TOP 20 HIP HOP PROJECTS OF 2013

It's the end of the year, and it has been a very good year for hip hop. This year was so powerful and high quality, in my opinion that I've decided to do a top 20 list instead of my usual top 10. I couldn't conclude a top 10 for this amazing year, so why not extend it with more great rap albums? Without further ado this means it is time to reveal my very thought-out list of the top twenty hip hop projects of 2013. This list is not at all based on the scores these albums got in their reviews, but rather things like replay value and how much I enjoyed the music overall.

20. Denzel Curry- Nostalgic 64




Young Florida rapper Denzel Curry came through here with a personal and introspective album, something I wasn't really expecting when i initially heard a song or two of his. N64 featured some great atmospheric beats and smart rhymes about a variety of different topics. I also liked this project a lot for his cool and relaxed vibe, something that is always a welcome change from high energy bangers.

19. R.A. the Rugged Man- Legends Never Die

Legends Never Die was R.A. the Rugged Man's triumphant return to rap. After not releasing an album since 2004, he came back and dropped a fantastic album. R.A. can really make a song about anything, as he says what he wants and has no regrets about it. This guy has insane technical ability, and I'm always left wondering how he is even rapping this fast or how he managed to connect one word with another. R.A. is a true legend in hip hop and this album was a solid reminder of how talented he's been for so many years.

18. Danny Brown- Old

While it was slightly disappointing coming off his 2011 masterpiece XXX, Danny Brown's first big-time studio album was pretty solid as an overall project. He continued his style from XXX of splitting the album into two stylistically different halves, and he shows his signature creativity and personality throughout. Old has its fair share of wild bangers,  good feature verses, and serious emotional tracks, the latter of which make up a stunning section of the album that is my favorite for sure. Danny remains one of my favorites in all of hip hop after this one.

17. Vince Staples- Stolen Youth

This tape is even further evidence of Vince Staples' ongoing come up as an MC. Laced with a collection of fun and atmospheric beats from Larry Fisherman (Mac Miller) Vince tells stories of personal triumph and the streets he grew up on. He is pretty consistent throughout this project, and he switches up his subject matter a lot. Add in some big name features dropping great verses and this mixtape sounds pretty nice to me.


16. CJ Fly- Thee Way Eye See It

Prior to this project I had really only thought of CJ Fly as a Pro Era member in the shadow of Joey Badass. I had heard a few solid verses but nothing to really shake off the mindset I had about him. Thee Way Eye See It totally changed my whole opinion on him. Hearing a full body of work from CJ introduced me to some brand new sides of him. He can be a really good storyteller, evidenced by some of my favorite tracks on this tape. He even worked some really nice catchy hooks into some of these songs. It is always good when a rapper seems to go from being sort of nondescript to being a real artist, and CJ easily did that on this project. 

15. Cakes da Killa- The Eulogy

This mixtape came out of nowhere for me, but I am so happy I found it. Cakes Da Killa put together one of the most energetic, crazy, and dynamic projects I have heard in a while. Cakes' flow is unreal, and the beats on this album are incredible. The Eulogy has its own unique sound, and I think the individuality of all these tracks is truly what made me like it so much.

14. Chance the Rapper- Acid Rap

Even if I didn't feel this project didn't deserve the crazy amount of praise it got this year, Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap is still a damn good project, and I'm happy he has broken out into the scene as a result of it. He wastes no time in creating his own style on Acid Rap, coming through with a banging intro track that sets the tone for the sounds of Chance's drug-riddled adventures. I loved the overall vibe this mixtape had, and I'm really excited now to see how Chance follows it up.

13. Flatbush Zombies- Better Off Dead



On Better Off Dead, New York trio Flatbush Zombies only improved on their winning formula of eccentric voices and lyrics over some dark and creative production. This mixtape flowed nicely and the Zombies really know how put all the elements together and make a great collection of songs.A special shout out to Meechy Darko, because this guy manages to make my jaw drop on a lot of his verses. The guy has a unique voice that pushes the zombie themes of this tape forward and goes wild on so many of these beats.


12. Kanye West- Yeezus

Kanye killed it once again with a very good solo album. I enjoyed the odd, industrial, angry, vibe of this album and his abrasive, memorable lyrics were fun to listen to. This album only proved to me how much of an innovative artist Kanye is, as time and time again he is creating a new sound for himself.

11. Mac Miller- Delusional Thomas

Mac Miller had a great year. After releasing a successful studio album in the summer, he comes right back and drops this gem of a short mixtape, Delusional Thomas. Mac was so creative on this, creating a psychopathic alter ego by altering his voice and making some seriously dark and sinister rap music.


10. Killer Mike and El-P- Run the Jewels



The exceptional duo of Killer Mike and El-P get together on Run the Jewels for an aggressive, raw, and nasty collaborative album. On Run the Jewels, these two seasoned vets trade bars over some classic El-P production, and it just sounds fantastic. My favorite thing about this album is how Killer Mike's hard, direct lyrics coexist with El-P's dense, odd wordplay. Even though the album didn't have much of an actual concept or theme, it didn't have to with the amount of energy and hard bars these guys hit you with.

9. ASAP Ferg- Trap Lord



With Trap Lord, A$AP Ferg showed why Rocky isn't the only MC to watch out for from the A$AP Mob. Ferg is a funny and unique rapper on Trap Lord, He uses an awesome rapping-singing hybrid, making a lot of these songs very catchy and memorable. This album's strengths are pure, genuine ignorant fun, and that's what gives Trap Lord a lot of replay value for me. Its hard not to like someone just having fun making catchy trap bangers.


8. Childish Gambino- Because the Internet

An album that has been praised time and time again this year, Because the Internet deserves it. Gambino impresses me more and more with every project, and here he weaved together a socially aware and deep concept album. Childish Gambino consistently wows me with his smart punchlines, which are put together with his conscious and topical lyrics. Despite being a pretty lengthy album, I never got bored due to the constantly changing narrative and the way he seemed to be getting deeper and deeper as it went on. Gambino establishes himself as one of the best with the crazy amount of content and symbolism he packs into this story.


7. Pusha T- My Name is My Name



Once I heard Pusha T's first solo album was finally going to drop I got pretty excited, and sure enough My Name is My Name was this guy's best work yet. This project was just what I wanted out of it: Pusha T spitting some crazy bars over some smooth, old school, underground type beats. The features on this album were great and Pusha T solidified himself as one of the best rappers in the mainstream right now. The man has been impressing me for years and it was really satisfying to hear an official entire body of work from Pusha.

6. ILLFIGHTYOU- ILLFIGHTYOU



Seattle hip hop trio ILLFIGHTYOU came out of nowhere and dropped an absolutely killer mixtape. These guys simply spit over some really unorthodox, but well done instrumentals. Each of these three rappers have their own special qualities, and you feel a huge sense of chemistry, that these guys just love making music together. This mixtape was dope and these guys have a bright future in the underground.

5. A$AP Rocky- LongLiveA$AP



A$AP killed it with this album, which was a versatile collection of tracks that showcased this guy's bag of tricks perfectly. This had radio hits, druggy slow songs, lyrical songs, and even a straight hip hop song with seven rappers on it. A$AP's flow is simply impeccable, as he changes it up so much that it makes each song exciting to listen to. A$AP Rocky simply knows what he's doing, and is one of my favorite artists right now.

4. Durag Dynasty- 360 Waves

California rap trio Durag Dynasty got together with legendary producer The Alchemist and crafted an excellent album. This album was pure spitting all the way through, as Planet Asia, Tristate, and Killer Ben are some of the most proficient and talented rappers I have heard in a while. Alchemist's beats on this album were layered, dense, and perfect for the rapping competition these guys seemed to be having in the songs.

3. Earl Sweatshirt- Doris

Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt's very long awaited debut album, Doris, was exactly what I wanted and way more. The dark production was nice, and so were the features, but the main highlight is the incredible rapping skill that Earl possesses. His lyricism on Doris is the best its ever been, and he has a lazy flow that is somehow also exciting to listen to at the same time . Every time this guy comes with a new crazy line or thought provoking set of bars he just delivers it in such a unique way. Earl is easily one of the best rappers to burst into the underground in a while, and being this young he's got an amazing future ahead of him


2. Tyler, the Creator- Wolf



With Wolf, Tyler continues to show me why he is one of the most creative people in hip hop right now. Tyler put so much passion, effort, and artistry into this album, and it shows in the music. Tyler stepped up his rapping ability and this was the best production I have ever heard him do. The best part is that Tyler was flawlessly able to tell the album's story through the music. He does this beautifully, and this ends up sounding more like a movie than a collection of songs. Fantastic.

1. Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire- Kismet



Brooklyn MC Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire simply put together an album with no flaws. Kismet had terrific cohesion and the songs easily flowed together. The production was insane, with everything from creepy atmospheric beats to radiant soul samples.  Exquire is a pure enigma as a rapper, yet he has literally everything I look for in one. He will deliver some hilarious, wildly inappropriate lyric, followed by a series of ancient religious passages or a vocabulary word that you have to go Google. He is extremely grimy and raunchy. but also very intellectual and spiritual at the same time. The hooks here are catchy, his gruff voice and delivery come straight out the 90s New York hip hop scene, and he really goes at you  from so many directions and angles on this album. Exquire succeeds at all risks he takes on Kismet, and that's why it is album of the year.

Childish Gambino- Because the Internet ALBUM REVIEW

Childish Gambino is definitely one of the most intriguing artists in hip hop today. A lot of this is due to his past as an actor and comedian, as he was already a well-known name before he went into rapping. I have not really been a fan of this guy so far. Even though his first two projects, Camp (2011), and Royalty (2012) were both extremely different, neither of them clicked with me. While I know he is a great rapper with interesting lyrics and a cool personality, I haven't seen him put together a cohesive, good project. Will it happen with Because the Internet?

Starting with the rapping, Gambino was on top of his game on this album. While not every song featured rapping, Gambino spit hard on some songs. He still has lyrics that are just intriguing to listen to, as he combines brutally honest, personal lines with simple, funny punchlines. Gambino also knows how to make some good topical tracks. A good example of this is the third song on this album, Worldstar. Only Childish Gambino would do a song about WorldStarHipHop, and he does it great, with humorous lines everywhere and references to the website. Another fantastic showcase of lyricism was the song No Exit, where he sounds like a real psycho who doesn't have a balanced view of reality, He is being paranoid about everything and he sounds crazy here. It is awesome to listen to, with memorable lines all over the song. From technical standpoint, Gambino is very solid. His flow changes up a lot on this album. My favorite showcase of his flow would have to be the song Sweatpants. He totally kills it here, flowing over the beat at different speeds and rhyme schemes. It really is proof of how natural rapping comes to this guy. My last, and most surprising note about Gambino would be how well he sings on this album. A lot of these tracks are poppy love songs with singing hooks, which he does very well. Songs like Shadows, 3005, Pink Toes, and Telegraph Ave all feature catchy, well done hooks. I really can't complain too much about these songs, except for that some of them sound a little too happy for my liking. Still, great job by Gambino being diverse and doing lots of different things.

To say it simply, the production on this album are stellar. For the most part, these beats are very futuristic, atmospheric, and have a lot going on. Clearly, a lot of work went into these instrumentals. The first one that really impressed me was the song The Crawl. During the hook, the beat was minimal with some simple, low piano sounds, but then, the beat suddenly drops into an explosive, dark synth pattern that sounds sick. This beat was incredible and the song as a whole was a highlight of the album. Another wild instrumental, and possibly the most wild on the album, was the song Zealots of Stockholm. This was the most experimental song on the album and it went over very well. It started with a very soft drum clap mixed with some emotional pianos, but evolves into a cluster of many differnt sinister, dark sounds meshed together. Once Gambino starts rapping, the song features an atmospheric vocal sample. This song really is an adventure of production. It goes in so many different directions that it ends up sounding awesome. Overall, the production here was fantastic. It had so many unique moments that really separated it from your average hip hop album.

This album followed a pretty interesting theme of the internet. It was a bit of a concept album, with the last two tracks really wrapping up the story in a cool way. Earth: The Oldest Computer is a very interesting song with a cool idea, some witty wordplay and lyrics, and a solid feature by Azalea Banks. This song was decent, but the real masterpiece of this album is the closer, which is titled Life: the Biggest Troll. Gambino is very introspective on this song, as he delivers some personal lyrics about his past, as well as his future, while dishing out some great punchlines in the process. He seriously impressed me on this song, as this was the best I've ever heard him on a track. If I had to think of any complaints for this album, my main one is just nitpicking, but I really wish Chance the Rapper had a verse on The Worst Guys. His contribution to that song is so minimal, I don't even know why it's there. That is such a small complaint though, as Gambino seriously surprised me and came through with this album

BECAUSE THE INTERNET WRAP UP
+Incredible performance overall by Gambino, flow, delivery, etc. were all on point
+Sticks to his usual humorous style a lot
+Tries new things, is very bold and took a lot of chances that worked
+Terrific atmospheric, dark, unique production
+Cool story and concept
-Some songs were a little too happy/poppy

Best: The Crawl, Shadows, No Exit

Worst: Flight of the Navigator

Childish Gambino- Because the Internet
8.8/10

Black Milk- No Poison No Paradise ALBUM REVIEW

Today's review is on No Poison No Paradise, the new album from Detroit rapper/producer Black Milk. I have always liked Black Milk, but I have never considered myself a huge fan of his work. To me, he is just an enjoyable artist at best. I have always thought his production outshines his rapping, as he can be a pretty boring rapper sometimes. Will this new, entirely self-produced album change my opinion?

To start with the beats, Black Milk's production on this project is stellar. He seems to take influences from several different types of music on this album. There are jazzy sounds, electronic sounds, classic hip hop sounds, and even rock sounds here. Even with its variety, the beats maintain a dark, solemn vibe for the majority of this album. On a lot of these beats, Black Milk doesn't try to do too much with the beats, sticking with more minimalistic sounds. One of the beats where that happens is the song Dismal, where there is really not much going on, just some creepy synthesizers and soft drums. It is a very interesting beat that has a distinct vibe to it. Another simple, but effective beat is the song Sunday's Best, which just uses some soulful choir samples and booming drums. The following song, Monday's Worst, comes in with a similar instrumental, very soulful with catchy drum sounds. This album does have some seriously funky beats, though. The first track, Interpret Sabotage, comes in with some wild electronic synthesizers that sound epic. The song Ghetto DEMF has more high pitched synthesizers which fuse nicely with the hard, fast paced drums. This album's lone instrumental track, Sonny Jr., is an interesting jazz and hip hop blend. This song has it all, the smooth horns, quick drumming, and cold pianos, topped off with a nice synth pattern that sounds very well done overall. The instrumentals on No Poison No Paradise were unique, versatile, and extremely impressive.

Aside from the beats, the highlight of the album was Black Milk's lyricism. He tells some honest, realistic Detroit hood stories on this album, letting you know where he came from. My favorite display of this was the song Perfected On Puritan Ave. Here, Black Milk paints a vivid picture of his childhood, describing everything from playing basketball with his friends to finding out a man just got jumped. It is a rather grim representation of Black Milk's past in Detroit. Another storytelling track on this album is Sunday's Best. On this song, Black Milk describes the religious family that he grew up with. He talks about having to go to church in the morning when he really didn't want to. The detail he goes into is awesome, talking about what he had to wear to church, and how he would rather just stay home and play video games. It is a terrific track that has an interesting topic, and Black Milk kills it. Many tracks on this album have one simple topic that Black Milk expands and goes into detail with. Songs like Parallels (a love story), Deion's House (dealing with a friend's mother who didn't like him), and Money Bags (people in Detroit doing anything for money).

This album's weakest link is probably Black Milk's technical rapping ability. While he is definitely not terrible, he just isn't unique at all from that standpoint. He doesn't change up his flow, and he has a pretty uninteresting voice. The only track where Black Milk really impressed me with his rapping was on the song Interpret Sabotage, but this was only because he was rapping a lot faster than usual. Of course, all of this is fine because Black Milk's lyrics are clearly the focus of the album, and that definitely works. As far as features go, there were only a few, but I didn't have a problem with any of them. I thought Black Milk and Black Thought had great chemistry on Codes and Cab Fare, and Black Thought's verse was stellar. On Ghetto DEMF, Quelle Chris jumps in for an entertaining and well executed verse.

NO POISON NO PARADISE WRAP UP
+Great topical tracks
+Black Milk's lyricism is fantastic, he can tell stories flawlessly
+Very personal and honest album
+Great instrumental variety
+The album keeps up a solemn, dark sound
-Black Milk doesn't have great technical rapping skills

Best: Codes and Cab Fare, Perfected on Puritan Ave, Dismal

Worst: X Chords

Black Milk- No Poison No Paradise
8.3/10

Hopsin- Knock Madness ALBUM REVIEW

Today, I'm reviewing Hopsin's highly anticipated new album, Knock Madness. Hopsin is definitely one of the most polarizing artists in hip hop. He has many dedicated, obsessive fans, and also many people who just hate his guts. I feel like one of the only people in the middle. I think this guy is very creative, honest, and brings something different to hip hop. At the same time, Hopsin is corny, and I believe he has gotten lots of recognition just by dissing artists who are way better than him (Tyler, the Creator). Hopsin has been working on this album for years now, so will he put out a good finished product?

Straight from the get-go, the intro, Fiends are Knocking, was fantastic. This song had an epic, dominant vibe to it. The hook was very catchy, and got stuck in my head after multiple listens. Hopsin clearly put a lot of passion into this hook, and it sounded great. In the verses, Hopsin brought some honesty about his fanbase, talking about how long it took him to put this album out, among other things. Hopsin's lyricism was on point in this song, as usual. This song really had me believing this album would be amazing. Another song I really loved was the third one, Who's There, which featured labelmates Jarren Benton and Dizzy Wright. Jarren had the first verse, and wow. This guy renegaded the entire track with this verse. It was just a monster verse, filled with nasty lines and a rapid-fire, forceful delivery. Jarren really came through here. While Dizzy and Hopsin weren't as good, they still had nice verses. This was a pretty good song and I also liked the simple, dark production on it. Rip Your Heart Out was a really good song. What really caught me on this one was the beat. It was grimy, unique, and it definitely took influence from other genres. Hopsin was seriously spitting here, and Tech N9ne showed up for a good, entertaining verse. Oddly enough, Hop was on par with Tech during this song, making it a very impressive song, rapping-wise. Another good song was Hip Hop Sinister, which came at about the halfway point of the album. This song had some more dark production which was cool, but the real highlight was Hopsin's rapping. He is literally yelling on this song, and he sounds extremely angry. While this might sound like a gimmick, Hop pulls it off in a pretty authentic way. He had lots of memorable lines and you can definitely feel his passion on this song.

The second half of this album also brought some good songs. Good Guys Get Left Behind was actually a touching love song from Hopsin. He delivers the lyrics in a way where you can tell how emotional he is about the girl. The hook was also quite catchy here, and Hopsin's emotion was quite evident. This song also had an upbeat piano instrumental that just sounded really sentimental. Another very passionate song was Old Friend, which is better known as Ill Mind Of Hopsin 6. This was a story about Hopsin losing his best friend to crystal meth. Hop sounds extremely hurt on this song, even getting choked up during the verses as he reminisces memories with his friend. He just sounds so intense on this track, making it a very interesting listen. The hook here was great as well, as it sounded very chilling and was catchy. The beat brought the same vibes, and this whole track was just so strong and emotional. Things got more wild and fun on the song Jungle Bash, which featured SwizZz. This beat was extremely intriguing, as it seemed to combine so many different sounds to create something quite catchy and memorable. Hopsin was really good on this track, flowing effortlessly and bringing some great lines. SwizZz was just as good, using his unique voice to spit a solid verse. This hook was awesome as well. It was really catchy and set the tone for the whole song. This song was fun and a highlight, for sure. Hopsin came through with yet another passionate, emotional track on Dream Forever. This one was way more dark and simple in terms of production. Hopsin sings pretty well on the hook, and this might be my favorite hook on the whole album. It had so much emotion and sounded really smooth. This song sounded like Hopsin spent a while with it and put so much into it. The whole vibe of the song is very cold and somber, which I liked. This was just a great song overall. The closer, Caught In the Rain, was just a nice, fitting end to this album. Hopsin was very honest with his lyrics, and he really told his story with fame on this song. This song, once again, has a great hook. I liked this song overall.

Hopsin suffers from one major problem on this album: he can be horribly corny. This is pretty much the reason why I don't like half of the songs here. The second song on the album and main single, Hop Is Back, just sounded like a gimmicky disaster. Hop throws out some pointless shots towards Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, and the hook was horrible. While he does have some nice lines once in a while, this just did not appeal to me at all. Tears to Snow was just boring and uninspired, and there were much better love songs to be found later in the album. Speaking of bad love songs, Still Got Love For You was the worst of the bunch. The beat was atrociously corny, and the lyrics were more of the same stuff. The hook was the deal breaker, as Hop comes with this horribly annoying voice that just sounds extremely unappealing. Another corny track was Lunchtime Cypher. Hopsin's talking in the beginning of the song was so pointless, and I just wanted to tell him to shut up. While the beat and verses were pretty nice on this song, it drags on way too long and the track never changes up. Also, neither of the features were as good as Hopsin, and I wish he just had someone like Jarren Benton or SwizZz on this track. The songs I didn't talk about were just the same story. Either they were very, very corny like Nollie Tre Flip or Gimmie that Money, or just boring like I Need Help or What's My Purpose.

KNOCK MADNESS WRAP UP
+Hopsin is a very passionate MC who puts everything into his music
+His emotion is evident on a lot of these songs
+A variety of pretty good instrumentals, for the most part
+Some of the hooks are extremely catchy and memorable...
-...But some of the hooks are awful and not executed well at all
-Suffers from being unbearably, horribly corny at times
-Some of the songs end up sounding very similar

Best: Fiends Are Knocking, Who's There, Rip Your Heart Out

Worst: Still Got Love For You

Hopsin- Knock Madness
7.3/10

Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire- Kismet MIXTAPE REVIEW

Today, I'm going to be reviewing the new mixtape by New York underground Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire, which is titled Kismet. This guy pretty much personifies what New York hip hop is all about. He is dirty, grimy, and very raunchy. I always love Exquire when he is featured on something, but have never listened to a full project from him. I know this tape came out a few months ago, but I have been meaning to review it and now I have finally listened to it. Will Exquire deliver with this new mixtape?

The first track is called The Cauldron, and this had an incredibly interesting beat. It was very dark and atmospheric, but was balanced out by these high pitched, electronic synth sounds. It was awesome and set a dark, chilling vibe for the tape. Exquire comes in with some pretty personal lyrics which were also introspective. He sounds emotional and his flow is very smooth as well. This track didn't even have a hook; it was just Exquire spitting one memorable line after another for the whole song. It was a strong intro and really set the tone. Noble Drew Ali was the next song, and this beat was just stellar. It was unique and mixed so many different sounds together to make something awesome. Exquire brings more personality here and some really entertaining lyrics. The lyricism was definitely the standout of this song, as I loved his lines here. This song really had no weaknesses. The next song is titled I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, and it comes in with a very catchy hook that definitely got stuck in my head. The beat was once again very atmospheric and airy, but had some strong drums in there. I didn't enjoy Exquire's rapping as much on this, as he didn't sound as focused. This was still a fun, catchy song though. After a short interlude, the song Cherry Raindrops comes in, and this was a personal track about a relationship. Exquire goes into the topic with lots of interesting and memorable lyrics. Exquire sounds really passionate on this song, and you know he put a lot into it. This song undergoes an epic beat change midway through, as the song becomes more dark and abrasive, and it seems like Exquire mindstate about the girl has totally changed on this half of the song. His lyricism was still there, and he flows nicely over the beat. This song was very, very good and definitely a standout.

The end of Cherry Raindrops transitions right into the next track, Vanilla Rainbows, which comes in with a funky, old school beat that sounded great. Exquire flows perfectly over the beat, which just develops as the track goes along. By the end of the song, this beat sounds incredibly smooth. This song ran a little short, but was still memorable for how unique the beat was. Things get a lot darker on the next track, Illest Ni**az Breathin. This hook was just so infectious. It was simple, but worked perfectly over this hard hitting trap instrumental. Goldie Glo's verse was very understated, but so much so that he sounded a little weak. I wasn't feeling his verse that much. Exquire comes in and steals the show, though. He delivers an awesome verse with some of my favorite lines of the whole mixtape. His flow was extremely on point as well. The next track, Chains, had an interesting idea, and its strongest asset is the lyricism. I wasn't feeling the beat that much, though. I definitely like Exquire more over dark beats rather then smooth, upbeat ones like this. Heron had the second verse here, and he had some good lines, but not much else. This song just didn't hit as hard as the others on this mixtape. The next song is called Hoes I Don't Remember. Exquire definitely delivers lyrics about the title of the song. He was extremely entertaining here, and the beat was great, as it was very relaxing but became more energetic during the hook. It was a perfect balance. I loved Exquire on this song, especially in the end when he just starting naming off, literally the hoes he doesn't remember. This song was just so memorable and Exquire was amazing on it.

The next song is a monster posse cut titled Tomorrow's Gone. This song features Danny Brown, Nacho Picasso, and Flatbush Zombies. This beat was just fantastic. It was extremely sinister and dark, and perfectly tailored for Exquire. He came in and delivered a sick verse. He had so many quotables in this verse and his flow as perfect on it. Danny Brown then came in and killed it with his eccentric delivery and rapid-fire flow. He also had some hilarious lines in his verse. After Danny's fast verse, Nacho Picasso comes in with a very slow flow that works extremely well on the song. You get to hear all his awesome lines here. He also has a very cool voice, and he just sounded terrific. Flatbush Zombies killed it as well, as Meech, Erick, and Juice all bring their own flavor into the song with some hard-hitting, short verses. This song was awesome, and I have no complaints about it. It might be one of the best posse cuts I've ever heard. The next song Orbz, was much slower and relaxed. Exquire used a more eccentric, weird delivery here, and it sounded great. He is definitely a creative rapper, and you can tell just by the way he says the words on this song. Exquire flowed over a beautiful, airy instrumental. The next song was a one-minute song called Never Running Again. This track was fantastic, and I really wish it was long. This was one of the best beats on the album and he rapped with serious skills here. He sounded passionate and his lyrics hit so hard here. This song had no flaws besides its length. The final song on this mixtape is called Paper Hearts, and this came in as a huge change of pace from the rest of the tape. The production was soulful, happy, and upbeat. This beat was just created so perfectly, as the soul sample and booming drums were mixed flawlessly. It is seriously one of the best beats I've heard in a while. Exquire flows a lot faster over this, and he sounds amazing.  His flow was pretty much perfect and he also had some seriously personal lyrics. This song gets even better with the sick beat change in the middle. The hook here was also seriously catchy, and it had a positive message. This mixtape couldn't have closed out any better.

KISMET WRAP UP
+Exquire somehow combines grimy, street rap with intelligent, smart rap
+He is an amazing lyricist
+He is definitely one of the most creative rappers out right now
+Stellar production, very atmospheric and smooth
+Some terrific song ideas
+Great hooks and song structure

Best- Noble Drew Ali, Tomorrow's Gone, Paper Hearts

Worst- Chains

Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire- Kismet
9.6/10

Vic Mensa- Innanetape MIXTAPE REVIEW

Today, I'm reviewing the new mixtape by Vic Mensa, titled Innanetape. Vic Mensa is a young Chicago rapper and former member of Kids These Days. This is my first time listening to a full length project from Vic, but I did love his feature on Acid Rap by Chance the Rapper. Will Vic's new mixtape make him one of my favorite underground rappers?

The first song is titled Welcome to INNANET, and this song comes in with some very hard-hitting drums under a smooth, relaxing beat. Vic flows in many different ways here, as he goes from slow to fast and back to slow pretty fast. I can see he has tons of technical skill. As he combines this with some interesting lyrics, Vic becomes an awesome rapper to listen to on this song. This intro hit hard and was definitely a solid song to start this project off. This song transitions right into the second track, Orange Soda. This instrumental was definitely more laid-back and calm. The hook is catchy and Vic shows that  he can really sing. He goes into the verses with some aggression and he has plenty of great lines. This song was stuck in my head, and an impressive piece of work because of how unique it is. Things get more poppy on Lovely Day, as this song was happy and upbeat. Vic continues to constantly change up the way he raps. It makes him such distinct MC. The hook, while very generic, is very catchy and fun to listen to. This was another very impressive song to start off the mixtape. Fellow Chicago artist Chance the Rapper joins Vic on the next song, Tweakin. This was a pretty sick beat, as it was more of a traditional hip-hop beat. I loved the hook on this song, as well as Vic's very quotable verses. The highlight was definitely Chance, though. His verse was filled with personality and charisma. his lyrics were memorable and it was just a great verse. This song was terrific, and definitely a standout.

The next song, Magic, was quite average. It just did not resonate with me the way the first song did. I didn't love the instrumental and the hook was just okay, though he did sing well again. The mixtape went back to being great on the next song Time is Money. The airy, relaxing instrumental sounded great, as Vic flowed over it with perfection. His lyrics on this song were more personal, and they were compelling to listen to. I was extremely impressed with how lyrical Vic was on this song. The hook here was also great. It was simplistic, but it just worked and had a great message. On the third verse, Rockie Fresh comes in and kills it, as he provides a nice contrast to Vic. He delivered the verse with such confidence and delivery, and it sounded terrific. This song was really good and I have no complaints with it. YNSP was next, and I did not like this song nearly as much as others. The hook just sounded hastily thrown together, and I didn't like it too much. This song may have been a little too happy for me, and it was not executed as well as others. This song does get a pass for hte female vocalist, as she sounded fantastic, and was the best part of the song. This track goes right into the next one, Hollywood LA. Another happy song, this one was very relaxed, but I just didn't love it. The beat was nothing special, and Vic sounded a little more generic on these verses. His lyrics were pretty good, but not enough to save this song. The only great part of this song was the bridge before the hook, which sounded nice. Still, this song was average.

The next song, Holy Holy, came in with a soft, minimalistic beat that I liked a lot. Vic had some nice, introspective rhymes on this song, reminding me how good of a rapper he really is. The beat became really good on the hook, which sounded serene and beautiful. Ab-Soul has a verse on this song, which was a very personal one about his passed girlfriend. You could really feel the emotion in his voice, and it was a pretty good verse. This song was another standout, and it was a great listen. After this song, I  felt that the mixtape became lackluster and forgettable. The song Fear and Doubt just felt awkward, as I didn't like the beat or the verses by Vic and Joey Purp.  The hook was so poppy and I wasn't feeling it at all. There was nearly nothing I liked about this song, aside from Joey Purp's verse, which was actually better than Vic's. Yap Yap was just not interesting at all, featuring another lazy hook and verses I wasn't liking too much. This song was honestly just boring. Run was the next one, and it was probably the most experimental on the mixtape, but it just came off sounding weird and forced. I appreciate what they were trying to do with this song, but I didn't like it at all. The closer was called That Ni**a, and this one was way better than the three songs before it, but still not that great. I liked how personal Vic was with the lyrics, but that was about it. The beat was mediocre and the hook was lazy again. This was an uneventful closer to this mixtape.

INNANETAPE WRAP UP
+Vic is a very creative MC, with many different flows and styles
+Some very interesting, unique beats
+Unlike anything I've heard in a while
+He can definitely sing, and has some very well executed hooks
+Great features
-Some really bad songs
-On a lot of tracks, he doesn't say much lyrically
-Inconsistent

Best: Orange Soda, Lovely Day, Time Is Money

Worst: Fear and Doubt

Vic Mensa- Innanetape
7.6/10

ILLFIGHTYOU- ILLFIGHTYOU MIXTAPE REVIEW

It's amazing how important the internet is in hip-hop these days. The internet has helped me find underground artists that I would have never heard of otherwise, such as Joey Bada$$, ASAP Rocky, and Odd Future. Today I'm reviewing a project that someone called the best album of the year on a forum. After seeing that, I had to give it a listen. Will this album from Washington rap trio ILLFIGHTYOU live up to other great internet releases?

Let me start off by saying these guys can RAP. From a technical rapping standpoint, each of these three guys have everything I look for. Their flow is constantly changing up, their delivery is very solid, and they just sound very comfortable over the beat. While at first, I had trouble figuring out who was who, I was able to tell them apart after more listens. Evergreenone might be my favorite of the group, as he has an awesome voice and he had lots of sick lines throughout the album. Khris P has an odd voice, but his delivery is great, as he has a lot of energy when rapping. You can tell he's having fun. Ugly Frank might have the best flow, as he always changes it up and can rap over pretty much any beat. Lyrically, these guys aren't amazing, as they just rap about the usual stuff. They do have plenty of good quotables, though, sometimes making some pretty obscure references. These guys sound best on a track with no hook, just straight rapping, kind of like a cypher. The song Brooklyn definitely has this, as all three of them kill it. The songs Bandaid and '92 follow a similar formula, and it is just so much fun to listen to. They can seriously spit. These guys also can put together a pretty good, catchy hook sometimes, like on the songs DDT and Gertrude.

While the rapping is very high-level on this album, I think this album really shines instrumentally. There is just so much variety here, as the beats just cross all territories. Most of them feature weird, unorthodox sounds, but they are mixed so well that it sounds catchy. One of my favorites is definitely the song Midnight. The beat is dark, but very upbeat at the same time. It is just so well made and sounds very smooth. Massacre has a ridiculously good beat as well. It is very catchy and my head was bopping throughout the song. The drums were really crisp and the vocal sample was looped flawlessly. Once the hook comes in, horns are brought into the beat and it sounds perfect. The first song, Ding, also had an awesome instrumental, with huge drum booms going through the song. It is an unorthodox beat, but it sounds fantastic. I really can't complain about a single beat on this album.

ILLFIGHTYOU WRAP UP
+All three of them are very skilled rappers
+They really know how to flow over a beat
+Very creative instrumentals
+Lots of variety with beats and the way they rap
+The chemistry is there, you can tell they're just having fun making music

Best: Brooklyn, '92, Massacre

Worst: Renegade

ILLFIGHTYOU- ILLFIGHTYOU
9.4/10