Allan Kingdom's major debut may not be particularly groundbreaking but it is still a very strong first offering that manages to push the envelope of what is modern hip-hop that much more. With shades of Cudi, he's got a bright future ahead of him.
My expectations for Run the Jewels 3 were sky high after their first two projects and they delivered in every way possible. It's new age riot music that'll push any system to it's limits and they attack songs with such rage and ferocity that you have no choice but to pay attention. This has cemented them as one of the greatest duos to ever do it and this could easily go down as their magnum opus.
Skyzoo dropped off a fully realized project that's a complete celebration of blackness, fatherhood, and community; and while it's overall tale is a small, personal affair, the way he paints the picture makes it feel like a much grander journey and by the ending's heartfelt revelation I found myself fully invested. Add to that an ridiculous pen full of rewind worthy gems and phenomenal production makes this a top tier hip-hop album that must be heard.
Russ has finally broken through with his major debut, There's Really A Wolf. Instead of going out and getting big names or experimenting with the formula he sticks to his tried and true ways that got him here. That makes it a comfortable listen, but a bit disappointing that he didn't have any surprises for longtime fans. Some subject matter started to wear a bit thin by the end, but it was an overall enjoyable album.
King Krule's latest is not an easy album by any measure; you can’t just throw it on and immediately be taken in, it’s meant to be sat with and slowly digested as its many idiosyncrasies slowly reveal themselves. But once I let go of my expectations of what an album is supposed to sound like, I couldn’t help but get pulled into his mad soundscapes of isolation, anxiety, and slightly out of tune instruments. It’s as much a work of art as it is an album, but for someone who loves the odd and experimental as much as I do, The OOZ was about as rich an album as I’ve heard all year.
This was no holds barred Eminem and from the opening track alone he shows everyone just how lethal he is on a mic and the sharp, concise, and focused nature of the album makes this one of his most realized albums yet.
Swae Lee just solidified the claim that he's the most talented out of Rae Sremmurd with a project full of lush cruising music and pop/R&B experimentation that paid off far more than one might imagine. Out of all 3 offerings, "Swaecation" is by and far the real standout of the bunch.
Mike WiLL Made-It was the real draw for this album and his production was pretty much the only thing that kept me pushing on through Edgewood. That's not to say that I think Trouble is a particularly bad rapper, it's just that I don't think much of anything about Trouble in general. There's a considerable lack of charisma or even energy with everything he does that left me feeling indifferent.
On 'Redemption' Jay Rock has clearly pulled out all the stops and it's resulted in his best, most complete project to date and a perfect pairing of his more traditional gangsta rap sensibilities and rap's more modern sounds. This is the definitive Rock album we've been waiting for and it stands tall even among this summer full of giants.
Mr. Davis is more of the same trap rap we've come to expect from Gucci Mane with a greater level of refinement and bigger name features. I appreciate the added sheen and there are a few stand out moments, but I prefer when he's left to his own devices and when his music is a bit rougher around the edges.
Dramatic piano-driven soul and uplifting lyrics make Logic and Ryan Tedder's "One Day" a very enjoyable listen.
Boogie's major debut won't go down as a game changer but it is a highly focused project that delivers on his vision and is true to his artistry. Albeit, it could have benefited from a few more bright spots on the otherwise melancholic affair.
The Chief was a strong debut from the 'Classic Man' singer that despite having some familiar elements of generic top 40's pop, did enough to create a mostly unique approach that I think solidified him as a legitimate artist, and not a gimmick.
If you're looking for some insane wordplay from one of the best lyricists out there and love Premier's classic scratches and essential hip-hop beat making then you're in for something special. If however, you're looking for that more contemporary style of rap that's full of breakdowns, beat switch ups, conceptual stories, and experimentation with other genres, then this is definitely not for you.
Lil Baby & Gunna's latest is yet another collab project that does very little, if anything, to push either one of their careers forward. It's largely an unremarkable cash grab.
4 Your Eyez Only takes his recent minimalist approach a step too far. Aside from a few tracks, the production is heavily sedated and lacking anything memorable. If it wasn't for his immense ability to paint vivid pictures with his lyrics, it'd be a tough one to get all the way through .Ultimately, he's one of the most important hip-hop voices of this generation, but he struggled with meshing his message with interesting music.
While "Activated" is still full of bangers and hard-hitting rhymes, it at times feels like Tee Grizzley is trying to escape his image as a 'street level' rapper and tap into more commercial success - which is understandable, but it's not when he's at his best.
HNDRXX lacks the hard trap music but it seemed to soak up all the emotion and feeling that was missing on FUTURE, and it had a higher quality feel to it that made it my favorite out of the pair. I think however, he would've been better served combining the best elements from both projects to create something truly memorable.
DAMN. is Kendrick's most contemporary and immediate album yet and the fact that he's able to pull it off without sacrificing his artistic vision or insane attention to the detail is an accomplishment all in itself. In short, DAMN. is the embodiment of hip-hop, in every form and facet.
It's not a bad album - the production is good, although not as good as Daytona, and more of an extension of TLOP - but ye was a major letdown for anyone looking for something more behind the self-centered, PR shtick we've gotten for the past month.
There's really not a whole lot to say about Kolorblind, there's a handful of knocking songs that warrant a few spins and seeing Nas on here was an unexpected surprise, although it was more than a bit underwhelming, but there's nothing as big as "Too Much Sauce" and there's nothing that would make Future's greatest hits. At this point you either love/like Future or you don't.
N.E.R.D's long awaited return isn't nearly as impactful protest music as they'd like you to believe but it is a wild ride nonetheless. On another note, it's taken nearly a decade for the rest of music to have even remotely caught up with their experimental sounds, so that's a testament to their vision in itself.
Southern U.S. of A., home of hospitality, birthed a rap sub-genre as inhospitable as they come...Is it the imminent danger in the sound? The dark illegality of the subject matter? The clothes, tats, and implicit violent tendencies of the performers? Actually, trap began as all of the above and more...
Harder Than Ever is a polished, effortless listen that shows off his full range as an artist. If nothing else, it's great proof as to why Lil Baby might just be next up.