Creative concept, innovative genre fusions, and tight, poetic, and thematic songwriting? Yep, that's my Genesis Owusu.

Genesis Owusu - a Ghanian-Australian artist who began making the rounds in the online 2020's music scene with Smiling With No Teeth, a brilliant and bold debut record with overflowing, inspiring genre fusions and a hyperunique concept of racist/depressing black dogs antagonizing Genesis Owusu.

In 2023, he dropped Struggler, a bit of a sophmore slump. The concept of ... read more

Not the worst thing I've ever heard, but man is it dissappointing.

I like the production but the rapping and lyrical content has hit peak decline.

Blood Bank - An amazing intro that continues the delicate sound from For Ever, For Emma, with more optimistic and romantic lyrical sentiments.

Beach Baby - its brevity (especially lyrically) make it a tad lacking in oopmh, but the somber guitar in the second half creates and compliments a somber ambiance.

Babys - eh,this song has a well executed, serene soundscape but lacks in interesting lyrics, which is a problem for a singer-songwriter album

Woods - the peak of this record, consisting ... read more

When Room on Fire mythologizes Is This It's sound and style, it succeeds with an unenthused B+.

When Room on Fire expands that sound into synthesized guitars, slower tempos, the dramatics of the final songs, or whatever it heart desires, that is when Room on Fire ascends into a quality akin to Is This It.

Best: What Ever Happened?. Reptilia, 12:51, Meet Me in the Bathroom, Under Control, The End Has No End, I Can't Win

Off the Wall felt like it was trying to be an album.

Thriller felt like it was trying to be a greatest hits record.

Bad marriages the two very unsuccessfully.

The biggest songs that every knows before they hear the album are superb, classic songs, and in some case outmatch the highs of thriller for me.

The deepcuts... are definitely the most tepid tracks of Michael's Quincy Jones trilogy.

All kinda feel the same level of polished yet unremarkable.

Bad is still good, but as the title ... read more

Dropping a greatest hits collection as your debut is an inspired choice, to be sure, but a damn good one.

Julian Casablancas and the gang bring the ROCK and ROLL back with Is This It, with gnarly vocals, tight mixing, and a rockstar ethos flowing throughout the record.

However, to elevate Is This It from 60's rock worship to innovative excitement, The Strokes employ indie sensibilities to chord structures, to instrumental arrangement, and to the youthful lyrics of lackadaisical ... read more

Isaiah Rashad's Cilvia Demo: clustered, introspective, and BOLD.

Cilvia Demo harnesses it inherent lo-fi nature to form a clustered, erratic record.

The production embodies this cluster thesis, with its compact, hoarder-esque mixes of jazz, cloud rap, trap, RnB, and lofi/psychedelic aesthetics meshing into a beautiful painting of ideas and styles. Shot You Down and the title track are absolute bangers, while still having very chill elements. Conversely, Tranquillity and Heavenly Father ... read more

I mean, it's Thriller.

It's a perfectly produced pop album. Genuinely, these are the type of songs that you listen to 50 times each and would still be catching a small little harmony or instruments or noises.

However, I find there to be a few songwriting duds across the record.

Baby Be Mine, The Girl Is Mine, and The Lady in My Life are "good" songs, that are well produced and well performed yet leave very little impact. These songs are okay, good even, but ... read more

Some perfect disco songs interspliced 7 other songs.

Rock with You, Off the Wall, and Get on the Floor mesmerize the listener with their meticulous perfection. Tight grooves, tighter basslines, flirtatious lyrics and soaring vocals pollinate the album, but especially those three highlights. Make no mistake, other songs like Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Workin' Day and Night, I Can't Help It, and It's the Falling in Love are also supreme. Even Girlfriend is nice, ... read more

Well-written, autumnal folk packaged in cidery (derogatory) production and a bloated runtime.

I love Big K.R.I.T., but man this record feels hollow. Like its poppy and by the books. It doesn't really pick up until Porchilight imo, but there aren't any songs that are spectacular here. Watered down KRIT, unfortunate

I wished bro fixed the mixing, cause there are some songs that really capture the vibes that make Chano so great. But tacky beats, unconfident voice, and bad mixing brings this album down a bit. Still a decent project, especially for a 1st go around at making music, but it ain't exactly essential Chance the Rapper listening.

Best: 14,400 Minutes, Nostalgia, Windows, Family, Prom Night, Hey Ma
Worst: Fuck You Tahm Bout

One of three or so albums where Hobo Johnson haters got a point.

If Fall of Hobo Johnson is the mainstream, pop debut, Rise of Hobo Johnson is the ugly, artistic hatching.

The general HB style of vulnerable yet uncomfortable writing, the amalgamating of rap, spoken poetry, and pop songwriting styles, and HB's trademark wonderful vocals are all here. However, given the gasoline mixture of musical ideas, it takes skill and forethought to successfully pull this off.

The Fall of Hobo ... read more

Expected some solid rap/rnb,

got some well vocalized yet highly derivate of Lana Del Rey styled music,

Oops is kinda what I wanted the rest of the album to sound like.

Everything is well composed, just disappointing from a stylistic perspective.

Nourishment for the mind.

Talib Kweli and Mos Def knew of each other through the battle rap scene of the Great Apple. As they progressed through their respective careers, moving from battle raps to demo tapes to record deals, they found themselves both on Rawkus entertainment label, where prior to any solo outings, they saw it fit to collaborate together to prove to their label and the hip hop community that these two were worth paying attention to.

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black ... read more

Raw, experimental, vulnerable, poetic, varied, entrancing, and beyond unique.

I get the hate for a lot of HOBO's music, but not this one. So many genres with so much uniquness.

Favs: Typical Story, Mover Awayer, Uglykid, Subaru Crosstrek XV, Happiness, All in my Head, I Want a Dog

Solid shoegaze punk with a great start and good enough finish.

Hobo Johnson Alienates His Fanbase has a singular goal: how can I make my audience say NO!

This album lacks the ONLY good trait Hobo still had: sincerity and earnestness.

Remove that, and you are left with nothing music.

Some songs could work if placed under a different context, but thats about it.

NO! NO! NO!

The better 2003 debut Shady Records Album.

Cheers is a painfully underrated album. Its not perfect, with a long tracklist, mediocre songs, and an overbearing Eminem influence.

But, Obie comes with solid beats, solid ass rapping, good feature choice, and varied song writing. Shit Hits the Fan and We All Die One Day are fun collaboaritve fuck you songs. Don't Come Down and Never Forget Ya are wonderful emotional songs, Average Man and OH! are fun, lyrical songs.

Cheers has its duds, ... read more

Great pop album.

It doesn't reinvent or innovate.

But it does have massive pop star energy with great hooks, fun production, and cute romantic themes. I find the songwriting to lean a bit on the safer side, but remain good.

U is an album you love not because it's shocking or new, but because it does everything right and a few things EXCEPTIONALLY well.

Best: Music, Innuendo (I Get U), Lovefield, Do It (fav it), Bodyfeeking