzz about this latest project, so I wasn’t sure if it would match his recent work. Because of this, my expectations weren’t sky-high. I expected it to be good, but I wasn’t anticipating anything groundbreaking. However, this project definitely surpassed my expectations. I think it’s one of Stik Figa’s best works.
The opening track is called “Ben Himm.” I didn’t check the production credits before listening, so when I heard DJ Fresh’s tag at the beginning, I got excited. This beat is absolutely stellar. I think one of the main reasons this project stood out to me so much is that all the beats are really great. They’re melodic and colorful, many with a West Coast flair. This song, in particular, grew on me a lot. I loved it from the first listen, but now it’s one of my favorite Stik Figa songs ever. The hook is really catchy, and the verses are excellent. There’s nothing about this song that I don’t love. It’s fantastic. The next track, “SirMixALot,” features Tone Pesci & Melly-Mel (not to be confused with Melle Mel). This one has an even stronger West Coast vibe than the first track. The beat by BFolk reminds me of artists like IamSu!, E-40, and maybe Problem. Even though I don’t usually love that sound, it’s very well done here. I don’t think I’d heard of Tone Pesci before this EP, but I liked his hook a lot. His voice reminds me of Mozzy. The song really shines when Stik starts rapping. His flow is excellent, and his rhyming is sharp.
“Define me by the stroke, that’s how I stay in her pocket
Tryna stay on the topic, the play is makin’ a profit
I ain’t even patriotic, the right’s to remain prosperous
It ain’t about a dollar, I can’t engage with the logic
See, they hate I’m solid, they the scum of the Earth
Dumbin’ with words, punish ’em because I want it to hurt
Sticks & stones break bones, but the gun at the burst
Someone’s at the curb every summer, and then onto a shirt”
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the guest verse from Melly-Mel. I listened to a few tracks from his debut album in 2021 and found his flow a bit strange. However, I enjoyed his verse here a lot. His flow didn’t sound bad at all. The skeletal instrumental doesn’t lend itself to high replay value, but I still like it. It’s a dope track.
The next track is “Hwy Miles,” featuring A-Plus tha Kid. This one also grew on me a lot. I love BFolk’s production on this track. The heavy synth sounds excellent, and the vocal sample is nice. The beat gives me vibes similar to Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night,” but this song is much less cheesy. Stik Figa killed the opening verse with a great flow.
“What up, bruh, I’m real relaxed only ’cause I deal with facts
And still adapt for mills, we kill for scraps and peel your hat
Your BM told me something’s missing, hit my line to fill the gap
Truly you can have the ho ’cause to this dough I’m real attached
Your slaps appeal to rats, fuck ’em if they feel a way
Takin’ up space in your mind, guess I’m prime real estate
A penny for your thoughts, squeeze the trigger, nickel plate
I’d rather pull a dime and push a foreign with the dealer plates”
A-Plus tha Kid’s verse is very good too. I’ve mostly heard him on features, but his collaborative album with Planet Asia from 2020 is worth checking out. This song was my least favorite on first listen, but I love it now. It’s really dope.
Track 4 is “Rappin’ A$$ Interlude,” one of my favorites. The melodic production from Johnny Quest is fantastic. Stik Figa snapped on this track, and his flow sounds great.
“Itchin’ for the big reward, survive a dead end gig
One foot inside the grave, the homies helpin’ you dig
One ear and out the other, I be tellin’ my nig’
You can end up smoked on wrong sides of the cigs
It is what it is, and this ain’t what nobody told me
I seen it for myself, this ain’t what nobody showed me
Niggas be lyin’, always sayin’ that we homies
Ice you with the stick, block plays like a goalie
Permission to speak freely, no interest in peace treaties
Put that on mamas, tea ladies, and Ms. Celie
Way out of your league, we never listen to Peewees
Rap deadbeat, got more seeds than a kiwi
Fashion me a martyr in Ferragamo or Fendi
Fend for yourself, dirty dollars and pretty pennies
Provincial poems that done made their way to the city
Gettin’ slizzed off the henny, doin’ damage to my kidneys
No fast food, we after the bag of chili
Try to take what I earn, you’ll actually have to kill me
Bad ass Billy get turned to a pack of Phillies
Actin’ silly on Friday, catch strays like Uncle Willy”
This might be the best verse on the whole project. He killed it. The song is dope as hell.
The next track is “Lil Homie,” featuring Seuss Mace with production from Boy Geneyus. This is amazing. The production is glorious, and it has one of the best hooks I’ve ever heard from Stik Figa. His opening verse is great, and I love his animated vocal delivery. Seuss Mace’s verse ties everything together. There’s a clear Bone Thugs-n-Harmony influence here, and I mean that in the best way possible. This track immediately stood out as my favorite on first listen. It’s superb and one of the best songs Stik has ever made.
The penultimate track, “Homesick,” features Lyric Reddick & Clinch. This song has the smoothest, chillest instrumental from Dom Chronicles. I like the beat a lot, but it loses some of its luster by the end due to the song’s length. Still, it’s a really dope track with well-written and performed verses. It’s just not one of the most engaging songs on the project sonically. However, it would be the best song on many other artists’ albums.
The closing track is “Epilogue (Ron Ron Flow),” with another beat from Johnny Quest. This is definitely in my top 3 songs from the project. I love the cheerful and friendly instrumental, and Stik’s sung hook fits perfectly. This song has a strong West Coast influence. It might be my favorite track if it had a second verse from Stik or a great feature. A feature from Ron Ron would have been cool. Maybe we’ll get a Wiz Kidz remix someday. Anyway, this song is boiling hot fire.
This is the best EP I’ve heard so far in 2024. There’s not a single track here that isn’t dope. I think this is the most accessible project I’ve heard from Stik Figa, largely due to the undeniably catchy production. The beats are rich and melodic, the features are solid, and Stik sounds as great as ever. Everyone involved did a fantastic job, and even the cover art is really cool. Purely from a songwriting perspective, this is some of Stik Figa’s best work ever. This is a must-listen EP for his fans. I don’t have any consistent gripes with it. I’d love to hear Stik Figa continue refining this sound in future releases. I’m very pleased with this EP, and it’s definitely going to stay in my rotation for a while. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments. I think it’s dope as hell.
English