Detroit, Michigan emcee Isaac Castor returning after 2 years for his 3rd full-length studio album. Coming up in 2010 under the original moniker Gameboi, he would go on drop 4 mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to signing to the local underground hip hop powerhouse Middle Finger Music following its formation 8 years later. He then enlisted the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth behind the boards for his full-length debut The Rabbit Hole & the sequel ahead of the trilogy chapter Smoking Caterpillar.

“Here They Come” is this boom bap-driven opener tryna get the money while he’s still here & assuring that he ain’t ever behind whereas “I Ain’t Fresh?” keeps it in the basement instrumentally dropping off battle bars for a few minutes. “Blind” has a soulfully & jazzier vibe talking about finally living in the mountains leading into “Why Should I Die?” hops over some horns, kicks & snares to call himself a diamond in the sky.

Kain Cole joins Isaac on “Cash Rules” planting the seeds whilst everyone else is camping while “Sidetracked” talking about all these other MCs selling out instead of him & refusing to do so. “Customer” maintains a boom bap edge promising 2025 gonna get ugly just before “Shadow Realm” featuring J-Classic & Mvck Nyce bringing the trio together so they can all flex their pen-game.

“Time for Jazz” hooks up a crooning sample talking about ditching the lazy habits he used to have, but then “Gotham” compares himself to Batman here to save the city. “Spin Itch” heads for more of a rap rock direction feelin’ cold blooded while “No Comp” featuring Jalen Frazier & Tone Plummer reminds everyone that you play by the rules if you in the game.

The song “Thoughts Runnin’” nears the end of the final chapter in the Rabbit Holetrilogy Smoking Caterpillar promising that he’ll break your head wide open so he can examine the contents of it while the closing track “Live Wire” aggressively rounds it out talking about going through the cycle all over again in the midst of him growing.

This upcoming spring will mark the 5 year anniversary of The Rabbit Hole in addition to the sequel turning 2 a couple weeks from now so whether Isaac intends on continuing the series with a Rabbit Hole 4 or a completely  different body of work within itself, The Rabbit Hole 3: Smoking Caterpillar takes everything that made both of it’s predecessors the most essential listens in Isaac’s discography & elevates them. Foul Mouth builds his production around boom bap, jazz rap & rap rock with Isaac’s lyricism going from hardcore to introspective.

Score: 9/10