Big Sean- I Decided ALBUM REVIEW

Big Sean is one of the more notable figures in mainstream hip hop, but sometimes, it's frankly hard to see why. The Detroit MC has been around for a while now, as he's on his fourth solo album and does countless features on various albums. My opinion of Big Sean boils down to the fact that he's a bit boring. It's always been tough to find something special, unique, or memorable about Big Sean, and his solo releases thus far have defined that. His last project, Dark Sky Paradise, was definitely his best and featured a slew of great tracks, but ultimately it was still tough to me form a legit identity for Big Sean. Will he separate himself from the pack on his fourth project, I Decided?

When trying to compare this project to Sean's last, Dark Sky Paradise, a lot of roadblocks get in the way. On one hand, I'm pretty proud of what Sean has done on I Decided. I got more personality and individuality from Big Sean on this album than I've ever gotten before. On Dark Sky, he was making good songs but he still wasn't doing much of his own thing and it was still tough to see who he really was. On I Decided, Big Sean got very personal, down to earth, and emotional, which was wonderful to see and gave me a lot of optimism about someone who I've always been indifferent on. This change from him results in some seriously good tracks. For some of this album however, Sean sounds so new to the emotional style that he's working with. In my opinion, not a lot of these songs are executed well, and even though there is hope to be found here in terms of Sean's progression as an artist, he still has some work to do in order to really blow me away with his music. I Decided is just so close to being a great album, but little flaws here and there are still holding Big Sean back on it.

Even though I have my complaints, I can't exaggerate enough how good it is to see Big Sean's evolution on I Decided. The guy is being personal, he's opening up about relationship problems and his family, and he sounds so much more passionate. He may have tried to do this on albums like Hall of Fame, but things seem a lot more polished here. It is always good to see an artist start to open up on his songs, and I think that's what makes this album stand out among Big Sean's projects. The song Bounce Back is great in the beginning of the record, featuring a cool atmospheric beat and super catchy hook from Sean. He gets into failed relationship as I mentioned earlier on the song Jump Out the Window, which is probably my favorite song here. The whole song is melodic in a very subdued, downcast way that I enjoyed. Sean sings well on this track and he croons about love in a way he hasn't done this effectively before.  Moments like this song, Moves, Same Time Pt. 1, and Inspire Me show Sean really putting songs together well and making catchy music that is also emotionally strong.

Sadly, I don't think Big Sean kept up the quality of the songs consistently on this album. In contrast with the songs I enjoyed, there were tracks on here that were below average and reminiscent of Sean's weaker albums. Songs such as Halfway off the Balcony kept up the dark vibe that I liked on the other tracks, but here Sean's vocal performance is a lot less passionate and he didn't hook me in at all. Following this was the two part track Voices In My Head/Stick to the Plan, which I felt was a mess entirely. The first part showed Sean doing interesting things lyrically, but I didn't feel the instrumental complimented him and the track was awkward. Once it hits the transition to Stick to the Plan, the song totally falls apart and shows Sean really doing some awful singing. While there were very few outright bad moments on here, a good chunk of this album came off a little boring. I didn't get much inspiration from Sean out of Light, Owe Me, or Sunday Morning Jetpack, the latter of which features some weak singing from The Dream. Speaking of features, it should definitely be noted that Eminem more or less ruined the track No Favors. I was loving Sean's bars here and he was rapping very very well, but Em's flow sounded way too robotic, his lines were occasionally cringe-worthy, and his verse went on for way too long. It was sad to see a track with such potential get thrown away by someone who I expected to kill this feature.

Luckily, this album ended on a high note with its last few tracks. I liked how Big Sean wrapped together the personal narrative of this album by ending this project with these songs that had very strong themes to them. Inspire Me was a song all about his mother, and it came off as a very loving, cute, and catchy track. On Sacrifices, he throws together a banger and talks about some of the things he has sacrificed on his way to where he is now, with the help of Migos who bring some very solid verses. Finally, the album closer Bigger Than Me was sensational, and it sounded like an old school Kanye West anthem as Sean had the Flint Choir singing on the instrumental. Overall, I definitely see the progress from Big Sean on I Decided, and even if he struggles at points here it gets me very excited for Sean's evolution as an artist

Wrap Up
+Big Sean puts together emotional, personal songs better than he ever has
+He does a lot of new things with singing and the production he goes over
+Lots of strong themes and an interesting narrative to the project
-Still has several ugly moments, and a few awful features don't help
-Album drags on from time to time with samey tracks

Favorite Songs: Bounce Back, Jump out the Window, Bigger than Me

Least Favorite Song: Voices in my Head/Stick to the Plan

7.1/10

Migos- Culture ALBUM REVIEW

For the first review of the new year, I'm gonna take on Culture, the hot new album by Atlanta rap trio Migos. Comprised of Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff, Migos have been making waves lately with some very successful singles, topping the charts and becoming known on a more global scale. I've always enjoyed these guys when they hop on a track as a feature, as their high-energy flows are incredibly infectious and fun. Migos, and Quavo in particular, have honestly had some of the best features on hit songs over the past few years. Their solo work, however, hasn't made nearly the same impact for me. I was never really impressed by any of their mixtapes, and their 2015 debut album, while decent, didn't wow me either. I actually loved the singles that Migos was dropping in anticipation for this new album, so my expectations are a little higher here. Did Migos come through with Culture?

An extremely momentum based albums, Culture provided a very inconsistent listening experience. It was a tale of two halves for me, as the difference of how I felt about each half was actually quite drastic. When an album pops off with DJ Khaled shouting his own name and bringing a ton of energy, you get pumped up. The Khaled element combined with some slick verses from Migos makes the intro track a memorable one. Following this, the album hits its apex with the three most successful singles from Culture coming back to back to back. I found all three of these tracks to be awesomely catchy,  and dynamic bangers that show the Migos as an infectiously fun group.T-Shirt creeps in with a steady, slow vibe that builds up into a fantastic trap melody, and this is absolutely my favorite song from the album. Call Casting is full of catchy bounciness, while Bad and Boujee is eerily compelling and memorable. These three singles coming in a row makes the beginning of the album incredibly fun, and shows Migos knows which tracks to put out as singles.Get Right Witcha, which comes right after the trio of singles, is pretty solid, but unfortunately from this point on, I think the album fails to reach the bar of hype and entertainment that these three songs set.

In terms of the production and sound of this record, I really do enjoy the general vibe of what Migos does. They seem to separate themselves pretty effortlessly from your average Atlanta trap sound and go for something a little more nuanced, dark, and subtle. On some of the best tracks from this album, Migos is working with beats that can be described as quiet and minimalistic, at least compared to a lot of what we hear in mainstream hip hop today. On tracks like Bad and Boujee and Get Right Witcha, things flow on by with beats that don't have much going on, and they do a good job of letting Migos take the stage. This is a good direction to go in because I think these guys can spit for days. All three of the Migos know their way around a track and do a really great job of grabbing attention with their quick, fiery flows. Quavo in particular stands out in this group for having very good and consistent performances. The guy has a memorable voice, has some great little inflections on certain lines he says, and just has some confident presence on the mic. He's the star of this trio, and I think it shows in how well he does on songs like T-Shirt, an example of him killing the entire track with an excellent verse.

While I do like the production and style Migos went for on this album, I have to admit it started to go downhill rather quickly as the album went on. A number of these songs, such as Big on Big, Slippery, and Kelly Price were long but really didn't have the fun hooks or memorable verses to keep them interesting and justify their length. This made songs like these dull, and they aren't songs I want to keep coming back to. The style is similar enough to the stellar singles, but it is just not done nearly as well. A decent song would come on here and there, such as Brown Paper Bag and the album closer Out Yo Way, but a majority of the tracks that come after the beginning of the project were nothing special to me. A low light came on the song Deadz, where the hook sounded very lazy and these guys weren't rapping with the great flows and energy that I usually hear from them. Even a good 2 Chainz verse couldn't save this track from being my least favorite on the album. It was disappointing that Culture couldn't keep up its incredible momentum, but I still can't be mad at Migos for this album. They did a good job of coming out firing and showing lots of potential. I am still a fan of their sound at the end of the day, even if this album had its inconsistency.

Wrap Up 
+Amazingly dynamic and energized start to the album
+Very, very good singles
+Great rap flows and overall sound
-Didn't switch up their style very much at all throughout
-Album really runs out of steam in the second half

Favorite Songs: T-Shirt, Call Casting, Bad and Boujee

Least Favorite Song: Deadz

6.5/10

Quick Extra List: Top 25 Hip Hop Songs of 2016!

A follow up to my list of the best albums, today I'll bring you my favorite songs from the past year! This year contained some definite masterpieces, and I'll be bumping these for years to come.

Honorable Mentions  

• YG- I Got a Question (feat. Lil Wayne)
• Future- Lil Haiti Baby
• Schoolboy Q- Str8 Ballin
• Drake- Sneakin (feat. 21 Savage)
• Rae Sremmurd- Black Beatles (feat. Gucci Mane)
• Isaiah Rashad- Park
• Kendrick Lamar- untitled 02
• Clams Casino- All Nite (feat. Vince Staples)
• Travi$ Scott- Sweet Sweet
• Lil Yachty- Out Late

25. Injury Reserve- All This Money 

24. Isaiah Rashad- Smile

23. Kanye West- Famous

22. Danny Brown- Lost

 21. Kodak Black- Can I

20. Lil Yachty- Minnesota Remix (feat. Young Thug, Skippa da Flippa & Quavo)

19. D.R.A.M.- Cash Machine

18. GOOD Music- Champions (feat. Kanye West, Quavo, Big Sean, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, and Yo Gotti)

17. D.R.A.M.- Broccoli (feat. Lil Yachty)

16. Domo Genesis- Dapper (feat. Anderson .Paak)

15. YG- Still Brazy

14. Schoolboy Q- Ride Out (feat. Vince Staples)

13. Run the Jewels- Hey Kids (Bumaye) (feat. Danny Brown)

12. Danny Brown- Rolling Stone (feat. Petite Noir)

11. Mac Miller- Dang! (feat. Anderson .Paak)

10.  Run the Jewels- Legend Has It

9. YG- Why You Always Hatin (feat.  Drake & Kamaiyah)

8.  Danny Brown- When it Rain

7.  Chance the Rapper- No Problem (feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)

6. Kendrick Lamar- untitled 08

5. Schoolboy Q- John Muir

4. Schoolboy Q- Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane (feat. Jadakiss)

3. Travi$ Scott- Pick Up the Phone (feat. Young Thug & Quavo)

2. Schoolboy Q- Dope Dealer (feat. E-40)
 












1. Danny Brown- Really Doe (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, & Earl Sweatshirt)

Top Ten Rap Albums of 2016

As I make yet another comeback to this blog, today's return comes with my annual list of the best albums to come out this year. In a year where I only churned out three album reviews, the content of the list is just a big mystery. Overall I thought this was a solid year, one that was not bad at all but not quite as strong as some of the past few years. Let's see which albums I thought shined brightest in 2016 on my Top Ten Rap Albums of the Year!

The Five Honorable Mentions 

Chance the Rapper- Coloring Book
  











One of the most celebrated albums of the past year, I was pretty happy with the direction Chance went in with this breakout project. Coloring Book was full of positive vibes and catchy feel-good tracks. Chance has the charisma and fun loving attitude to stick around for a while as a popular, acclaimed rapper and this album shows for it. Pouring emotion onto every song, this was definitely a colorful highlight of 2016.

Favorite Songs: No Problem, Same Drugs

Injury Reserve- Floss

I only discovered this underground Arizona rap trio a few months ago, and I'm pretty glad it was this project that served as my introduction. This was a fantastic blend of many different rap styles, and these guys did a solid job from the relaxing tracks to lyrical ones that show off their storytelling skills. Where Injury Reserve shines the most, though, is with the bangers. High energy songs such as All This Money were some of my favorites of the year, and these guys know how to make a catchy song. For this reason, I was quite impressed by Floss in 2016.

Favorite Songs: All This Money, What's Goodie


Kodak Black- Lil Big Pac
 

Here we have one of my biggest shockers, a debut project from an artist who broke out this year for a mix of good and bad reasons: Lil Big Pac by Kodak Black. I was pretty surprised by the solid flow and ability that Kodak had to simply put together a collection of fun, well done tracks. With an artist as young as Kodak, its hard to say what direction his career will go in, but he's got his own sound and he did it well, evidenced by how much I kept putting this album on throughout the year.

Favorite Songs: Can I, Everything 1k


Domo Genesis- Genesis

An artist who has long been one of my favorite members of Odd Future, Domo Genesis' debut album had been anticipated for quite a while. Upon its release, I was happy to hear Domo spit his usual style of bars along with some chill, relaxing beats. Genesis is a chill, trippy ride that has a great vibe surrounding it. With Domo throwing in some fresh tracks such as Dapper on this project, I can definitely say he put out one of the better albums of this year.

Favorite Songs: Dapper, Coming Back


Gucci Mane- Woptober

After making his celebrated return earlier in the year with a glamorous studio album, Gucci Mane broke out that gritty, dark style that he is most known for on Woptober. Even if this project didn't have any truly incredible tracks on it, Gucci was very consistent on it in putting out catchy, fun, hard hitting bangers. I honestly can't ask for much more from Gucci, and Woptober is just beautifully reminicsent of classic Gucci Mane.

Favorite Songs: The Left, Right on Time



The Top Ten

10. Isaiah Rashad- The Sun's Tirade

 

TDE member and Tennessee rapper Isaiah Rashad followed up his incredible 2014 debut Cilvia Demo in pretty great fashion. This album had a different vibe to it, with Isaiah mixing in a lot of narratives, storylines, and two part tracks on this long, very lyrical project. It really is a lot to digest and this guy has always packed so much content and meaning into everything he says. I loved the themes on this album and among all the lyrical moments, The Sun's Tirade still has its banging Southern beats and catchy hooks. This guy simply deserves all the acclaim he has gotten lately.

Favorite Songs: Park, Free Lunch


9. Future- EVOL

It seems like a foregone conclusion that every year we will get at least one solid project from Atlanta MC Future. In the world of booming, Southern trap bangers this guy simply knows what he's doing. On EVOL, an album much shorter than his past work, he had excellent hooks and there wasn't really a bad song on it. Future worked with some beats that were more experimental than I'm used to from him, but he did his thing over this production and it felt comfortable. Future has been incredibly consistent these past few years and you can always count on him for great albums featuring his signature sound. 

Favorite Songs: Lil Haiti Baby, Program


8. Lil Yachty- Lil Boat

  
The young Lil Yachty came into the spotlight this year, becoming a known figure in the world of rap for lots of different reasons. In terms of music, I felt he dropped a fantastic debut project with Lil Boat. Here he did an awesome job of bringing you into his world and presenting the entire identity of Lil Yachty. Working with the duality of two different characters, Yachty came with a set of relaxing tracks that had a very serene and calm vibe to them. A unique voice in the trap scene of Atlanta, Lil Yachty brought something fresh to the table with this project, and I am excited for the next step that his music will take in 2017. 

Favorite Songs: Out Late, Minnesota
    
7. Kanye West- The Life of Pablo

In a roller coaster year for the legendary Kanye West, he at least made a return to form with his music on his seventh album, The Life of Pablo.  I was a fan of this album because it once again showed the way Kanye continuously switches up his concepts with every album that he does and sounds amazing doing it. This one, much like the man's personal life, was a huge mixed bag of emotions and events, yet with every song Kanye spit some great verses, was very lyrical, and brought some nice hooks to the table. The album was messy in a way that only Kanye could pull off, and all the sounds on this album meshed together to make something very good.

Favorite Songs: Ultralight Beam, Famous 



6. Travi$ Scott- Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight

This project from Travi$ Scott didn't receieve quite the same amount of acclaim and hype as his last album Rodeo and I can't seem to understand why. This album, to me, was on par with Scott's best work and it really has some amazing moments. Travi$ Scott keeps building up his unqique sound with every new project and he sounded amazing on this one. His mix of singing along with dark auto tune affects and banging, progressive instrumentals just hooks you in, and this album was a listening experience that I won't forget. A fun ride with lots of infectious tracks, this is a strong recommendation from me.

Favorite Songs: Pick Up the Phone, Sweet Sweet



5. Kendrick Lamar- untitled, unmastered

Only someone with the artistry of Kendrick Lamar can make the bold decision to take a collection of throwaways from his recording sessions and make it into a cohesive, well flowing album. This mixed bag of tracks ends up sounding beautiful, and it makes you realize the insane talent that we're witnessing with this guy. All of these untitled tracks have great flows, concepts, hooks, and this whole thing is such an immersive and beautiful listen. A year after To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick amazes us once again, in a way that no one saw coming. 

Favorite Songs:  untitled 08, untitled 02


4. YG- Still Brazy

What a consistently great artist this guy is becoming. Breaking out from the depths of obscurity a few years ago with My Krazy Life, YG only improved on this new album, which was an awesome revitilazation of old-school West Coast sound. The beats on this were so reminiscent of acclaimed California hip hop, and YG sounded so comfortable spitting over them. Lyrically, YG went over so many big social issues and aggressively give out his take on so many controversial topics. This guy is bold, brash, and confident; he minces no words and it is a delight to hear him killing it.


Favorite Songs: Why You Always Hatin, I Got A Question



3. Run the Jewels- Run the Jewels 3

Rapidly becoming one of the best duos to do it in recent memory. Killer Mike and El-P snuck in the third Run the Jewels album right at the end of the year on Christmas Day. Everything that these two have done on record is pure genius, but this third album could honestly be their best yet. Out of everything they've done this one has resonated with me the most; its infectious sound sticking in my head and their lyrical concepts blowing my mind. Somehow El-P's beats on this album were also more colorful, dynamic, and explosive than what I've heard in the past. This album is just a high-energy piece of insanity that gets better each time I hear it. Pair that with the political, hard hitting lyricism that both of these MCs always bring and you've got one of the best albums of the year, easily. 

Favorite Songs: Legend Has It, Hey Kids



2. Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition

Danny Brown came back in full force after nearly three years without any music to deliver one of the most twisted and mind bending rap albums I have ever heard. The veteran Detroit MC's ridiculous flexibility and creative mentality as an artist is shown off beautifully on Atrocity Exhibition as we hear him flowing over beats that no one could ever imagine even showing up on a hip hop album. Danny's talent is out of this world, as he is just flowing through these abstract instrumentals with nonstop aggression and amazing bars. Danny manages to tie together a narrative of his personal struggles and life in Detroit, and he does it in a way only he could pull off: with an sound as outrageous as he is. Atrocity Exhibtion is an insane trip but its so worth it. A truly dense album with loads of content and meaning behind everything that Danny Brown says and does, I'll be playing this one for a long time. 

Favorite Songs: Really Doe, Lost


1. Schoolboy Q- Blank Face LP












   
Here we have what is, in my opinion, an album very well deserving of the number one spot: Blank Face LP by Schoolboy Q. I had liked this guy a lot with his past few albums, but I never thought there was any way he could create something this good. He blew me away from the first listen, and I've been bumping this album ever since. He had so many strokes of genius on this project, from his vivid storytelling to his absolutely awesome gritty street tracks. The rapping from Q sounds better than ever, with his raspy voice flowing well track after track as he paints pictures of the gangster way of life that he has been through and still experiences.  Blank Face LP plays like a movie, with each song sounding so big and cinematic with layered, complex production setting the tone. I think the overall vibe this project gives off is my favorite thing about it; the content is just so ominous and menacing all the way through. You get the feeling that Q will never truly get away from this dangerous lifestyle. This thing sounds like the future of West Coast rap, with the artist pouring so much emotion into everything he does and lyrically creating visuals that stick in your head timelessly. Schoolboy Q hit one out of the park here, and I'll be happy if his next work is close to as good as this. What an album. 

Favorite Songs: Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane, Dope Dealer 


Coming Soon
Top 25 Hip Hop Songs of 2016
Top 10 Albums of 2015 (Year that I never made a list for!)