Soul samples, gritty bars, and no skips: Toney Boi puts the underground on notice

Released: January 11th 2026

Buffalo’s own rapper and producer Toney Boi has been making waves in the underground scene as an engineer for Griselda’s Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn, as well as rising talent Jamal Gasol, while also being an artist in his own right. This year, he dropped his self-produced Leave Your Ego At The Door, showcasing not only his versatility but also highlighting other bubbling underground artists mostly hailing from his aforementioned city. Needless to say, this project is putting the underground on notice that Griselda isn’t the only talented act in town.

The project kicks off with “Needs and Wants,” where the creative sampling is immediately apparent, providing an opening mantra. While serving its purpose as an intro, I did find myself waiting on some heavy bass to drop, but it’s still an appropriate lead-in to the smooth “Disconnect.” Toney, Mizzark, and Mad Dukez provide gritty, introspective bars over a soul sample, crafting one of the best tracks on the project. “Momma Said Move That Weight” follows this up, ticking up the tempo with straight bars over a very creative sample of LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.” The simple yet effective production allows the gritty bars and flow of 448 Brad to hit like a prime Tyson hook in the first round.

Despite this being solely produced by Toney Boi, there is enough variety in the beats to keep the project engaging throughout. However, I do think the more boom-bap tracks outshine the more melodic moments, like “Everything and More” and the closing track, “Sideline.” That being said, you won’t find many skips; it’s mostly just a matter of preference. As this is more of a compilation project featuring a slew of artists, the variety is both a gift and a curse, as there are a few times I think the chemistry of the featured artists is not quite there. “Eastside Westside” is a prime example: while it’s one of my standout tracks, I found myself enjoying JohnAboveEverything’s verse more than the opener by Scoop Dolla. However, it’s still a solid showing by both. Jamal Gasol, Chill Ali, Aaqil Ali, Y.N.X., and a slew of others provide memorable moments throughout the project.

Overall, a project of this magnitude can only be as strong as its weakest link, and Toney did an excellent job at ensuring quality MCs were featured prominently, along with lacing the project himself. This is a project I definitely recommend checking out.

Standout Tracks: Disconnect, Mama Said Move That Weight, Eastside Westside, No More Pain

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (7.5/10)