OFFLINE! really displays JPEGmafia's unique talents and abilities as one of kind, with this project having such a varied mixture of ideas or styles that make him hard to categorise. Production is stunning in so many areas, whether a sample chop or something completely original, it makes it so refreshing to listen to in an industry that can be oversaturated at times. His performances as well fit with the vibe of whatever the track needs to be, and they are so animated making it engaging ... read more

Had to show some love to some other amazing indie soundtracks, and with Silksong releasing tomorrow as of writing, I figured to give this a listen beforehand. Instrumentation is on point, with the piano and strings especially giving a great sense of atmosphere and immersion in the setting of the game that is hard to critique. The range of tracks is noticeable as well, from very energetic to calm pieces that are nevertheless engaging to listen to.

This is a slightly pointless review since I have already reviewed the 2025 rerelease of this album, but this version is the very definition of unfinished with many mumble verses on quite a lot of tracks throughout the listen. While they definitely feel more fleshed out on the 2025 version, I would not blame anyone for thinking this was very subpar from Kanye at the time given the way this was attached to a $200 product and was the only way to get the album legitimately.

While I have not been the biggest Earl Sweatshirt fan, this EP really displays an intense amount of rawness and emotion that really caught me off guard when listening. The 10 minutes has some extremely haunting production that is consistently changing and gives me a feeling I can only describe as being empty and almost defeated in what I am going through, which may have been how Earl felt in this time of his life, especially with the minimal yet impactful amount of things Earl does say.

While there is definitely a few instances on the album that display Eminem's great technical ability and wordplay, there is also many instances where it can feel a bit embarrassing to listen to as his bars can be either very lacklustre or do not neccesarily hit as hard as he would have liked. I will say I enjoyed the production quite a bit and thought it sounded very well crafted, but the continuous callbacks to his much older and more respected work does seem to be an attempt at trying to ... read more

The deluxe adds a few more songs that match the quality and greatness of the original tracklist extremely well, making them build on the sound of the album and being executed extremely well.

Good kid, m.A.A.d city was the album that really made everyone turn their heads as they saw Kendrick's absolute creative genius shining through on this project. The storytelling on this project is arguably the best in his catalogue, with each track tying with the next so well that you can really imagine the world Kendrick is trying to build here. His rapping is of course top quality throughout the trackless, with him hitting every single beat on the complex production he has given us.

While there are some extremely well made and incredible tracks added from this deluxe, It does make sense why they were cut in the original project because it definitely drags a tad too long making it a bit more harder to digest as an album experience. It is still great that we have these tracks though.

I would say that I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU's focal point has to be the out there production throughout the record. It is so dynamic throughout and showcases a wide array of skill, especially the electric guitars that pop up and deliver immensely. JPEGMAFIA is of course rapping with so much energy as usual, and with the duration being just over 40 minutes, you are bound to not get bored and really immerse yourself with this record.

What else can I say about To Pimp A Butterfly that has not already been said to justified its legendary status in not just hip-hop, but in music as a whole. This is one of my favourite albums of all time, from the jazzy and rich production scattered across the record that does not get tiring to hear at all, to next-level performance, story-telling and themes after another from Kendrick that solidified his position as one of the greatest musicians in our time. There is so much depth into the ... read more

DAMN has some of Kendrick's most varied work in his catalogue and extremely high peaks. Production on each track is so unique from the last that anyone is bound to really enjoy at least 1 track from this project, let alone the whole album. Kendrick is of course on point with his pen like you would expect, with the storytelling especially coming through as a major focal point that I would highlight. Honestly, my issue is just there is one or two tracks that REALLY fall flat, otherwise the ... read more

This is has so far been my favourite Earl Sweatshirt album, as my gripes with his most recent work have mainly been how a fair amount of tracks are just not fleshed out and are too short. This album seemed to be the turning point in Earl's catalogue, as after I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside, his albums would be consistently formatted to be the 20 minute give or take projects we know now. Here, production is handled majorly by Earl with very good beat selection and outros on ... read more

While Live Laugh Love does once again displays Earl's unique deliveries and production and by all means a good album, I personally do not see it as necessarily building on the sound he is known for. He definitely has the wordplay and the ability throughout the album, but to me the tracks do blur together just a little. Still, it is a good showing and fans of his work should be pleased.

While I do feel people have definitely gone on the bandwagon of throwing unjustified hate towards Doechii simply because they dislike her music, I cannot say I am huge fan of this project. While there is definitely talent on some tracks (especially on the hits), I feel there is not much to take from the songs given a lot are quite short and do not feel really fleshed out in my opinion. I still wish great things for her career though!

If you are looking for something that completely distorts how you thought music should be, just look at JPEGMAFIA's catalogue, as All My Heroes Are Cornballs emphasised to me that there is no one who could do such weird but captivating production and performances like him, both of course rapping but also quite a lot of singing performances which I did not expect. While a few tracks do come out as duds or unnecessary, it is overall excellent at differntiating Peggy from his contemporaries.

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is definitely Kendrick's most personal and heart-felt album, with many reflective performances and lyrics scattered across the album. There are many tracks that have a lot of emotional baggage and energy charged within, leading to a very vulnerable display from Kendrick as well. Production really elevates this feeling with very unique aesthetics that are not present in the rest of his catalogue. Great listen.

I have a soft spot for Utopia as I believe it was the first album that actually got me start investing into music when it released in 2023, and even now it is still great. Production is absolutely phenomenal in some parts of the record, and while there are a few skips, Travis delivers on a lot of tracks. There is also quite a lot of different sounds and vibes throughout the record, which makes it quite enjoyable listen despite its quite long run time.

The first outing between Freddie Gibbs and legendary producer Madlib, and it is absolutely sensational. For how early this project is in Freddie's catalogue, he is at his lyrical best on a lot of points on the record, and it is amplified greatly by the backing of some incredible sample-based production that is great to listen to. Most tracks also do not overstay their welcome, which allows the listen to be engaging and not bloated.

A mix of Late Registration and College Dropout performed with a live string orchestra was always going to sound incredible on paper, and it did not disappoint. Not only is the production so uplifting with many gorgeous moments, sometimes even enhancing the original releases, but due to the live setting aspect, you can hear the passion from Kanye's voice while he is performing showing a much more hungrier and passionate time.

Honestly, this deluxe just makes the issue of bloat on the original ten times worse. The four tracks drag on way too much, and do not give me much to enjoy given it just builds on a sound that already overstayed its welcome on the original project, making this deluxe so unnecessary and boring.