Nas Discography Reviews (3/20)

I Am... by Nas definitely is a step down from his previous two albums, yet it's pretty easy for an album to look like a step down when his first two are two of the best hip hop albums of all time. I Am... really just suffers from weak curation and poor hooks. Tracks like Dr. Knockboot and KISSING really should never make the tracklist, and there are just many weaker tracks like Money is My Bitch and Big Things.

That being said, I think I Am... does truly ... read more

Nas Discography Reviews (2/20)

So bro really drops the best hip hop album of all time and then follows it up with one that can also be seen as one of the best of all time. It Was Written by Nas really shows even more evolution in his lyricism, with fantastic concept tracks like I Gave You Power, where Nas raps from the perspective of a gun, and just bangers like The Message, Street Dreams, and Affirmative Action.

So imma be totally transparent here, I really am not a big fan of Westside Gunn. Like at all. However, this album was really enjoyable to me, the smooth jazzy / boom bap beats paired with Gunns brash delivery just scratches something in my brain. The features as well are really great and maybe I am ranking it a bit high but this feels really concise and strong. Tracks like 055, Health Science, and Gumbo Yaya are some amazing tracks from 2025 already. Really good stuff.

I came across jev. with his 2024 release When Angels Cry. While it did not make my top ten of that year, it was certainly a very impressive showing and really put me onto him.

The color grey is his previous release to the 2024 album, and I can definitely see how he evolved from here. the color grey has many highs on the project like "wheres the confetti?" and "black samuarai". These tracks are absolutely fantastic, jev delivers great verses over fantastic production. When ... read more

Honestly, well done Boldy! This was a really enjoyable listen, Boldy goes back to his roots with a more gangsta rap / Boom Bap sound, and while I usually am not a big fan of V Don, I think he did a really great job on production here. Tracks like Finishing Touches, Lemon Head Light, and Quaker Oats are all fantastic editions to Boldy's catalogue. We also see Boldy get a little more vulnerable here in his writing, talking about his relationship on Mrs. Porter. Really good stuff, I still put ... read more

4 albums in 4 months, bro stop please.

Really doesn't come close to Token of Appreciation with Chuck Strangers, I think Antt Beatz was alright, but to be honest I am not really a big fan of Trap Boldy. Not bad, Not great.

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (14/14)

Finally, the end of JAY-Z's discography. This, besides Reasonable Doubt, is easily my favorite JAY-Z project. The way JAY-Z is so open and vulnerable on this project, talking about his past actions, his father and husbandry mistakes, and the pressures he feels on a day to day basis, it's unlike any of his former albums. 4:44 also holds my favorite JAY-Z song of all time as well, 4:44. That sample flip is absolutely ridiculous, No I.D. absolutely ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (13/14)

Finally, this is the last album from JAY-Z that I have not listened to, it has been a very very long road but I can definetly say that I understand why people hype JAY-Z's catalogue. I do think people glorify it a bit too much, but he drops quality in a high quantity, even mediocre JAY-Z albums are pretty solid.

When it comes to Magna Carta... Holy Grail, I think this album is definitely overhated. I actually found this one quite enjoyable, and while it ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (11 / 14)

The last of the Blueprint series, and I feel like we are back to the Volume Triology. A lot of desperate attempts of pop hits really riddle this album, and make it feel lifeless unlike its Blueprint predecessors. To be fair and completely transparent, some of the pop hits are alright. Empire State of Mind is of course a classic track and Run This Town is also quite good.

When it comes to production, it is kind of hard to give it an overall because it is ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (10/14)

A return to form from the extremely boring Kingdom Come. JAY-Z really makes a great effort with this project on bringing great verses and slick production. Features while there are only three, are a mixed bag. Nas and Beanie are great but Lil Wayne has one of the worst features I have ever heard on a JAY-Z project, even though we all know there was worse on the Volume triology. Overall, it is really solid, quite enjoyable, and a respectable output.

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (9/14)

Bro came out of retirement with the biggest snooze fest of his career, tragic. Yes yes, there are great tracks on this like Kingdom Come and Show me what you Got and Beach Chair, but damn this shit drags in the middle. JAY-Z, while I do appreciate that he is getting more introspective on this album, really just misses the mark a lot on this one. Tracks like Anything and Dig a Hole should never have made this album. It really does feel like that is JAY-Z's ... read more

A lovely shoutout to the absolute goat that recommended me this, @ThatWhiteGuy.

I as well, like @ThatWhiteGuy, have never heard of this man but I am really impressed. His jazzy beats and flow are very reminiscent to other artists, yet he has some sort of charm to him that still makes him quite interesting. A more subdued MAVI, a more energetic Blvck Svm, and even gives me vibes of Isaiah Rashad at times. Reason for that being said, mynameisntjmack really finds a great middle ground that makes ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (8/14)

From tracks like Encore, 99 Problems, Lucifer, and My 1st Song, JAY-Z's The Black Album feels like a triumphant and celebratory work going over his long career at the time. And while this meant to be his retirement album, he obviously did not stop here. Production was amazing, tracks like Lucifer are pure genius, thank you Kanye. JAY-Z's performances are fantastic, a lot of boastful and victorious bars off songs like Dirt off Your Shoulder and Threat. ... read more

Boy oh boy where do I even begin. NAV... honey, my pookie bear. I have loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you. The way you mumble and strike fear into your opps eyes. Your silky smooth touch around the mic, and that gorgeous flow. I would do anything for you. I wish it were possible to freeze time so I would never have to watch you retire. You had a rough childhood, but you never gave up hope. You are even amazing out of the studio, you're a great husband and father, sometimes I ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (7/14)

Halfway through JAY-Z's discography! So far, so good, with every album being above my middle of the line area, some being more disappointing than others of course, but a good start. I have really enjoyed some of these, and even some that I did not really like, I still got some good tracks off of them.

Interesting fact that I found out by a guy on Youtube so it might not be true, JAY-Z did not want this album to be a double album, but someone on his team ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (6/14)

The Blueprint, I have finally made it through the average somewhat bloated sea of Jay-Z's early catalogue. The holy land of fantastic beats, great rapping performances, and finally, some heartfelt, raw, deepcuts like Song Cry. Kanye West does fantastic production, making this listen feel really unique and especially rap friendly, I could see this being someone's gateway to rap, not a bad thing.

JAY-Z's rapping performances are quite solid, he ... read more

Shoutout to @ThatWhiteGuy for bringing this to my attention!

I can first start off by saying that this was easily a hidden gem in 2022 that I totally missed out on. Likely the best from the UK of that year imo. Being new to Loyle Carner, it is really interesting to see where he is pulling influences from. I really appreciate his conscious approach, please do not take him for a Dave clone, he is doing it in a much different way. Carner, on hugo at least, delivers very raw and vivid emotional ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (5/14)

Finally out of the Volume series, a decent trilogy, yet slightly underwhelming for me when it came to curation. The Dynasty however, is kind of a collab album, yet kind of not as it is not official. Dynasty features the Roc-A-Fella rappers teaming up to make some East Coast New York rap. With the help of Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek, this project does feel much more fresh than the volume series, and they overall come in with solid features. Jay-Z sounds good ... read more

I am so conflicted. Not because this album is bad. This album is really good, but I am just trying to figure out how good it actually is. My main issue is figuring out if I take it over Few Good Things which is my 2nd favorite from Saba as the messaging and concepts off that album I find to be absolutely beautiful. I think my main thing is while FTPC does have many cool concept songs like a head.rap and How to Impress God, I just feel like it's not fully cohesive. That put to the side, ... read more

JAY-Z Discography Reviews (4/14)

I am very happy that this Volume triology is over. This feels like the most inconsistent triology ever. There are really high highs, and also, A CRIPPLING AMOUNT OF BLOAT. And volume 3 does not disappoint with that. Yes So Ghetto and Big Pimpin are good tracks. This does not excuse the poor production and horrible filler tracks like S. Carter and Things That U Do. Features fall really really flat on this one, besides Beanie Sigel and UGK.

All I can really say ... read more