TOP 10 HIP HOP ALBUMS OF 2014

Yes, I know there have not been any reviews on this site in a while, but what better way to return than with the best albums of 2014? These are, in my opinion, the best albums to come out this past year. This list is not based solely on the scores the albums recieved, but more based on replay value and how much I enjoyed the album overall.

The Honorable Mentions

The Underachievers- Cellar Door

I was seriously waiting for this East Coast duo to impress me with a project, as I definitely heard the potential on some tracks. I'm glad it happened on their debut studio album. This thing is really nice, showcasing Issa Dash and AK trading bars over some booming, forward thinking production. AK in particular blew me away here. His constant onslaught of fast paced verses really kept me interested during this project. As a whole this was a really solid album from The Underachievers, its fulfilling to see them come through with something good.

Favorite Song: Luminesence


Mick Jenkins- The Water[s]

Mick Jenkins, previously unheard of, blew up this year with the success of The Water[s], and with good reason. This album pretty much has everything that solidifies someone in today's rap game. Mick came through with an original sound and interesting theme to his project. I loved the entire vibe of the mixtape and hearing some cool and relaxed sonic quality for the whole thing made me happy. I'm excited for what Mick does next, because this project proved the guy had got some really cool ideas going on, and he sure is skilled at making them sound fresh.

Favorite Song: The Waters

Future- Honest



After landing on my mid year list, Future's Honest stays on thanks to its sheer awesomeness and replay value. These songs really just bang, and I think the production on this album is what drove it. Future's singing and rapping were on point as well, and he shows that he is pretty versatile on this album.

Favorite Song: Move that Dope

Cormega- Mega Philosophy



If you are looking for an MC that takes lyricism very seriously, Cormega is for you. The 44 year old rapper spits nothing but hard truth on this new album of his. He spends the project speaking his mind on various things going on in hip hop, while also connecting it to his personal  life and childhood on some tracks. The vintage production from Large Professor helped make this album great as well.

Favorite Song: Industry


Sean Leon- Narcissus, the Drowning of Ego



This project came out of nowhere for me, but I am so thrilled that I found it. This guy has a very abstract and weird style, but it works in his favor for this album. Sean Leon raps about a variety of topics here. The highlight here, though, was the production. This sinister, haunting, extremely dark production may be the best on any album this year.

Favorite Song: Vanity

The Top 10

10. Vince Staples- Hell Can Wait

Vince Staples had a huge year, finally making the leap from little known Odd Future affiliate to a respected West Coast street talker. This debut EP of his shows off all his strengths, such as lyricism and mic presence. Some of the beats on this project also blew me away.

9. Ugly Frank- Bobby Hill



Last year, the mixtape of Washington rap trio ILLFIGHTYOU landed on my best of the year list. In 2014, it is group member Ugly Frank who takes the spot. This debut mixtape was just awesome. Ugly Frank's wild, violent, unpredictable rapping style is a perfect fit over Khris P's production, which makes use of some really wacky sound effects.

Favorite Song: Frank Truise

8. Future- Monster

This Halloween release truly delivered what everyone always wants out of a Future project: bangers, bangers, and even more bangers. Future is quickly asserting himself as the first rapper to look for if thats what you're craving. The thing about Monster that makes it crack the top 10 is not only the consistently high energy, but also the quality of Future's more serious and emotional tracks. After not quite hitting the mark on those on Honest earlier in the year, he delivers some sadder songs that are a lot more well made on Monster. On Monster, Future did what he is best at but also flexed some of his new versatility. 

7. Schoolboy Q- Oxymoron



Schoolboy Q's much-anticipated debut album Oxymoron, did not disappoint for me. I felt Schoolboy showed tons of skill on this project. He was able to make radio hit songs, and then have songs where he throws it back to his childhood. He also wraps the whole album around a theme of him trying to get over his drug addiction while also being a good father. Add some stellar production, and I felt this was a great album.

Favorite Song: Break da Bank

6.  J. Cole- 2014 Forest Hills Drive



Sneaking into this list at the end of the year was J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive. J. Cole finally made me a fan with this album. I felt on this album that Cole improved on all fronts. The album is a personal narrative of his life journey to the amazing place he is at now. I loved the stories Cole told on this album, and he did it all with no features. This album honestly deserves all the success and acclaim it has had so far.

Favorite Song: G.O.M.D.

5. Travis Scott- Days Before Rodeo



If you were to just throw away lyrical content completely and rate albums on how well they bump and their production, Days Before Rodeo would easily be the album of the year. This album has fantastic, forward-thinking trap production and sounded incredible. These songs were unique and experimental but made my head bop every time. Travis Scott might not be the best rapper, but he flowed  pretty well at times, and I must give him props for matching the booming production.

Favorite Song: Skyfall

4. YG- My Krazy Life



As with many people, this was my surprise, breakout album of 2014. When I downloaded My Krazy Life, I did not expect anything more then mediocre rapping over some boring trap production. I was in complete shock when this album ended, as the 2nd best album of 2014 was actually made by YG. This album tells a complete story of teenage YG getting into trouble in Compton, robbing houses, going to jail, and eventually wrapping the whole story around his relationship with his mother. It is a fantastic narrative, and is only made better by some awesome, banging production from DJ Mustard. Oh, and features by some guys named Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar. I am thrilled that YG dropped such an amazing album, and we've officially got another West Coast artist to keep an eye on.

Favorite Song: BPT

3. Run the Jewels- RTJ2



Killer Mike and El-P returned in 2014 with a Run the Jewels sequel that only improved on everything the first one did well. While their first piece of music may have just been a collection of fun songs, the sequel was an actual, cohesive album. Some songs here were awesome, high energy bangers, and El-P's production sounded more high-energy and explosive. Killer Mike's aggressiveness is there as always, but the duo was also able to tell stories and make some political statements on this album. They really killed it with this sequel, and I understand this album being #1 on many lists.

Favorite Song: Blockbuster Night Part 1

2. Isaiah Rashad- Cilvia Demo



New TDE signee Isaiah Rashad should really be applauded for dropping an album in January and having it stay on the list for the whole year. This project could not have done a better job of introducing Isaiah to the world. This album's contrast is ultimately what makes it so good. The laid-back, relaxing, atmospheric beats mixed with Rashad's aggressive, choppy, unorthodox flow. He also shows that he is an extremely versatile artist on this project, as he is even seen spending entire tracks singing. This guy is poised to break out in upcoming years, and I am ready for more excellent projects like Cilvia Demo.

Favorite Song: Soliloquy


1. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib- Pinata



As cliche as it sounds, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib were truly a match made in heaven. Gibbs sounds better over Madlib's beats than on any other beat I have ever heard him on, and I was blown away by how focused and determined he sounded on Pinata. I always knew this guy could rap, but he placed himself right with the best MC's in hip hop right now with his performance on Pinata. He told stories of love and rejection, threw shots at Young Jeezy, and described his gangsta lifestyle all on one album. Madlib, meanwhile, came as no surprise. This legendary producer laid down some mind-blowing production for Gibbs to do his thing. The features were on point too, from Earl Sweatshirt to Ab-Soul to Raekwon. There is not one bad song on this whole album, and there is nothing I'd change. Pinata was a monument for Freddie Gibbs' career, and Madlib was a god behind the boards. That's why it is the album of the year.

Favorite Song: Thuggin

MF DOOM & Bishop Nehru- NehruvianDOOM ALBUM REVIEW

Today, I am bringing you the incredibly late review of the collaboration album from Bishop Nehru and MF DOOM, NehruvianDOOM. Bishop Nehru is a very young New York rapper that I have barely heard of before. I have heard a few songs, and I honestly think he's pretty forgettable as an MC. The whole reason I am reviewing this is because its a collaboration with MF DOOM. DOOM is a legend in my eyes, and he has created some extremely creative, interesting, and stellar albums over the years. He is one of the gods of underground hip hop, and one of my favorites of all time. How will the unproven Bishop Nehru fare rapping with DOOM?

All the production on this album is handled by DOOM, and you can tell this project was made not only to show Bishop Nehru's rapping ability, but DOOM's production ability. DOOM crafted some pretty classic sounding beats on this album, and NehruvianDOOM didn't differ away from this guy's usual style. The beats here were sometimes fun, sometimes dark, and for the most part, pretty abstract. The best instrumental, in my opinion, came on the track Om. This one sounded dark, ominous, and I enjoyed it overall. It had a classic DOOM sound. There were other dark instrumentals on this album, including Coming for You, Caskets, and Disastrous. The latter was a pretty interesting beat. It featured an odd sample of kids singing as the main beat, but DOOM mixed it with some dark drums to give the beat an off-kilter sound. It was a cool blend, and I liked the instrumental. Other beats on this project, though, had a happier, more fun sound. I liked the instrumental on the track Darkness, which ironically wasn't very dark at all. The song had some grand horns making up the most of the beat, and the song just sounded very positive and enlightening. It was a good sound for the subject matter of the track. Other beats on this album though, were just boring.They had the old-school DOOM sound, but they were not memorable at all, and I even felt some beats here sounded like others, which is something that shouldn't happen on an eight song album. I liked the production overall on NehruvianDOOM, and some of these beats were actually very good. Unfortunately, the album suffers from mediocrity, as these beats were not bad, just very forgettable.

I called the beats on this album forgettable and mediocre, but those are not even close to as mediocre as Bishop Nehru. This guy is the definition of average, in my opinion. He did nothing on this album to really open my eyes and make me realize that he is a great MC. At the same time, he didn't do anything to make me think he is trash, or a bad rapper. He was pretty normal throughout this project. He raps in a monotone voice, and his lyrics don't consist of anything mind-blowing. They also do not consist of anything cringe-worthy. My main problem with Nehru is how middle of the road he is. He's never great and never bad with his rapping. Just mediocre. While his bars were very average, Nehru's hooks were another story. These hooks were all over the place. He supplied a very fun and catchy hook on the song Mean the Most, which was one of my favorites on the album. He sang this, and he sang it well. It was melodic and I enjoyed it a lot. Other hooks on this album were bad, though, starting with So Alone. This singing was awful, and the hook had no passion behind it. Darkness was okay, but this hook was too simple and repetitive. He gets back on track with a solid hook on Coming for You, but ends the album badly with the lame hook on Great Things. The one hook that MF DOOM performed, Om, sounded great. This was a really good track overall, with the killer hook and decent verses from Nehru. Where this album really fails is its usage of MF DOOM. DOOM only spits actual verses on three songs. This was incredibly disappointing, especially when I listen to these tracks and realize how much better the album would have been if DOOM spit more. The best song on this whole project is Caskets, where DOOM kills it, spitting an awesome verse full of great lines. it may have rubbed off on Nehru, as his verse on this track was pretty good too. Overall with NehruvianDOOM, it was a real mixed bag, and an odd listen throughout. It was weird how Nehru was so monotone on the verses, but was  willing to actually sing on these hooks. It worked well on one track, but was pretty much a disaster on others. DOOM shined whenever he hopped on a track, but this just didn't happen enough. I wish MF DOOM had played a more prominent role with the rapping here, as it would've been so much better.

NEHRUVIANDOOM WRAP UP
+Classic DOOM sounding production
+A few very well executed tracks
+MF DOOM raps very well in his verses
+A few catchy hooks
-Bishop Nehru is very average, not memorable at all
-DOOM wasn't on enough songs
-Some actually cringe-worthy hooks

Best: Om, Mean the Most, Caskets

Worst- So Alone

MF DOOM & Bishop Nehru- NehruvianDOOM
6.9/10

Vince Staples- Hell Can Wait ALBUM REVIEW

Today, after a long, unfortunate hiatus, I am returning with a review of Vince Staples' debut EP, Hell Can Wait. I have been a fan of Vince for a while now, and I truly feel like this guy is one of the top young rappers in the entire game right now. Vince's projects have been very consistent, and he seems to kill every one of his guest verses. This is Vince's first major label release, at a time when he is getting more buzz than ever. Can Vince capitalize with a great new project?

The beats on Hell Can Wait were definitely one of its major highlights. Like on Vince's last project, Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2, No I.D. handles much of the production here. That is pretty much a guarantee that the EP's beats will be good, and it's no different on Hell Can Wait. I was very impressed by the variety that this production had. The first song, Fire, was as dark and violent as it gets. This beat hit really hard, and will definitely bang in some good speakers. The next song, 65 Hunnid, is the opposite. This instrumental was relaxed, and melodic. It featured a soft piano pattern that gave the song a bit of playfulness. The next two songs, Screen Door and Hands Up, go for some more darkness, as these both feature hard drums and sound pretty nocturnal. The best instrumental on this EP is without a doubt Blue Suede. This beat is stellar in every possible way, with the huge, banging drums, large bass, and wailing synth in the background. It is absolutely fantastic. After that though, the last two songs on the EP were not that memorable. They were not bad, but they were very different from the rest of the album, sounding more bright and happy. I wasn't really feeling these last two instrumentals, but I appreciate the variety. Hell Can Wait brought a mixed bag of beats, but the bag featured a few gems that I will remember for a while.

Vince Staples is as brilliant as ever on Hell Can Wait, and I actually feel that he was at his best on this project. Vince raps with a certain attitude and confidence that makes him very fun to listen to. One problem that he has had in the past was that he raps in a monotone, boring delivery. I can happily say that there was none of that on this EP. Vince sounds hungry, and he delivers all of his lyrics this way. The intro, Fire, is a short song, but it is a perfect way to start the mixtape. Vince goes really hard here, even with his voice muffled a bit by the instrumental. I don't even mind this, as the song is still great and you can tell Vince's flow is still on point. Vince proves on 65 Hunnid that he can put together a killer hook, crafting one here that was stuck in my head for a while. Although the song Screen Door was a little long, making it one of my least favorites on the EP, Vince still raps very well and I liked many of his lines on this track. Vince comes back hard, though, with the track Hands Up. This song was fantastic, with Vince attacking the topic of police brutality. He sounds focused, and his flow was absolutely perfect over the beat. Blue Suede follows, and while the instrumental dominates the song, Vince flows nicely on the track and I liked this hook. Vince brings on singer Teyana Taylor, the only feature on the tape to sing the hook on Limos, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. This was a pretty good track. I do think, though, that Feelin the Love, the outro was the weakest song on Hell Can Wait. Vince didn't sound as good here, and it sounded lazy compared to the awesome tracks the EP already had. Overall, Hell Can Wait was Vince proving that he can carry a project all by himself. He crafted some excellent songs on this tape, and even the tracks I did not enjoy as much were stillvery listenable. Vince did a great job on this EP, and I think he's an artist to keep your eye on has his debut album approaches.

HELL CAN WAIT WRAP UP
+Vince carries this EP by himself, rapping consistently well
+Vince can be very lyrical
+He flows very well, showing he picked the perfect instrumentals for him
+Great variety with the production
-Some songs paled in comparison to the others

Best: Fire, Hands Up, Blue Suede

Worst: Feelin the Love

Vince Staples- Hell Can Wait
9.1/10

Mick Jenkins- The Water[s] MIXTAPE REVIEW

Today's review is on Mick Jenkins' new mixtape, The Water[s]. I have never heard of this Chicago MC before, but he has been getting a whole lot of hype from this new project of his. Any time an artist blows up off of one project, I feel like I have to check it out. Going into The Water[s] a complete newcomer, how did I like the album?

The production on this mixtape lived up to its name. This project had a very aquatic, watery vibe, and it seemed like the whole sound of the project was centered around this water theme. The beats here flowed together extremely well, and it was definitely a great listening experience. The production was layered and interesting,  with almost every beat having that watery sound. The first song, Shipwrecked, blew my mind with its production. This song starts out beautiful, with some very soft, minimalistic percussion making up most of the beat. The song eventually goes into a very relaxing bridge before it breaks into a much stronger, more energetic trap sounding beat to end the song. It was absolutely fantastic. This song, though, was one of the only tracks where the production really stood out. All these beats are great, but they all just sound like each other. There were only a few songs where I would say the instrumental was very different from the rest of the project. The song Martyrs had a cool female singing sample, and the song Jazz was probably the most unique and experimental beat here. The last song, Jerome, produced by Kirk Knight, had some more boom-bap, New York sounding production, so that definitely stood out.  Black Sheep, which was produced by Statik Selektah, was a bit disappointing for such a consistently good producer. Overall though, I loved the vibe of this project. Even if a lot of the beats sounded the same, they were all pretty good and there were enough standouts for me to enjoy The Water[s] instrumentally.

Mick Jenkins was undoubtedly the star of this project. The beats were excellent, but all they really did was serve as a background for Mick to do his thing. You can add this guy to the list of creative new hip hop artists from Chicago, along with Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. First and foremost Mick Jenkins is a very charismatic MC. You can tell this guy has a whole lot of passion on the mic just from his voice. Mick is great from a technical standpoint as well, with a very solid flow and awesome delivery. I wasn't really bored by Mick Jenkins on this whole project. I liked how Mick had different lyrical ideas on a lot of the songs here. He is definitely big on content. The first standout track for me was the opener, Shipwrecked. This song showed how well Mick can ride beats, as he handled the sudden beat change on this song perfectly. Once the beat shifted into something more loud and dynamic, Mick was spitting faster and rapped with a lot more energy. The second song, THC, was very good too. It was really melodic, and the song had an infectious bounce going throughout its short duration. The song Comfortable showed Mick's pretty solid singing ability. He sang this hook effortlessly and it sounded great, not to mention he killed the verses on this track too. Noname Gypsy, the rap feature on that song, had a good verse too, and I enjoyed how she flowed over the beat. Honestly, there were standout songs all over this project. I really liked Jazz, Black Sheep, Canada Dry, Dehydration, and Martyrs. Martyrs was an especially great song for me. That track was fantastic, as Mick just had such a commanding flow throughout it. You had to listen to what he had to say. His deep voice just boomed through the beat had stood out. I loved it. My favorite song on this whole mixtape, though, was the last song, Jerome. This was a huge change from the rest of the album. This track had ridiculous amounts of energy and enthusiasm. Mick was literally yelling the hook here, but it sounded awesome. His verses were great as always, too. Joey Bada$$ came in for a guest verse and absolutely killed it with his raspy, nasty delivery. I loved this mixtape, simply because of how many standout tracks there were. Mick just knows how to craft awesomely infectious tracks. I think this guy has a great future, and he put together a pretty impressive project.

THE WATER[S] WRAP UP
+Mick blew me away as an MC, he has so much charisma
+He has a pretty creative rapping style
+Mick Jenkins proved to be versatile, even being a pretty good singer
+Unique water theme, even the beats had an aquatic vibe
-Samey production

Best: Shipwrecked, Martyrs, Jerome

Worst: Who Else

Mick Jenkins- The Water[s]
8.4/10

Lil Bibby- Free Crack 2 MIXTAPE REVIEW

 

 Today, I'm reviewing Free Crack 2, the new mixtape from Chicago rapper Lil Bibby. Lil Bibby is another MC who falls into the category of "drill music", a hot new style of hip hop from Chicago. This style has really been hit-or-miss for me. There are some drill artists that I really enjoy, like Chief Keef and Lil Herb, but also some that don't do it for me at all, like Lil Durk. Unfortunately, I'd say Lil Bibby falls into the latter category. The guy is just mediocre for me, and his 2013 project Free Crack didn't impress me that much. Will Bibby step up his game with this new mixtape, Free Crack 2?

With the beats on this mixtape, I was thoroughly impressed. This production was very different from other drill projects I've heard, including Bibby's previous mixtape. A lot of the beats here didn't go for the dark, grimy vibe, instead sounding classier and happier. This gave the mixtape a distinct vibe, one that was incredibly new for this type of music. On the first track, Can I Have Your Attention, I could tell that the tempo was definitely a lot slower and happier. This was also evident on Game Over, Can I Get, What You Live For, and Tomorrow. These beats were all great, with some even making use of some soul samples. Tomorrow, the last song, was just a perfect closer, as it featured a fantastic vocal sample going over the beat. The song was so relaxing, but Lil Bibby still gave it that street vibe. I think these beats, despite their calm nature, fit perfectly with Bibby.  There was still some production on this tape that had that dark feeling, such as For the Low pt. 2 and Boy. The song Dead or In Prison, though, just sounded violent, and it might be my favorite beat on the whole project. It was an absolute banger. Overall I really enjoyed the vibe this mixtape brought to the table, and I think it was a step up from past drill projects.

Lil Bibby didn't show himself to be a great MC on Free Crack, and I can't say he improved that much on this sequel. There are things I like about this guy, and he is still very young, but he just isn't a very complete MC. The worst part of this project is its lyricism. Bibby really just sticks with cliches and the normal street imagery you get from guys like Lil Durk and Chief Keef. He also lacks a bit in flow, as he tries to change it up, but he never sounds extremely comfortable on a beat. The area where this project is a huge improvement over Free Crack, though, is its energy and hooks. I felt Bibby improved his delivery a lot, and he sounds a lot more interested and energetic. The guy has a grimy, gravely voice, and I felt he used it well on this project, especially on hooks. For a big chunk of these tracks, the best part is the hook. The hook on Dead or In Prison was awesome, and he just sounds so passionate. I could definitely say the same about For the Low pt. 2, Boy, and What You Live For. All those hooks brought tons of energy and griminess. Even the hooks that didn't go for this vibe, though, worked well for Bibby. The rather monotone singing voice Bibby brings on Can I Get sounds great, and is very catchy. On We Are Strong, a female vocal sample makes the hook, and that was awesome as well. This project's strongest asset is its hooks, and they make up for Bibby's lackluster verses. Some of the guest verses on this project made up for those too, though. I was shocked by Wiz Khalifa on For the Low Pt. 2, as that verse was far better than anything on Blacc Hollywood and Wiz had an impressive flow. The other standout feature was Kevin Gates on We Are Strong. I haven't really heard much of this guy's music at all, but he had a monstrous flow and delivery on that track. He really killed his verse. Besides those two, though, the features here weren't all that great. Juicy J was mediocre on his two verses, and I was just disappointed by T.I. and Lil Herb, a couple of MC's who I thought could have put in a lot better verses on their tracks.

FREE CRACK 2 WRAP UP
+Awesome, catchy, energetic hooks
+Bibby has an awesome, grimy voice that matches well with the beats
+Solid production, different sound for drill music
-Lil Bibby just isn't a very good MC yet
-Was disappointed by some features

 Best: Dead Or in Prison, We Are Strong, Tomorrow

Worst: I Be On It

Lil Bibby- Free Crack 2
7.4/10

Travi$ Scott- Days Before Rodeo MIXTAPE REVIEW

 

Today's review is on Travis Scott's new mixtape, Days Before Rodeo. As the title suggests, this mixtape serves as a preview for Scott's upcoming studio album, Rodeo. This guy has been blowing up lately, mainly off of his 2013 project, Owl Pharaoh. I really enjoyed that project, and I think Travis has loads of talent, especially with knowing that he produces alot of his songs himself. How will Scott's new mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, fare with me?

While I was a huge fan of Owl Pharaoh's production, the production on this project actually surpassed it. Some of these instrumentals really blew me away. The reason for this though, may be that Travis did not produce most of this mixtape, and he had a lot more production credits on Owl Pharaoh. I am not saying that he's a bad producer, but I just loved the way he sounded over some other people's beats on Days Before Rodeo. The WondaGurl beat that was on the first track here was outstanding. This instrumental was dark, layered, and set an awesome tone for the rest of the project. This goes right into the second song Mamacita. I loved that song's production too, as it made use of some blaring guitars and trap-style drums. Songs like Skyfall, Zombies, Basement Freestyle, and Grey all sounded fantastic because of how atmospheric they were. My standout beat from this project overall, though, is the song Backyard. This didn't sound like any other instrumental on the whole album. It was like a trap beat with a very classy, serious twist put on it. I can't complain about any beats on this project. This was just some incredibly refined, modern trap production, and I loved it.

The production definitely drives this album and makes it memorable, but the rapping on Days Before Rodeo wasn't bad at all. Travis Scott is definitely not a lyricist, and I wouldn't even call him a great rapper. His talents are flowing and riding the beats. Scott's flow sounds so good here, that I really do not have to dig too deep into his lyrics. I would say Travis picked perfect beats, because he rides them well, and sounds great over them. Another great aspect of this project would be its hooks. They are catchy, infectious, and well put together. My standout hook, and standout overall song, is Skyfall. This track was incredibly polished, flowed well, and had a monster hook. I also liked the way Travis utilized auto tune on this song, something he pulled off on some other tracks, like Zombies and Quintana pt. 2. The features really came through on this project. The song Mamacita had a catchy Rich Homie Quan hook, but I was disappointed in Young Thug's verse. Luckily, he more than made up for it on Skyfall. He absolutely killed that verse, and used an extremely creative flow and delivery. T.I. had a solid verse on Quintana pt. 2, and Big Sean actually surprised me with one of his best verses at the end of the song Don't Play. Perhaps the most memorable song on this project was Sloppy Toppy, and maybe for bad reason. While it gave me a few laughs and had a pretty good hook, Travis, Migos, and Peewee Longway just had some disgusting content and lyrics on this track. They took it a little too far, but at least it was memorable. I really enjoyed this project as a whole, and it just sounded very clean, polished, and new. These songs just bang, and they are incredibly fun to listen to.

DAYS BEFORE RODEO WRAP UP
+Lots of fun, catchy, high-energy songs
+Travis flows over these beats really well
+Excellent instrumentals
+Cool, atmospheric vibe on some tracks

Best: Mamacita, Don't Play, Skyfall

Worst: Drugs, You Should Try It

Travi$ Scott- Days Before Rodeo
8.5/10

Wiz Khalifa- Blacc Hollywood ALBUM REVIEW

It has been a surprisingly great year for mainstream hip hop. Usually a genre in which singles mean a lot more than albums, several rappers in mainstream have put out impressive, well thought out projects in 2014. Rick Ross, Future, and especially YG's albums from this year were excellent, with the latter still being my 2nd favorite album of the year so far. Today, I will take a look at another mainstream release, Wiz Khalifa's Blacc Hollywood. As time has gone on, I have become less and less of a fan of Wiz Khalifa. Years ago, I was a huge Wiz fan, and his projects at the time were pretty solid. I can safely say, though, that I haven't liked any of this guy's work in a couple years. Will he regain me as a fan with this new album, Blacc Hollywood?

Instrumentally, I felt this album was pretty weak. On Wiz's past albums I have appreciated the forward-thinking, atmospheric production. I was disappointed to hear this album conform to the trap production that many albums these days go for. There was nothing unique about the production here. The production was not terrible or bad, but it was just very repetitive and boring. Songs like Hope, We Dem Boyz, Raw, The Sleaze, Still Down, and No Gain were all very dull, and uninteresting. I was let down because Wiz Khalifa albums have always had very distinct relaxing vibes to them, and this just didn't have that. Even the more unique beats just didn't work for me. The song Promises went for a slow, ballad-like instrumental, but it was just not strong. The beat sounded flat and not much stood out. The song Ass Drop was just ridiculous, in a bad way. This production was awful, with the high-pitched chipmunk vocals and odd piano interludes right in the middle of the track. I really had no idea what they were going for here.While some songs on this album had nice, chilled out beats, like House in the Hills and True Colors, there were too many unimaginative and boring instrumentals on this project as a whole.

Much like the instrumentals, I felt like Wiz himself was trying to go for a more trap friendly sound with his rapping on Blacc Hollywood. He didn't sound very good on a lot of these tracks. He was either using a boring, unoriginal flow or trying something new and failing. First and foremost, though, there were a few solid tracks on this album. I enjoyed the hit single, We Dem Boyz. Even though I don't think Wiz should use auto-tune that much, I felt it worked well on this track. This was just an exciting, infectious song. House on the Hills was a good track as well. I felt Wiz rapped well here, getting a bit personal with the lyrics. The hook was catchy, and then Curren$y comes in with a great verse. That is pretty much it for tracks that I thought were actually solid here. Hope, The Sleaze, Still Down, and True Colors, were just okay, and I had no problem with these. Every other song, though, was straight up bad. Promises was a weak love ballad, and KK was a boring track with a very annoying hook. Even Juicy J could not save that song, with a weak verse at the end from him. This album really hit a low point once it got to the three-song stretch of Ass Drop, Raw, and Stayin Out All Night. These were the three worst on the album, and it was torture to hear them all in a row. Ass Drop was a confusing, schizophrenic song, with its constantly changing beat and awful content. Raw was a boring trap banger that was pretty hard to listen to. Wiz just should not go down that lane. I felt Wiz Khalifa tried a lot of different things on this album, but a lot of them didn't work. Some examples would be his flow on the track So High, and his singing attempt on the hook for True Colors. Neither of these sounded flattering. I will give credit to True Colors, as it was a decent way to the end the album and Nicki Minaj's verse was pretty tolerable. Overall though, this album was a bit of a dud from Wiz. It had no cohesion, and the album tried too many different things. I think Wiz should stay in his lane, because in my opinion, Blacc Hollywood was one of his worst projects ever.

BLACC HOLLYWOOD WRAP UP
+A few pretty good songs
+Some nice relaxing production here and there
-Too many boring, unoriginal instrumentals
-Wiz did not impress me with his rapping
-He tried alot of new things, most of which felt forced and did not work for him

Best: We Dem Boyz, House in the Hills, Still Down

Worst: Raw

Wiz Khalifa- Blacc Hollywood
4.3/10

The Underachievers- Cellar Door ALBUM REVIEW

Today's review is on the debut studio album from The Underachievers, Cellar Door. The Underachievers are a Brooklyn duo consisting of rappers Issa Gold and AK. These guys are a big part of the "Beast Coast" movement with groups like Pro Era and Flatbush Zombies. Unfortunately though, The Underachievers are the only group out of the three that I have not loved. I wasn't a fan of their 2013 mixtape, Indigoism, and I don't know what it is, but for whatever reason none of their projects have really connected with me. I am really hoping that this new project changes my mind. Will The Underachievers finally make me a fan on their new album?

On Cellar Door, I found myself constantly loving the production. While I was a fan of the beats on Indigoism, the production on this project is a step up in every way. The instrumentals on this album could be described as old-school New York beats, but with a very modern, psychedelic twist. I don't think there were any beats on this that I didn't like, but some of them certainly stood out more than others. I think my favorite production came on the song Quiescent. This was the prime example of the boom bap-atmoshperic blend i talked about. The drums on this track were strong, and gave it a hard vibe, but there were many psychedelic sounds and jazz rhythms flowing in the song too. The song Radiance, which was produced by boom-bap maestro Statik Selektah, was another song that gave me a huge Brooklyn vibe. I loved when the drums would start hitting in the middle of each rappers verse, and the beat had some bright synthesizers in the background too. There were some instrumentals on Cellar Door that gave me a different vibe as well. The beat on the opening track Luminescence was very dark, menacing, and featured some minimalistic drums. I absolutely loved it. Two songs, Chrysalis and Incandescent, featured beats that could almost be described as trap. They were head-boppers with some serious trap influence, but I loved that these still featured the same trippy Underachievers sound. The last one to talk about is the last song, Amorphus. This track had the most abstract, odd beat on the project. The sample that was playing throughout this song made for a very composed, but also exciting beat, and I thought this one was one of the best on the album. This album featured stellar production all the way through.

Now, my main problem  on last years project, Indigoism, was Issa Gold and AK's rapping. Not to say these guys are bad rappers, because they definitely aren't, but I wasn't feeling their flow. At times it sounded like they were trying to rap as fast as they could when it just didn't work for them. It would end up sounding sloppy and rushed. While that happens a bit here too, I think these two cleaned it up a lot for this album. The Underachievers sound more focused, their flows are tighter, their words are clearer, and their rapping is just so much better overall. This album also brought an interesting change: I think AK is a better MC than Issa Gold. On Indigoism I felt Issa was outshining AK on almost every track, but now its the other way around. AK sounds fantastic throughout this project. He sounds hungry, and his flow was exceptional. Don't get me wrong though, I still think Issa Gold is a strong MC, as he can rap fast, and has a unique inflection to his voice. The first track on this album, Luminescence, showed me right away how much these guys have improved. I loved the structure of this song, with the two MCs just trading off very short verses for the whole song. It sounded like the two had awesome chemistry and I loved all the bars on this track. These guys also rapped extremely well on tracks like Metropolis, where they took on a lyrical concept, Felicity, a very inspirational song, and Quiescent, where AK stole the show with an outstanding verse. While the rapping on this project was crazy, another part of the album that impressed me was the hooks. I didn't hear many hooks I liked on Indigoism, but here the Underachievers killed it on the tracks that had hooks. The song Caprice had a grimy, old-school chorus that you can just bang your head to. Incandescent featured a melodic, fun hook that I really loved too. My favorite though was definitely on the album closer, Amorphus. The sample on this song, which made up most of the beat, was fleshed out to become the whole chorus, and it sounded great. Issa Gold's ad-libs throughout the chorus gave it some grit, too. Overall I thought Cellar Door was a dramatic improvement on all fronts for The Underachievers. Both MCs sound great and the beats stayed very psychedelic and cool. I loved the length of the project at only 12 tracks, and their focus was just so evident on this album. Add Cellar Door to the growing list of great hip hop albums for 2014, which is becoming an excellent year for rap.

CELLAR DOOR WRAP UP
+Issa and AK's bars on this album were very strong all the way through
+AK's improvement is exceptional
+Fun, catchy hooks
+Clean, atmospheric production
-A few songs really paled in comparison to the others

Best: Luminescence, Incandescent, Amorphus

Worst: Chrysalis

The Underachievers- Cellar Door
9.1/10

Sir Michael Rocks- Banco ALBUM REVIEW

Today I am reviewing the debut album from Sir Michael Rocks, Banco. Mikey Rocks is a member of hip-hop duo The Cool Kids with producer/MC Chuck Inglish. Up until this point, Sir Michael Rocks has just been doing music with Chuck as a group, so I am interested in what he brings to the table as a solo artist. While I like The Cool Kids, and I also like what this guy does with his guest verses, I am a little skeptical of how a solo album by him would sound. Will Mikey Rocks surprise me and come through with a good album on Banco?

The production on this album was....something. It was different for sure. Banco may be the weirdest, most unusual collection of songs I've heard this year. Being "out there", though, does not always mean good. None of these beats really blew me away or had me really loving the production. For the most part, I was just listening to this album confused. There were a couple instrumentals that I thought were decent at best. The song Lost Boys had a relaxed, but spooky vibe to it with its eerie strings. It also developed nicely, adding in some guitars. The song Ain't Nothing Like featured DJ Mustard on the production, and he delivered a good, not great beat. It was classic Mustard sound, and the beat was a definite head-bopper. Besides those two, these instrumentals were just weird and forgettable. Songs like Memo, Bussin, Drug Dealer, and Killswitch really tried to have great beats, but to me they just ended up sounding unappealing. Others on this album, like Playstation 1.5 and Fuck Seaworld, just featured beats that were somehow unusual and boring at the same time. These did not catch my ear at all. This album as a whole just stood out in an awkward way. Aside from two good ones, I wasn't impressed with Banco's rather abstract production.

The way I feel about the production is very similar to how i felt about Sir Michael Rocks' rapping performance on this album. I never really understood what this guy was trying to do on this project. While I have liked this guy's rapping performance on features, as well as Cool Kids albums, he completely disappointed me on Banco. First of all, I feel like Mikey Rocks just tried way too hard to be a more versatile rapper on this album. He was over all kinds of beats, and trying to do way too many things. This experimental approach does not fit Rocks at all. This album saw him trying auto tune, singing, freakishly weird skits and different kinds of rhyme schemes, all of which sounded forced and awkward for him. I was not feeling this guy's rapping on any of these tracks. I felt his lyrical performance was just uncomfortable. He had weird lines all over this album and he just never sounded very good, in my opinion. The only track on Banco that I felt was great was Lost Boys, a song carried by Trinidad James and Mac Miller before Rocks started rapping at the end. Speaking of features, they were actually pretty decent on this album, and they sounded a lot more like they knew what they were doing than Mikey Rocks. Twista, as usual, put in a good verse on Some Ish. Casey Veggies continued his string of good features on Bussin, and I really liked Robb Banks on Killswitch. These guys could not save this album though, from being a bizarre, uncomfortable listening experience. I think Mikey Rocks is a solid MC, but he did not execute this debut solo album well at all.

BANCO WRAP UP
+Some pretty decent instrumentals
+Good feature verses
-Sir Michael Rocks totally missed the mark
-Rocks' flow sounded forced and not great
-Felt too unusual overall to be good
-Awkward vibes from the album, with weird skits and failed experiments

Best: Some Ish, Bussin, Lost Boys

Worst: One Time

Sir Michael Rocks- Banco
4.8/10

Cormega- Mega Philosophy ALBUM REVIEW

Today's review will be on Mega Philosophy, the new album from veteran New York rapper Cormega. I am fairly new to Cormega, as I have only listened to him on a few feature verses up until this point. I liked his flow, but the guy just didn't stick out too much to me on the mic. Once I heard that the 41 year old MC was dropping a new album, I decided to give it a listen, and I really didn't expect much at all. Will Cormega surprise me with this new project, Mega Philosophy?

The production on this album is handled entirely by Large Professor, someone who is universally respected in hip hop. This guy has been at it for decades and I always get that classic New York feel when I hear his beats. That is no different on this project, as the production on this album was a real throwback. Sure, some of these beats sounded a little dated or unexciting, but there were not any bad instrumentals on this entire album. I enjoyed the boom-bap style that this production had, and I felt it matched Cormega perfectly, being a veteran MC from New York. The beats on this project could definitely be described as classy and polished. This was not a grimy, street New York album. Many of these beats, such as Industry, More, Divine Unity, Honorable, and Rap Basquiat sounded extremely clean, fancy, and elegant. I enjoyed the way Large Professor fused classic boom-bap beats with this very classy sound. The song Home was a change of pace, though, as this one sounded a more gritty and tough than the others. With this track coming at the end of the album, it was great to hear some griminess on this project. Overall I really liked the production on Mega Philosophy. It didn't do anything new, but it featured a collection of very polished, clean, New York beats from Large Professor.

While I did just praise this album's production, the real highlight of this project is Cormega's lyricism. My expectations were way too low for this album, as I didn't hear that much lyrically from this guy on his features. On Mega Philosophy, Cormega blew me away with his very socially conscious, smart verses. On track after track, Cormega would just have lines that stuck out and really made me think. This album tackles various lyrical themes, such as the current rap industry, Cormega looking back on his childhood in New York, and this guy's current place in hip hop. My standout lyrical song is definitely Industry. Almost every line on this song opened my eyes to something that is wrong with rap today. Cormega talks about how labels mistreat their artists, and how money controls the music. Cormega also sounds fed up with the young rappers here, talking about how he will still murder them lyrically, and how he just doesn't care how they dress. This song was fantastic, with a veteran rapper making intelligent observations about what rap has become over the years. Even though every single track here was great lyrically, my other standout is the closer, Valuable Lessons. On this track, Cormega gets incredibly personal, talking about his childhood, and how much he has grown learning lessons from tough times in his life. I really appreciate this guy's honesty, and how smart his bars are. There was literally no bad lyric on this whole album from Cormega. I even thought he stood out among his features on this album, which is a feat considering some of the MCs he had on here. Every featured rapper on this project was a lyrical, veteran rapper like Cormega. The second track, MARS (Dream Team), featured hip hop greats AZ, Redman, and Styles P. It was an awesome posse cut, with great bars being dropped everywhere. The song Honorable had Raekwon on it, and he sounded fantastic, as he has on all the great albums he's been featured on this year. The two guest singers on this album provided melodic, soulful hooks, and the rappers I did not talk about did a solid job too. The only feature moment I couldve done without was the monologue at the end of the song Rap Basquiat. It was just a bit too corny for me. Overall though, the lyrics really made this album great. Cormega was spitting truth on every song here, and he seriously made me think about many different issues with his wise lyrics. I can't complain about any of the rapping here. Cormega surprised me greatly, and I'd say Mega Philosophy is one of the best albums I've heard this year.

MEGA PHILOSOPHY WRAP UP
+Incredible lyrical performance from Cormega
+So many great lines
+Cormega is a very smart and insightful songwriter
+Good job by all he features
+Old school production from a legendary producer
+Beats had a nice classy edge to them

Best: MARS (Dream Team), Industry, Valuable Lessons

Worst: Rap Basquiat

Cormega- Mega Philosophy
8.9/10

Common- Nobody's Smiling ALBUM REVIEW

 

Today, I will be reviewing Common's new album, Nobody's Smiling. Common is someone who has really made a long term impact on the rap game, someone who must be respected by everyone. This guy has dropped some classic albums, and has always been known as a socially conscious and smart lyricist. Now, at 42 years old, Common is back with a new project, and this one seems like one of his most serious ever. How will Nobody's Smiling sound?

Much like previous albums, Common works with famed producer No I.D. for the entirety of this project. I don't have a problem with this at all. as No I.D, is definitely one of my favorite producers and him and Common have an undeniable chemistry. Common always sounds comfortable rapping over a No I.D. instrumental. On this album in particular, I really enjoyed the production. It was nice and varied, in classic No I.D. fashion. A word that really defines this production is moody. This is an emotional album, and the beats really help bring feeling to the album. The instrumental on the first track, The Neighborhood, was atmospheric and calm, but also brought some energy with all the different instruments playing in the background. Not every beat here was complex, though. No I.D. put together a lot of minimalistic, simple beats on Nobody's Smiling. The song Speak My Piece only makes use of some interesting percussion and a classic Biggie sample that is chopped up awesomely. Hustle Harder is another song that only had some simple drums, but i loved the boom effect of these drums, and the song came off eerie and quiet, in a very cool way. My favorite beat on this whole album, though, is the song Kingdom. This song really threw it back to some old school Chicago rap. I loved the soul sample going through the beat. It sounded inspiring, uplifting, and fantastic. This was another beat that was pretty simplistic, but still epic. While there were some forgettable beats on this album, I still liked the majority of them. I can also safely admit there was not a bad instrumental on this project. No I.D. did a great job setting the mood for the album, even with beats that were not very complex.

The rapping performance by Common on this album was excellent. Common's best asset has always been his lyricism, and he really brings that on Nobody's Smiling. A lot of the album sees Common, one of Chicago's greatest rappers ever, shedding light on the city's terrible gun violence. Common is speaking a lot of truth on this album, and you really have to focus on everything he says. This guy's lyricism is obviously the main focus here, and that gave the album a very serious tone that I liked a lot. Right from the first song, The Neighborhood, you can tell Common means business. On this track, Common drops a lot of smart lines about the state Chicago is in right now. He even gets some help from another Chitown MC, Lil Herb. The young rapper spits an aggressive, ear-grabbing verse that I loved. This was definitely a standout song for me. Another great track was the title track, which came off very dark and shady. I enjoyed this song, once again, because of what Common was saying. Common shows a soft side on the track Real, a song I felt was absolutely beautiful. On the last song, Rewind That, Common reminisces about his passed friend, J. Dilla. He brings up a lot of memories he had with him on this song, and it was a fantastic way to end the album. While I liked these tracks a lot, there were a few too many forgettable songs here for such a short album. No Fear, Diamonds, and Blak Majik were all just okay to me, as was the song Hustle Harder. The song Diamonds in particular was just completely ruined by Big Sean. This guy further proved why he's one of the worst rappers in mainstream right now. I would have liked this song had he not been there. The single for this album, Kingdom, is a really good song overall. It featured passionate verses from Common, great production, and a show-stealing verse from one of my favorite rappers, Vince Staples. The only problem with this track was its length. At six minutes, this song goes a little too long to be all that enjoyable. Overall though, Common brought out his usual lyrical fire on Nobody's Smiling, and the features were solid, for the most part. This was a good album, but it was hindered by a few very forgettable tracks.

NOBODY'S SMILING WRAP UP
+Common is an incredible lyricist
+Album flows very well
+Pretty solid features
+Simplistic, but very good production
-Some corny songs
-A few beats didn't sound as polished as others

Best: The Neighborhood, Kingdom, Rewind That

Worst: Hustle Harder

Common- Nobody's Smiling
7.7/10

MellowHype- I Need Some Answers ALBUM REVIEW

My review today is on MellowHype's new album, titled I Need Some Answers. While I don't currently have the insane, unreasonable respect for them that I used to have, I really do love Odd Future. This collective has produced some extraordinary talent, and I have loved their output over the past few years. I am huge fans of Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, and even Mike G. I can safely say I have never felt this way about Hodgy Beats and Left Brain, who make music together as the group MellowHype.Their 2010 album, Blackenedwhite, is their only work that I like, with their other two albums being mediocre, in my opinion. As Odd Future's first release of 2014, how will MellowHype's new project, I Need Some Answers, go over with me?

Starting with the production, Left Brain has always been such an inconsistent producer to me. He seems to just rely on wacky sounds and heavy synthesizers. Unlike Khris P, a producer I love who has this same strategy, Left Brain's beats just end up sounding messy or boring most of the time. Don't get me wrong, this guy had made some pretty good beats, but they come around way too little. The majority of Left Brain's instrumentals do nothing for me. Unfortunately, that does not change on this new album. A lot of these beats sounded really similar in sound, which wasn't good, because the sound was just such a bad one. Very heavy synthesizers, no rhythm, and nothing to really bop my head to. Some of these instrumentals had some trap influence, but they still had no pop or energy to them. There were only a couple beats here that I thought were tolerable, like I am A. This track was a huge change of pace, instrumentally. Left Brain actually flipped a sample and repeated it throughout the song. Mixed with some eerie piano, this was the only good beat on the whole album. Some beats, like the songs The Daze and Belly, went for an atmospheric vibe, but these didn't hit me either. The beats on the tracks Gang, Nowadays, Cold World 2,  and DLX were just way too similar to one another to be effective. One beat, though, that was just absolutely horrendous, was the song FiFaFoFum. This song repeated a very annoying synth line throughout the whole track, and it was paired with this awful mixture of another high-pitched synth noise and some annoying drum sounds. It was just a mess, and it sounded terrible. Overall with the production on I Need Some Answers, I did not like it. These beats were repetitive, boring, and they did not have any energy to them, even when they were trying to. I have heard Left Brain make better beats before. This production sounded so lazy to me.

Now its time to talk about Hodgy Beats. He is an MC who, like Left Brain, is inconsistent. I have heard this guy spit some solid verses, but he has a lot of forgettable ones too. I would say he's the most boring rapper in Odd Future. Something about Hodgy, though, is that he feeds off of his production. If the beat is great, Hodgy will usually rap well. If the beat is mediocre, Hodgy's bars will usually not do anything for me. This is why the only Mellowhype album I like, BlackenedWhite, is so good. Left Brain's production was awesome, Hodgy fed off of it and rapped extremely well. With this album, the exact opposite happens. These beats were not good, and Hodgy came off very average to me. My main gripe with Hodgy Beats on this project is that he sounds exactly the same on every single song. His inflection never changed, and he really had the same flow throughout the album. It got very boring very fast. He also has an annoyingly high voice on this project, which is a problem I have never had with him before. I think this project would have benefited from some features too. Hearing no one rapping but Hodgy for eleven songs, I very nearly fell asleep. Just one Earl verse, or just one Domo Genesis verse, would have improved this project greatly. Hodgy Beats took a step back on I Need Some Answers. I used to think he was a decent spitter, but with this, he's gone down a notch. He sounded very average and dull throughout this album.

I NEED SOME ANSWERS WRAP UP
-Lazy production from Left Brain
-Many of the instrumentals sounded the same
-Boring rap performance from Hodgy Beats
-He never changed up his flow or delivery once during the whole album
-No features

Best: I am A, 7, The Daze

Worst: FiFaFoFum

Mellowhype- I Need Some Answers
3.1/10

Lil Durk- Signed to the Streets 2 MIXTAPE REVIEW

Today, I'm reviewing the brand new mixtape from Chicago rapper Lil Durk, Signed to the Streets 2. This guy is a young, up-and-coming artist who is a big part of the new "drill music" going on in Chicago right now. This also includes guys like Chief Keef, Lil Bibby, and Lil Herb, who released a really solid tape earlier this year. Durk was a 2014 XXL Freshman, and produced a lot of hype with the first Signed to the Streets mixtape, which was pretty decent. How will his new project fare?

Lil Durk is just okay as an MC. I know this guy is still young, but he leaves some technical ability to be desired on this tape. He uses the same flow on a lot of these songs, and his rhyme scheme is pretty basic. On the other hand, Durk, much like Lil Herb, has fantastic delivery. This guy commands a lot of attention on tracks because of his pure hunger and energy. To me, Durk always spits like he has something to prove, as he just sounds angry and powerful on these verses. A huge part of this mixtape is auto-tune, which is kind of a hit or miss for Lil Durk. Sometimes the auto tune songs are really good, and one of them in particular is absolutely stellar: Don't Take It Personal. Everything about this song works, from the insanely catchy hook to Durk's energetic verses. This was by far the standout song of the whole project. Some other auto tune songs I enjoyed were War Wit Us,  Feds Listenin, and What You Do To Me. I also liked a few tracks that didn't have auto tune, like Ready For Em and Don't Know Me. Unfortunately though, there are so many forgettable songs on this tape. A lot of them are too similar in sound, with lame auto tune choruses, and generic Durk verses. Ten Four, Rumors,Party, I Made It, Gas and Mud, Perfect Picture, and Hell In My City were all so forgettable and boring, in my opinion. As far as features go, there weren't many, and I wish there were more. Lil Durk is not at that level yet where he can carry a whole project by himself. The one track that had features, Lil N***az, was another boring song that had dull verses from Migos and an awful one from Cash Out. Overall, Lil Durk showed potential on Signed to the Streets 2, but the end result was not great. A few really good songs saved this mixtape from being bad, but it still was decent at best.

With the beats on Signed to the Streets 2, there is not much to say. This mixtape is full of standard, boring drill music instrumentals. None of these beats really stand out from one another. One positive I can give to production is that it matches Lil Durk's energy. These beats are loud, and are perfect for the way Durk is spitting. It's just that the beats are not good. Some of them had little things that separated them from each other, such as some piano keys or female singing vocals, but these changes just were not strong to give this mixtape any variety. While I thought the production on this album was pretty weak, I will say that it was not surprising and that I didn't expect anything different going into this project.

SIGNED TO THE STREETS 2 WRAP UP
+Lil Durk brings lots of energy to the mic, and has some interesting flows
+A few great hooks
-Boring, weak production
-No variety

Best: War Wit Us, Don't Take It Personal, What You Do To Me

Worst: Live It Up

Lil Durk- Signed to the Streets 2
6.0/10

Ab-Soul- These Days ALBUM REVIEW

Today I'm reviewing the very anticipated new album from Ab-Soul, These Days. As with many hip hop fans, Ab-Soul is one of my favorite rappers in the game right now. The main reason for this is just how witty he is. This guy is nerdy, and it shows in his incredible vocabulary and wordplay. He has always had a lot of substance behind his songs. His 2012 album, Control System, is just amazing to me. That album really shows how smart of a rapper Ab-Soul is. Will he be able to follow it up on his new project, These Days?

Starting with the production, this album is an extremely mixed bag of beats. Every song has a very distinct, whether good or bad, sound to it. I like a good majority of the instrumentals on These Days, as some of them really impressed me. I absolutely loved the beat on Just Have Fun. It had such a cool vibe to it, and the emotions really came through on it. This album is very good at setting a mood with an instrumental. The song Closure, a very sad and mournful track, had a perfect beat for what Ab-Soul was saying. It really hit hard. I liked the rather abstract beat that J. Cole put together for the song Sapiosexual. It sounded like nothing else I've heard this year, but once again, I felt it really felt the nature of the track. The beat on the track Ride Slow, which was produced by Mac Miller, was really dark and sinister. It was almost nightmarish with how scary it sounded. I absolutely loved it. These were all great, but no beat on this comes close to Kendrick Lamar's Interlude. This one was jazzy, smooth, and it took some crazy twists and turns as the song went on. It was a complex, but very well made instrumental. A few songs on this album made use of beat changes midway through a song. On the song Tree of Life, the switch felt a little random, as the two beats were really different. I loved the second beat here though. I liked the transition a lot more on Dub Sac, where both beats were very relaxing and cool. Overall with the production on These Days, it sure had variety. While there were some beats that paled in comparison to others, such as the lame DJ Mustard rip off on Twact, this album featured a lot of instrumental highlights.

With the content on These Days, I felt a little conflicted about it. I was disappointed with this content in comparison with Control System. The thing I loved about that album was it was a real showing of Ab-Soul's unique personality, and the fact that this guy could just rap about substantial things no one else would rap about. He had a real identity as a geeky wordsmith and interesting rapper. On These Days, I didn't get much of that. I heard a lot of Ab-Soul copying some of hip-hop's current popular stereotypes. While I understand this may be the theme of this album, especially from the album title, some of these ideas just werent executed well. The song Twact was a real dud, with Soul failing on making an ignorant song. This song sounded like it should have been on YG's new album. Hunnid Stax was similar, and this track came off very boring and Ab-Soul didn't even sound like he was trying. Nevermind That, which featured Rick Ross. was another song I really didn't like at all. This song had no memorable moments. It was sloppy, and I felt there was just too much going on. I had no idea what Ab-Soul was going for there. Luckily, this album is mostly made up of great songs, whether or not they fit with the personality I loved on Control System. The first track, God's Reign, was absolutely awesome. Soulo's verses were really solid and SZA really killed the hook. She sounded amazing. I liked the song Dub Sac too, with Soul making a catchy and fun, but also deep track. Closure was an emotional track that I was blown away by. I have not heard this much emotion from him since The Book of Soul. His devastated tone really hit me on this song as he rapped about his passed girlfriend. Sapiosexual featured some very interesting lyrical content, and a fantastic singing interlude from Isaiah Rashad. Speaking of features, they really came through on the next track, Stigmata. This song had a super catchy chorus and great verses from both Action Bronson and Asaad. While I was a bit let down by Jay Rock's verse on Feelin Us, I still felt it was a decent track. My favorite song on this whole album, though, was easily Ride Slow. This song had an all-star lineup of rappers, with Ab-Soul's solid verse leading into an awesome hook delivered from Earl Sweatshirt. Danny Brown then completely murders the song with his outstanding verse. This track just gets darker and crazier as it goes on, ending with a great verse from Mac Miller, as Delusional Thomas. The last song I must talk about was Kendrick Lamar's Interlude. On this song, Kendrick and Ab-Soul unleash a lyrical attack that is just insane. Kendrick sounds angry, passionate, and hungry on his verse. This interlude from Kendrick was honestly the best part of this whole album. Overall with These Days, I was disappointed by some awful songs and the fact that Ab-Soul's personality from Control System was just not there. On the other hand, this album made up for it with some terrific songs and features.

THESE DAYS WRAP UP
+Ab-Soul is still an awesome lyricist
+Some very well-exectuted songs
+Great features
+Variety in the production
-A few lazy, uninspired sounding tracks
-Liked Ab-Soul overall a lot more on Control System

Best: Kendrick Lamar's Interlude, Stigmata, Ride Slow

Worst: Nevermind That

Ab-Soul- These Days
8.3/10

MID-YEAR TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2014

It is already the midpoint of 2014, and that means it's time to list the top ten albums of the year so far. This list, as with all the lists, is not at all based on the scores the albums got in reviews, but is more based on replay value and my overall enjoyment of the album.

10. Future- Honest

 

Future really hit the mark on Honest. The album is full of really catchy hooks, banging instrumentals, and endless energy. This is mainstream pop rap done right.

9. Rick Ross- Mastermind



Rick Ross came back with a great new album, Mastermind. This album excelled with its luxurious, rich production combined with Ross's gruff delivery. The features helped this album a lot too, bringing some variety to it.

8. Ab-Soul- These Days



While I will get more into this album in its upcoming review, I can say that Ab-Soul dropped a great project. Its variety is incredible and the album is extremely ambitious.

7. Sean Leon- Narcissus, the Drowning of Ego



A project that came out of nowhere for me, Sean Leon impressed me on many levels with this album. His very abstract rapping style was solid, and this production was just dark, sinister, and haunting. I loved the vibe of this album.

6. Step Brothers- Lord Steppington



The first album I reviewed all year, Lord Steppington was able to stay in the top 10. This album showed what hip-hop is all about, with grimy, hard production from The Alchemist and awesome rapping from Evidence, Alchemist, and all the features.

5. Isaiah Rashad- Cilvia Demo



Isaiah Rashad's TDE debut was absolutely fantastic, and this guy has such a bright future. I loved the contrast of this project, with Rashad spitting ferociously over some relaxing, chill beats. This album also featured great hooks, which made it really catchy.

4. Ugly Frank- Bobby Hill



Ugly Frank showed on this project why he is my favorite member of ILLFIGHTYOU. Incredible production from Khris P set the stage for Frank to do his thing, and he did it. This guy showed himself as a fun, crazy, and unpredictable MC.

3. Schoolboy Q- Oxymoron



The long awaited album from Schoolboy Q may have actually lived up to its massive expectations. Q killed it on all fronts with Oxymoron, as the album was energetic and wild, but also shed light on Schoolboy Q's tough personal problems with drugs.

2. YG- My Krazy Life



The surprise album of the year for me, YG came out of complete oblivion to drop one of the most memorable rap albums I have heard in recent years. YG told his story of gangbanging in Compton through the music. The beats went hard, the hooks were catchy, and the features were great on My Krazy Life.

1. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib- Piñata



The undisputed #1 for me, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib have held down this spot and it will be tough to knock them out. Freddie Gibbs sounded extremely focused, and Madlib's smooth, soulful beats were just amazing. I have no complaints with this album, these two were just a perfect match.

5 Most Anticipated Albums for 2014

Kendrick Lamar's New Album
Jay Rock's New Album
Lil Wayne- Tha Carter V
Joey Bada$$- B4.DA.$$
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire- The Marvelous Mind of Mr. Muthafuck