San Diego, California chopper as well as horrorcore veteran & Brainsick Muzik founder Twisted Insane kicking off the Halloween season by dropping his 17th studio LP. Writing his first rhyme at the age of 12, he would go on to put out 5 mixtapes & a couple full-lengths until he was featured on the Tech N9ne single “Worldwide Choppers”. The Root of All Evil & The Insane Asylum further elevated his status in the underground, maintaining a consistent schedule since dropping 13 more albums in the process. Halfway Gone though was said to be the deepest creation yet & had serious potential of becoming a discography highlight.
The title track has this interesting, guitar-driven trap instrumental throughout assuring that he’s here although half of him feels as if he isn’t whereas “External Wounds” works in a darker riff tone & hi-hats to talk about mental health pleading to get out of his life since he don’t need this shit. “So Far Ahead” maintains a gritty trap vibe boasting the fact that he’s ahead of the curve of everyone else that is until Swisher Sleep joins him on the somber “Memory” crushingly remembers his child who died after someone hit the street in the middle of a drive-by.
Continuing the series of tracks that began on his Hell’s Kitchen mixtape in the form of a 2-parter, “Blackout 4” expressing his desire to experience a sudden & temporary loss in consciousness while the acoustic “Tailspin” sings about being in a state of chaos, panic or loss of control. “Jesus” gets in his chopper bag for 3 & a half minutes speeding up his flows nonchalantly accompanied by some beat switches, but then “Motel 6” showcases more sung vocals detailing him getting drunk at the titular motel chain.
“1 Foot in the Grave” goes for an uncanny trap approach instrumentally talking about not asking him to stay since he’s close to dying anyway just before “Growin’ Up” featuring Fase 1 finds the pair vulnerably giving us a look at what it was like for both of them being raised in the southeast. “Wings” is a crucial highlight sending 1 out for everyone who’s still shrouded in darkness over a guitar/trap crossover leading into “Left Behind” featuring C. Ray talking about the type of people who want to see 2 of the biggest Brainsick artists forgotten.
One of the most personal moments on Halfway Gone would easily be “KJ” telling his son who no longer lives with him to pop him on his line anytime he wants to while “OT-IZ-UM” continues the theme of fatherhood grimly singing about having an autistic child himself. “N.T.S. 2 (Night Time Shit 2)” happens to be an amazing sick world to one of my all-time favorite Twisted Insane songs reiterating that he loves the dark & writes his best music when he’s in it while “Back When” feels like he hit rock bottom with nothing more to gain during the pager days.
“Botched” featuring Kamikazi gets the encore of Halfway Gone rollin’ wanting to know exactly why women nowadays seek validation as much as they do while “Same” featuring C. Ray reunites the 2 talking about still being the exact same muhfuckas they were when they first started out. “1 Trick Pony” sings over a guitar addressing those who say that’s all he’ll ever be when he proved them wrong & “Endgame” perfectly closes the LP searching for the final stage of his life.
In the ongoing series of albums that Twisted Insane’s been working on where they all sound completely different from one another, his 2nd offering of 2024 surpasses the west coast gangsta rap heavy predecessor from this summer Shoot for the Face 2.5 in favor of the deepest & most emotional music he’s ever made period. It’s something that would change the lives of many in their darkest moments since the west coast MC uses his own life experiences to help others cope with the hardships they face.
Score: 9/10
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