As reviewed by Nick Vogt for Mishka's Bloglin. "Las Vegas MC Machine’s debut album Selfish Bastard is a collection of autobiographical, confessional, detail-focused raps about a wide variety of topics. Just take the first three songs for example. The first three songs on Selfish Bastard are all introspective looks at different aspects of Machine’s life. After a short intro, the album begins with “Suicide Girls II,” Machine’s mediation on why he’s attracted to the kind of girls he is. Then, the album moves on to “Lineage,” which is almost like Machine’s version of Danny Brown’s “DNA,” a look at a history of family drug use and music and where Machine stands in relation to that. The fourth song “Sertraline” is a detailed description of a messy time on anti-depressants that goes from amazing to crazy very quickly. Machine’s catchy hook “I’m on that lean…Sertraline” compared with the song’s very serious concept about just how mind-altering anti-depressants can be. When Machine compares his brain on Sertraline to peanut butter it’s both funny and disturbing. Something that’s really commendable about Machine’s songwriting is that almost every song on the album is its own concept. He also very describes a breakup in a very self-aware way on “Angie” and on “Sorry Ladybug” he moves from looking at mistakes he made early on when he started out rapping “I was sick. Thought that I could be Wayne/ thought that I could be Royce…It’s easy to see/ that really wasn’t me.” To his thoughts on how he feels about death “starting having thoughts about suicide that went viral…” On the song “Wow” he looks at his connection to Notorious B.I.G. “L.A.P.T” is the least conceptual song on Selfish Bastard, but it’s one of my favorites Over a massive 808 and synth beat, Machine and special guest Denmark Vessey (the only guest on the entire album) do what, for them, is a kind of swag rap. I say “kind of” because even though these guys are clearly having fun, this song is still heavy on lyrical content. It just also has crazy flows and epic boasts like when Machine says “People talk. Why should I listen? / Tryna stand in heat/ till I burn down the kitchen.” But, on the other hand, Machine says lines like “Never used to drink…now it’s emotional Novocain. Denmark says “My granny up in heaven looking down with a smile.” But he also says “I know I ain’t gon get no 40 achres and a mule” and the super honest “I still ain’t got a phone…” All this builds to the track late on the album “Shit Myself” which makes for a really great conclusion since it wraps up almost everything Machine dealt with on the album. “Shit Myself” explores how painful writing personal raps can be and how Machine has struggled to get recognition as a rapper. It even addresses earlier songs like “Sertraline” with the very clever “I still keep track four in the dresser drawer…” Earlier, much of the album had been a look at how Machine feels about death and on “Shit Myself” he finally makes a decision about when he triumphantly yells “I’m not afraid to die!” over the “Shit Myself” beat’s loudest moments. Machine’s lyrics are pretty personal stuff, but this album is far from what we might want to call “emo rap.” It’s clear Machine has tons of stuff on his chest that rapping helps him get off. So, I’d rather call this cathartic rap than emo rap. This is cathartic rap over some truly nasty beats."