The ACLU of Texas is urging every school district to reject policies for dedicated prayer periods in schools.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/2025/10/10/533095/aclu-urges-schools-to-reject-any-prayer-bible-study-policy-after-state-law-takes-effect/

#EducationNews #Local #News #Religion #ACLUOfTexas #HoustonISD #SB11 #SchoolPrayer

Patreon supporters received access to this review on November 3rd, 2024.

SB11 is a member of the Lupara production crew, of whom I’m a very big fan. I think my favorite thing I’ve heard from him is the collaborative EP he did with Pro Zay, SAMPLE BAG 2. It was really short though, and it did leave me wanting more, so I’m happy to have this full length album, which was released on September 20th this year. There was a BarsOverBS physical release, but I think it was only for a limited time, so I’m not sure if you can still purchase that. I wish I was able to get a cassette, but I didn’t have the funds for it at the time that it was available. It appears to be sold out. I missed my chance sadly. Anyway, there are a lot of enticing features on this album, along with a few of whom I’m less familiar, so it’s nice to get some new faces. A lot of times producer albums like these end up being kinda lame because the features tend to phone in their performances. However, that’s not the case here at all. Every single track is enjoyable to me thankfully.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5fcSM3oDcg4wDrnRZjarL6?si=xE6K7ByZSw60PnwM1OgGwA

The opening track is a highlight called Silent and So Cold, which I believe dropped as a single at some point prior to the album’s full release.

I liked this song when I heard it as a single, but I love it even more now after spending more time with it. I think I started appreciating it much more when I listened to it while smoking. That applies to the whole album in general though. This beat in particular just feels really chill while maintaining a certain level of grit. The opening verse is performed by Flashius Clayton. I’ve never listened to a project from him, but I’ve enjoyed him on features alongside some of my favorite artists ever, so I hope to check out his next release. I think he set things up really nicely on the first verse.

I think I’m ready to call Planet Asia one of my favorite rappers of all time now. It’s not only because he’s arguably the most consistent rapper of all time, but also because of the entire Gold Chain Military branch of West Coast lyricism that came up under him. Plus he has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard for rap. He just makes it seem so effortless. I feel like he could rap circles around people in his sleep. This verse is fire.

Defcee is another one of my favorite rappers ever, and I honestly think he had the best performance on this track. It certainly helps that his flow was more aggressive than that of the other performers. He also has another perfect voice for rapping.

The rapping here is excellent. The production from SB11 was a nice canvas for each of these MCs to perform over. It feels very cinematic. I think it’s a very dope track.

The segue into Immortal is super smooth. This was the lead single for the album, and it features Josiah the Gift, SUBSTANCE810, and Shottie. I actually wrote a review specifically for this song when it dropped, which you can find here.

I think I like this song even more within the context of the full album. Pretty much all the verses have grown on me. I still think Josiah the Gift has my favorite performance here, but all three of them did a really good job. This is definitely one of the best songs on the album to me. It’s stellar.

Track 3 is called Cinema 6, and it’s performed by Mickey Diamond. This one’s pretty great. I love how tense the production is. It sounds like something I’d hear during a boss battle in a video game, and Mickey’s signature deep voice sounds excellent over it.

There’s not really a substantial hook; he just says “fuck it, let’s make a movie” as the refrain, which is cool. The verses themselves are the main thing I love about this song though. Well, the production too. I just love how hard Mickey sounds here though. I mean, he always sounds hard as fuck, but it just fits really well over this beat.

Now that I think about it, a full project from Mickey Diamond over SB11 production would be fire. Holy… I just came up with the best idea ever: a Lupara & Umbrella Collective crossover album. That’d be insane. I need to speak that into existence. Anyway, my favorite part of this track actually might just be the instrumental outro. The entire vibe kinda switches up and gets a lot more blissful. I’m sure that was intentional. It sounds like what I would hear as I enter the gates of heaven. I love it. The song’s dope.

The following track is called Take It or Leave It, and is performed by Lord Juco. I actually don’t think there’s a better rapper that SB11 could’ve selected for this instrumental in particular. Juco fits over this one like a glove. It kinda reminds me of the album he did with Finn.

This song honestly grew on me a lot. I always thought it was dope, but now it’s one of the best songs on the album to me. Lord Juco is awesome, man. I love this one. The song’s fire.

Track 5 is called Complexity, and it’s performed by an Australian artist named Knoe. I used to be pretty averse to Australian accents in Hip Hop, but CNTRL was able to help me get past that bias. I actually think this one is really dope. It’s one of the shortest tracks on the project, so I guess if you dislike the accent you won’t have to sit through it for too long. As far as Knoe’s rapping goes, his flow reminded me a lot of Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon. The lyricism is pretty awesome. I love how disrespectful it is.

I really love SB11’s jazzy, luxurious production here too. This song honestly grew on me a lot. I think it’s really dope.

Track 6 is called Thunder in Heaven, and it’s performed by Norm Regular. I had definitely seen Norm Regular’s name floating around social media prior to listening to this, but this was my first time actually hearing his music. I’m sold. I love his voice and delivery here. He sounds so angry. I really love the way the first verse ends.

That’s so fire. The production from SB11 sounds really aggressive. Again, it sounds like something that would play during a boss battle in a video game. Final Fantasy to be specific. Anyway, there’s not really a hook here; the breaks between each verse are occupied by a clip of someone speaking about storms. I think the second verse is even better than the first one. Norm Regular is definitely someone I’m gonna be keeping an eye on. This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s fire.

The following track is called Listen Too Much, and it features Cousin Feo of Death at the Derby & Flu of Lupara. The opening verse from Cousin Feo is stellar, and I like his second one even more. I think a lot of it has to do with the production. I like the second half of the instrumental a lot more than the first part. The first half isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t stand out as much. The second half of the beat is actually fantastic. I was surprised to hear Flu rapping too. He sounds shockingly dope. I had no idea he could rap, but he did an excellent job. This is another highlight on the album that grew on me a lot. I think it’s one of the best songs on the project.

Must Be a Dream features Kaos the Baker & Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon. I am a bit biased since they’re from my home state of North Carolina, but this is another one of the best songs on the album to me. Kaos the Baker released an album called The Essence of Kaos earlier this year, which was fully produced by SB11. I spoke about it in Listening Log 012, so be sure to check that out. Anyway, I think this song has some of the best rapping I’ve ever heard from Kaos. He slaughtered this track.

The second verse from Jah-Monte is of course excellent as well. I really love his vocal delivery here. I feel like his voice has evolved ever since I first started listening to him in 2020, but maybe I’m trippin’.

That’s so fire. Both of these guys killed this song. It’s probably my second favorite track on the whole project.

The title track, Heavenly Unknown, features Josiah the Gift & Ace Cannons. This one is pretty incredible. I’m not even gon’ cap to y’all. This is the best song on the album. Josiah went bonkers on this track. His flow is stellar. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him flow like that before. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone flow like that now that I think about it. It’s amazing. The second verse from Ace Cannons is phenomenal as well. His breath control is astonishing. I kinda don’t wanna spoil any of the bars here, so I’m not gonna transcribe the lyrics. However, it’s worth noting that I have zero nitpicks with this song. I even like the sung hook a lot. This one’s incredible. If you listen to anything from this album, make sure you hear this one.

The closer is a song called Erick Sermon, and it’s performed by A.Saxon. He’s another artist from Australia, and his accent is a lot thicker than that of Knoe. I have to admit that it’s still somewhat of a barrier for me, but I still dig this track. The lyrics are good, and A.Saxon’s voice isn’t bad for rapping at all. He has a very impassioned vocal delivery, and this song also has one of the best beats on the whole album in my opinion. I think the line where he says “your bitch got an Adam’s apple” could be offensive to people who are sensitive to transphobia. I don’t condone that kind of thing, but it doesn’t ruin the song for me. I think this track is pretty good.

This album is really great. There’s actually not a single track here that I don’t like. The production is really polished, but not overly clean. The songs all segue into one another really seamlessly. This album might actually have the best transitions I’ve heard all year. Every single feature came through with a really nice performance too. I think my favorite discovery from this album is Norm Regular. I’m really excited to hear more from that guy. I don’t actually have any consistent gripes with this project. There are certain tracks that I like more than others, but every single song is worth returning to. This one’s really dope. Check it out.

Favorite Song: Heavenly Unknown
Least Favorite Song: Erick Sermon

B+

https://focushiphop.com/2024/11/06/sb11-heavenly-unknown-album-review/

#ASaxon #AceCannons #CousinFeo #Defcee #FlashiusClayton #Flu #JosiahTheGift #KaosTheBaker #Knoe #LordJahMonteOgbon #LordJuco #MickeyDiamond #NormRegular #PlanetAsia #Sb11 #Shottie #SUBSTANCE810

NOTE: PATREON SUPPORTERS RECEIVED ACCESS TO THIS REVIEW ON AUGUST 23RD, 2024.

This song was released on August 23rd this year. It’s the first single from SB11’s upcoming album, Heavenly Unknown. I am familiar with SB11 through their work with artists such as Lukah & Pro Zay. SB11’s also a member of Lupara, which is arguably my favorite collective of producers out right now. To be fair, the only competition that comes to mind at the moment is Mutant Academy, who are also incredibly talented. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical prior to pressing play on this track because a lot of times producer albums end up being pretty lackluster to me. This track actually has me looking forward to the full project though. This shit is awesome.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3RdsXWyg6S8RfljRjbL1MY?si=61d939d9156b447d

The first verse is performed by Josiah the Gift. I’ve been aware of him for a couple years now. I started listening when he dropped his Mightier Than the Sword project in 2022. The main thing that really stands out about him as being super unique is his flow for me. Well, it’s a combination of his flow and rhyme patterns. I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s like, he’ll start a rhyme, and then jam a shit ton of words in before he finally says something that completes the rhyme. He’s not the first rapper ever to do that, but the way he does it just feels really unique in my opinion. I can’t explain why. He just really keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering when and where the rhyme will land. I have personally really grown to appreciate that style from him. He doesn’t really do it as much on this song, but he still killed it.

I think one can understand what I was saying about his flow and approach to rhyming just by reading those lines. It’s also just really cool to hear him over this beat from SB11. I feel like this production is much more off-kilter than the type of stuff Josiah normally raps over. It’s really fitting at the same time though. It’s like a less conventional spin on the type of production he likes to use. It sounds kind of spacey and animated, while still maintaining that sense of grit that typically accompanies Josiah’s music. It’s also really jazzy too. The bassline that comes in at certain points sounds very Thundercat-esque, and the percussion is very impressive. This is the kinda song that would be dope even without any rapping. It’s very dynamic and energetic. I’ve heard a few features from SUBSTANCE810 in the past, and they’ve all been pretty good, but this is the first one I’ve heard from him that’s made me wanna check out more of his material. He really killed this track.

The closing verse is performed by Shottie, who I am not as familiar with. I have definitely seen his name floating around social media for a while though. This was just my first time actually hearing him rap, and I have to say that I came away pretty impressed. He definitely earned his spot on this track because he sounds just as excellent as everyone else.

I think I misquoted that last couplet, but I don’t know for sure. Anyway, the song’s fire overall. The production is superb, and each verse is super well-written and performed. You can tell just by listening that these guys have been doing this for a while. This isn’t the work of a bunch of amateurs, ya know? Anyway, give this track a listen and let me know what you think of it in the comments below. I think it’s dope as hell, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it grows on me even more by the time the full album releases on September 20th.

https://focushiphop.com/2024/08/26/sb11-immortal-feat-josiah-the-gift-substance810-shottie-song-review/

#JosiahTheGift #Sb11 #Shottie #SUBSTANCE810

I'm going to be giving a talk at this week's MRS fall meeting (Monday, 11am) on our work developing methods to control synthetic cells, at symposium SB11!

Lots of #DNA #photocages #cellfree #vesicles #synbio #DNAlogic

bit.ly/3OzjtFE

If you're there please come and check it out! #f22mrs #mrs22 #SB11