Shatter the Standards

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Album Review: Santa Rosa by Fat Ray & Raphy
Detroit’s underground keeps feeding itself. Fat Ray and Raphy run back the Santa Barbara formula with better bars and bigger names.
 • Shatter the Standards and Harry Brown
Album Review: Shattered Glass by Daniel Son & Futurewave
Toronto’s most prolific underground duo keeps sending dispatches from the same frozen block. The consistency borders on unreasonable.
 • Shatter the Standards and Xavier Thomas
Love Songs for Grown Folks With Standards
Mary J. Blige won’t bargain, Johnny Venus won’t stop apologizing, LAYA flirts through GPS, PJ Morton won’t rush, and India Shawn plays no games.
 • Soulpolitan
Album Review: ... say it again ? by AJRadico
The Queens rapper’s self-produced debut chases women across every song without catching much besides a vibe. His ear for a beat deserves better than his…
 • Shatter the Standards and Randy
Album Review: 6WA by BigXthaPlug & 600 Entertainment
BigXthaPlug and his 600 crew drape themselves in N.W.A. mythology on a brisk gangsta-rap showcase. The Compton debt is heavy, but the Dallas dirt keeps…
 • Shatter the Standards and Murffey Zavier
Album Review: Art Monk by Patty Honcho & Wiz Kelly
A Paterson rapper and a sample-digger name their album after a wide receiver who waited decades for Canton. The comparison isn’t flattering, as Patty…
 • Shatter the Standards and Owen Baptiste
Album Review: rent due by bbymutha
A Chattanooga rapper on her third album and her seventh life talks shit, counts grudges, and still can’t afford to quit.
 • Shatter the Standards and L. Ari James
Album Review: Boiling Point by Juvenile
The Tiny Desk dragged him out of retirement. At fifty-one, Juvenile sounds like he never left—he just had nobody to call.
 • Shatter the Standards and Kevin Matthews
The Lineage of Michael Jackson (Vocal Groups)
Each guide is based on this run of albums, believed to be part of Michael Jackson’s roots. It then branches out into post-1995, drawn from that tree…
 • Shatter the Standards, Brandon O'Sullivan, and Phil
Album Review: Clarity of Mind by Omah Lay
A Port Harcourt singer prays to Jesus and chases ikebe in the same bar. He doesn’t bother separating them.
 • Shatter the Standards and Ameenah Laquita
Album Review: POMPEII // UTILITY by Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE & SURF GANG
A double album built on kinship and SURF GANG drums that dares both fanbases to keep up. It’s the noisiest, most generous thing either rapper has made.
 • Shatter the Standards and Koda Lin
New Music Drops: April 3, 2026
As new albums and singles get constantly flooded into our radar, look no further than skimming through the release week of April 3rd. We know it can be…
 • Shatter the Standards
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