Danny Brown- Old ALBUM REVIEW

I'm serious when I say Danny Brown is my favorite rapper right now. It took me a while to get into him, as I initially found him annoying and not worth my time. This all changed when I decided to check out his critically acclaimed 2011 album, XXX. I was so impressed with it and I really can't complain about one song on the album. It was nearly flawless. After this, I just started liking all his guest verses and he quickly became one of my favorites. His technical rapping ability is insane and he kills pretty much any feature he has. Now, we finally have the follow-up to XXX, with a new studio album titled Old. Did Danny come through once again two years after XXX?

The album starts off in a dynamic way with the intro, Side A. There was nothing wrong with this song, as Danny spit with precision and the hook was catchy as hell. The instrumental was pretty grimy and upbeat at the same time, making a great beat. The song was also perfect length, as it would have just gotten boring if it was any longer. The second song, The Return, sees Danny once again rapping in a lower, more normal voice, like on Side A. Whereas it worked in that song, I didn't like it as much on this song, Danny's low voice just didn't sound right on this beat, using a pretty slow flow. Freddie Gibbs was so much more fitting on it, as he destroyed Danny on this song, in my opinion. His verse pretty much saved the song and made it a standout. Freddie Gibbs definitely had the best guest verse on the album and he sounded fantastic on the hook. The next song, 25 Bucks, goes for a more atmospheric style, as the band Purity Ring was all over this song. Megan James sounded great singing on this song, and Danny really spit nicely over the beat. This song actually had a "mainstream hit" sound to it, as i could definitely see this being played on the radio. It sounds great and this type of song is where Danny Brown really shines. The next two songs are both pretty short, but still are good songs. Wonderbread had an awesome beat and catchy-ass hook, as Danny sounded like his usual crazy self. I actually wish this song was longer. Gremlins also had an interesting beat, but there was something about it I didn't really like. Danny flowed nicely here, but this song really had nothing great in it. It is still enjoyable, though. Next was Dope Fiend Rental with Schoolboy Q. This song is exactly what you would expect from these two MCs. Brash, raunchy, entertaining lyrics over a terrific beat. Danny's verse was good, but Q absolutely killed it with his appearance. He sounded full of energy and flowed relentlessly here. This song was definitely a highlight for me.

At this point in the album, Danny goes into a string of some more slower, sadder, more personal tracks. The first of these is the song Torture, which I loved. This song just felt honest, emotional, and real. The beat was grimy and fit the theme of the song so well. My favorite part, though, was the hook. It was awesome and the beat just stood out in such a fantastic way. This song was flawless. The next one, Lonely, was just okay. I didn't love it. The beat was nice and sounded really good, but Danny didn't impress me too much here, even though his lyricism was on point. I think I just don't like Danny on beats like this, cause nothing about this song really impressed me. I really did like the song Clean Up which came right after. It just sounds like a better version of Lonely, in my opinion. Once I really sat down and listened to Danny's lyrics on this song, you really get a sense of what this guy has been through in his career. This song was great and probably Danny's most introspective moment of the album. The album then switched up, as the energy came right back on the next song, Red 2 Go. This was just a classic Danny track, as he sounded energetic and had some hilarious lyrics. I loved the hook here, and the whole song was just fun and catchy.

The second half of the album started with Side B (Dope Song). This song was every bit as awesome as Side A, and I also think it was better. This song was very funny and very good at the same time. The beat changes in this song were awesome, as Danny always rode them right and the hook was catchy as hell. This song was pretty experimental, and it resulted in pure awesomeness. I loved this song. The next one was titled Dubstep, and this song was pretty good. The beat was definitely funky and Danny rapped pretty well here, as well as using some clever wordplay on the hook. This song had some nice energy to it and had a cool vibe overall.

The next handful of songs on Old were high energy, party tracks that featured Danny just having as much as fun as possible, and you can definitely feel it. This is perhaps most evident on the song Dip. This track was just a high-energy drug trip, an environment where Danny feels very comfortable. Catchy hook, fun verses, great beat, nothing to complain about. The next two songs on Old were possibly the weakest, in my opinion. Smokin and Drinkin just felt a little overdone, and Danny came off a little annoying in this song, but I did like the beat. Break-It was not much better, as it was just a typical Danny track that wasn't memorable enough to be as good as the other party songs. This song really featured nothing that made me think it shoudnt have been left off the album. Things do get better with the song Handstand, though. This could be the craziest, most unusual beat on the album. Danny is so crazy on this song it becomes hilarious, and the hook is awesome, especially with the beat drop. Way Up Here was pretty forgettable as it features one of the least interesting beats on the album and one of Ab-Soul's worst verses I've ever heard from him. This song was not very impressive to me, and felt like filler. Kush Coma, on the other hand, was a great song. The vibe was awesome and this was probably the best hook on the album. Insanely catchy with a very unique vocal here. Danny and ASAP Rocky's verses are perfect for the vibe of the song. I have no complaints, as I think this song is fantastic. Another amazing song closes out this album, Float On. This song goes back to the laid-back, relaxed vibe that a few songs earlier on the album had. Danny sounded great here, showing he can really rap in any style he wants and it will work. The female vocal on the hook was just so smooth and this song closed out the album in a great way.

OLD WRAP UP
+Danny is a very fun rapper to listen to, and he has many different styles and flows
+Some very unique instrumentals, most sounded really good
+Really good variety, songs flowed well
+Catchy ass hooks on every song that had one
+Great features from Freddie Gibbs, ASAP Rocky, and Schoolboy Q
+The whole album is just such a crazy, fun listening experience
-Too many songs
-Some filler songs that could have been left out

Best: Torture, Side B, Float On

Worst: Way Up Here

Danny Brown- Old
8.6/10

Tyler, the Creator- Wolf ALBUM REVIEW

In my honest opinion, I think Tyler, the Creator is one of the most creative hip-hop artists to come out in a while. Tyler can tell stories, be funny, and be emotional through his music. He is very honest and I feel is personality is just so different from a lot of rappers. He is also a great producer, yet he doesn't make mind-blowing, layered, beats. He relies on more simple sounds but he has a way of making them sound very good at the same time. Tyler's first two albums, Bastard and Goblin, both really impressed me. I think the whole way the albums flowed was so creative and Tyler can just make damn good music. It took nearly two years for this new album to drop, so will it live up to the ridiculous expectations I have for it?

WOLF- This track opens up with a terrific piano instrumental mixed in with soulful singing that sounds beautiful. Tyler comes in with his typical attitude to start off the album. It then transitions into Tyler meeting with Dr. TC, a character from his first two albums. Tyler plays a character named Wolf who is being introduced to another character named Sam, who instantly is very mean and aggressive to Wolf. 9/10

JAMBA (FEAT. HODGY BEATS) - This beat is definitely unlike any other beat I've heard this another, with huge claps and weird farty synths. Tyler flows flawlessly over this. He also delivers some great punchlines on this song. Hodgy Beats drops a great verse here, rapping fast and rhyming with some real skill. I have no complaints, this song was so sick. 9.5/10

COWBOY- Tyler's lyrics get really introspective on this song, which is a huge change from the song before it. He raps over a pretty slow, laid-back beat that I liked. Once the piano comes in, it sounds great. This song gets a little boring, though. In the end, Wolf notices a very pretty girl and asks Sam who it is. Sam responds by saying its his girlfriend, Salem, and advising Wolf to "stay the fuck away from her". 8/10

AWKWARD- This song is yet another change of pace with Tyler writing a relaxing love song. I love how he adds a creepy vibe to the song with the pitch-shifted deep voice. The beat is perfect and sets the vibe nicely. The hook was so catchy and and my head-bopping all the way through. This song was pretty much perfect once Frank Ocean sang at the end. In my opinion, I think this song was Wolf reminiscing on a past love after seeing Salem. I might be wrong, but I truly think that's what this track was. 10/10

DOMO 23- another totally different style for Tyler here, as he comes with a high-energy, trap style beat. Tyler sounds awesome rapping here, with a pretty nice flow. Tyler also lyrically covers his career and his fans with brutal honesty. This track was very cool, and it was good to know Tyler can make songs like this. 8/10

ANSWER- A very relaxing and sentimental sounding beat starts this one off. This track was purely topical as Tyler goes over something he has gone over many times before: his dad. This time, instead of only hating on him like he does on songs like Bastard, he sadly admits that if his dad called him, he would answer. You can definitely tell the emotion on this song, as Tyler is conflicted about his feelings for his father. The singing on this track sounded great and this was a fantastic song. 9.5/10

SLATER- I have to admit, this is not one of my favorite beats on the album. It sounds somewhat lazy and there is not much going on, in a bad way. Tyler's lyrical content was not great here either. Frank Ocean completely saves this song and makes it an awesome listen. He absolutely kills it, singing beautifully. 8/10

48- Another topical track here, as Tyler decides to delve into drugs. He does this in a really creative way, taking the persona of a drug dealer. As the song goes on, Tyler starts to realize the very negative affect his product has on people, as the drugs are sometimes even killing them. This is just such a cool song to listen to, as Frank sounds great once again on the hook. 8.5/10

COLOSSUS- Lyrically, Tyler talks about his fans here. He does this in a way very similar to Eminem's song Stan. He raps from the point of view of an obsessed fan who idolizes Tyler in every way. Near the end of the song, Tyler impressively raps a conversation, going from his own point of view to the one of the fan. Everything said in this song is sadly true, showing Tyler definitely knows what his fans are like. This song was entertaining, as it is full of great lyricism. 8.5/10

PARTYISNTOVER/CAMPFIRE/BIMMER- Tyler decides to combine three short songs into a seven minute medley here. The first song, Partyisntover, comes with a dramatic, detailed instrumental that sounds great. Tyler uses some basic lyricism here, but this song is definitely a show off of Tyler's improved production skills. Campfire also has a very unique beat, but this one has some better lyricism, and just sounds very cool, as Tyler can always put a really odd vibe into a song. The children's voices and singing voice at the end sound really interesting on this song, and it works. Bimmer is definitely the best song of the three. The upbeat production sounds fantastic here. Tyler uses some pretty corny lyrics, but I love his flow over this beat. Once Frank Ocean comes into this song, as well as the epic piano, the track becomes just amazing. Bimmer was pretty much perfect and I wish it was a full song honestly. Overall, these three songs featured amazing production and they just got better with each song. 9.5/10

At the end of the whole song, the album story continues with Sam talking to a friend. The friend tells him he saw Sam's girlfriend, Salem, hanging out with Wolf down by the lake, as expected, Sam is very angry and pretty much wants to beat up Wolf.

IFHY (FEAT. PHARRELL)- This production starts off very eerie but just gets more epic as the song goes along. The drums bang hard and the synths are just so odd, making the song incredibly unique. Tyler's lyrics on this song sound so passionate as he details the conflicting feelings of a relationship that are making him insane. I  personally think this song is actually from Sam's point of view, as he details how much he loved Salem and how angry he is at her now after hearing she as hanging with Wolf. Tyler sounds crazy on this song and the whole vibe is amazingly unique. Tyler's idol, Pharrell, stops by to provide some fantastic singing. His part is so relaxing and the song becomes incredible at that point. This song was simply stellar and I still get chills when I listen to it. At the end of this song, Wolf and Salem are indeed hanging out at the lake and talking about Sam. Salem says he ran away because "some shit happened back home". 10/10

PIGS- In this song, Tyler goes into the Sam character's life back home, just like what Salem was talking about at the end of IFHY. Tyler raps here from the point of view of Sam in high school. Sam was just a troubled kid who couldn't get anything right and pretty much hated everyone. This leads to Sam shooting up his school. Tyler puts this into the song brilliantly, with screams, ambulance noises, and gunshots in the background during the third verse. Tyler shows Sam as a guy with some crazy, conflicted emotions in the third verse. This song comes off insanely creepy, messed-up, insane, but most of all, genius. 9.5/10

PARKING LOT (FEAT. CASEY VEGGIES & MIKE G)- A very jazzy instrumental starts this song off. I was not really feeling Tyler's rapping as much on this song. His flow sounded a little off to me, but he did have some good lines here. Casey Veggies' hook was very catchy and works really well on this song. Mike G has the next verse, and he totally kills it. His smooth voice matches the song perfectly and his flow was just so on point. Unfortunately, this song felt a little empty after the string of amazing songs before this. At the end of the song, the friend who was earlier warning Sam about Wolf and Salem hanging out, tells Wolf that Sam is after him and that Sam wants to kill him. Wolf simply says "not if I get to him first". 8.5/10

RUSTY- I was very excited for this one as Odd Future's three heaviest hitters, Domo Genesis, Tyler, and Earl get together for a song. A chilling beat covers this song which honestly sounds like some golden era Wu Tang production. It was just made for rapping. Domo starts this off with the best verse I have ever heard Domo spit, by far. He sounds hungry, aggressive, and tough as hell here. He somehow raps effortlessly at the same time, rhyming with crazy skill. Tyler then spits HIS best verse ever, in my opinion. His lyrics were incredible here, getting introspective and looking back on where he came from. His verse was full of amazing lines and brutal honesty. Tyler's verse was pretty much the rapping highlight of the entire album for me. Earl finishes this one off with the usual Earl verse, with crazy wordplay and nice flow. Tyler ties the story into Earl's verse by yelling from the point of view of Sam at Earl. He even ends Earl's verse with a gunshot, killing him. Sam was so mad about Wolf hanging out with Salem that he shot and killer Wolf's friend Earl for revenge. This song was easily the highlight of the album and possibly the best song I've heard all year. 10/10

TRASHWANG- Tyler provides another awesome change of pace with a sick trap beat, but of course, the beat has the Tyler vibe to it. He brings on the non-rappers from Odd Future to spit some hilarious verses. Nakel Smith's verse was just awesome, and Left Brain's hook was ridiculously catchy and well done. Jasper, Taco, and Tyler spit some usual, joke verses, which were funny nonetheless. The crown jewel of the song, though, was Lucas's verse, which was legendary to say the least. I also loved the way the beat progressed near the end of the track. This song was hilarious the whole way through and i was really entertained by it. 8.5/10

TREEHOME95- This song literally could not have been more different from Trashwang. This song was a super peaceful, relaxing jazz song featuring piano playing and production from Tyler and singing from Coco O. She sounded really good on this, and the production was just fantastic, as it was layered and showed Tyler can make more than just hip-hop. The hook was good and Erykah Badu sings really well on this song. This song, Tyler shows just how much musical talent he really has. 9/10

TAMALE- This was probably the weirdest beat on the album, but it actually sounds sick on this song. Tyler's flow was absolutely crazy here, and he sounded like a really good rapper on this track. The hook was also awesome, and the whole track brought some great energy. I loved the oddball vibe of this song, and it was definitely unique. At the end of the song, Wolf, now messed up mentally after Sam has killed Earl, gets caught jacking off and gets taken to Dr. TC. 9.5/10

LONE- Tyler brings a very relaxed beat here, but it honestly sounds a little samey at this point. It is still fantastic, but there were some beats very similar to it on the album. Tyler is all honesty on this song, as he lets out his problems to Dr. TC from the point of view of Wolf. He actually gets into the death of his grandmother in great detail on this song. This song was definitely an appropriate end to the song, as he was very personal and introspective, just like the rest of the album. At the end of the song, Dr. TC pretty much wraps up the album as Wolf ends the album on a cliffhanger talking about Sam. 9/10

WOLF WRAP UP
+Ridiculously creative story told through the songs
+Tyler gets really introspective and personal with lyrics
+Tyler stepped his flow up quite a bit on the album
+Production was absolutely stellar
+Every song had a different vibe and topic
+Great features

Best: Awkward, IFHY, Rusty

Worst: None

Tyler, the Creator- Wolf
9.7/10

Drake- Nothing Was the Same ALBUM REVIEW

Drake is simply the most popular artist in all of hip hop. Whether you like it or not, you know this is true. For all types of reasons, this guy's name is always being mentioned. He did not even release anything in all of 2012 yet he stayed quite relevant. With that being said, I have always been a fan of Drake. I really enjoyed his last album, Take Care. The main reason I liked it was probably its variety. Drake pretty much did everything there, taking from lots of different types of hip hop, and elements of R&B. Now, Drake is finally back nearly two full years later with Nothing Was the Same. What will Drake do on this new album?

The first song on this album, titled Tuscan Leather, really hyped be up and it had me believing this would be album of the year. This song was simply stellar. I loved the initial beat and Drake was really lyrical, spitting with charisma and emotion. The song seriously got good once the beat switched up into this hard-hitting, head-bopping beat that sounded awesome. Drake's verses were full of quotables throughout the song. While this song was a bit too long, it is still one of the best songs Drake has made to date. I even somewhat liked the second track, Furthest Thing. It is by no means as good as the first song, but it is tolerable and I enjoyed the hook here. The third track is Started From the Bottom and I don't really have to say anything. This song has dominated 2013 and for good reason. It is catchy as hell, has a great beat, and Drake sounds hungry and determined here.

After a pretty solid first three songs, this went downhill really fast. Wu-Tang Forever had a very odd title, but it did sample a Wu-Tang song. This just was just kind of bland. Everything sounds fine, from the beat to Drake's rapping, but he doesn't do anything new. This is the story for the next few songs. While they are decent songs, I have heard Drake do all this already, making them boring. Own It was just okay, as I am not that big of a fan of Drake as a singer, and the song never went anywhere. Worst Behavior had a really good beat, but I didn't love Drake on this song. He was trying to be more aggressive here, which I don't think he is very good at doing. The song sounded pretty good overall, though. From Time was next, and this just went on too long, in my opinion. I enjoyed Jhene Aiko's beautiful voice on the hook, but the piano beat wasn't anything new. This song had a cool story and concept, but it just sounded boring.

Hold On, We're Going Home provided a nice change of pace for me. Not that it was anything different, but something about it was just so much more catchy than the others. It was more upbeat and Drake sounded a lot better singing. The beat here was also fantastic. Drake did a great job picking the singles for Nothing Was the Same with this song and Started from the Bottom. Connect was the next song
here, and I thought this song was far too long. I think at this point, . Drake is a bit too emotional for me. He always raps about the same thing and it all sounds the same. I just want some variety like on Take Care, but I'm not getting any variety from Drake here. On the next song, The Language, Drake raps pretty nicely, but I wasn't feeling the hook that much, and he is rapping about the same stuff. 305 To my City sounded exactly like the others, and Too Much brought something a little different, but I still can't get into this for whatever reason. The closer is a two-parter with Pound Cake and Paris Morton 2. Pound Cake was definitely the best beat on the entire album. It sounded fantastic and very smooth. Drake and Jay-Z rapped beautifully over it, and this song sounded very well made overall. On the other hand, Paris Morton 2 was just boring, and a fitting closer for an album that was this repetitive.

NOTHING WAS THE SAME WRAP UP
+Some pretty good atmospheric production
+When Drake raps, he sounds good
+some good stories and lyricism
-no variety
-was really boring overall
-many songs were too long
-could have used some features
-not nearly as good as Take Care

Best: Tuscan Leather, Hold On We're Going Home, Pound Cake

Worst: 305 To My City

Drake- Nothing Was the Same
6.9/10

Ace Hood- Trials and Tribulations ALBUM REVIEW

Personally, I find Ace Hood as one of today's more tolerable mainstream rappers . He is just one of those tough, hard-nosed southern rappers who have skills perfectly fit for trap-style beats. I have never actually sat through a whole album by this guy, though. On the other hand, I usually really like Ace Hood when he has a feature verse. Will Ace Hood's finally impress me now with his fourth studio album?

After opening with a surprisingly soulful and religious intro skit, Ace starts the album with the title track. A pretty nice trap beat starts this one off, and it goes so hard. Ace shows a lot of personality here with some pretty impressive lyricism. Another hard-knocking beat is on the next song, Another Statistic. This song has a more laid-back vibe, and Ace raps with a less energetic delivery. This one is pretty generic overall, even though Ace showed some more good lyrics. I definitely wish there were two verses here instead of three, because it just gets boring. Meek Mill shows up on the next track, Another Rollie. I think this beat was pretty good, as it brings some energy and is just catchy. Ace has a pretty bad two verses here though. I was not feeling them as much as his verses on the first two songs. The hook is awful, too. Meek Mill then comes with a solid verse, but I overall didn't like this too much. We Outchea is the next song, and the hook is undeniably catchy as hell. The instrumental is really upbeat, and I wasn't feeling it, but Ace does rides it well. Wayne's verse is pretty bad overall, but his flow is pretty solid. This song was pretty much a catchy radio hit and nothing else.

The next few tracks on this were pretty much a total mixed bag. We them N****s  was very bland, and I didn't like it much at all, even with the pretty good production. The next two tracks feature some pretty big name R&B singers, with the first being The Come Up. This track was great pretty much just because of Anthony Hamilton, he kills it whenever he shows up on the song, and the beat was pretty epic. The next song was called Rider and this one was pretty stupid. Chris Brown is just obnoxious and lame on the hook, which is a shame because I enjoyed Ace's verses and the beat. Ace Hood gets pretty "inspirational" on the next two songs with them being titled Hope and Pray for Me. Hope was pretty good and it had a relaxed beat with some nice piano in there, and the hook was good. I was not really feeling the hook on Pray for Me, and the verses really weren't anything better than some earlier verses on the album. The beat was also generic, and not too interesting.

The next song is the insanely popular single, Bugatti, which is just such a banger. I love this song and its relentless energy so much. You also won't find a hook this awesome anywhere on the album. Rick Ross delivers a good verse as well. This song is awesome overall and the highlight of this project. I wasn't feeling the next track, How I'm Raised, that much. The beat sounded like several other beats on the album and the auto-tune on this track was awful. Ace's regular voice just sounds so much better. My Bible was the next one, and this was probably my favorite beat on the whole album with some soulful samples mixed in nicely. Ace's lyricism was really on point and his flow was pretty impressive. I was feeling everything about this track. The next song, Mama, had a similar vibe to it. This was a topical song about his mother and it just sounded really passionate and emotional. I have come to the conclusion Ace Hood sounds the best over these type of beats rather than trap beats. He sounds great on this, as he flowed well and delivered some great lyrics. This closer was too long, but it definitely was a highlight anyway.

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS WRAP UP
+Ace Hood is actually a really good rapper overall
+His lyricism was on point for a lot of the songs
+Fantastic last two songs
+Variety
-Too many stupid trap beats that sounded the same
-Some lame guest verses

Best: Bugatti, My Bible, Mama

Worst: How I'm Raised

Ace Hood- Trials and Tribulations
7.5/10

Action Bronson- SAAB Stories MIXTAPE REVIEW

I would definitely call Action Bronson one of my favorite rappers. The guy is entertaining, hilarious, and a great MC. He has been making noise in the underground for a while now, getting guest features on numerous albums and releasing projects with producers Party Supplies, The Alchemist, and Statik Selektah.. He keeps up this trend with SAAB Stories, a new mixtape completely produced by Harry Fraud. I have yet to really be disappointed with anything Bronson has done so far, so will his newest mixtape change that?

72 Virgins is the first track, and I love it. This beat is layered and the guitars sound amazing. Bronson comes with his usual great verses, and Big Body Bes does a pretty funny interlude. Great track to start this off. Triple Backflip, the second track, has a beautiful beat. It is nice, relaxed, and definitely smooth. Bronson sounds great on this, flowing really well here. Action Bronson continues to be a hilarious lyricist on his songs. The next one, No Time comes in with this heavy boom-bap beat. It hits hard and my head started bopping immediately. The hook is so catchy and Bronson delivers more nice verses here. This song is fun and I love Bronson on these types of beats.

The Rockers is the next song here, and this is yet another nice beat from Harry Fraud. Bronson's flow is really solid here and I enjoyed his verse. This song actually features Wiz Khalifa and I didn't mind him at all. Wiz has a really good verse and rides the beat nicely. The next track, Strictly 4 My Jeeps, is just such a banger. The beat hits so hard and just sounds sick. Bronson kills the hook and I liked his short verses. The next track, Alligator, had possibly my favorite beat on the tape so far. Bronson once again provides a great hook, which he has done a great job doing on this tape. Before the third verse, Harry Fraud changes the beat completely to a much slower, more atmospheric one. This was not nearly as good as the one before, but it keeps the song interesting. The closer, Seven Series Triplets, featured a beat just made to spit over which develops nicely throughout the verses. Bronson delivers a very good verse to start this off. Prodigy then comes in and his voice sounds really good over the beat, but I don't really like his flow. His voice, though, is enough for the verse to be good. Raekwon, as always, sounds great. his raspy voice sounds awesome and his flow was very solid. He probably had my favorite verse on the song and ends the tape perfectly.

SAAB STORIES WRAP UP
+Bronson brings fun personality as always
+His lyrics are hilarious, but he can be deep
+Great feature verses
+Amazing beats, can't complain about one

Best: The Rockers, Strictly 4 My Jeeps, Seven Series Triplets

Worst: No Time

Action Bronson- SAAB Stories
8.6/10

Chance the Rapper- Acid Rap MIXTAPE REVIEW

I decided to review this for a pretty obvious reason: it completely blew up the internet. Every year, there seems to be a random mixtape or two that people really enjoy and it gives the artist a whole lot of unexpected popularity. In 2012 it was Joey Bada$$ with 1999 and the year before it was ASAP Rocky, two artist who I am now huge fans of. Will Acid Rap by Chance the Rapper have the same affect on me as it seemed to have on millions on people online?

The first song is actually called Good Ass Intro. I have to say, that it a pretty accurate title. I loved this song, everything about it. The soulful samples were worked it so well and the beat was just catchy and fun. When Chance started rapping, I was taken by surprise by this guy's voice. It is extremely unique and at first came off annoying, but now I find myself loving it. His flow was pretty on point in this song and he was throwing out a lot of memorable lines. This song was spectacular. The next song, Pusha Man was a lot more laid-back, but just as catchy. It had another fun beat and Chance is just enjoyable to listen to when he raps. I also loved the hook. The track then totally breaks into silence, then later a completely different song. This one was very atmospheric and calm. Chance was also a lot less energetic with his rapping. This 2nd part just felt boring overall, though. Cocoa Butter Kisses was the third song, and I loved this one as well. The hook was insanely catchy and got stuck in my head easily. I enjoyed Chance's verse, as he continued is unique, oddball flow he has been using. I also loved Twista's verse on this track. This song was great. Juice was another fun song, but for whatever reason I wasn't enjoying it as much. I did really like the hook, though. It was just goofy and enjoyable.

Things got a lot calmer with the next few songs on Acid Rap. Lost was more of a love song, which actually didn't go over too bad. I really loved the beat, as it perfectly matched the vibe of the verses.
Everybody's Something had a pretty strong instrumental with some nice drums, but the overall feeling was still relaxed. I liked Chance's first verse on this song a lot. The hook on this one was also super catchy and fun. This was a really good track that i ended up really liking. The interlude of the album was another slow jam, which I did like until Chance started singing, which just sounded forced and awkward. Skipping around a little, Acid Rain was really laid-back, but ended up just being boring to me.  Chain Smoker was a lot better, with a solid hook and a pretty good beat. I still can't totally get behind this guy as a rapper, though. His voice and delivery is just so out there and weird, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. The closer to this album was also disapointing, as it was too long and didn't really go anywhere.

Near the middle of the album was a pretty random trio of songs with some pretty popular underground rappers. Favorite Song with Childish Gambino was really good, as it was super upbeat and catchy with a great hook and good verses by Chance and Gambino. NaNa was also decent, coming with a fun beat which felt relaxed at the same time. The verses and hook just came off too silly, though. I did enjoy Action Bronson's verse a lot, as he probably had the best guest verse on the tape. Smoke Again was pretty mediocre, as it was a surprisingly bad instrumental that I wasn't into at all. Even Ab-Soul wasn't enough to save this song, unfortunately.

ACID RAP WRAP UP
+The whole thing had a very cool vibe
+Some pretty good beats
+Chance has a whole lot of personality on the mic
+Very fun, catchy and gets stuck in my head
-Some experimental parts just don't really work
-Started a lot better than it finished

Best: Good Ass Intro, Cocoa Butter Kisses, Everybody's Something

Worst: Acid Rain

Chance the Rapper- Acid Rap
8.2/10

Prodigy- Albert Einstein ALBUM REVIEW

Today, I decided to review another Alchemist project. The underground hip hop producer has done several albums recently with some pretty great artists, resulting in some great collaborations. This time, he's working with hip-hop veteran Prodigy for a full length album titled Albert Einstein. Most known for his work in the 90's with Mobb Deep, he has been pretty quiet recently. Will Prodigy's career be revamped from a project with The Alchemist?

The first song, LMDKV, was pretty dope. The beat featured some high-pitched piano keys and Prodigy sounds really sick, flowing precisely here. I had no complaints with this, it was just dope. The second track, Give Em Hell, was just incredible, and I was really impressed with it. The beat was so dope and smooth as hell, and Prodigy was showing some serious skill on the mic. The hook was also pretty good. Once again, no complaints. The next instrumental on the song Stay Dope, was a lot slower compared to the first two. It came off a little boring at first, but was actually very layered and interesting. I didn't like Prodigy as much on this one, though. At this point in the project, The Alchemist is definitely outshining him. Curb Ya Dog was the next one, and the beat on this track was so detailed. There were so many things going on, but Alchemist put it all together in such a dope way. Prodigy's flow was really nice on this as well.  I enjoyed this song overall.

The first feature track was Death Sentence with Roc Marciano. Another ridiculous beat here, as Alchemist supplied a beat perfect for Prodigy's style. Prodigy sounded great on this, and the hook was really good. Roc Marciano had a really sick verse here, as his lyricism was on point and he rode the beat a little nicer than Prodigy. This song was so sick overall. Skipping around to more feature tracks, Y.N.T. was a pretty good song as well. The beat was so smooth and sounded really polished. Domo Genesis of Odd Future comes in with a nice, introspective verse. His flow was pretty solid as well, as he has gone over Alchemist production many times before. Prodigy had another good verse, but I wasn't feeling his flow as much. This song was good, but it just felt like something was missing, and I have no idea what it is. R.I.P was a collaboration with some classic 90's rappers, Havoc and Raekwon. Alchemist suppiled a golden era beat, but with a modern twist on it. I liked it a lot. Havoc had an okay verse, and I was a little disappointed with him. It was not terrible, though. Raekwon was pretty good here, and I think he had the best verse. The One featuring Action Bronson had another awesome beat, which I think took all the spotlight on the track, as it was one of my favorites on the album. Bronson came in and probably had the best guest verse on the album. He just sounds fantastic over this production.

Getting into more solo tracks, Bear Meat had some very interesting production, and Prodigy's flow was a little better than usual. Also, the hook was an improvement over other hooks on the album I was really feeling the whole vibe of this one, and it was pretty good. Dough Pildin was yet another ridiculous beat, which Prodigy sounded pretty solid on. Not much else to say about this one, though. It was a little boring. Same story with the next one, Confessions. An awesome beat, decent Prodigy verses, but nothing else. I think at this point, Prodigy is starting to sound repetitive to me. Bible Paper was a nice change of pace, with Alchemist spitting his own verse, which actually didn't go over to badly. The beat on this one was also spectacular. Unfortunately, I have not much else to say with the last few tracks, as they all had dope beats, but Prodigy didn't change up much of anything. This album definitely didn't finish strong, in my opinion.

ALBERT EINSTEIN WRAP UP
+Every single beat was fantastic, some of the best production of the year
+Pretty good features
+Prodigy's voice and delivery sounded fine
-Didn't finish well with some boring tracks
-Prodigy didn't really change anything up with his rapping style
-Not the best lyrics

Best: Death Sentence, Give Em Hell, The One

Worst: Breeze

Prodigy- Albert Einstein
7.7/10

Lil Wayne- Dedication 5 MIXTAPE REVIEW

Yes, I'm reviewing Dedication 5. I'll be honest, I don't even know what to say about Lil Wayne anymore. He has really become a joke in hip-hop with his past few projects, most notably I Am Not a Human Being 2. His past few mixtapes were also pretty bad, as was Tha Carter IV. With that being said, there is pretty much no denying Wayne is one of the most successful and creative rappers ever when you look at the full catalog. The first three installments of Tha Carter series were all great, and so was some of his earlier stuff like 500 Degreez and Tha Block is Hot. When I listen to these projects, it makes be believe Wayne may still have something left in the tank, because even as recently as 2008, Lil Wayne was just so consistently great.

As per usual with the Dedication series, Wayne spits over some of the hottest beats in mainstream hip hop, as you have tracks like UOENO, Bugatti, Levels, Fuckin Problems, and more. Wayne has a history of rapping pretty nicely over these mainstream beats, so I was excited for these tracks. The first song on this mixtape was a very unusual one titled I'm Good, which just ended up being a two minute Weeknd track with no Lil Wayne at all. Wayne finally starts rapping on the third track, which was over the Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe instrumental. I personally think any rapper in the world could go over this beat and I would enjoy the song because of how much I love the beat. Wayne doesn't do it much justice, though. I wasn't really feeling this. I was pretty excited when I saw New Slaves on the tracklist. Wayne's flow was actually pretty good on this song, but his stupid lyrics are still there. I will say this song gets better as it goes on, as Wayne seems to get more focused as the beat progresses. Next, Wayne goes over the beat for Type of Way, a track I have hated for a while now. Wayne at least does better than Rich Homie Quan, but I still wasn't a fan of this song. It was way too long and his lyrics were just awful.

Lil Wayne finally gives me something impressive with his freestyle over the Started From the Bottom. He sounded really good on this one, sort of like a flashback. His flow was on point and his lyrics actually were pretty solid. Wayne sounded really focused on this one and I almost like this one as much as Drake's original. Another one that I thought was decent was Bugatti. Wayne's flow was really good here and the whole song was just catchy and fun. The one track that took me by total surprise was CREAM. Wayne going over such an iconic beat was odd, but he actually performed way above expectations for me. He sounded awesome over this beat and I was actually really feeling this song a lot. Other tracks where I think Lil Wayne had respectable performances in would be UOENO, Still Got That Rock, and Itchin. I didn't really mind Wayne on these songs at all. They were fun to listen to and Wayne really improved his flow.

I do have my complaints with D5, though. There are way too many songs for one thing, as there were many mediocre tracks as well as pointless interludes. Wayne also didn't do much for me lyrically, which was expected but I was still disappointed. This was because every few tracks, he would give some nice lyrics and make me think he was turning around, then just throw another stupid punchline at me. As far as features go, It was pretty much a mixed bag. T.I. was very solid on his two appearances, and I totally didn't mind Chance the Rapper on You Song. That is pretty much it for good features, though. Rappers like Vado, Euro, Kidd Kidd, and Gudda Gudda pretty much didn't have to be there.

DEDICATION 5 WRAP UP
+Wayne really gave me some vintage spitting on a couple tracks
+He still showed that he can really go over a wide variety of beats
+A definite improvement over I am Not a Human Being 2
-far too long
-Wayne was still pretty poor lyrically

Best: Started, CREAM, Bugatti

Worst: Live Life

Lil Wayne- Dedication 5
6.2/10

Mac Miller- Watching Movies With the Sound Off ALBUM REVIEW

Mac Miller is an artist who I have always liked, but never really loved. I seem to always enjoy his beats and rapping ability, but something about his solo work hasn't connected with me. For the past few years, Mac's music has gone under a pretty drastic change. He went from party, college, poppy, fun music on Blue Slide Park to more calm, hazy, introspective rap on his last mixtape, Macadelic. He has also started collaborating with more underground artists, such as Joey Bada$$ and Kendrick Lamar. After seeing the tracklist for this new album, I was immediately excited. Many of the features are underground MC's whom I have been huge fans of. Will Mac Miller finally put together a great solo project here? Let's get into it.

The first song, The Star Room, was pretty experimental in terms of production. Mac pitch shifted his voice up a little for his first few bars, which I didn't really like. The track did start sounding really good once Mac started rapping normally. His flow was on point and the beat was very impressive. Surprisingly, this track was produced by Odd Future rapper Earl Sweatshirt. The next song, Avian, was honestly boring with Mac just rapping with no energy over a generic piano beat. Possibly the best solo track on this whole album was S.D.S. which was produced by Flying Lotus. This beat was unique and sounded really sick. Mac was flowing really nicely on this as well with some funny lyrics also. This song was just very smooth and I enjoyed it. The next song, Bird Call, featured a dope beat from Clams Casino, and Mac Miller continued to impress me with his rapping.

Surprisingly, I just kept enjoying Mac Miller's solo tracks on this album. I Am Who I Am featured amazing production from Pharrell and Mac's flow was nothing new, but still very solid. Watching Movies was yet another solid track with yet another sick beat. Mac sounded a little more energized here as well, and I am still entertained with a lot of his lyrics. Unfortunately, this album started to go way downhill near the end, starting with the track Remember. This song was just so boring. Even though the lyrics were emotional and the beat was decent, the song never really went anywhere and I do not like Mac's singing voice at all. I could just copy and paste what I just wrote for my feelings on the songs Someone Like You and Aquarium. These were just too slow and got so boring. Mac Miller's lyrics also felt a lot lamer and cornier on these tracks. In my opinion, this album finished off terribly.

Now, it's time to get into my favorite part: the feature tracks. While I was very dissapointed that Earl didn't have a verse on I'm Not Real, he still sounded fantastic on the hook, which I loved. This song felt super chill and hazy all the way through, and Earl comes through making another awesome beat. Matches with Ab-Soul featured some happy production, and the beat was pretty good. Soul had a good verse and Mac flowed pretty nicely here, but there was nothing amazing about this song. My favorite song on the whole album might be Red Dot Music. This track was awesome from a production standpoint with a dope beat by The Alchemist. Mac raps pretty well here and Action Bronson had an entertaining verse. My favorite things about this track were the catchy ass hook and Loaded Lux's absolutely awesome a cappella verse at the end. He had some seriously hilarious punchlines there. Gees was another good one with some a funky beat from Chuck Inglish and a sick Schoolboy Q verse. My main problem with this track was Mac Miller, who just had a lot of stupid, trashy lines. Another undeniably dope song was Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes. Mac starts it off with a Slim Shady-type flow, but it sounded great. Jay Electronica had a terrific verse, showing some great lyricism and flowing with ease.

WATCHING MOVIES WITH THE SOUND OFF WRAP UP
+Fantastic production nearly the whole way through
+Awesome features
+Mac Miller was consistently solid rapping
+Had a cool overall vibe to it
-Pretty bad last three songs
-Mac Miller should stop singing
-He sounds pretty monotonous throughout

Best: Red Dot Music, Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes, The Star Room

Worst: Aquarium

Mac Miller- Watching Movies With the Sound Off
7.8/10

A$AP Rocky- LongLiveA$AP ALBUM REVIEW

Yes, I know this album came out quite a while ago, but I aim to review all the big releases from 2013 and this qualifies as one of them. ASAP Rocky is a New York rapper that I have been a huge fan of for a pretty long time now. His 2011 mixtape, LiveLoveA$AP, was one of my favorite projects of that year, and for good reason. The mixtape brought an infectious signature sound that I really enjoyed. It was a cloudy, slow, hazy version of hip hop that was just dope to me. Asap has gotten a lot more popular since then. Did he allow the ego and fame to get to him on his debut studio album? Let's get into it.


LONGLIVEA$AP- The title track was a perfect opener for this album. The vibe of the track was pretty weird. It was pretty grimy and aggressive during the verses, but shifted to a more artsy, refined vibe during the hook, something I really enjoyed. Asap sounded terrific rapping here, dropping some memorable lines and constantly switching up his flow. The beat was so unique here, with cool sound effects all over the place. This track was just epic. 9.5/10

GOLDIE- Wow. This beat is just a banger in every sense of the word. My head instantly started bopping when I heard this. The track only got better once Asap started rapping in a pitch shifted lower voice. I loved how he kept alternating between the deep voice and his regular voice on this song. The lyrics on this song were more of the same, but I don't mind because Asap's personality is just so likable. 9.5/10

PMW (FEAT. SCHOOLBOY Q)- I got pretty excited once I saw this title, as Asap and Schoolboy Q have a history of some pretty dope collaborations. This one didn't dissapoint. Asap's flow was as on point as ever, the hook was pretty entertaining and had a cool vibe to it, ad Q delivered an awesome verse, as usual. The trippy beat only added to the overall aesthetic of this song. 9/10

LVL- this instrumental was pretty slow and atmospheric, which is expected as Clams Casino produced this. This track was not nearly as dynamic as three before it. Asap didn't impress me as much with a pretty generic flow and delivery here. The only awesome part was around the halfway point when Asap went into a very fast rapping style. Other than that, a pretty boring song. 7.5/10

HELL (FEAT SANTIGOLD)- more Clams Casino production here, and this beat didn't really do much for me. Asap's rapping was once again pretty average on this song. The worst part of this song had to be Santigold's hook, which didn't flow well and she wasn't singing with any passion or energy. I wasn't really feeling this track at all. 6/10

PAIN (FEAT. OVERDOZ)- another hazy instrumental sets this one off, and the hook came off pretty catchy and cool. Asap rides the beat pretty well here and flowed nicely. I was not feeling Overdoz too much here, though as they just seemed like generic rappers here. 8/10

FUCKIN PROBLEMS- I literally have no bad things to say about this track. It is just absolute banger and I am not surprised at all this is the one that put ASAP Rocky on the map. The hook, as ignorant as it is, is undeniably catchy as hell. ASAP is his usual cocky, likable self on this song, as Drake and Kendrick Lamar turn in some pretty solid verses with plenty of popular quotables. 9/10

WILD FOR THE NIGHT- This is definitely an unusual collaboration, but this actually turns out incredibly dope. The deep voice starts it off calmly before erupting into an awesome, high energy party track. Asap sounds very comfortable over Skrillex production and the hook is awesome and gets stuck in your head. This was definitely a standout as it blended so many different sounds together. 9.5/10

1TRAIN- This insane posse cut did not disappoint one bit. Hit-Boy's beat was cinematic, epic, and perfect for the vibe of the track. This was not one of Asap's best verses, but he quickly becomes an afterthought when the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, and Yelawolf spit some really impressive verses. Danny Brown then delivers my favorite verse of the song, complete with some hilarious lines. Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T. also have some sick verses. This song was amazing and I have absolutely nothing to complain about. One of the best songs I have heard this year. 10/10

FASHION KILLA- This was a very calm, laid back instrumental which I really enjoyed. While Asap's lyrics are pretty lame and corny here, the hook makes up for it by being very catchy. Asap's flow was also pretty on point once again here. 7.5/10

PHOENIX-  Asap gets a little lyrical here for the first time on the album, spitting some introspective verses over this minimalistic production. The piano does sound very smooth once it enters the beat. I really loved Asap's rapping here, as his flow was great on the track. Also, the beat drop is just so sleek and had my head bopping. The only rough part of the song had to be Asap's singing in the end, which I wasn't feeling at all. 8/10

SUDDENLY- some more minimalistic production starts this one off as Asap continues his impressive rhyming skills. He raps about growing up and getting into the rap scene here. Just as the track was getting boring, the title starts to make sense as the beat SUDDENLY changes into a more layered one and Asap starts going off. He raps fast, rhyming with a whole lot of skill and flowing effortlessly. 9/10

LONGLIVEA$AP WRAP UP
+Asap has a whole lot of charisma and personality as an MC
+His flow is amazing, it seems like he can go over any type of beat
+An awesome amount of variety on this album, with all different types of track
+Some incredible instrumentals
+Nearly all features were great
-A couple tracks I didn't care for at all

Best: Goldie, 1Train, Wild for the Night

Worst: Hell

A$AP Rocky- LongLiveA$AP
9.2/10

Dizzy Wright- The Golden Age MIXTAPE REVIEW

Dizzy Wright is a Las Vegas rapper who is currently a part of the independent label Funk Volume. This label also includes artists such as Hopsin, Jarren Benton, and Swizzz. I have been a fan of this guy just for hearing him on features. As far as a technical MC, Dizzy has everything I look for, just judging from his verses on features. I thought it was just about the right time to finally give a full length project by this guy a listen. Did I enjoy Dizzy for this many tracks?

This first track, 2 Wings and a Crown, was definitely pretty solid. Dizzy Wright and Irv da Phenom, a guest on the track, spit some nice, high energy verses over a really nice, smooth beat. The hook on this one was very catchy as well. Dizzy decides to have another feature on track two, titled The Flavor. I wasn't feeling this track as much as the first one. Dizzy spits just as nicely and Swizzz has a pretty good verse here, but this hook just wasn't connecting with me. I also wasn't into this beat, as it just felt generic. Another feature hops on the next track, Maintain, with it being underground superstar, Joey Bada$$. Right away, I was drawn into this beat. It felt so laid back and relaxed that it was just sounded silky. Dizzy doesn't spit with too much energy here, but I was definitely feeling his lyrics. Oddly enough, I wasn't totally feeling Joey's verse, and I don't really know why. Overall, this track felt a little too long. Fantastic beat, though.

Finally, Dizzy delivers a solo track with Progression. I was pretty underwhelmed with this. It was just a very run-of-the-mill, generic song. Dizzy does have some interesting lyrics, though. This was the common theme with the next few tracks on this mixtape, The Perspective, Kill Em with Kindness, and Welcome Home. I was feeling the instrumental on Kill Em with Kindness, though. All these tracks featured similar lyrics and structure, leading to some boredom with this mixtape. A much-needed change comes through next, though, with the song Bout That Life. This track was dark, grimy, and hard-hitting. Hopsin also kills it on his verse. He sounds mean and is rapping with an awesome, rapid fire flow.

The next handful of tracks on The Golden Age were a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed tracks with rapping features, like Untouchable and Step Yo Game Up. Logic and Jarren Benton definitely stood out on the tracks they were on. My only real problem on these songs was Dizzy himself. He really does sound the same on every song. All the other songs were either forgettable or decent. B.T.T was a pretty good track and had a cool, funky beat. Still Movin was also a nice song that had a cool vibe to it. The closer, New History, also felt like an appropriate final track and a good one lyrically.This mixtape suffers from one major problem: there are far too many songs. You can't make a 22-track project and not have piles of filler. Fashion, Can't Stop Won't Stop, Tell Em My Name, World Peace, and a few more could've been left out.

THE GOLDEN AGE WRAP UP
+a good handful of songs I enjoyed
+Dizzy is a pretty good lyricist
+Some very good feature verses
-WAY too many songs
-a lot of boring instrumental
-Dizzy sounds the same on a lot of tracks

Best: 2 Wings and a Crown, Bout That Life, Untouchable

Worst: Your Type

Dizzy Wright- The Golden Age
6.5/10

Vince Staples- Stolen Youth MIXTAPE REVIEW

Vince Staples. I have been a fan of this guy for a pretty long time now. Honestly, this is because of his heavy affiliation with Odd Future. I first heard him on Earl Sweatshirt's first mixtape and he had a very nice verse there. He continued with great contributions to projects by Domo Genesis and Mike G. Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed when I finally gave a listen to one of Vince's solo projects, Winter In Prague. This mixtape was honestly very boring, even with nice production from Michael Uzowuru. Now, Vince is following that up with a surprising collaboration: this mixtape is entirely produced my Larry Fisherman, AKA Mac Miller. Will this elevate Vince to become one of my favorite underground artists and not just an O.F. collarborator?  Let's see.

Honestly, the first few songs on this mixtape were really underwhelming. On the Intro, Vince just spits some nice bars, but without any passion, leading to a pretty boring listen. The beat wasn't really anything special, with a generic opera vocal covering the track. Fantoms was not that great either, but at least had a much more interesting beat. I think if Joey Fatts had a verse, this song would be a lot better. The next track, Heaven, was a nice change of pace with Mac Miller spitting a pretty solid verse, and the song also had a better hook. I still wasn't really loving the mixtape that much at this point, though. The next song, Guns and Roses, did nothing to change this, as it was just another track. Vince got a little more lyrical here, but for whatever reason, I wasn't enjoying it that much. Guns and Roses also featured a pretty lame and generic beat.

Everything changed for me once it hit the fifth song, Back Selling Crack. This song was outstanding. Vince rode the beat perfectly and sounded a lot more energized here. This hook was awesome as well, being very catchy and flowing nicely. The track becomes even more great once Schoolboy Q comes in. Q absolutely murders it here, firing on all cylinders and sounding insane. His verse was easily a highlight on the album. The other Black Hippy featured track, Killin Y'all with Ab-Soul, was another standout. Soul's verse was full of quotables and he sounded really good. Vince keeps up with a pretty solid verse. The beat was also super dark and hard hitting here. My favorite track on this mixtape would have to be Sleep. Even though Dash starts it off with a lackluster verse, Ab-Soul more than makes up for it with another great verse. Mac Miller also kills it here, with a lot of good wordplay and some funny lines. His flow was also great over his own beat. Vince has the final verse and wraps it up beautifully with an aggressive verse. All this is complimented with a grimy beat that all the rappers ride over nicely.

A few tracks on Stolen Youth did disappoint me, though. As I said, the first four songs were just okay, as was the song Thought About You. It had a slow, low-energy instrumental that Vince goes over pretty lazily. The only other tracks were ones I thought were pretty good, but nothing fantastic. Stuck In My Ways featured a sick, head-bopping beat and Vince rapped very fast and with a whole lot of aggressiveness on the Outro.

STOLEN YOUTH WRAP UP
+Vince is a very good lyricist
+His voice is nice and distinctive, and he can be aggressive at times
+A few grimy, hard-hitting beats
+Some really nice underground features, most notably TDE
-A lot of boring instrumentals from Mac Miller
-Vince doesn't spit to his full potential

Best: Back Selling Crack, Killin Y'all, Sleep

Worst: Intro

Vince Staples- Stolen Youth
8.1/10

Big Sean- Hall of Fame ALBUM REVIEW

Today I'm bringing another "mainstream" album review with the new Big Sean album, Hall of Fame. As a whole, I really don't have much of a problem with this guy. I actually really liked his debut studio release from 2011, Finally Famous. The album, in my opinion, was like poppy radio hip hop done correctly. The songs were very catchy and Sean had a lot of entertaining punchlines. Since then, though, I have become a lot less of a Big Sean fan. His mixtape, Detroit, didn't do much for me and all his guest verses have been very corny or just dumb. Therefore, I was really not excited for this album. I still gave it a try because of how much I liked Finally Famous.

The first track, Nothing is Stopping You, was what I assumed to be Big Sean's "personal" track. Sean doesn't have much of an amazing story, so this track just came off boring from a rapping standpoint. The instrumental was alright though, and had my head bopping until Sean started rapping, of course. The second song, Fire, had a somewhat inspiring and catchy beat, and Sean had a much better flow. I still can't get past how annoying this guy's voice is now, though. With that being said, Fire was a pretty solid track. Tracks similar to Fire were all over this album. By that I mean songs with pretty good beats that I enjoyed, but were ruined by Big Sean's voice and delivery. Some tracks like this were You Don't Know, Sierra Leone, World Ablaze, and All Figured Out.

There were, surprisingly, a couple songs I really enjoyed. For one, MILF was without a doubt my favorite song on Hall of Fame. I wasn't bothered by Sean on the track, the hook was excellent and funny, and Nicki Minaj was so over-the-top ridiculous that it was great. Juicy J also totally killed it at the end with a great verse. Another good song was First Chain. Even though Sean was totally killed by Nas and Kid Cudi, he was still decent. This song definitely impressed me with the instrumental and the two features. Beware was the last song I enjoyed. The hook was undeniably catchy as hell and the track had a pretty cool vibe to it. Lil Wayne also didn't bother me at all, as he fit the song pretty well.

There were a handful of tracks here that were just awful. Toyota Music was just boring and Sean sounded like he wasn't even trying. Mona Lisa just had a bad hook that I found very annoying and a pretty poor instrumental. Ashley just came off like a very generic love song that didn't have much to offer and Sean delivering some bad verses. Those were pretty bad, but one of the worst tracks I have heard literrally all year was 10 2 10. Big Sean has no reason to be yelling for the entire track, as the hook was very corny and his verses were horrible. Sean's voice is just too high and nasally to do a yelling track like this. This song was just hard to listen to.

HALL OF FAME WRAP UP
+Some great instrumentals
+Good feature verses
+Production sounded polished and smooth
-Big Sean's voice is incredibly annoying
-He has a really bad flow and never sounds comfortable on a track
-Some really, really, corny hooks
-Full of stupid punchlines
-everything was a step down from Finally Famous

Best: MILF, Beware, First Chain

Worst: 10 2 10

Big Sean- Hall of Fame
4.5/10

R.A. the Rugged Man- Legends Never Die ALBUM REVIEW

R.A. the Rugged Man, a self-proclaimed hip hop legend, has not released a solo album in nine years. R.A. is characterized by a rapid-fire, and aggressive delivery as well as pissing people off with his lyrics. He is always nasty on the mic and does not care about what anyone has to say to him. R.A. is finally releasing some more solo material in 2013. Does R.A. keep up the excellence after such a long hiatus? Let's get into it.

STILL DIGGIN WIT BUCK (INTRO)- R.A. starts out the album with a bang, going at pretty much everything he doesn't like. He sounds angry and I love it. Buckwild's beat is simplistic, but is simply made for an MC like RA to spit over. 9/10

THE PEOPLES CHAMP- The anthem of the album, this song is epic. The beat is huge and powerful, and RA's flow is flawless. He has many memorable lines in this song and the hook comes in perfectly. 8.5/10

DEFINITION OF A RAP FLOW- the title for this song could not be more perfect. RA spits really, really fast on this track, showing his legendary technical ability. The beat is groovy and simple, with a hook that is really corny. I can still cosign this track just for RA's rapping ability here. 8.5/10

LEARN TRUTH (FEAT. TALIB KWELI) - one of the slower tracks on the album, this starts with a simple piano beat that evolves as the track goes on. Talib Kweli and RA trade some pretty good verses, and there is not much else to say about the track. 7.5/10

BANG BOOGIE - this 2 minute track felt like the one that didn't really have to be on the album. There is nothing wrong with it, but not much to remember, besides a pretty good instrumental. 7/10

TOM THUM- an old-school track, this one is perfect for the car and bop your head to. The beat is epic and RA has some nice lines. The icing on the cake is the beatboxing in the middle of RA's bars. This was a sick track, and catchy as hell. 9/10

HOLLA-LOO-YUH- Tech N9ne opens up this song with a typical Tech N9ne verse, and sounds perfect on this beat. Krizz Kaliko supplies a catchy ass hook, and RA delivers one of his best verses on the album. 9/10

MEDIA MIDGETS- one of the more lyrical tracks, RA goes into his hatred for today's media. The beat sounds very smooth and RA's flow is great on this track. The hook could have been better, though.I found it a bit obnoxious and corny. 8.5/10

SHOOT ME IN THE HEAD- a very memorable track, as RA drops one absolutely hilarious line after another. The hook is fantastic and RA's "political" bars are fantastic. This beat is pretty simple, but all the attention should be turned to RA's lyrics on this song. 9.5/10

LEGENDS NEVER DIE- this track is dedicated to RA's father who has cancer, and you can definitely feel the love he has for him. He relives all the memories and things his dad taught him, as he even gets choked up saying the last few lines. A very emotional and impressive track showing RA's songwriting versatility. 9/10

DANGEROUS THREE (FEAT. BROTHER ALI & MASTA ACE)- A simple piano beat starts the track, as Brother Ali is flowing nicely. with some surprisingly ignorant lines for him. This track takes off with the beat change in the middle of the verse. RA has a good verse, but Masta Ace absolutely kills it. The way he rides the beat change and switches his flow is so dope. 9.5/10

LUV TO FUK- this track definitely had a clear theme, as the hook clearly shows. A hilarious track, its definitely fun as RA spits some more funny lyrics. Also, a pretty solid instrumental. The silliness of this track does make it one I would skip. 8/10

UNDERGROUND HITZ (FEAT. HOPSIN)- while this track has a pretty badly cliche beat, RA makes up for it with one of my favorite verses of his. The hook is infectious and gets stuck in your head. Hopsin delivers a good verse, but being a fan of Hopsin, I was a little disappointed. Still a very good track. 9/10

LAUGH, CLOWN, LAUGH- this is a super catchy track, as the hook is awesome, and this is one of the coolest, most unique instrumentals on the whole album. RA has some good lines here, and there is not much to complain about on this song. 8.5/10

SAM PECKINPAH (FEAT. VINNIE PAZ) - easily the highlight of the album. RA and Vinnie Paz trade some seriously dope verses as they alternate every few bars, with the catchy hook giving them a breather. With a beat made perfectly for spitting over and some crazy lines from both MCs, this track is flawless. 10/10

STILL GET THROUGH THE DAY- RA closes out the album with a kind, personal track. What makes this track is the hook. Probably my favorite hook on the album, it is catchy and really well made. RA is very lyrical again here, and it was a good choice for the last song. 8.5/10

LEGENDS NEVER DIE WRAP UP
+RA spits as furiously as ever, his rhyme scheme and breath control is mind-blowing
+A lot of variety as this has tracks on a lot of different topics
+The featured rappers really come through and elevate the songs they're in
+A lot of hooks that are admittedly very catchy
+Some hilarious lyrics
-Some unbearably corny instrumentals

Best: Sam Peckinpah, Shoot Me in the Head, The Dangerous Three

Worst: Bang Boogie

R.A. the Rugged Man- Legends Never Die
9.0/10

Joey Bada$$- Summer Knights MIXTAPE REVIEW

Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ pretty much defines the underground hip hop scene. He blew up last year with a mixtape that I thought was absolutely stellar: 1999. The project was defined by 1990s sounding beats and Joey rapping with some perfect old school flow, and great delivery and lyricism. Joey has a gotten a little more popular since then, releasing a very good mixtape with his Pro Era crew, and even appearing on ASAP Rocky's latest album. Will Joey keep up the good work with this new mixtape in 2013? This will be another review that is not track-by-track.

Let's get this out of the way: Joey Bada$$ can still SPIT. He brings some awesome lyrics, complete with great punchlines and some vivid Brooklyn street imagery. This is all evident right from the word go with the first track, Alowha. Joey is firing on all cylinders here, spitting like a pro with awesome lines everywhere, sounding tough and aggressive as well. This song definitely got me hyped up for this mixtape. Unfortunately, the next two tracks don't even come close in terms of intensity. While Joey is still spitting some dope lyrics and flowing effortlessly, he doesn't seem to be doing it with any passion or interest. Sure, Hilary Swank and My Youth have some really cool instrumental, with the former bringing some cool horns and the latter having a reggae sound to it, Joey just puts me to sleep on them with his bars. A much needed change came with the song Death of YOLO. Joey sounded a little better here and Smoke DZA stops by to drop a solid verse, as he always does. This song is not amazing by any means, but it was a nice step up from the past few.

I am sad to say Joey's boring rapping style continues on more tracks here. Sweet Dreams, Word Is Bond, Trap Door, and Reign are all plagued by some monotonous rapping from Joey, and I wasn't blown away by any of these instrumentals. These tracks all seriously felt like filler to me. One of the only solo tracks I seriously loved was 95 Till Infinity. Pretty much everything about was track was dope to me. The beat was laid back and spacious, leading to me to think this was another boring track, but Joey comes out with an over-the-top, really aggressive delivery. He sounded awesome on this song and I really wished he did this more on Summer Knights. I also somewhat enjoyed Right On Time because it had an actual topic and Joey sounded a little bit more interested. The last good solo track was definitely LongLiveSteelo. This sentimental track hit hard and you could definitely feel the emotion in Joey's voice as he reminisced moments with a fallen friend.

The songs with features on this album were pretty good for the most part. Satellite was an awesome track. The beat was super catchy and sounded very interesting. All the rappers killed it here, but Dessy Hinds at the end had the best verse on the song, spitting really impressively here and rhyming with some real skill. Dessy Hinds also kills it on Sit N Prey, a track I enjoyed, but not nearly as much as Satellite. Amethyst Rockstar was another memorable track as Joey and Kirk Knight spit over an awesome MF DOOM beat. I think Kirk totally killed Joey on this track, though. He sounded great and had some really nice wordplay in his verse. Some other feature songs didn't impress me as much, though. 47 Goonz featured some of my least favorite Pro Era members spitting some boring verses, and Sorry Bonita fell way short of the posse cut on the 1999 mixtape, as this one was just not interesting at all to me.

SUMMER KNIGHTS WRAP UP
+Joey can really rap and brings a lot lyrically
+Some cool, darker, more mellow production
+Dessy Hinds and Kirk Knight helped a lot with dope guest verses
+Joey brought awesome aggressiveness on 95 Till Infinity
-Joey sounded really uninterested and monotonous on a lot of tracks
-too many songs
-just not even close to 1999

Best: Alowha, 95 Till Infinity, Satellite

Worst: Sweet Dreams

Joey Bada$$- Summer Knights
7.5/10

Jay-Z- Magna Carta Holy Grail ALBUM REVIEW

Jay-Z is a rapper that I sometimes love, and sometimes can't stand. He has always been very polarizing like this for me. For example, his 2001 album, Blueprint was amazing to me. He sounded so great on every single track. I believe this for a lot of his other early albums. On the other hand, for the past few years, Jay-Z has done very little to impress me. This is understandable because of all the other things going on in his luxurious life, but I still have not been feeling a lot of it. Will this new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, change things? With this album being pretty long, I will do another review that is not track-by-track.

The first few tracks on this album actually had me really impressed. From the moment the first song, Holy Grail starts, I was sucked into it. Justin Timberlake absolutely killed it on this hook. He sounds passionate and rides the beat flawlessly. Jay-Z doesn't deliver anything amazing on the mic, but still sounds good over this dope, high-class, smooth beat. The lavishness continues on Picasso Baby. This was another awesome beat, but Jay didn't too much for me. None of his lyrics were really too great either. The beat is enough to carry this track. This same thing happens on the next one, Tom Ford. While the instrumental sounds a bit like a Yeezus throwaway, it still hits hard. Jay's flow was a little off on this song, though. At some points it just sounded bad. Still a nice track because of the head-bopping beat, once again. Oceans was a great song. Frank Ocean almost never sounds bad singing a hook, and he brings it here. He sounds very good on this track. This track was beautiful all the way through. Jay also finally gave me some decent lyricism on this one.

Skipping around a little, I really enjoyed the track Somewhereinamerica. This beat was insanely catchy, with the horns and piano sounding awesome. This instrumental was just dope and I loved it. Jay-Z also didn't really bother me either, with some pretty good lines. This track was one of the very few I had absolutely had no complaints about. Another very solid track was Crown. This beat was slow and very layered, sounding really cool. Jay brought some good lyricism here too. Travis Scott sounds awesome on the hook as well. This track was one of the experimental areas on the album that really works. Jay-Z's best rapping moment on MCHG probably came on the track BBC. Rapping along with Nas, Jay sounded awesome on this song, speeding up the flow a little and sounding very smooth over a pretty weird, but cool beat. Nas sounded pretty good too on this song, but I think Jay had the better verse. Overall, a very cool song.

Unfortunately, that is pretty much it for songs I like on MCHG. While I liked the beat on F.U.T.W, the track as a whole was just forgettable with Jay-Z delivering some more boring raps about how rich he is. This is just the theme with far too many tracks on this album, such as Versus, La Familia, Part II (On the Run), and Nickels & Dimes. I was not really digging any of those tracks very much. They all just sounded similar: very lavish and high-class production, with Jay bringing some boring lyrics with a flow that just isn't that good. He did have some topical tracks, such as Heaven (religion) and Jay Z Blue (his daughter) but these just came off equally as boring to me. I just was not feeling Jay Z as a rapper on this album. He didn't really impress me at all here, outside of a couple spots here and there.

MAGNA CARTA HOLY GRAIL WRAP UP
+almost every track featured some sick production
+good guest spots, especially singing (JT, Frank, Beyonce)
+Jay brought a few nice lines and sounded really good on BBC
-too many tracks that were the same topics
-very boring lyrics, for the most part
-Jay still has a pretty rough flow and doesn't really change it up here with delivery

Best: Somewhereinamerica, Oceans, Crown

Worst: La Familia

Jay-Z- Magna Carta Holy Grail
6.8/10

Durag Dynasty- 360 Waves ALBUM REVIEW

One name only drew me to try out this project: The Alchemist. One of the best producers out right now has been taking over the underground lately, producing albums for artists such as Prodigy, Domo Genesis, and Action Bronson. I am pretty much always impressed with this guy's beat making skills, so I will check out nearly anything with his name on it. Does The Alchemist come through yet again on this album with Durag Dynasty? Let's get into it.

DURAG DYNASTY THEME- Damn. What a sick intro to this album. This layered, detailed beat was just perfectly made for someone to spit over. It sounds epic. Once Planet Asia starts going in, this song mysounds flawless. Tristate and Killer Ben deliver some sick verses as well. These guys immediately hit me as being very cunning lyricists. The great vocabulary, awesome wordplay and cool imagery they use makes these guys very fun to listen to. This was such a great intro and it definitely set the tone for what was to come. 9.5/10

TENDER GREENS- The Alchemist's next instrumental comes off a lot happier and upbeat than the last. This one is just so smooth and flows beautifully throughout the track. Killer Ben starts it off with some great lyricism and flow. Planet Asia and Tristate are just as dope on this track. 8.5/10

FISH MEAT (FEAT. PRODIGY) This track is the darkest one by far at this point in the album. Prodigy starts flowing nicely on it. I have always loved Prodigy's voice and he really kills it here. Planet Asia brings more energy and some nice lines, but Tristate is the best verse on this track. Some sick wordplay and delivery makes his verse my favorite. He also has a nice, distinctive, raspy voice. The minimalistic beat here really works for the rappers. 9/10

360 WAVES- This title track really does not dissapoint. A laid-back instrumental starts this off as the three MCs spit great verses. Once again, Tristate has the best verse in my opinion. Halfway through the song, Alchemist totally switches up the beat to an epic guitar instrumental and the trio spits nicely again. This was definitely a sick track, even with two different beats. 9/10

TRAILER MIX (FEAT PHIL THE AGONY)- Another sick Alchemist beat starts this track off as Tristate and Killer Ben have some seriously sick verses, some of their best on the album. Phil the Agony's verse was just okay. He just sounded a little uncomfortable on the track, and he was not nearly as good as the Dynasty here. 8.5/10

SPIRAL EVENT (FEAT. EVIDENCE)- This beat is awesome. It is super catchy and i love the change ups in it. Tristate starts this one off with another nice verse. Similar to the last track, Killer Ben follows then the guest verse. This time it's Evidence, who sounds very smooth on this beat and I enjoyed his verse. Planet Asia finishes off a very good track. 9/10

YASIR ARAFAT PRELUDE- Even though this track was very short and just a prelude, it was one minute and thirty seconds of pure excellence. The beat is just nasty and one of my favorites. The three rappers just sounds amazing on this. 10/10

YASIR ARAFAT- Another banger here, as Killer Ben starts off and delivers a great verse over a very sick, head-bopping instrumental. Planet Asia rhymes like a pro next and Tristate sounds tough as usual on his verse. Planet Asia finishes it off with a dope final verse. 9.5/10

TETRAHEDRONS ON MARS (FEAT. CHACE INFINITE)- This production was pretty laid back, but sounded really sleek as Chace Infinite delivered one of the better guest verses on the album. He had some memorable lines and I loved his delivery and voice. Killer Ben follows up with a pretty good verse. I do wish this track had at least one other member of the trio on it, though. 8.5/10

GOON CALL- A super high-energy, aggressive beat starts this off. Iman Thug just yells, but it sounds awesome and dynamic. Killer Ben then flows effortlessly on this beat, as do the other two MCs. My favorite verse had to be Planet Asia's. This was definitely a head-banging track which sounded good all the way through. 7.5/10

BIGGER U ARE THE HARDER YOU FALL (FEAT. ALCHEMIST & BIG TWINZ)- This track starts off with a pretty cool beat that just sounded like a mix of a lot of other beats on the album. Big Twinz's voice is just so awesome, and he sounds nasty on this. Unfortunately, I was not really feeling Alchemist's verse at all. I wish he stuck to the beats here. Planet Asia probably has the smoothest verse here. This one felt a little thrown together, but still a nice listen just for Big Twinz alone. 8/10

SHOOTERS- This beat was another high-energy one, and it sounded just as sick as the others.  This was one of the few tracks with a hook, and I definitely enjoyed it, as it was a nice change of pace. The Dynasty killed it as usual, as all of them delivered dope verses. 8.5/10

LUXURY WHIP- This would have to be one of my favorite beats on this album, and Tristate just sounds awesome on the first verse. This track sounded smooth, polished, and just dope. They all spit hard and the track overall delivered. 9/10

FUNYUNS- Yes. This track is dope as hell and a perfect closer. The beat is probably my favorite on the album as it is head banging and sounds very old school but with a modern flair to it. It is just so nasty and Tristate is too, spitting one of his best verses here. Planet Asia follows with some awesome lines and a flawless flow. Killer Ben finishes it off with a fantastic verse with some seriously dope lyricism. This track is perfect and an absolutely sick way to end an awesome album. 10/10

360 WAVES WRAP UP
+these three are some seriously sick rappers, they all sound so nasty on the mic
+some awesome lyrics
+Alchemist brings something new on every beat here
+great song choices to start and end the album
+nice guest verses for the most part

Best: Durag Dynasty Theme, Yasir Arafat, Funyuns

Worst: Goon Call

Durag Dynasty- 360 Waves
9.6/10

Killer Mike & El-P- Run the Jewels ALBUM REVIEW

In 2012, Atlanta rapper Killer Mike collaborated with Brooklyn producer/rapper El-P to create a spectacular album titled R.A.P. Music. With Killer Mike rapping and El-P doing all the beats, it was a unique sounding, fun, and conscious album that ended up being very popular. Now, the duo is doing a full rap collaboration album with both of them on the mic. Will Run the Jewels go over well with me?

RUN THE JEWELS- This album starts off super aggressive and hard with an awesome El-P beat. El-P starts out rapping with his complex lyricism and awesome wordplay. Killer Mike then comes in with his usual toughness and dope lyrics. The two just continue to trade off verses and repeatedly kill it. Dope. 9/10

BANANA CLIPPER (FEAT. BIG BOI)- This beat actually comes off way nastier and hard than the last one, and Killer Mike starts it off with some awesome and memorable lines, El-P comes in and does the exact same thing, but so differently. The chemistry these two have is totally evident. They are just going on and off like its nothing. Big Boi's verse is the cherry on top of an absolute banger. 10/10

36' CHAIN- A super electronic beat starts this off, and Killer Mike flows a little slower this time, but he is still awesome. El-P's hook is also pretty cool. Unfortunately, the slower pace of this doesnt cause it to hit as hard as the first two, but its still nice. 8/10

DDFH- This beat is catchy and hits hard to start off the track. Killer Mike is flowing effortlessly over it as the sick beat takes over in the middle of his verse. This just sounds like nothing else once the hook hits and the eerie beat just sounds so great. El-P has a solid verse to top off a pretty good song, one of the more experimental on the album. 8.5/10

SEA LEGS- This song starts out pretty slow, but in the middle of El-P's verse the sick beat comes in, hard. El-P's lyrics amazing, as usual. Once Killer Mike comes in on the hook is sounds seriously awesome. This track is super sleek and the whole topic of the track is personified even more by Killer Mike's verse. 8.5/10

JOB WELL DONE- Killer Mike comes in immediately and brings the awesome charisma that he consistently has. The beat is a little slower compared to the rest of the album. I love in this track how Killer Mike and El-P both start out their verses the same way. El-P brings yet another awesome verse here. 8.5/10

NO COME DOWN- This one is slower as well, and El-P flows pretty nicely over the beat. Killer Mike does the hook, and it was just okay to me, I didn't enjoy it as much as other hooks. Killer Mike spits his usual verse here with the aggressive, awesome lyrics. 8/10

GET IT- This beat comes in and instantly revives an album that was becoming just a little bit boring for me until this. The beat is just sick and El-P sounds great over it. Killer Mike comes in and brings a sick flow once the beat changes for a little bit. The hook here is just high energy awesomeness. This track was definitely a highlight. 9.5/10

TWIN HYPE BACK- A very interesting beat on this song brings a different aesthetic to this one, as Killer Mike and El-P trade dope verses. They bring out some seriously memorable lines once again here. 8.5/10

CHRISTMAS FUCKING MIRACLE- A very slow beat on this one, as El-P gets a little personal on his verse. Killer Mike's verse is good too, but i think they should have ended this album on a more high-energy track. I did enjoy this one though. 8/10

RUN THE JEWELS WRAP UP
+Incredible lyricism from both of them
+The two compliment each other perfectly
+Some seriously sick beats
+They have some amazing chemistry on here
-Some of the songs sound the same a little

Best: Run the Jewels, Banana Clipper, Get It

Worst: No Come Down

Killer Mike & El-P- Run The Jewels
9.2/10

Flatbush Zombies- Better Off Dead MIXTAPE REVIEW

Flatbush Zombies are definitely a staple in underground hip hop these days. One of the hottest hip-hop group in the East Coast, I got into them a little while ago. Their 2012 mixtape, titled D.R.U.G.S, really impressed me. These guys have some pretty have some eccentric voices and they can go over some pretty nice beats. Will they improve on the unique formula from D.R.U.G.S. or will their act become boring on this new mixtape?

This mixtape was pretty long, which always leads to mixed results for me. Usually, there is a good amount of filler songs on a project this long, but that doesn't really happen on Better Off Dead. There were a handful of songs on this mixtape that I thought were simply fantastic. The second track, Nephilim, was awesome. The beat hit really hard with the drums and the beat also added a bit of a horrorcore edge. The whole thing sounded sick, with each of the Zombies delivering nice verses. G Tearz was a little different from the rest, as it brought a more upbeat, relaxed instrumental. Still, this song came off sounding very smooth and polished, and I really enjoyed it. The hook was sick, and very catchy. Erick and Juice also had really solid verses. This was where the mixtape really took off for me. Death was such a sick song. The beat was just so dark and sinister. The hook set such an awesome creepy vibe for the track as well. I loved it. Meech takes over Death 2, and has a sick verse there, referencing serial killers and using awesomely gross imagery. Regular and Complex was next, and this one was great. Even though it was less dark, the beat still sounded terrific. I actually really enjoyed Juice's verse here, as he is usually my least favorite member of the group. Once again, the hook is the highlight of the song, as Meech's voice just comes in and grabs the listener, something he does on a few songs here. Erick and Meech also had good verses on this song, and this track was really good.

The latter half of this mixtape also brought some solid songs. Palm Trees was a song that really showed the variety of the project. Unlike pretty much all the others, this song was very low-key and relaxing. The beat was actually beautiful, with a very smooth vocal going throughout the song. All of the Zombies still sounded great, as they slowed down their flow a little bit on the beat. Another great song was MRAZ. This one was also pretty calm, but the verses and hook brought so much energy that it was unlike anything else on the mixtape. Meech's verse was maybe my favorite of his on the mixtape, with plenty of quotables and a great delivery. Meech is undoubtedly the star of this project, as he brings constant energy and uniqueness with everything he does. His voice is just so different from anything I have heard lately that he becomes so interesting to listen to. The song on this tape that only features Meech, called God Blessed the Dead, was another standout. He goes hard over a minimal beat, with some awesome lyricism and a very different vibe. My Team, Supreme was yet another standout on this mixtape. It had a eerie piano beat, which also had a grimy vibe with the heavy drums. Meech and Erick led this one, and they both had great verses. The hook was also quite catchy. I loved this song. Finally, The Results Are In was a terrific closer to the project. It was just a classic Flatbush Zombies song, with all of them rapping a little better than they did on a lot of the other songs here. It hits hard, and like the others, it has a creepy vibe to it that is very unique.

I didn't just love all the songs on Better Off Dead, though. This mixtape was kind of inconsistent. The first song, Amerikkkan Pie, was alright. The beat sounded a little jumbled with too many things going on. While I did like the lyricism on this song, the whole thing didn't come together as good as others. Bliss was another song I felt could've been done better. I loved Meech's hook on this song, as well as Erick's verse, but Juice's verse was not great and Meech's was a good idea, but it was a little overdone. This was still entertaining to listen to, just not a great song. The songs featuring Juice just were not good at all to me. I do not really like Juice that much as a rapper, and he is not even close to the skill of Erick and Meech, in my opinion. Minephuck and Thugnifisence were two of my least favorite songs on this whole project. As far as features go, Club Soda with Action Bronson was a pretty solid song. I really enjoyed the beat, but all the verses on this song were just okay and not as good as others. Even Action Bronson let me down a little. Drug Parade with Danny Brown was an extreme dissapointment, as this song was really bad. The hook went on far too long, and it felt like Meech and Danny Brown were just competing to see who has the weirdest voice. Both of the verses were lackluster.


BETTER OFF DEAD WRAP UP
+Really unique and different, nothing sounds like this right now
+Great variety with the beats
+Awesome horrorcore/dark vibe
+Some very catchy hooks
+Meech steals the show throughout
-Inconsistent
-Too long
-Juice doesn't really impress me at all

Best: Regular and Complex, Death, My Team Supreme

Worst: Thugnifisence

Flatbush Zombies-Better Off Dead
8.2/10