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(via https://open.spotify.com/user/129579255/playlist/4Ibp8BxJNBjsZJSQgeG7a1?si=mjr62vEvS4y45Eh8N5D7Kw)

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Starting off List Week off strong with my 30 favorite tracks from the year!

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Noname - Room 25 Review

Anyone that was in a car with me in the Summer of 2016 knows I had Telefone on daily. The breakout album from the Chicago MC was without a doubt my favorite album of 2016. Her spoken word-like flow and rhyme style coupled with bright and catchy instrumentals was infectious, and to this day I can’t put the album down. The moment Noname announced her sophomore album Room 25 was being released, excited could not even describe the feeling I had for the new LP. Although this album came out a couple months ago, I had to highlight this album for y'all because you know I love you guys.

Where Telefone was painting with 20 different strokes of colors, Room 25 is more of a modern painting, with very few tactical strokes. The production on this LP is much more stripped back and mature this go around. The instrumentals on Room 25 replace keys for orchestral instruments, and this really complements the topics she is tackling on this album. On Room 25, Noname comes into age in front of our eyes and ears. She talks about her first love, having sex, death, police brutality, her experience with racism, and even why she decided to name herself noname! Its a lot to tackle, but Noname does it in a compact 11 track album.

The most surprising thing about Noname topically is how openly she talks about sex on this LP. Noname has never really rapped about her love life, let alone sexual experiences, but on Room 25 she shares both with humor and introspection. The best example of this on the intro “Self”, where Noname hilariously raps “Fucked your rapper homie, now his ass is making better music/My pussy teachin ninth-grade English/My pussy wrote a thesis on colonialism” If that isn’t a boss line, I don’t know what is. Even on album highlight Window she raps “I knew you never loved me but I fucked you anyway/I guess a bitch like to gamble, I guess a bitch like to lonely”. Lines like these are the reason I love Noname. She can combine really serious topics and shine a little brightness to it so you don’t cry.  It is really cool for a rapper like Noname to expose that side of her, it really  makes her a well-rounded artist. I cannot recount the times that hyper-sexual rappers like Nicki and Cardi talk about sex, and nothing else, and even Rapsody who usually just raps (Albeit extremely well, Shout out Jamla), its cool to have a woman who showcases all the sides of a human being.

One of my favorite things about Telefone was how Noname got the best out her guest collaborators. I first found out about Saba and Smino through Noname on the excellent closer “Shadow Man”, and the chemistry is still strong on “Ace”. The song easily has my favorite Noname verse to date, rapping “Smino Grigi, Noname, and Saba the best rappers/

And radio niggas sound like they wearing adult diapers” and then Saba comes in with a fiery flow to close out the track.  They are such a strong trifecta, I hope they keep collaborating like this in the future. Ravyn Lanae stuns per usual on “Montego Bae”, another strong sexual song from Noname (“A Bitch sucking dick in some new Adidas”). Ravyn and Noname just glide through this really spanish sounding instrumental. Yaw and Adam Ness also stun on the AMAZING closer “no name”, they just really put a cherry on top of that track.

Room 25 is another strong addition to Noname’s catalog. While I still prefer Telefone to this, Room 25 has stronger introspection, and song topics, so I cannot be too mad at the direction Noname took with this LP. From Telefone, I figured she would have followed her friend’s Chance The Rapper’s blueprint and made more accessible music, but after Room 25, she wants to win people over on her own terms.

Room 25 gets a 8/10

Best tracks: Self, Prayer Song, Window, Don’t Forget About Me, Montego Bae, Ace, no name

Least Favorite Tracks: With You, Part of Me

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Travis Scott - ASTROWORLD Review

To be honest, I have never been the biggest Travis Scott fan. I first heard of him through his pivotal involvement in both Yeezus and Magna Carta Holy Grail, which lead me to his debut project, Owl Pharaoh, which I did not enjoy at all. Even to this day, I feel like Travis didn’t have his sound together, and his bars are not strong enough to captivate alone. Days Before Rodeo definitely had its highlights (Mamacita, Drugs You should Try It, Don’t Play is one of my favorite Travis Songs to date), but it wasn’t until Rodeo where I had a change of heart for the man. While Travis is no where near a captivating lyricist, but, he is really good in creating worlds of sounds to delve into. Rodeo is a perfect example of an album with a cohesive sound, but each song has a different flavor. After that album, I thought Travis could do no wrong, but Birds in The Trap Sing McKnight set him back right to his Owl Pharaoh days. The project just sounded extremely derivative and felt rushed. While I love Goosebumps and Pick Up the Phone like everyone else, but even with Andre 3000 and Kid Cudi features, the album should have been better than what we got. With Birds behind us, I was expecting nothing different from ASTROWORLD, but I now have to eat my words because ASTROWORLD steps him back on track.

While I wouldn’t directly compare this to Rodeo, Travis returns to innovate the sound that he has made his own, while trying his hand at being more personal in the process. Like the title of the album suggests, the songs come in and out like a rollercoaster, many of the songs on here don’t start or stop abruptly, they kind of come in like an incline and go out with a slow stop, and not without beat switch ups and features. SICKO MODE and NO BYSTANDERS are the most experimental with this method, where the beats switch up several times in such a short run time. NO BYSTANDERS in my opinion does it a little better because it is so seamless, with JUICE WRLD’s beautiful refrain and Sheck Wes’ amazing hook. That song makes me want to knock someone’s eye out, in the best way possible. While I do like SICKO MODE, I kind of wish they let Drake go in more in the beginning because that beat sounded godly. I hope that song was not Drake’s originally, because he should have absolutely used it for Scorpion.

As for production, the beats on here are the usual sound we are accustomed with Travis, but a bulk of the album delves into a psychedelia that I think A$AP Rocky was attempting on Testing (Although CALLDROPS and Purity are great songs). Songs like SKELETONS, WAKE UP, ASTROTHUNDER (shout outs to Thundercat and John Mayer killing the instrumental), and YOSEMITE are my favorite moments on the album just from the fact Travis is here taking risks with his sound and it all goes over so beautifully. SKELETONS may be my favorite of the bunch, from Tame Impala’s beautiful beat, and Pharrell and Weeknd crooning together in a beautiful tandem, sets Travis up to rap a verse sounding like a god.

Speaking of features, everyone does their thing. Drake sounds amazing over the Tay Keith produced Third of SICKO MODE, Swae Lee & The Weeknd kills it per usual, and 21 Savage delivers the best line on this whole album (just take a guess on which line), but newcomer Donn Toliver is the undisputed champ on this whole album. CAN’T SAY was already a fire song when Travis came on, but Don’s voice and cadence on this instrumental is immaculate. I have never heard of this man before this album, but my eyes are all on this man now.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with ASTROWORLD. Travis went back to being an album artist and created a great body of work. While I will say there is a little of a lull towards the end ( 5% TINT, WHO? WHAT!, BUTTERFLY EFFECT, HOUSTONFORNICATION), the album ends strong with COFFEE BEAN, a song that I can see Joey Bada$$ ripping in a heartbeat. I just hope that Travis keeps experimenting and takes his time with albums like he did with Rodeo and this.

ASTROWORLD gets an 8.2/10

Favorite Tracks: R.I.P SCREW, STOP TRYING TO BE GOD, NO BYSTANDERS, SKELETONS, WAKE UP, ASTROTHUNDER, YOSETIME, CAN’T SAY, COFFEE BEAN

Least Favorites: BUTTERFLY EFFECT

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Denzel Curry - TA13OO Review

Let’s be real: in 2018 trap music is the most popular kind of music in the world. While the genre is lacking in pristine lyricists, I always thought that as time went on, there would be rappers who can take the sound and rap their ass off on it, and here came Denzel Curry. Similarly to 2 Chainz (and to a lesser extent G Herbo), Denzel Curry has done a great job of bringing the gap of the soundcloud rap and classic hip hop lyricism. I have long been a fan of Curry since his debut album Nostolgia 64 in 2013, and have been waiting for a project that would catapult him. He has had his time in the mainstream with the song Ultimate, as it achieved meme status on Vine, but nothing else in term of album sales or hype, until the album rollout for TA13OO. From the AMAZING video for Clout Cobain, to the genius marketing strategy of splitting the album into 3 different acts, Denzel Curry wanted TA13OO to be special, and boy did he deliver.

Through each act, we get a slightly darker mood of Denzel Curry’s psyche. The first act, one that Denzel considers the “light” act, Denzel experiments with a much less aggressive sound that we are used to him delivering. BLACK BALLOONS may be my favorite of the bunch, which may be the most mainstream song I have ever heard Denzel rap over, but he still stays himself with his fiery flow and content. Even Cash Machine has a real interesting bounce to it, it is the perfect slow driving song. Although Denzel wasn’t up to snuff to make softer songs on his last project, Imperial, on this light side, he really honed in on making great songs without sticking out like a sore thumb.

The Grey Side gives us the Denzel Curry we are all accustomed too, but in a much more lyrical tone than fans may be accustomed to. While all the songs on here bang, Denzel delivers the bulk of substance of the album here. On this side he talks about the state of America, fake friends, paranoia, and rappers on the everlasting search of attention. While none of these topics are original or deep, Denzel delivers such a fiery energy to them that it demands your attention. The best example of this is on SIRENS, where he talks about the state of the country and uses date rape as a metaphor for how the government treats the disenfranchised. It’s a wild (albeit brave) comparison, you have to listen to it for yourself. Not to mention J.I.D delivered a god tier verse on there too. The grey area is the true centerpiece of the album, where he meets catchy music with great content too.

The black side of the album is saved for the Denzel Bangers fans are hungry for. This side is full of high octane bangers that will destroy your factory speakers. While most of the album doesn’t have much of a lyrical direction, PERCZ is a commentary on the current music industry and the rappers who try anything to get some clout. It’s not only an amazing banger, but it is a scathing document to the Tekashi 6ix9ine’s if the world and how silly they look. VENGANCE is essentially a contest Between Denzel Curry, JPEGMAFIA and ZillaKami to see who can be the most aggressive on the track, and it is awesome. I LOVE JPEGMAFIA’s flow on his verse and although I have never heard of ZillaKami before, he sounds like a rabid dog it’s so sick! My favorite track on this whole album has to be the closer, BLACK METAL TERROIST. Denzel himself knew he would destroy this song just from the hook repeating “Finish him Zel, I give em hell” Although I am not a fan of Metal music, this is the closest I felt to having that kind of anger and verbosity before. Its such an amazing closer for an amazing project.

If you couldn’t already tell, I love this album. It improves upon Denzel’s past projects, as well as experimenting with new sounds, with no wack tracks in the process. I really hope this opens Denzel up to new opportunities and for people to see him outside of being the “Ultimate” Guy.

TA13OO gets an 8.8/10

Favorite Songs: BLACK BALLONS (feat. Goldlink & Twelve’len), CASH MANIAC (feat. Nyyjerya) ,SUPER SAIYAN SUPERMAN, SIRENS (feat. Billie Elish & J.I.D.), PERCZ, VENGANCE (feat. JPEGMAFIA & ZillaKami), BLACK METAL TERRORIST

Least Favorite: MAD I GOT IT (If I had to pick)

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Drake - Scorpion Review

2018 was an extremely weird year for Drake. After More Life, Drake took the hiatus he has needed to make and came back with a vengeance with God’s Plan and Look Alive, songs that found Drake sounding re-energized. Once I heard Nice For What, I finally got back on the Drake wave and had high expectations for this album. Drake’s bars on these are the strongest I’ve heard him since If Your Reading This, Its Too Late, and there wasn’t any doubt that this album would be good. Then comes Pusha T, with the most ruthless diss record I have heard since Hit Em Up. A Rapper using ghostwriters is one thing, but when you tell the world Drake has a child with a porn star and the man’s family upbringing, that is a crack at some armor. No matter what you feel about the beef between King Push and Drake, there’s no denying that the Story of Adidon affected Scorpion, for the better and the worse.

Throughout this 25-song odyssey, we have Drake essentially sneak dissing Kanye West and referencing his child  all over this thing. Although this sounds like a negative, it actually makes for the best material on the album. Songs like Emotionless, 8 out of 10, Mob Ties, Talk Up and March 14th are the best crafted songs on this whole thing. When drake has a target, Drake stays focused and makes his writing sharp. 8 out of 10 may be the strongest showing of that, because Drake sounds like a complete boss saying “Who likes to grip the mic and likes to kill their friends/ I’m not the type to make amends”. Ye definitely felt the burn on that. I also love how catchy Mob Ties is, even if it sounds like a Travis Scott cover. JAY Z also kills his verse on Talk Up. I don’t know if Beyonce whipped him into shape, but Hov has been killer since 4:44 came out and I am loving it. Even the songs that aren’t so strong on the first side aren’t too bad either. I appreciate Drake reaching out to the legendary DJ Premier for Sandra’s Rose, and I’m Upset sounds way better in the context of the rap side, I left the rap side of the album with a generally positive outlook on it. Its not amazing by any means, but is a consistent listen nonetheless. That is not the case on Side B.

Boy, is this side a mess. I have been a fan of Drake singing in the past, but this side was a slog to listen to. On this side we have some awful trap R&B, Poor songwriting, and Drake’s lifeless voice all throughout it.   The best of the bunch with this vibe is That’s How You Feel, and its mostly because of Nicki Minaj’ hook on this thing. It’s a real shame too because Drake should feel right at home with this production, but his voice is a thin as a saltine on a large portion of this side. Take After Dark, as much as I love the beat and Ty Dolla $ign’s performance, Drake sounds so weak compared to Static Major and ty its ridiculous. In the past Drake has always made up his weak vocal chops with great songwriting and production, but even those are up to snuff on here.

Although it sounds like I hate this whole side, there are some highlights for me on Side B. Summer Games sounds like a relaxing summer drive with a pretty girl, Rachet Happy Birthday has some creative songwriting (Probably because PARTYNEXTDOOR wrote it), and of course In My Feelings is god’s gift to Drake on this album. I also like Final Fantasy and March 14th, but I hated how they had those boring beat switches, especially on Final Fantasy. I get he was gearing us up for March 14th, but after that sexy ass song, I don’t want to hear about Drake dealing with his baby mom.

 So yeah, Scorpion isn’t the album that brings him back to the heights he was at pre-Views, but It has enough highlights on it for me to go back to a handful of tracks. I know Drake historically has always had longer albums, but if he could just go back to 13-18 track albums, I think he can still give us a great album, but he really needs to sit back relax for at least a year and come back refreshed, because when he’s not mad at Kanye, the music sounds flat.

Side A: 7/10

Side B 4/10

Scorpion = 5.8/10

Favorite Tracks: Emotionless, 8 out of 10, Mob Ties, Is There More, Talk Up, Summer Games, In My Feelings, After Dark, 1st half of Final Fantasy & 1st half of March 14th

Least Favorite: Elevate, Can’t Take a Joke, Peak, Don’t Matter to Me, Finesse, Jaded

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Top 6 Albums of Midyear

The time has come again folks to rank the albums from the first half of the year! After a somewhat slow start to the year, a bulk of great albums have come out in the last couple months, so many that I decided to add a 6th slot this year to recognize the greatness!

Honorary Mentions:

Ravyn Lanae – Crush EP

Kali Uchis – Isolation

Saba – Care for Me (Prom/King  is a top 10 song this year)

Flatbush Zombiez – Vacation in Hell

Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer

Jay Rock - Redemption

Tierra Whack – Whack World (do check it!!)

6. Post Malone - Beerbongs and Bentleys

B&B has been the low-key soundtrack of my summer so far. Very far from a perfect album, the songs that hit on this record, really stick in your head so long, to the point where you’ll be humming the joints to em. My fellow rap purists, I would urge you to open your horizons and check this album out, it’s a fun listen to say the least!

Check Out: Ball For Me, Stay

 5. Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel

The state of Rock music has been in shambles ever since the turn of this decade. While its hard to compete with the greatness of rock in the 70’s and 80’s, a lot of bands in the 2000’s have either gone for a more mellow direction, or hot topic sounding hard rock, both don’t really speak to me. Then comes Courtney Barnett. Tell Me How You Really Feel has a beautiful mix of mellow, and hard garage rock I’vr been seeking. I love the aggression the guitars give all throughout the album and I haven’t been able to put it down since its released.

Check Out: Nameless, Faceless, Crippling Self Doubt & a General Lack of Confidence

4.  Pusha-T  - Daytona

Out of all of the G.O.O.D music albums that came out, the album I was least worried about was Pusha T’s album being good. Whether it was through the Clipse or his solo material, Pusha T has always delivered quality albums, but Daytona is his most sharp album to date. Kanye and Pusha really do have a synergy that the other G.O.O.D Music artists do not. Kanye gives Pusha T those minimalistic production and space that lets Push give us his dope boy bars. Daytona is filled with the best lyricism I have heard this year, even Kanye delivers a phenomenal verse!

Check Out: If You Know, You Know, Infrared

  3. Playboi Carti – Die Lit

As my review goes, I loved this album. What Carti (seriously) lacks in lyricism, he makes up in energy. Like Beerbongs & Bentley’s, Die Lit has a bit of filler, but the album is filled with a consistent high that is insatiable.  Please do not sleep on Cash Carti.

Check Out: Poke it Out (feat. Nicki Minaj), Choppa Won’t Miss (feat. Young Thug)

2. Kids See Ghosts – Self Titled

I’m going to be 100% honest, I thought Kanye’s solo album was garbage. While I like the beats on some of the tracks on there, the bars are so weak a child can break them with their hands. You can tell Ye rushed this album just to meet the deadline, and the result was a luke-warm effort. Fast forward to Kids See Ghost, an album that you can absolutely tell. Kid Cudi and Kanye West have always had phenomenal chemistry, But on Kids See Ghosts, Cudi & Ye do the fusion dance. Kanye’s sonic landscape could be the soundtrack to an anime of a psychedelic wasteland. While Kanye does handle production and vocals on this album, Cudi is the star throughout this whole album. Vocally this is the best I have heard him since MOTM 2 and its amazing to see. Although this album isn’t for everyone, I do urge yall to check it out!

Check Out: 4th Dimension, Kids See Ghost (feat. Mos Def)

 1.  Teyana Taylor – K.T.S.E

I know this came out a couple of days ago, but honestly, I haven’t been able to put this album down. The soul samples all throughout this album are genuinely beautiful. In a world of Trap R&B, its always refreshing to hear an album that sounds so soulful! Although Kanye Delivers beautiful sounds on here, make no mistake that Teyana is the captain of this journey. Her voice and lyrics really take center stage on this entire thang. While many only know her as Kanye West’s muse in the Fade music video, I really think Keep the Same Energy is the album that will put her on the map.

Check out: Gonna Love Me, Issues/Hold On

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Playboi Carti - Die Lit

CASH CARTI BIH!!! Playboi Carti’s rise to fame has been quite the long one. I discovered Carti in 2015 from his affiliation with Awful records (Are they still around?) and his viral hit Broke Boi. As much as I loved Broke Boi, I felt his lyrics were way too simple and his production was too similar to other Atlanta rappers at the time. Once Carti left Awful and joined the A$AP Mob, Carti’s whole style and sound changed for the better. I really enjoyed Carti’s contributions to both of the Mob’s Cozy Tapes, as well as his self-titled 2017 project. While Carti possesses zero lyrical ability, he makes up for it in cadence and vocal inflections in his music. Through his debut tape, Carti really cut a lane for himself in this “Mumble rap” era and creates music that reevaluates what creativity can be, and this idea is even furthered on Die Lit.

A while back, I saw an Anthony Fantano video talking about the idea of Mumble Rap being the Hip Hop equivalent to punk music, and I really feel like Playboi Carti is the embodiment of this idea. In a lot of cases, Carti is the complete opposite of what makes for exciting hip hop: Many of the songs here have no real topics and the lyrics are extremely repetitive, but Carti somehow creates really captivating sounds through his music.  

While I could just attribute this to Pierre Bourne (who produced a huge bulk of this), Carti’s hooks and elastic flows really help bring these songs to life. Take Lean 4 Real and Love Hurts for example, where the production is minimal, but Carti’s hooks are the most repetitive and captivating. Even Home (KOD), a song about a girl who left Carti, Carti holds his own on the track lyrically over the simple production.  The topic is obviously nothing groundbreaking, but Carti definitely has created a formula with this album that is a winner.

Part of the formula that Carti uses is allowing guests break up the monotony of the tracks here. Skepta brings an awesome (but short) Verse on Lean 4 Real, Travis Brings great energy on Love Hurts, and Bryson Tiller KILLS Fell in Love. The first time I heard Poke it Out, I HATED Nicki’s verse, she tries to find a middle ground between matching Carti’s ignorance and actual lyricism, but I think that it’s an acquired taste. I do love when she says “Sonning (sunning) these hoes like its gloomy out), so Nicki is forgiven.  

As much as I can praise this album, Die Lit does have moments where the songs teeter between artful ignorance and just plain dumb. Old Money and Right Now doesn’t have the same energy as the rest of the tracks here, and While I know many love Shoota, I am just not a fan of the Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World Sound that Maaly Raw made for the track.  Additionally, it pisses me off that Carti literally remixes let it go from last year’s project and treats it as a different track in Middle of the Summer. Whoever Red Coldhearted is, she needs to find another job besides rapping. But overall, I am loving this project.

Die Lit is an hour of blissful ignorance. Carti really made a soundtrack for this punk movement coming into hip hop, and above all of these other SoundCloud rappers, I can see him transcend and being a force to reckon with.

Die Lit gets an 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Long Time (intro), Lean 4 Real, Poke It Out, Home (KOD), Fell In Love, No Time, Choppa Won’t Miss, R.I.P Fredo

Least Favorite: Old Money, Right Now

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Post Malone - Beerbongs & Bentley’s

Post Malone is the man of the hour. He first broke through with White Iverson, a song that left many people divided. Me personally, I figured he would be a one hit wonder, but that soon changed when I heard Déjà Vu and Too Young. The melodies he would create over the banging production was amazing to me and I was excited to hear the debut. Long story short, I did not like his mixtape August 28th at all, and Stoney was a little underwhelming. There were a host of tracks I still listen to (Go Flex, Yours Truly, Austin Post, and Feeling Whitney) but there were too many tracks on there that sounded the same, and I am not inherently a fan of this Trap R&B trend going on (unless its Weeknd or Bryson Tiller). I knew going into this album, Post has improved vocally just from hearing his singles, so I thought Beerbongs & Bentley’s, Post’s sophomore album, could cement him as an album artist, and in one breath it is, but not without its faults.

The first thing I picked up on Beerbong’s & Bentley’s is Post Malone’s improvements as a vocalist. Not to say he was a bad singer before, but Post’s melodies and emotional emphasis he is putting in these songs, were not present on Stoney at all. Over Now and & Stay are great examples of Post bringing that emotional depth and really selling the songs he is lacing. Even the features still

The biggest improvement throughout Beerbong’s is Post’s songwriting (or the enlistment of songwriters) almost every song on this thing has hit potential, an album full of sticky hooks and verses.  Rich & Sad is the best example of this, with an absolute earworm of a hook. Another great example is on Psycho, where Post’s cadence on the verses is kind of its own hook in itself. As for the actual content on the album, B&B casts a magnifying glass on Post’s relationship issues, and how his newfound fame has brought many joys but also paranoia and heartbreak. While none of that is new ground for any artist, Post really details his relationship issues in a really creative light in the way he juxtaposes his wealth with emotional intimacy. Its reminiscent to Mr. Lonely on Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy: Post is replacing real emotional intimacy with material possessions. Look on Ball for Me, where Post talks about his Girlfriend being loyal to him, but only wants to buy her things to mediate her loneliness since he is on tour.

While there is a lot to praise about this album, there is a big glaring issue. There is absolutely no reason for this album to be as long as it is. While it isn’t exhausting like Culture II, Post Malone doesn’t really bring many different ideas musically or topically to justify its legnth. While there are many highlights on this album, songs like Sugar Wraith, Otherside, and Paranoia sound very similar to what is already being presented and they are not as good as what is presented. I understand that Candy Paint was a huge record for him, but that song doesn’t fit the sound of the album at all either. It’s a shame, but in the streaming age, we will only get more long albums.

Beerbongs & Bentley’s is an album that essentially is an improvement on Stoney. Great features (shout out Nicki Minaj and YG, DOPE verses), better production, and sticky hooks. I hope on the next project, Post tries to experiment more with his more acoustic roots a little more, he comes out with some beautiful songs.

Beerbongs & Bentley’s is a 7.4/10

Favorite tracks: Spoil My Night (feat. Swae Lee), Rich & Sad, Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign), Stay, Ball for Me (feat. Nicki Minaj), 92 Explorer

Least Favorite: Otherside

[judgereviews]

Anticipated Albums of 2018!

2017 was huge year for music. A lot of high quality albums dropped, and even though we may not be receiving as many as last year, there are some albums I am personally looking forward to:

  Earl Sweatshirt – Untitled 

Besides his hilarious tweets, Earl hasn’t dropped any music in about two years. He has been teasing new music at live shows, but on New Year’s, Earl finally announced that he has new music on the horizon for 2018, and I couldn’t be more excited. His last effort I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside was a great bird’s eye view of a teenager engaged in the darkness surrounding him. It appears as though Earl is in a different place now, so I am curious to see where the sound of the project would be.

Chance the Rapper – Debut Album 

Although it doesn’t seem like it, Chance’s Coloring Book is almost 2 years old. That tape has taken him places that I don’t even think Chance himself could’ve imagined, and after a victory lap of a year, Chance is back in the studio making what he says is his debut album. As for potential features, Chance has been in the studio with Childish Gambino, Quavo, and Kanye West, so all that’s left is Chance delivering another fire project.

Mac Miller – Untitled 

Since 2011, Mac Miller has put out a project every year, with the exception of 2017. While some may say he is being lazy because of Ariana Grande, but I think that Mac is going to give us the project I’ve been waiting for him to give. I think he saw how luke-warm the reception was to the Divine Femine and wants to take his time this time. I always felt that Mac was a underrated lyricist and this may be the project where the masses will agree.

Pusha T- King Push

The things I would do for King Push!!! Pusha-T has been teasing this album for 3 years now. While King Push- The Prelude was definitely great, I want that full-length album. Push recently said that Kanye (and hopefully Pharrell) will have a big hand on production, so I can only expect high quality material from one of our greatest lyricists.

Drake – Untitled 

 Similarly to Mac Miller, Drake has been quiet for much of 2017. More Life has pretty much left the minds of listeners as better projects came in this year, and Drake didn’t put out any more singles after, which is very unlike him. If his verse on Lil Wayne’s Family Fued is any indication, Drake sounds hungrier than ever. He has seen that Kendrick has took his spot of the mainstream crown, and now he finally may have the hunger to deliver a great album like he did with Take Care and even If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.

Noname –  Room 25

Noname’s Telefone was my favorite album that came in 2016. From the rhymes, to the topics to the beats, everything sounded so fresh and original, and last year Noname spent her time in the studio cooking up heat. Noname has been hyping the project up for at least 3 months now, so I can only expect its release first quarter.

Kanye West – Untitled 

After Kanye’s very notorious meltdown and hospitalization in 2016, he went into hiding. He hasn’t tweeted, given out new music, let alone be seen last year. The moves he has made last year were all business. He sent an patent request for something called “Yeezy Sound”, and release more clothes with Adidas.  All  his moves make me believe that Kanye has an album coming, and I hope this is like when Kanye retreated to Hawaii to record MBDTF. Both Cyhi and Pusha T have said that Kanye is back to making beats, and it is sounding amazing. I am PRAYING we get a dope album from the man, maybe explaining his mind state in 2016.

A$AP Rocky – Testing –  Yams Day? 

This is without a doubt my most anticipated album in 2018. After dropping ALLA – A severely under looked album - I was curious to see where Rocky went from here without A$AP Yams’ guidance. Even though we got the A$AP Mob’s Cozy Tapes (1>>>>>>>>2), it did not satisfy my hunger for Rocky music. Rocky has been saying how the album was supposed to come out last year, but never came. All I have heard of the project was the song Wok, produced by Metro Boomin, and it sounds FIRE. Other than that I know that Lenny Kravitz, DRAM, Mos Def, and Tyler, The Creator may have contributed to the album, and judging from this snippets on Instagram, this album should be Rocky’s moment.

Aside from these releases, I am curious to hear Astroworld, but since Rodeo, I have not enjoyed a Travis project that much. ScHoolboy Q, J. Cole and Jay Rock too. Maybe Raury comes out of his cave this year?  Fingers crossed for a Gambino album too! 

[judgereviews]

Top 10 Albums of 2017

As the year is almost done, it is time for my yearly top 10 albums of the year! I can definitely say that although this year wasn't the best for the world, it was one of the best years in music in a LONG time. It was really hard ordering this list just because there were so many albums I liked this year! As always, this list is my opinion and albums I played the most throughout the year, but let me know in the comments  what you think are the best!

Honorable Mentions:

N.E.R.D – No_One_Ever_Really_Dies

Lil Wayne - Dedication 6 (D6 Reloaded tonight!)

Offset, 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Without Warning

Calvin Harris – Funk Wav. Bounces Vol. 1 (Straight vacation vibes)

Daniel Caesar – Freudian

 Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom

Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

 Lorde - Melodrama 

 10 G Herbo – Humble Beast

G Herbo has always been a young prodigy to me. In a world of trap music, it is so refreshing to hear a young rapper being lyrical while still being a street artist. Humble Beast is an album about the triumphs and street wisdom G Herbo has to offer. Everything about this album is high-quality from the beats, bars and even features from Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Bibby. If you missed this album, I would highly recommend it.

9. SZA – Ctrl

I remember coming to the end of 2016 thinking that this album would become the new Detox and never be released. The wait for this album got so long that SZA herself was getting frustrated at TDE threatening to leave the label, but alas, in June we finally got this gem of an album. In a time where R&B music was becoming more singular and not creative, SZA came through with an album so different from the climate, but still relating to so many people through her lyrics. I am so proud of her and can only imagine great things to happen in the future for her!

8. Joey Bada$$ - ALL-AMERIKKKAN-BADA$$

Among all the political albums we got this year, AABA still is leaps and bounds ahead of the crop. Joey doesn’t seem like an artist who is screaming the issues at you, or doing this for a cash grab, instead he tackles these issues from a very humanistic view and the records asks you to participate in the revolution. Musically Joey experiments with his vintage sound and it pays of big time! If you only heard Devastated and never checked the project out, please do.

7. Steve Lacy – Steve Lacy’s Demos

I have been championing this guy since The Internet released Ego Death in 2015. Lacy is pretty much responsible for the sound of that project and as soon as I heard he has his own solo material I was in love. Steve colorfully mixes alternative rock music in with soul in a way I can’t escape. Even though this album is only 16 minutes, I have found myself going back to this since it came out in Febuary. If you liked Ego Death, you will like this Demo as well.

6. Mac Demarco – This Old Dog

I have always liked Mac Demarco’s music here and there, but I have enjoyed a full project from him until This Old Dog came out. I just love how the music is so relaxing, but some of the themes of this album are somber. I also love Mac’s decision to move from his signature electric guitar sound to a more acoustic sound this go around. If you want good cleaning music, this is the album for you dawg.

5. Migos – Culture

I can’t think of any other people who have had a better 2017 than the Migos. Not only did they own mainstream music collectively and individually, they actually came through with a very good album. Its not easy for rappers like Migos to make an album I can bump from front to back, but they did. Not only are the beats hypnotic and bounce, I truly believe the Migos rap really well all over this thang, specifically on Deadz and the intro track.

 4. Big K.R.I.T – 4eva is a Mighty Long Time

I have already gushed about this album in my review, but man is this a dope album. Besides To Pimp a Butterfly, I cannot think of an hour and a half album I have enjoyed from front to back. This album just really inspires me and makes me motivated through the stories K.R.I.T is telling and I am glad that the King of the South is back.

3. BROCKHAMPTON – The Saturation Series

Just from the standpoint that it would be obnoxious to post all three saturations in this list made me decide to clump all these projects in one spot. I remember the first time I watched their video for HEAT, I knew these guys were going places. Each Saturation album is oozing with creative production, lyrics and sounds like nothing anyone is doing right now. Each member contributes heavily to each song. The most surprising part about these albums is that each album sounds completely different even though they were released in a 6-month span. I love these guys and I cannot wait for whatever they have going next.

2. JAY Z – 4:44

HOVA! In a time where kids my age hate on OG’s saying they are washed and can’t create dope albums in their 3rd acts of their career had to eat their words when Jay released this album. Not only am I in awe of the music quality and bars on this album, Jay actually talked about solutions the black community can do to empower each other. Not only that, Jay gave us his most personal project yet, when there is more on the line now then when he released Reasonable Doubt.  I know we won’t be getting another Jay Z album for a while, but I hope Jay takes as much time as he wants and crafts another project like this one.

1. Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy

I know that everyone saw this coming!!! While I do think 4:44 and Flower Boy are neck and neck, I had to give it to Flower Boy because of the magnitude of a statement Flower Boy is. Even though Kevin Abstract of BROCKHAMPTON proudly declares his homosexuality, Tyler is a much larger artist. Not only that, the way Tyler artfully composed an album about his love life and his sexuality so beautifully is astounding. Aside from the content, Tyler has improved exponentially with his production and even more on his lyricism. If you guys were doubting Tyler’s genius on Cherry Bomb (Which Ya’ll are still wrong on), you definitely aren’t with Flower Boy.

[judgereviews]

Top 10 Music Videos of 2017

Let list week commence! We are kicking off the best of list of music with the most underappreciated aspect of the music (besides album covers), music videos. Here were 10 of my favorite videos this year

Honorable Mention: SZA & Travis Scott - Love Galore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHXfCOjb3fk

10. John Mayer – Still Feel Like Your Man

It’s John Mayer dance battling for his girl, whats better than that?

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyCst7We6Uw6

9. Jaden Smith – Fallen

The adventures of a Jaden smith dancing and throwing up over a girl. 

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fof9lHaApXc

8. Young Thug – Wyclef John

No Comment, just watch.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9L3j-lVLwk 

7. Jay Z – Story of O.J

I love when music videos elevate the subject matter of the track. The Story of O.J. was already a socially conscious track, but the video really gives you another level to the words Jay is giving. 

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM7lw0Ovzq0

6. Brockhampton - Star

With the abundance of music videos that BROCKHAMPTON has dropped this year, Star to me was the most cohesive and engaging. 

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMZZUyos1kI

5. Charlie XCX – Boys

Not only is this song fuego, but Charli gathers a really ecentric list of  cameos from Brandon Urie from Panic At the Disco to Denzel Curry. Ladies, this is a video you will enjoy.

4.  Migos T-Shirt

Chance was right, Quavo deserves an oscar for directing such an immaculate video.

3. Kendrick Lamar - Loyalty

Like all his videos since To Pimp a Butterfly, The colors Kendrick and his team uses for these shots creates a great aesthetic and is one of the few times in recent times where the music video seems like a blockbuster film. 

2. Who Dat Boy – Tyler, The Creator & A$AP Rocky

You already know whenever Tyler drops a music video, it is of high quality. This time around we see the adventures of a man who blows his face up and gets his face reconstructed from A$AP Rocky!

1. Kendrick Lamar – Humble

Honestly, there was not a time in recent memory where a music video had so much hype surround it the second it came out. Not only is Humble a jarring song for longtime Kendrick fans, but each shot of the video is masterfully done (particularly the shot of 1000 men calling Big Sean a bitch) The shots are so good, one of them is my laptop wallpaper!

[judgereviews]

Big K.R.I.T. - 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time Review

Big K.R.I.T. has always been an underdog. Although he has a catalog of stellar mixtapes (Return of 4eva and 4eva and a Day to name a couple) and two commercially successful albums, Big K.R.I.T is always left out of the conversation of the top 5 new school rappers, and I never got why. He is just as good of a songwriter as Drake, He can hold his own lyrically with Kendrick, and he is just as conscious of an MC as J. Cole is. Whatever the reason, he had a falling out with Def Jam, and K.R.I.T eventually left the label and went silent for nearly three years. He finally returned in October with the double album 4eva is a Mighty Long Time. For any longtime rap fan, double albums always scream filler (Jay Z’s Blueprint 2 & Biggie’s Life After Death come to mind), and I was hoping Big K.R.I.T’s comeback album did not suffer the same fate, and I am glad to report that this album is a rare find.

4eva is a Mighty Long Time is an incredible project. Big K.R.I.T cleverly dodges the double album stigma by creating two different albums that encompass his two personas. One is a more public image of K.R.I.T., and the other is an introspection similar to Tyler’s Flower Boy or Jay’s 4:44.

The Big K.R.I.T side of 4eva is everything Big K.R.I.T has been doing  in the past but with his bars and production elevated. The intro track is very reminiscent of his infamous “Mt. Olympus” track, and I would even say it is more potent here strictly off of his production and delivery. Subenstein is the fourth installment of the “My Sub” series, personifies his speakers as a man-made creature. Anyone who is a fan of K.R.I.T’s 4eva themes will love Get Away as well. You can tell that K.R.I.T. was shooting for the stars with southern rap royalty too on this album by enlisting some legends in the game. T.I. drops some jewels on hustling on “Big Bank”, Bun B delivers a great opening verse accompanied by a great Pimp C hook on “Ride wit Me”, and Cee-Lo Green delivers a surprising rap verse on “Get On Up 2 Get Down”. While this side does more of what we love about the Mississippi native, K.R.I.T saves all his creative risks for the Justin Scott side of the record.

When I finished listening the K.R.I.T side of 4eva for the first time, I was happy with what I got, but I was hoping that K.R.I.T experimented with different sounds on this album, and that is exactly what we got on the Justin Scott side of the album. Yes, the sounds on this album are still southern, but K.R.I.T puts more modern soul and jazz into this side and added introspection I have not heard from him before. The album starts with an incredible intro track that is a beautiful instrumental by K.R.I.T himself and leads into my favorite song on the album, “Mixed Messages”. The track examines K.R.I.T’s inconsistencies as a MC and as a human being. On the track he says “I wanna be rich but I'm giving back/I love her like none other but don't get attached/Screamin' peace over beats but I grab a strap”. We all have these contradictions within us every day, and I love that K.R.I.T put his thoughts on wax. Another highlight on here is “Miss Georgia Fornia”, where K.R.I.T personifies his hometown and talks about why he has to relocate to Atlanta all under this beautiful country-rap instrumental that works beautifully. This is the kind of production that Yelawolf would want to get on, but for some reason this beat is better than anything I have heard Yelawolf rap over before. Most of the songs on this half have K.R.I.T SINGING on a large portion of the tracks, and delivers a lot of soul to the album. K.R.I.T has sung on tracks before, but on tracks like Bury Me in Gold, his vocals are in the forefront of the tracks and it is amazing. While there are many rappers singing now-a-days, K.R.I.T may be one of the best singing rappers right now. The album ends with beautifully on the politically charged “The Light” where he talks about being afraid of coming to the outside world because of your skin color and delivers this behind a soulful jazz background courtesy of Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin.  

I am just so proud of K.R.I.T for listening to his critics taking major risks with this album. Usually double albums are never necessary, but on 4eva is a Mighty Long Time, the two sides are essential to the overall message of the album. each side has a particular mood and can be enjoyed separately or together, and that is beautiful. I am SO excited to see what K.R.I.T does now that he is Independent and his album did so well commercially.

4eva is a Mighty Long Time gets a 8.3/10

Favorite Tracks – Big K.R.I.T. Subenstein (My Sub pt. 4), 1999 (feat. Lloyd), Come Up 2 Get Down (feat. Sleepy Brown & Cee-Lo Green), Aux Cord, Get Away, Justin Scott, Mixed Messages, Miss Georgia Fornia (feat. Joi), Everlasting, The Light, Bury Me in Gold

Least Favorite Tracks – Confetti & Drinking Sessions

[judgereviews]

Lil Pump - Self-Titled Review

D ROSE D ROSE D ROSE!!! OOOUUUUU! Didn’t think I would review this did ya? Mr. Lil Pump is among the crop of new Soundcloud rappers that are dominating in the new music landscape. While I have not been much of a fan of these artists (Except Ski Mask the Slump God, that guy is going places), I wanted to try out an official project from one of these guys. Working as a camp counselor, many of the kids told me I should try to Lil pump, and I brushed it off until I saw that he is dropping an official project. Does Lil Pump have anything to offer on his self-titled debut?

 Well, the answer is yes and no. I don’t think Lil Pump is reinventing the wheel here, BUT I think Lil Pump’s album is a fun collection of songs that covers the sounds of today sprinkled with past sounds that have influenced him. When I gave this album my first listen, I was so surprised on the sound stylings on there, as they pay homage to artists he is inspired by. “Iced Out” sounds like something 2012 2 Chainz would have made, “Gucci Gang” reminds me of a more laid-back Chief Keef song, and “Youngest Flexer” sounds like a song Lex Luger would lace for the old Gucci Mane. The beats on this thing constantly are the real focus on this project and they fit Pump’s style perfectly.

What I can attribute to the popularity of this kid too is the amount of energy he brings to a record. Pump sounds like someone who has just shot gunned three red bulls in one sitting and then stepped in the booth to rap. His flows are infectious, he just sounds like he is having fun in the studio, and it’s contagious. Where Pump lacks in versatility and lyricism, he makes up for it in hooks and flows. The best showcase of this to me is the track “Back” with Lil Yachty where his flow is relentless and makes an earworm of a hook.

As you can probably guess, the huge draw back to this album is the lack of topics, versatility and lyrics. Lil Pump has almost nothing to say except talking about his drug usage, his money or his sexual conquests. While a lot of rappers talk about these things, usually there is some wordplay associated with it, but Pump relies on his flow and beat selection to carry these tracks. Gratefully though Pump doesn’t say anything that makes me cringe, so that is something.

I actually kind of like this project. If you are at a party or working out, I would 100% recommend putting this on, but I cannot see myself going back to this album three months from now, but that is just the climate we are living in right now.

Lil Pump gets a 6.5/10

Favorite Songs: What U Sayin, Gucci Gang, D Rose, Youngest Flexer, Back, Iced Out

Lest Favorites: Pinky Ring, Flex Like OOUU, Boss

[judgereviews]

Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy Review

On the track “Where This Flower Blooms” by my soul animal, Tyler, the Creator says, “Tell these Black kids they can be who they are”, and this has always been the reason I have loved this man. Before I found Tyler’s (and Gambino’s) music, I was lost and eagerly trying to find an identity. At the time, a lot of (ignorant) people from different races would tell me I acted “White” because I didn’t act the way they thought a “Black” person should act. Not to mention I wasn’t naturally athletic and was really into Sonic The Hedgehog and anime which didn’t help me at all (I’m still am into those things too).  That year, I felt alienated and lost. For a small period, I acted the way everyone thought I should, but it didn’t feel right. I knew acting tough talking with slang wasn’t me, but this got me everything I always wanted: being popular, girls liking me, etc, that all ended when I heard Gambino’s Camp and Tyler’s Goblin. Finally hearing black people sharing the same struggle as I did was not only refreshing, but encouraging and finally realized I don’t need to be a follower anymore. Those two really shaped me to be the person I am today and Lord knows where I would be without them.

ANYWAYS, as a fan, I have loved every Tyler, The Creator album (Goblin has not aged well with me though). I understand that many thought Cherry Bomb was his weakest album, but to me, the album is my favorite. Every song on the album inspires me to continue my ambitions and one day acquire my own empire like T has. I also just love the beats on that album too. Yes, the mixing is weird on some songs, and the title track is awful, but I felt like Tyler was talking straight to me. Plus, we got the best verses from Kanye and Lil Wayne in a while on Cherry Bomb, so your views are invalid. Even though I love Cherry Bomb, I was still thirsting for a new T album. I am here to announce that this album is great.

First of all, Tyler’s rapping on this entire album is INCREDIBLE. There is damn near a quotable on each verse on these tracks. To me, Tyler’s bread and butter as a rapper was never his rapping and flow, but that is the exact thing that draws me to this album. I love the ongoing metaphors on “Foreward”, the Braggadocio in “Who Dat Boy”, and the introspection on “Pothole”, “Garden Shed”, “Mr. Lonely” and “November”. My favorite bars on this album are housed on “I Ain’t Got Time”. Just a taste of Tyler’s wordplay is when he says, “walk weird because my pockets look like thick Yoda/with a Skywalker, ridin’ round solar/Anakin skin Sprite, my tint Cola” I have never heard Tyler spit bars like that on any of his albums and it is a breath of fresh air honestly. Tyler has always great at tackling a topic, but having an expanded sense of wordplay and flow makes the songs that much better. Besides the bars, Tyler is flowing in a way I have never heard him. I got a taste of this on “What the Fuck Right Now” and “Telephone Calls”, but I just thought beat on those tracks brought it out of him, but on “Who Dat Boy” you can tell A$AP Rocky and Tyler were just going at it.

Speaking of A$AP Rocky, Tyler’s collaborators all throughout this album are stellar. England’s own Rex Orange County is a standout on the album with his choruses “Foreward” & “Boredom” (Checkout his own song “Untitled” if you want to be in your feelings), Kali Uchis brings an angelic presence to my favorite song “See You Again”, Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean bring charm to “911” and even Jaden Smith contributes a no-BS hook on Potholes. Now, can we PLEASE talk about Lil Wayne on “Droppin Seeds”. Not only did Wayne kill his verse, but the man stayed on topic for an entire song! If Wayne and Birdman ever end their legal dispute, Wayne should enlist Mannie Fresh and Tyler for the entire album.

Even though the features are prevalent throughout the album, the focus on this album is Tyler’s vulnerability. On Tyler’s promo run for Cherry Bomb, he often said this was the album that sheds the characters and stories that were on Bastard, Goblin and Wolf, but now listening to Flower Boy you can tell T was hiding behind a mask still. On Flower Boy, Tyler tackles topics like loneliness, love, race relations, and his own sexuality with a great maturity. Even though I have pretty much hated every think piece on Tyler, The Creator coming out, “Garden Shed” (his powerful eye-opening track about his sexuality) is a very important track as it does give context as to why Tyler feels as lonely and isolated as he does on this album. On “Mr. Lonely”, Tyler raps about looking for love and never being good with keeping women. He even talks about his possessions are just filling voids for his sadness. in “November”, Tyler asks himself “What if my Day 1s turn to three Four’s because of track 7” and proceeds to question his choices in his life, and wishes to go back to “November” a happier time in his life. Even on Glitter, he talks about how his love-interest makes him feel great, but realizes that it will never workout saying, “we a fat boy/yeah sumo”. The album is an extremely deep listen and it is Tyler as we have never seen him.

Lastly, I feel like the production on this album is stellar. Tyler took what he learned on Cherry Bomb and made it even more layered and beautiful than before. I just love the Guitars and Strings he arranged on this album, especially on “Foreward” and “Boredom”, they just sound so pretty. Tyler even takes on Trap music on “Who Dat Boy” and it sounds great.

My only gripe with this album is how the album ends. I feel like “Where This Flower Blooms” could have gone first, and had “Foreward” the last Track on here. “Enjoy Right Now, Today” is a pretty instrumental, but with an album this serious and hefty, I feel like that is not the best closer.

It’s hard to argue that Flower Boy is not Tyler’s best album. Tyler took what worked on each of his past albums and groomed it out to get this masterpiece. Tyler hit it out the park and I couldn’t be any prouder of him.  Even though I thought this album we would get a Gambino x Tyler track, I am still waiting on it!!!

Flower Boy gets a 9.2/10 Favorite Tracks: Foreward, Somewhere…, See You Again, Who Dat Boy, Garden Shed, Boredom, I Ain’t Got Time, November, Glitter Least Favorite: Enjoy Right Now, Today

[judgereviews]

JAY Z - 4:44 Review

JAY Z is an artist that is dear to my heart because he is the sole reason I got into the world of hip hop.  I will never forget when I was 11 years old and my mom played me Blueprint 3 for the first time and how my world was changed. Before Blueprint 3, I was only exposed to artists like Dave Matthew’s Band, Jill Scott and John Legend, so hearing Jay for the first time opened me up. From the braggadocio to the beats, I had never heard anything like that before. I played that album so much I broke the CD (which is hard to do). After that, I looked at the album credits I saw an interesting name pop up on the executive producer list with the name Kanye West and the rest is pretty much history.

I know Blueprint 3 is considered one of JAY’s worst albums by fans, but to me, I still find that album one of his most creative to date. Looking at JAY’s long discography, most of JAY’s best work was in the early 2000’s, apart from Blueprint 3 and American Gangster (Kanye pretty much saved Watch the Throne to me). I was so disappointed with his last record, Magna Carta Holy Grail, but all of JAY’s verses he had after MCHG were AMAZING. From his and Jay Electronica’s We Made It remix to Pusha T’s Drug Dealer’s Anonymous, you could tell JAY-Z was feeling inspired and whatever he was going to drop it would be better than MCHG, but man, I was not expecting such a monumental album this late in his career.

I have seen many people label 4:44 as a “mature-man’s” rap album, but I find that to be very suffocating to the album. To me, 4:44 is the story of JAY Z in all aspects. With each track, we know EXACTLY what is going on in JAY Z’s mind. To me, JAY essentially took the theme of The Throne’s track “Black Excellence” and fleshed it out into a whole album. Take “The Story of O.J.”, a song about black empowerment through finances and how blacks can rise to power, in the song he literally says “I’m trying to give you game for $9.99”. On Family Feud goes even further on ideas of black ownership saying “Fuck rap, crack cocaine/nah we did that, black owned thangs/ hundred percent black owned champagne/and we merrily merrily eatin off these streams”. It’s great that even though JAY is on a financial level above most people, he tries to inspire other people to achieve the success he has right now. JAY doesn’t JUST talk black empowerment on 4:44 however, this is also JAY’s most personal album yet. on “Kill JAY Z”, Jay acknowledges his past mistakes as well as taking shots at Mr. West in a very mature fashion. On “Marcy Me”, he takes it back to his old stomping grounds in a different way he has on other albums. This time around he compares the Marcy projects of Brooklyn from when he was growing up to now, and how he has changed as a man. We cannot forget about the title track where we can almost hear Hov crying for Beyoncé’s forgiveness for his past infidelity. The first time I heard the track I was just in awe at how weak and apologetic JAY was the entire time.

Even though the concepts of these tracks are interesting, its JAY’s bars are a standout. You can tell JAY was inspired on this album because this is the best wordplay and lyricism I’ve heard from Hov since the Black Album. JAY even acknowledges the potency of his bars this time around on “Smile” where he says “Oh Y’all thought I was washed?/I’m at the cleaners/Launderin’ Dirty Money like the Teamsters”. I especially like the third verse on the title track 4:44, which addresses JAY’s infidelity with Beyoncé and talks about how if he continued to cheat how would his children treat him saying “he would die from all the shame”. Even on JAY’s “Banger” “Bam,” Jay sends some more shots at Kanye saying “Niggas skippin’ leg day just to run they mouth/I be skippin’ leg and still run the world”. There are just lyrical gems sprinkled all over this thing.

Reason I put banger in quotations up there is because JAY didn’t chase any trends on this album  like he did on Magna Carta Holy Grail. With the production handled by Chicago legend No I.D. (Produced Common’s first three albums and mentored Kanye West, signed Logic, Jhene Aiko, and Vince Staples), No I.D gave JAY gave beautiful samples, but without the album sounding the same. I especially liked when they took vocal samples from Nina Simone and Sister Nancy, to even manipulating Beyoncé’s vocals on “Family Feud” to sound like a sample. My favorite beat on here has to be “Bam” with Damian Marley, with those energetic horns and that track really energizes this whole album.

What else can I say about this album that has not already been said by fans and critics, this may be one of JAY’s best albums. From the immaculate production from No I.D. to the subject matter and lyricism, everything is sharp. The only negative I have with this album is the audio quality on the Frank Ocean assisted Caught in Their Eyes and that’s it. Everything else was on point. I am not sure If I want another JAY album soon, but if he stays this focused, I would not mind another.

4:44 gets a 9/10

Favorite Tracks: The Story of O.J., 4:44, Family Feud, Bam, Legacy, Marcy Me

Least Favorite: Caught in Their Eyes

[judgereviews]

BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION

Every year, I am always looking for those budding artists who drop an amazing project and breathe new air into the game. In 2015 we had Raury, 2016 was Noname and Joey Purp, and in 2017 we have BROCKHAMPTON.

To be fair, SATURATION is not the first BROCKHAMPTON project I have heard. Last year, I found lead-member Kevin Abstract’s music from Spotify and I was astounded by the lead single Empty - a touching song about high school isolation - and decided to listen to American Boyfriend.  Not only do Kevin and I share the same government name, but I can identify with his outsider perspective. After listening to American Boyfriend, I found out about the larger collective of artists. While I did like their debut mixtape ALL-AMERICAN TRASH, the project as a whole was not doing it for me, but on SATURATION, the group soars.

SATURATION has a total of 17 tracks, which may seem daunting, but every track has its own identity. From the infections Gold, to the chant-worthy Boys or the beautiful closer Waste, each track on this album feels like a different stroke of a beautiful painting and surprisingly goes down without a hitch. Usually when you are meshing genres together, it’s very easy for the album to take a left turn, but you can tell these guys have a grasp of the genres they are toying with. This is best exemplified on Milk and Cash, where the crew raps and sings over indie rock instrumentation. The best example of this mesh is on Bump, where the verses come on as a straight banger, but the chorus comes through like it’s an alternative ballad, it’s amazing. Even on there more rap centered tracks, these instrumentals are all very creative and don’t sound like anything out right now. Even when they are using auto-tune like on Fake, they make an over used technique unique to them.

While the main draw to this album to me is the instrumentation and the hooks, these guys can spit. Each member brings a different swagger and complement each other perfectly. If I had to pick a favorite of the group, it would have to be Matt Champion or Ameer Vahn. Matt Champion’s overwhelming confidence when he spits a verse is contagious, especially on HEAT, and Ameer’s flow on Gold is silky smooth my god.  Even though I loved those two rap throughout the album, the best verse goes to Kevin Abstract on Star where he is states “high school they ain’t fuck with me, now the critics ain’t fuck wit me/ my own fam ain’t fuck fuck wit me, but vice land they fuck wit me”, it’s just the ultimate flex for a man who felt isolated on American Boyfriend. I couldn’t forget about Merlyn Woods on Cash either where he just sounds powerful as hell over the beat asking, “What Society is this?” and exploring the post Donald Trump-era we live in where the poor are going to suffer and getting your own.

Listening to this album, you can tell that BROCKHAMPTON is not a collective, but a true group. From the beats, to the song topics to all of the members’ chemistry with each other this album is great and I can’t wait for their follow-up Saturation II. Enough of me going on about this album, GO LISTEN TO IT NOW! Saturation gets an 8.2/10.

Favorite Tracks: Gold, Star, Boys, Fake, Face, Cash, & Waste

Least Favorite: Swim