Kill Bill embodies the sentiments of early Gen Z niches. Complete with anime, video games, lo-fi jazz beats, and a gruff flow that would make Tyler the Creator's Wolf album blush, Kill Bill makes his esoteric stamp on underground hip hop.

A timeless classic from one of the most effortlessly perfect artists in recording music history.

I can't help but be drawn to the songwriting of this record. Whether Don is speaking about impressionist existentialism, heartbreak, or death, it's supremely excellent. If not, it is still touching to sit and listen to what Don has to say about the tumultuous time that ushered in the 1970s.

A fascinating look into a sound that takes post-brit pop outfits like Radiohead and mixes it with the obscure sampling of underground hip hop projects like Devon Hendryx.

Panchiko comes through with a britpop sound that just doesn't sound as fresh as the work they were discovered on.

Bon Iver comes through with an intriguing concept in structure: An LP within an EP. Expounding on themes of deeper meanings within all things, or as he says "Things behind things behind things," he blends an acute collection of pop, soul, folk, and alt country sounds. Some tracks are produced wide and spacey, some simple and acoustic, others layered and poppy. Though the range is admirable, I just don't think it comes together all too well, and the lyricism doesn't do much ... read more

If God did not create evil, why did he allow autonomous creations to conceptualize evil into reality?

In 2024, Kendrick was on a crusade to cleanse and restore the art form of hip-hop, and it all culminated in GNX, a tight 12-track relay race between excellent West Coast bangers and soulful conscious raps. The cultural context of being Kendrick Lamar in the year 2024 sets this album apart as a marvelously edifying victory lap for the rapper's career. Bangers like "squabble up" and "dodger blue" serve as love letters to West Coast hip-hop, and "reincarnated" ... read more

Kendrick Lamar's double LPs Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers are excellent in every way, including a way that deeply touches my soul. Kendrick takes such a personal, vulnerable approach to the messaging of this album. He creates a world that feels like a theatre play, displaying his soul to the viewing world. A play about the Big Steppers, people who chase the pleasures of the world to hide the suffering of their spirits. Mr. Morale is the king of them all. The worst of the worst. Mr. ... read more

"Is it wickedness? Is it weakness?"

What might possibly be Kendrick Lamar's most baffling release to date is something I find profoundly excellent in a way we haven't seen Mr. Duckworth operate before. Kendrick paints a grim picture of his depression after his seeming failure to right the wrongs of the world with his previous record, To Pimp A Butterfly. Kendrick usually crafts his albums around stories, but DAMN exclusives ruminates in feelings. Feelings of hopelessness. ... read more

What do you expect from a collection of leftovers from one of the greatest albums ever conceived? It could only be an undeniable level of excellence from K Lamar. In retrospect, for how quickly Kendrick pivoted from the soundscape of To Pimp A Butterfly, it's a welcome pleasure to have more material from that era.

To Pimp A Butterfly is one of the greatest modern poems ever written, wrapped in layers and layers of deeply skillful movements of jazz, funk, and hip hop. Kendrick Lamar's scope is so vast that it is a mythical wonder how every element fits elegantly together. Kendrick discusses African American history, culture, and the individual selfhood to a degree of minute details with a throughline that cathartically connects the life of Tupac Shakur to the modern day and the building legacy of ... read more

good kid, m.A.A.d city is greater than any conscious hip hop product. It plunges its listener into a brand new world. Kendrick effortlessly dances the line between modern West Coast bangers about being a rapper who has finally made it and painting the picture of a young K-Dot fighting for purpose in the city of Compton. Kendrick additionally proves his penmanship to be profoundly brilliant and provocative, beginning Kendrick's soar towards the status of being the greatest of all time.

Section.80 is a brilliant debut showcase of Kendrick Lamar's talents and ability to command a concept, something that he would fully blossom in the next year. Despite some all around killer tracks, I can't help but feel this album is painfully a product of its time, a time before Kendrick Lamar was a prominent figure in hip-hop.

As crushingly captivating as many of the themes on this record are, it just doesn't come together as well as Nas's other work and especially Kanye's work from 2018.

The rising wave of UK art rock and progressive folk avoided my interest for quite some time, but Forever Howlong might be my gateway drug. Black Country, New Road shines in its composition and arrangements. All six members have moments to shine, blending and complimenting each other's instruments to create a cascading sound of magic and whimsy. Every track contains a constant conversation between instruments, in its shorter pop tunes and grandiose epics. Additionally, I'm fascinated ... read more

It is sharply distinctive that ghosts are able to be seen by children. It emphasizes a kind of innocence, an innocence that allows one to understand supernatural things more simply. Existentialism is not uniquely a topic of scholars but also a reality for even the youngest of minds. Kanye West was hospitalized after a mental breakdown that led to his bipolar diagnosis. Kid Cudi admitted himself to rehab as his struggle with addiction and suicidal urges came to a boiling point. We, as earthly ... read more

Well, Ye seems to have "dropped the bit," at least in terms of his music. Don't get me wrong, this is still one of the most genuinely horrible albums ever released, but at least there's a semblance of an attempt that isn't sharply offensive or attention-seeking. It's only saving grace is that one track features both North West and Yuno Miles, a perfectly terrible implosion that's perfect for an equally terrible album.

When he's not being purposely offensive, he's bland and occasionally insufferable. Ty Dolla $ign seems to be here as he says "just to get paid." This record isn't just a misexecution, it's Ye's horrid attempt to be loud and gain attention without ever making a statement that isn't laughable.

Ye comes through with some great tracks that bolster a plethora of fun features, but this is a clear sign of the modern problem of composing records in the digital age. With multiple updated releases and deluxe editions, Donda muddles its own identity and becomes an amorphous blob of what could be a coherent record. Ye seems to just be throwing things at the wall and forcing all of it to stick.