Mac Miller- The Divine Feminine ALBUM REVIEW

With Mac Miller, you truly never know what you're going to get. The Pittsburgh rapper's career has been a roller coaster thus far, with total artistic shifts that seem to happen every few albums. When Mac really made a switch in sound in 2013 on Watching Movies with the Sound Off, it seemed like he found something he was comfortable with. He only cleaned it up on GOOD AM, a pretty solid and fun album with some good replay value. Mac is a guy who is always experimenting and doing new things with his musical range, so let's see if he evolves further on The Divine Feminine.

After some thorough listens with this album, I feel a lot of different opinions going through my head about it. With a situation like this, it can be difficult to properly review the project. On The Divine Feminine, Mac Miller took a pretty sharp turn from his last project, which was a high-energy collection of uptempo tracks. This new album is only 10 songs, all centered around women, love, sex, and in general a lot of the lessons he's learned from women throughout his life. It's pretty interesting to see Mac go ahead and create an album with a core structure and concept like this. He's dabbled in love songs in the past, but here he's making it a centerpiece of the artistry. How he went about making the music, though, is where my opinions change. While I am impressed by the album concept and flow, I'm disappointed in how a lot of these songs sound. Mac had an excellent thought process towards this album, but in my opinion the execution was off.

The Divine Feminine has a very pretty, relaxing, and atmospheric sound throughout it that I'm pretty into. Mac got some good producers together for this album, and I think it sounds professional and gets the romantic concept across. My main gripe with this album, which oddly is something I liked a lot on GOOD AM, is Mac's vocal performance. I honestly didn't like how he approached a lot of these songs vocally at all. His singing has never really resonated with me and on this he seems to do it more than ever, which single-handedly turned me off of some songs. There were also times where I felt his vocals made songs with otherwise good features not nearly as good. There's the track Cinderella, where I think Ty Dolla Sign put in a good hook, and the overall melody of the song is very nice. But, Mac's rapping didn't do anything for me and it felt boring to listen to. A couple of songs here were a bit unbearable because of how Mac sounded. Soulmate, Congratulations, and Skin were all, in my opinion, some of Mac's weaker tracks that he's done. Some combination of bad singing, boring flow, or corny lyricism made these tracks lowlights for me. Another gripe I've got here is the song lengths. While I think this project flows pretty well, some of the songs go on for way too long and I think a lot of people will just get bored eventually. Songs such as Stay, Cinderella, and We were pretty decent, but going on for over five minutes didn't work in their favor.

There were a small handful of songs on this album that really saved it, and reminded me that Mac Miller simply has tons of talent. This guy can put together incredible songs, and I was at least happy he flashed that a little bit on The Divine Feminine. Dang! with Anderson .Paak, is absolutely phenomenal, and the best track on the project by a long shot. I know I had complained about song length, but this song has the catchiness, melody, and emotion to justify that length. Everything about this song is awesome, and I wish Mac went with grooves like this more often on the album. Planet God Damn was pretty solid as well, as it had a laid back vibe I liked, combined with a very well-done hook. It seemed like Mac didn't try nearly as hard on this track, effortlessly delivering his lyrics over the beat in classic Mac Miller fashion. The only other song here I was substantially impressed by was God is Fair, Sexy Nasty, where I feel Mac and Kendrick Lamar put together a fun, melodic collaboration that combined the direction that both artists seem to be going in these days. Kendrick sounded great singing all over this and Mac's rapping was solid. Lastly, this song wasn't Mac's best singing performance but I need to shout out My Favorite Part for Ariana Grande's performance. She totally saved this track from complete boredom, sounding so strong and confident. Her singing impressed me so much, and I liked when her and Mac started singing together near the end too. I really enjoyed these tracks and they flashed a lot of potential that Mac has when he does romantic songs. The thing is that this potential didn't show nearly enough here. The album isn't bad, but I don't think its very polished. Some lazy singing, odd song lengths, and boring tracks really led to this album being sort of mediocre. 

Wrap Up
+Cool, unique, and interesting concept for Mac Miller to go with
+Album flowed together well and some single tracks were true standouts
-Mac's singing sounded subpar for the most part
-Some songs were far too long to enjoy
-Not much replay value with how boring some of the songs become

Best Tracks: Dang!, Planet God Damn, God is Fair Sexy Nasty

Worst Track: Soulmate

5.9/10

Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition ALBUM REVIEW

I'm back and ready to hit you with some reviews. Today, I'm actually talking about something pretty hard-hitting, so get ready. Danny Brown, an underground MC from Detroit, broke out into the nationwide rap scene in 2011 with his album XXX, which, if I might add is absolutely amazing. Danny showed himself as a dynamic, wild, and emotional guy on the mic. Characterized by his high pitched voice and lyrical range, Danny caught on with a lot of people. While I was a bit disappointed by his follow up in 2013, Old, it wasn't a bad album by any means. Now, Brown is back with Atrocity Exhibition. Let's see what he has in store for us now.

Even by Danny Brown standards, this album is WILD. Here we see him devolve further and further into his whirlwind of drug abuse and insanity. As he illustrates this over some of the most nutty rap instrumentals I've ever heard, I seriously get the feeling that this guy is special. Who else is doing this? He starts us off on an aptly named track, Downward Spiral. Over a pretty cool little rock-inspired groove, Danny gives us what the name of the track entails. Even with the success he's had, its so hard for him to get out of the hole he's dug for himself. This was a low-key, yet powerful opener. On Tell Me What I Don't Know, Danny notably goes in with his lower, more reserved voice that you probably remember from the second half of XXX. It seems whenever he uses this voice he's talking about some pretty real topics. With this track he's talking about the stuff that goes on in Detroit, and all the dangerous things he's seen and is still seeing today. These two tracks were solid, but I absolutely loved the next two, Rolling Stone and Really Doe. Two candidates for some of Danny's best songs ever, these two already have me thinking this album will be something special. Rolling Stone has a beat that is awesome, as it sounds so grimy and cavernous. The vocals on the hook from Petite Noir fit it perfectly and I love how they fit into the track. Danny does his thing on the verses and the song comes together very well. Really Doe is a monstrous posse cut with an all-star lineup. I loved Danny, Ab-Soul, and Kendrick Lamar's verses over the booming Black Milk beat, but it was Earl Sweatshirt's verse at the end of the track that hit the hardest. Earl is at the top of his game right now, and this verse showed how much of a grasp he seriously has on riding a beat with his unique flow. Really Doe is a candidate for best song of 2016, in my opinion.

The album relaxes a bit with the track Lost, a pretty chilled out but also slightly creepy song with Danny doing his thing over a really cool sounding sample beat. This relaxation doesn't last long, though, as the next three tracks are clinically insane. Seriously, you won't hear much rap that sounds like these. Ain't it Funny, Golddust, and White Lines are some of the most creative and crazy music this guy has ever done in his career. Never have I heard beats like the ones these tracks have, and Danny somehow just rides them effortlessly with his cackling delivery. The two I was most blown away by were Golddust and White Lines. Golddust somehow weaves in a headbanging punk guitar riff that keeps coming in and out of the track. Danny goes crazy over it and it ends up just sounding like something he was meant to do. That is how well he flows despite the abstract instrumentals. White Lines similarly has an extremely unorthodox beat and Danny just sounds great on it. Lyrically, Danny really comes back into the drug abuse black hole on this track, sounding like someone who has seriously been through some awful stuff. You are just really hearing a man fall apart on this track, and its insane how vividly Danny does this on the mic. Brown comes with a total banger on Pneumonia, a super fun track aided by Schoolboy Q's frequent ad libs in the background.

Danny goes through the last few tracks getting a lot more fun, starting with Dance in the Water, basically a banging anthem that also has some lyrical wisdom tied into it, with Danny echoing the title of the song in the hook. After From the Ground, a nice, relaxed song with a good hook from singer Kelela, comes When it Rain, a song I literally think I could write about for hours. This might be the wildest, most ridiculous song and musical concept I've heard this year. The crazy thing here is just how comfortable Danny sounds riding a beat like this that I feel like I've literally never heard anyone rap on in my life. Danny makes it into a total banger with a fun hook and rapid fire verses. The next two tracks, Today and Get Hi seem to be the only ones I'm not totally crazy about. While I love every other track I think only like these two. They're good but I won't be replaying them like I will with others. I will admit Get Hi is a funny track with B-Real fitting well on the hook. I love how Danny closes this album with the gritty Hell For It. He sounds determined here, getting past his drug abuse issues and going at the people who have doubted him. Overall this album is outstanding. I never thought Danny could make something that could hold a candle to XXX, but here he pulled out all the stops. I never thought I'd hear some of the sounds I heard on this project, but if anyone can do it, its Danny Brown. This album isn't for everyone, and it might even turn off some fans of Danny with how wild he lets his artistry get. If you really let yourself get immersed in the insanity here, you might have an extremely memorable listening experience.

Wrap Up
+Ridiculously forward thinking and wild instrumentals
+Brown keeps up his constantly excellent lyricism
+Illustrates the sounds of drug abuse better than he ever has before
+Always mixing things up with relaxed songs, bangers, serious lyrical tracks

Best Tracks; Rolling Stone. Really Doe, When it Rain

Worst Track: Today

9.6/10

Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp A Butterfly ALBUM REVIEW

Today, I am finally bringing you my review of Kendrick Lamar's new album, To Pimp A Butterfly. The entire hip hop community has been anxiously waiting for this album since late 2012, when Kendrick dropped his album good kid, m.A.A.d city. This album, one of the best of this decade in rap, showed Kendrick Lamar as an incredible rapper and storyteller. Kendrick told the story of himself growing up in the gang-infested city of Compton as an uncomfortable teenager, not sure who he was. As the album went on, the young Kendrick grew up into the man he is today, as he learned from his bad experiences. Now that this new album is out, the impossible question is answered: how can Kendrick follow up such an amazing project?

On To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar is a man. He is no longer an awkward teenager on the streets of Compton, but a grown adult who is just trying to navigate the life of a celebrity. The album follows Kendrick as he rides the emotional roller coaster of being famous. The album starts out on a fun note, with the song Wesley's Theory. From a pure musical standpoint, this song is absolutely awesome. Flying Lotus laid down an incredibly funky beat on this song as Kendrick killed it on both the chorus and the verses. Thundercat and George Clinton made great guest appearances, playing the bass and singing the outro, respectively. This track metaphorically references Wesley Snipes in its title, a black man who has been "pimped" by the fame, much like Kendrick. This leads right into the For Free Interlude, a fun two mintues in which Kendrick is rapping at his high level, but being funny. This track leads into the incredible 3rd track, King Kunta. This may be one of Kendrick's best songs ever, as the beat is infectious and catchy, Kendrick is being very lyrical, and the song has an amazing groove to it. At the end of this track, Kendrick seems to say the opening lines of a poem, one that he keeps adding lines to with the end of each track on the album. Kendrick keeps the funkiness going with the next two tracks, Institutionalized and These Walls, both of which feature singers Anna Wise and Bilal. Institutionalized was a very relaxed, laid back song which even featured Snoop Dogg on a bridge. These Walls, while fun and catchy, was just not a very interesting song to me. I appreciated the concept, but the execution left me with something I don't see myself listening to.

After a series of fun, positive tracks, Kendrick takes a complete left turn on the next track, u. All the new things going on in Kendrick's life clearly take a toll on him, as he is depressed and panicked on this track. He is constantly in an internal argument with himself, telling himself he is worthless and a failure. He talks about people from back in his hometown who he has left behind, including a friend who was killed. As the track goes on, we start to see Kendrick is drinking heavily as well, portrayed in a genius way with the bottle sounds going in and out of the track. This song was ridiculously impressive, and I simply can't see any other rappers doing something like this. On the next track, Alright, Kendrick is reassured that everything will in fact, be alright. This song had a pretty upbeat vibe and the chorus was infectious. Next up is the For Free Interlude, a dreamy track where Kendrick goes into detail on Lucy, a character he uses to represent Lucifer, which is constantly causing him to make bad decisons and have conflicts with himself. This song had an interesting meaning, but once again, this is a track I really would not listen to much. It goes on far too long and it just isn't dynamic enough to play on repeat. This is a turning point in the album, with Kendrick going  back home to Compton in hopes of finding himself.

As a result of Kendrick returning home, the next few tracks on this album start to sound like old-school, West Coast Kendrick Lamar. He talks about himself some more on the track Momma, which sees Kendrick going over all the things he has learned about as he has become a huge celebrity. Kendrick really goes in old-school mode on the next song, Hood Politics, which I loved. This song had a great hook and Kendrick had some awesome lines, including a shout out to one of my favorite rappers, Killer Mike. Just as it seemed Kendrick was leaning more towards the West Coast sound and less toward lyrics, the song How Much a Dollar Cost comes. Kendrick kills it lyrically on this track, telling a story about meeting a homeless man who asks for money, who later turns out to actually be God. This track sees Kendrick learning valuable lessons and getting less plagued by Lucy. Kendrick keeps the good values going on the track Complexion, which had an awesome, catchy hook I could really bop my head to. As the title suggests, this track states that complexion doesn't mean anything to Kendrick. Rapsody, the only guest rapper on this whole album, took her moment and owned it on this song. She laid down a great verse filled with quotables. Ironically, Kendrick sticks the very angry, pro-black song The Blacker the Berry right after Complexion, a happy, positive song. On this song, Kendrick is angry, energetic, and his delivery is absolutely gripping. Kendrick deals with racism here, coming with some powerful lines. After this comes the track You Ain't Gotta Lie, the one song on this album I can't really get behind. While it is soulful and nice, it just has no replay value for me and I didn't think the concept was nearly as strong as it was on other tracks here.

The last two songs are where the album hits its ultimate creative climax. The song i comes in as the 15th track, a song that was initially dropped a while ago, but has been replaced with a live version, and it sounds great. This song is funky, catchy, and fun, as Kendrick celebrates self-love, a complete change from the other track, u. Going with the live version, Kendrick connects the story by preaching to two fans in the crowd fighting each other. He really sounds powerful on this track, talking about being a black leader, a king and connecting it to an old African word, negus, which really means "black royalty". He at the end dedicates to the closing verse to Oprah Winfrey, one of the most successful black people ever. On the final track, Mortal Man, Kendrick wraps it up with a beautiful song where he shouts out some more black rulers, like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. The outro of this album is where it really shined, and shocked people in the process. Kendrick reads the final version of the poem he had been sneaking into the end of every track, where you see that each line of the poem connects to a certain song. It is revealed that the whole time he was telling the poem to the late Tupac Shakur. Using exerpts from an unknown interview tith Tupac, Kendrick seamlessly has a conversation with the dead rapper, talking about fame and image, things Kendrick is trying hard to deal with. Kendrick wraps it up with one final poem that shows the meaning of the "To Pimp A Butterfly" title. After reading it though, Tupac is gone, and Kendrick is once again left alone. This is simply one of the best endings to an album I have ever heard, it took me by surprise, and left me feeling that Kendrick has crafted another classic album.



Overall, To Pimp A Butterfly is a conceptual masterpiece. It is the perfect follow up to GKMC and shows Kendrick looking in the mirror to fix himself. This album has some breathtaking emotional climaxes like u and Mortal Man, while also providing, quite simply the best music I've heard in a while with Wesley's Theory and King Kunta. I would still rank GKMC over this album, though, as that album simply had less tracks that I wouldnt listen to. Songs on this album such as These Walls, Momma, and You Ain't Gotta Lie are nice, meaningful tracks that contribute to the album, but I just won't be listening to them at all. Other than that, this may go down as 2015's best rap album, and Kendrick hit it out of the park again.

TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY WRAP UP
+Fantastic concept and story
+Shocking ending
+Brought elements of jazz and funk that created great songs
+Emotional

Best: Wesley's Theory, King Kunta, Complexion

Worst: You Ain't Gotta Lie

Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp A Butterfly
9.2/10

Kid Ink- Full Speed ALBUM REVIEW

Today I am reviewing the second studio album from Kid Ink, titled Full Speed. This guy, as you may be able to tell from his album cover, is about as generic as it gets. Last year around this time I gave his album My Own Lane a pretty harsh review, but for good reason. There is nothing about Ink that stands out, and he raps the same way every time he gets on a track. He will also throw out some really cringe-worthy lines and hooks on these songs, resulting in a bad project all around. This guy does always manage to collaborate with artists I like, such as Pusha T, ASAP Ferg, and Young Thug. Full Speed is pretty much the last chance I am giving Kid Ink, so will he finally drop a decent album?

Full Speed is a pretty diverse album from a production standpoint. Kid Ink works with a lot of producers I like, and it pays off as the beats on this album were good for the most part. Some of the beats on here were pretty interesting and unique compared to ones I have heard in mainstream hip hop. The second track, Faster, had a pretty fun beat, with a grungy synthesizer leading the track to give it an almost punk sort of vibe. I liked it a lot. On the other end of the spectrum, the song Body Language had a fun, happy, upbeat instrumental, led by some pretty interesting percussion sounds. The Migos-featured Every City We Go had some subtle vocal samples to give it some real personality. The unstoppable Metro Boomin provides the beat for the song Like a Hott Boyy and it sounded awesome, as usual for Metro. While some of the beats here, namely What It Feels Like, Dolo, Cool Back, and Round Here were pretty nondescript, these were kept to a minimum on Full Speed. I liked a lot of the production on this album. For your average mainstream hip hop album, I couldn't really ask for better beats.

So yes, I thought the production on this album was pretty good. I really can not say the same about the primary artist. Kid Ink continues to be an extremely mediocre rapper. I would say he actually got worse on Full Speed. His verses were just so boring, predictable, and dull on this album. He pretty much sounds like a blend of every average mainstream radio rapper. There are moments where he tries to get unique and do something different, but unfortunately this often ends up laughable. The worst moments for Kid Ink here are the hooks. He delivered pretty rough hooks on his solo tracks, like Faster, Round Here, and the absolutely awful Blunted. The tracks with guests on the hooks were a mixed bag. Dolo, the track with R. Kelly, was a massive disappointment. Hearing one of the greatest singers ever relegated to the role he had on this song was pretty sad. Body Language was a pretty catchy radio jam that I enjoyed listening to. I can say the same about Hotel with Chris Brown, a track I actually thought was excellent. With Show Me being one of the only good tracks on Kid Ink's last album, it is evident him and Chris Brown have pretty good chemistry. Other features on Full Speed include Migos, who made Every City We Go a memorable track, and Young Thug, who even with a limited role killed it on Like a Hott Boyy. Overall for Kid Ink, this is his best album. While that is not saying much, I actually liked this more than I thought I would. I legitimately got a few good songs out of this. Unfortunately though, my opinion on Kid Ink hasn't changed, and this album as a whole was nothing more than average.

FULL SPEED WRAP UP
+Some really fun, enjoyable pop-rap tracks
+Solid features from artists I like
+Decent production
-Kid Ink never impresses
-Corny moments


Best: Body Language, Every City We Go, Like A Hott Boyy

Worst: Blunted

Kid Ink- Full Speed
5.6/10

**KENDRICK REVIEW COMING SOON**

Big Sean- Dark Sky Paradise ALBUM REVIEW

Today, I am bringing you a review of Big Sean's new album, Dark Sky Paradise. This is Big Sean's 3rd studio album, and I have had a pretty polarizing opinion on the guy so far. There will be times where I think this guy has great potential, whether it be from his good 2011 debut Finally Famous or a nice feature verse like on the songs Clique and All Me. Other times I feel Big Sean is unbearably corny and terrible, and these times have been recently. His last album, Hall of Fame, was awful. This album had almost no good qualities to it and it had me down on Big Sean. This new album, Dark Sky Paradise, looks promising, but will Big Sean really impress me?

With Kanye West executively producing this album and overlooking it, Dark Sky Paradise shines in its production and mood. The album flows incredibly well from track to track, and while every song brings something different, most of the beats follow a dark, solemn sound. This is the first album of Big Sean's that really has a true identity. Sean works with a variety of great producers on Dark Sky Paradies, including Kanye, DJ Mustard, Mike Will Made It, and DJ Dahi. The first song that stands out production wise is All Your Fault, produced by Kanye himself. He absolutely killed this song, adding some awesome female singing samples into the trap style drums. I Don't Fuck With You has two beats, one being a bouncy DJ Mustard groove and the other a soulful Kanye instrumental.The song Paradise has fat, loud horns dominating it, along with some hard drums. Possibly the most interesting and unique one here, though, is the Outro. This was an odd concoction of melodic soul samples and fast paced drum sounds. It sounded amazing, and was a happy ending to a pretty dark album. This album's production, other than some beats that sound similar to each other, is spectacular. The production of Dark Sky Paradise carries the album, and ultimately is what makes it so good.

I have expressed my disdain for Big Sean many times before, but I feel he steps up just enough on this album. Sure, he still throws out at least three incredibly corny lines on every song and has a pretty annoying voice. But on this album he shows off his best skill, which is flowing well over the beat. I think he fit this production perfectly, and he ended up sounding really good on most of the tracks. He opens up the song Blessings rapping very well over the atmospheric production, and he raps pretty fast there too. I was impressed by his technical skills not only on that song, but on many others here, like Dark Sky, Paradise, and Outro. It is clear at this point that he doesn't care much about his lyrics, and he seems to have two corny moments for every clever line he drops. On an album like this though, with such great production and sound, it does not stand out nearly as much as it used to for Sean. The other thing that really carries Dark Sky Paradise and makes it a lot better is the features. The song All Your Fault, a song pretty much dominated by Kanye West, is fantastic. It is catchy and fun, but also has a pretty dark vibe.surrounding it. With its incredibly infectious hook and solid Kanye verses, this is one of the best songs that has come out this year. As for the other features, they just elevated whatever song they were on. Drake continued his dominant run with a good verse on Blessings, and Lil Wayne took a mediocre song with Deep and saved it with some awesome bars. While hooks may be the album's weak point, with bad ones like Stay Down and I Know, there was one shining one, being Play No Games. This one was sung beautifully by Chris Brown, and it has been stuck in my head for a while. Overall, I can say I liked almost every track on Dark Sky Paradise. Even though Big Sean still isn't a great MC, he improved considerably with his skills on this album, and then the featured artists added a lot. They made the songs memorable, along with the stellar production. I am glad to say Big Sean put together not just a good album, but a surprisingly outstanding album.

DARK SKY PARADISE WRAP UP
+Big Sean improved slightly and became someone who doesn't bother me at all
+Production was extremely good being overlooked by Kanye West
+Catchy, fun, infectious tracks
+All Your Fault is a song of the year contender
+Fantastic features

Best: All Your Fault, Play No Games, Outro

Worst: I Know

Big Sean- Dark Sky Paradise
8.7/10

Ghostface Killah & BADBADNOTGOOD- Sour Soul ALBUM REVIEW

Today's review is on the new collaboration album from Ghostface Killah and BADBADNOTGOOD. This is a project I have been pumped about for a while. This collab came out of nowhere, but it is really promising and cool. BADBADNOTGOOD is basically a jazz trio who have been successful making jazz and rock remixes of popular hip hop beats, while the legendary Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan is just always awesome. He has recently released some good albums, but the BBNG production here has me way more excited for Sour Soul than I was for those. How will this collab sound throughout a full album?

BADBADNOTGOOD handles all of the production on Sour Soul, and as I expected, it was pretty stellar. The beats on this album are pretty unorthodox for Ghostface, as BBNG is really a jazz group more than they are a hip hop group. While there weren't any bad instrumentals and all these beats were good on their own, they sounded very samey across the album. Aside from a few songs, Sour Soul didn't have much variety in its instrumentals. The whole album sounds pretty sinister, dark, and dry. Most of the beats on here, while bringing cool instruments and effects, follow this formula. There were only a few beats that stuck out, one of them being Gunshowers. This track was led by an awesome string tune, with synthesizers and steady drums pacing the beat. It was super smooth and sounded great. The instrumental song Stark's Reality was also a standout. I loved the sound of this, with the vibe being very dramatic. So, there were a few that I did like a lot, and I'm not saying the beats here were bad, because I think BBNG did a solid job. I just think there wasn't much variety, and the production ended up sounding a bit forgettable.

As for Ghostface Killah, this guy is a legend in hip hop. He was awesome in Wu-Tang Clan, and continues to be with his consistent solo releases. On Sour Soul, he is back to his usual tricks, rapping with his high-pitched forceful delivery and spitting some great lines. The thing is, Ghostface only raps on eight of the twelve tracks, which is a massive disappointment. I was really excited mainly to hear him over this production, and I only get it on a handful of tracks. The ones he did rap on, though, only just alright for the most part. After the forgettable title track intro, Ghost brings out two straight bangers with Six Degrees and Gunshowers.The former is a dark, energetic fist pumping track that features an awesome feature from none other than Danny Brown. The latter is extremely smooth, with Ghost rapping effortlessly over the guitar beat. It features another Detroit MC, Elzhi, who I felt absolutely killed it, adding a new element to the song. Unfortunately, no other tracks match up to these two highlights. A lot of these were just boring to me, like Street Knowledge, Food, and Mind Playing Tricks. These solo Ghostface tracks were just forgettable, with no memorable qualities. The song Ray Gun, which featured the legendary MF DOOM, was also not great. I felt the song flowed in an odd way and DOOM just didn't do much of anything in his verse. Overall, this collab was a disappointment to me. It was very small, with Ghost only rapping several times. While Sour Soul did bring me two absolutely awesome tracks, everything else was a bit forgettable.

SOUR SOUL WRAP UP
+Cool vibes with dark production from BBNG
+Ghostface raps with usual energetic delivery
+Two great features from Danny Brown and Elzhi
-Not much variety with production
-A lot of forgettable, meh moments

Best: Six Degrees, Gunshowers, Food

Worst: Tone's Rap

Ghostface Killah & BADBADNOTGOOD- Sour Soul
6.4/10

Drake- If You're Reading This It's Too Late ALBUM REVIEW

Time for another very late album review. I promise I will eventually return to doing these reviews when the projects actually drop, but for now, expect some serious lateness. Today, over a month after its release, I am reviewing Drake's new album, titled If You're Reading This It's Too Late. Drake, arguably the most popular man in hip-hop right now, has had an interesting rap career thus far. Amidst countless amounts of controversy and hate, he has dropped some great music. His 2011 album Take Care was one of my top five favorite albums of that year, and his 2013 album Nothing Was The Same, while not amazing, was solid. IYRTITL is his new, surprise album and even though he is saying its a mixtape, he did put it on iTunes for a price, so it is essentially an album. How will Drake's new release be after consistently dropping good projects?

No matter how bad the rapping may be, Drake's albums have always had fantastic production. Constant Drake collaborators 40 and Boi-1da return on this album, bringing some great beats to the table. The production on this project is great, and I didn't hear any beats that were bad or hard to listen to. The first track, Legend, made use of some cool vocal samples and loud, high hat drums to give it an interesting contrast. The track Know Yourself also had this contrast, with banging drums to give it a real hard, hip-hop feel, but also high pitched synthesizers floating in the background to make it sound elegant. There were some tracks here like 6 God and Used To where the beats are fast, gritty, and loud, but also songs like Wednesday Night Interlude, Company, and Jungle where the beats are more traditional Drake: slow, melodic, and a real R&B feel. This project definitely has more variety than Drake's other albums, and I think this is his best production yet.

Like the production, Drake's rapping is extremely varied and interesting on this album. The first thing that jumped out to me was the style and flow Drake uses on most songs. Right from the intro, Drake combines singing and rapping, having moments where he will randomly break out into singing during a verse, or moments where he will rap a lot slower to make it sound more melodic. This is a bit of a mixed bag, but on most tracks where he does it, I like it. On Legend, he sing-raps pretty much the whole track, and I loved it. This is also present on 6 God, a track where the production is a lot more high-energy, but the sing-rap style still really works. Some other songs on this album are good simply because of how catchy they are. Know Yourself has an infectiously awesome hook and I think this was the most memorable song on the project. Energy, 10 Bands, 6 Man and Company also are great because of their great hooks. Company in particular was one of my favorite tracks on the album because of the way Travi$ Scott is utilized. This guy, one of my favorite rappers right now, brings a whole new dimension to the song, singing and rapping in a menacing, dark way. Speaking of features, there were very few on the project, but all of them were good. Used To with Lil Wayne was solid, and R&B talent PartyNextDoor gets his own track with Wednesday Night Interlude, which I thought was absolutely fantastic. He killed it. Finally, I thought Drake was killing it lyrically on this album, covering a wide range of topics. He came with a barrage of metaphors and wordplay on No Tellin, rapped to his mother on You & the 6, and fired disses to Tyga on the closer, 6pm in New York. Overall, IYRTITL may be Drake's second best work behind Take Care. This album was extremely varied, and Drake found a new style and swagger on it. There were only a few tracks I didn't like, and with the amazing production, you have an incredible project.

IYRTITL WRAP UP
+Drake sings and raps with success, sometimes doing both at the same time
+Covers a variety of topics lyrically
+Great features
+Fantastic production

Best: Know Yourself, Wednesday Night Interlude, Company

Worst: Now and Forever

Drake- If You're Reading This It's Too Late
8.6/10