Coming off of two major duds in 'I Am...' and 'Nastradamus', Nas seriously had something to prove with the release of his first 2000's album. 'Stillmatic' takes huge steps in the right direction, and renewed Nas' place at the top of the rap game.
Ether is a pretty shocking diss track targeted towards Jay-Z. It's brutally unabashed in not holding any punches, something we haven't seen with many, if any, diss tracks in recent years. It's a product of it's time and environment. I don't think some ... read more
It's actually as if Nas forgot how to make a song. Is this even the same artist anymore?
Come Get Me is the only song that I thought was any good on this album, and even that ended on a sour note with that pointless skit at the end.
I actually got second hand embarrassment listening to Big Girl.
New World has probably aged the worst out of any song here.
Genuinely, wtf was he thinking?
Ahhhh, yeah this one definitely isn't it, Nas.
Somewhere between 'It Was Written' and 'I Am...' Nas entirely forgot how to write a decent hook or come up with a song concept that isn't incredibly corny. There were far too many times on this record where I genuinely laughed out of disbelief at some of the hooks. Dr. Knockboot, Big Things, K-I-SS-I-N-G, and Money Is My Bitch are all THAT bad, and that's not even mentioning all the other questionable writing and bland production. Any momentum ... read more
I know it's wrong of me to compare it to 'Illmatic', but it's important to note the artistic changes Nas went through between then and now. While still being a great album, 'It Was Written' still falters where 'Illmatic' thrived.
Despite the huge critical success of 'Illmatic', the album was far less commercially successful than one would suspect. That, combined with Nas' spending habits, left him in a situation where it would be advantageous to create a more commercially successful record. ... read more
One Sentence Wrap-Up #6:
Aging moms everywhere living vicariously through this album.
~~ 500 FOLLOWER SPECIAL ~~
This is the longest review I've ever written (3,123 words). I've poured everything I have into creating the most comprehensive review I possibly can for one of the most acclaimed and talked about records in music. I hope you enjoy these thoughts. <3
Radiohead's magnum opus: 'OK Computer'
How can I do this album justice? It's certainly a daunting task. This 1997 release is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, one of the most essential and ... read more
One Sentence Wrap-Up #5:
Warm and uplifting pop soul, RAYE's 'My 21st Century Blues' teems of liberation and freedom from her previous oppressive label.
Young Fathers album got me like: 🫃👨🍼
If this album doesn’t get you moving in some way (foot tapping, head nodding, or just dancing), then I’m not sure I can trust you. This album REQUIRES it!
‘Heavy Heavy’ is the name of the fourth studio album from Scottish band Young Fathers. Their second EP ‘Tape Two’ and most recent album ‘Cocoa Sugar’ both won the band the Scottish Album of the Year Award, as well as their debut album ... read more
Simply put, 'Illmatic' is one of the most important and influential hip hop albums in history.
'Illmatic' is the debut record from New York rapper Nas. The legendary debut was recorded while Nas was just a teenager, and released when he was 20 years old. While first week sales fell below initial expectations, 'Illmatic' received huge critical acclaim at the time of it's release, being praised for Nas' incredible flow and lyricism over the masterful beats and production from incredible ... read more
'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' is a cult classic and one of the essential albums of /mu/core. This album has a special place in the hearts of many, many listeners for its endearing storytelling and its emotional highs and lows.
When I first heard this album a few months ago, I honestly felt it was satirical at times. Many of the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, and the vocals are often unpolished and screamy. With some time, it's these strange quirks that have grown on me and helped me see how ... read more
One Sentence Wrap-Up #4:
'Smalltown Stardust' is a quaint indie pop record about the planet and nature, in a similar vein to some of the milder work from KGLW.
One Sentence Wrap-Up #3:
'Angels & Queens - Part I' is a amazing and uplifting soul album from 2022, with Part II releasing in March!
Some of the notes I took while listening to this new Trippie Redd album:
-Chief Keef rhyming "cat" with "mad" is about the level of quality rhyming to expect on this project
-Trippies higher screaming voice on Psycho is a highlight, the R-word from Future later is not
-Juice WRLD: "LIKE VERIIIIIZON!!"
-"Keep it litty like a titty" on Dark Brotherhood
-R-word on Hideout
-"Thumb in her butt" on Witchcraft
-I'm so tired of hearing rap songs where ... read more
Writing longer reviews can be tiring and a little stressful, especially when I may not have much to say, which is why I'm going to be starting my One Sentence Wrap-Ups. This way, I'll feel a bit better about explaining how I feel about music without pressuring myself into a longer review :)
One Sentence Wrap-Up #1:
Despite being chocked full of noise, a lack of structure or direction made 'dreamglow' feel more empty than intended.
One of my absolute favorite albums of all time.
J. Cole's third studio album '2014 Forest Hills Drive' is THE iconic J. Cole record, and the one that likely still keeps him on many people's Mount Rushmore's of rap (though I really don't think he's put out anything that comes all that close to this level).
I discovered this album in 2021, just as I started to actually listen explore music a tiny bit. This became an obsessive album for me, I replayed this way too many times. Cole is a master at ... read more
English singer-songwriter and producer SG Lewis is back with his sophomore album 'AudioLust & HigherLove'. As I've already talked about at length, I love the production I heard from him on Tove Lo's most recent project, so I was pretty optimistic heading into this one.
Happy to report I'm not disappointed. The energy on this album is excellent, especially on the first handful of tracks. From Infatuation to Call On Me (something we've heard from that aforementioned Tove Lo album), I was ... read more
I thought I had never heard Kimbra or her music before, but it turns out I have, and I can guarentee every single one of you has as well. Remember Gotye? Remember the song Somebody That I Used To Know? Kimbra was the feature on that inescapable 2011 hit, and I've never heard from her (or Gotye, for that matter) since.
This is now Kimbra' fourth studio album, with her previous release coming in 2018 with moderate success. This new album 'A Reckoning' is at times an intimate and personal ... read more
Samia is another artist I was unfamiliar with up until tonight, though I was quite optimistic for several reasons. 1. I have a soft spot for singer-songwriters 2. Her 2020 debut album 'The Baby', despite going under the radar a little bit, seemed to get a good amount of positive attention 3. The critic score for this (if that means anything at all) is high. That all being said, this album is a bit of a letdown.
Samias singing and songwriting seems to be pulled straight from the book of Phoebe ... read more
Forgive me for not being totally aware of Ava Max was before this album, but at least her generic dance pop is catchy and harmless!
Ava Max is a pop artist who found monumental radio and commercial success off of the back of Kings & Queens and Sweet but Psycho, two massive hits off of her debut record 'Heaven & Hell'. Those two songs have combined for over 2 billion streams on Spotify alone.
This really isn't all that bad. Though certainly not pushing any boundaries or straying too ... read more
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On Maruja - Knocknarea
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On Thundercat - Distracted
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@sport It struck me too - not necessarily negative but very self deprecating. Maybe I just read into the whole thing the wrong way, but I felt weird with how one dimensional the emotions are"
On Thundercat - Distracted
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On 𝒋𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒉's review of Xiu Xiu - A Promise
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On Bruno Mars - The Romantic
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On MattsReviews's review of Baby Keem - Ca$ino
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On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
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On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
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On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
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On Don Toliver - OCTANE
"@Juggernaut1914 I actually thought Yeat had a solid feature on Rendezvous, same with Travis on Rosary. Teezo was interesting just because it was different, but just felt out of place to me. That being said, the rest of the album feels so toneless and samey, just nothing all that compelling"
On painecuceapa's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Those 4 singles had me thinking this would be an album of the decade contender, but the rest of the tracklist doesn't exactly reach the same peak for me. Still very good, just not earth shattering"
On yonn's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"I've not heard the Injury Reserve self-titled, but at least in comparison to Phoenix this is another leap in experimentation and abstractness. Such a hollow sound imo, but in the best, most bone-rattling way. Very interesting"
On TheOnlyOpinion's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Nice review, "leaving the storm" is great. I almost feel like the ending in "GGG" is saying that the storm isn't something you can leave though, and more like a new relationship dynamic that needs to be tended to. The group is going to have to manage the storm rather than step out of it"
On cooperr's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Glad you loved this, but In My Town being the lowest is a CHOICE"
On Chorde's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Love the opening line, that feels like such a perfect way of encapsulating the record. Your comparisons between BTTIGTP and this are perfect too. As much as this album feels like a scar, it's a scar that RiTchie feels like he's trying to move on from to continue working, but his hand keeps brushing up against it. Its a constant reminder that grief isnt something that will just go away"
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