Tavaron Marshall

Album Review YaH-Ra - THE QUEENs GAMBiT 2 Ever since I’ve been reviewing I’ve been enjoying YaH-Ra and her music. We’ve gotten some standout singles over the last year + and it’s be. Building my excitement for her latest release. The sequel to one of, if not my favorite project from YaH, THE QUEENS GAMBiT. So here in 2026 we got THE QUEENs GAMBiT 2 EP! Yah-Ra keeps a bag full of flows and styles she can jump between which I love. She can go from smooth bar work to more eccentric, poetry style flows and they all feel authentic and make for great songs. YaH’s iNTRO - TAKE A GAMBLE is a perfect intro, the music gets you in the mood for what’s to come as YaH-RA speaks and everything begins. CHESS NOT CHECKERS is a feel good type of track and the first song outside of the intro. Yah-Ra starts with the line “they came for my looks but they stayed for my lyrics”, perfect as I’ve seen that happen first hand. LAUGH NOW continues the laid back Wet Coast vibes as YaH brings a more melodic rap style and flexes her vocals just a bit. Just enough! CAFECiTA III is a track I reviewed when it first released and I really enjoyed it, go check that review out! MALEFiCENT’S REVENGE is another song that’s been out for a little while and one that I’ve enjoyed for a while. So needless to say I was happy it made the cut here. MiRRORS (BURN THE PLANTATiON) is another track that’s been out but one that slipped by me a little more. Shame on me because it’s dope, but I’m glad to get to experience it fresh here on THE QUEENs GAMBiT 2. Last but not least is NO WEAPON / POWER OF THE MIND. NO WEAPON get soulful and spiritual almost as YaH-Ra belts out vocally across the song. And then POWER OF THE MIND continues the good vibes with the production but has YaH going in on her rap shit to cap the EP off. THE QUEENs GAMBiT 2 brings a much different sound and vibe from THE QUEENs GAMBiT 1. 2 is more uplifting and laid back. A style YaH-Ra always delivers on. And there’s even some songs I’ve heard since her last release that didn’t end up here, so I’m excited to see if they make another project and what that’ll be! But in the meantime check this out and support on Bandcamp today!

Album Review Master Wiz - The Last Silence open.spotify.com/album/06Oj2… I got suggested this album recently by a follower and even though it’s taken me some time to get to, I’m glad I made my way to it eventually! Master Wiz comes out of Atlanta but brings a style less seen and associated with the region. Coming with a fast paced and aggressive flow as he attacks each beat. And has plenty to say through this album, The Last Silence. Master Wiz is pushing for a push back. He’s an artist that sees and understands the bullshit in the world and the walls put up for black people, and isn’t going to stand by silently. Right from Wildflower Revenge it’s clear that Master Wiz has a message to give the people. And the rest of the album helps reveal the width and depth of that message. Trumpty Dumps is an early song that stands out for obvious reasons, I always love a good song that shits on politics and this one is one of note for sure. Journey Black is the one song with a feature here on The Last Silence, and it comes from Jon Connor. A great MC and a perfect fit for this kind of deep track that has the two inviting you to tune into their journeys. There’s a lot of great audio clips used throughout the album that help showcase Master Wiz’s messages, both on a micro and macro level. With Good Morning standing out as one where the clips really elevated things. From the clip from the Native American to Obama, a great use of these audio bits. The production on The Last Silence goes 1:1 with Master Wiz. It’s stern and brings a strength that matches well with Master Wiz, both his style and lyrical content. The Lost Cause, Two Partyz & Merikkkan Girl is a string of three of the best and most hard hitting lyrical songs, all three bring distinct topics that are dived into deeply. A theme that’s spread across the album. Like I said, Master Wiz is new to me but this album made an immediate impact for me. The flows, the rhymes, the beats and the lyricism all added up to an amazing album here with The Last Silence. It’s not a light listen, and that’s what’s needed sometimes.