May is just about outta here, my friends. Pat yourselves on the back because you made it through. Inflation all around and gas prices so far up that I stopped looking at the signs and prepared to be out $120 regardless. With that being said I took a hiatus from driving around in the real streets, decided to cruise through the Apple Music highways, and gave HANZ & Rwude's new Vino EP the car test.

The EP starts strong with "The Feel" and listen...If you start a project out rapping over a sample you've already got me invested. I'm easy like that. It's a solid exordium into the creative world of HANZ and Rwude. The two display great chemistry while trading verses. It's a nice preamble to the rest of the EP.

"Gimme Summ" is probably my favorite at the time of writing this. It's an enigmatic, abstract production effort that sits below the chill sleek tone of both emcees. This is the soundtrack to send drunk "Come through" texts to that one shorty you've been dying to Netflix and chill with. The mixing is also a high note here as this is one of the more polished releases I've experienced this year. "Gimme Summ" is a highlight that shines brighter after countless listens and as high up as I have it the next track "Crooks & Castles" doesn't drop off one bit.

At this point, the two emcees are 3 for 3 and that's a credit to rap styles with enough complexity to keep things interesting but also simple enough to not lose you throughout the experience. So far they're landing each punch and it makes you wish you weren't just one track away from the end. They of course don't have to, but a full album from the duo would be fire. The Tape ends with “El Roi” and the talented duo doesn't miss a step here either. The Vino EP deserves every replay it's going to get from me over the next few months.