Remember when Kid A was described as trying to make machines sound like they have emotions?

OPN excels at accomplishing that here. This was my entry into experimental electronic music and now I can't get enough. Each track seems to have it's own character, it's own display of anxiety, nihilism, paranoia, manic energy, longing, etc. This sounds like the world dying, the apocalypse imminent, and we're all holding onto the lasting dredges of life before our ultimate deletion.

It's an oddly ... read more

OOOOOOO WEEEEEEEE

*my excitement as well as how I imagine you'd spell a saxaphone sounding*

The length is perfect. Totally manageable, and that made me more enthralled and engaged than ever before.

fave tracks: Truth, Desire, Knowledge

Underneath Under Pressure. Still pretty decent though! Love the concept and execution.

fave tracks: fade away, upgrade, city of stars, staineless

The Good Ole Days

fave tracks: Buried Alive, I'm Gone, Gang Related, Under Pressure, Bounce, Buried, Metropolis

The Disney Channel Presents: Rap Music
*now with 50% more skits*

This album makes me extremely sad. Because it's not just exclusively bad as many people believe. There's such great potential, and IMPORTANCE. Like 1-800-273-8255 is important, and even has some good qualities, but is just badly executed and extremely surfacey. Given the opportunity to unleash the utmost of his already memorable vulnerability, Logic has opted to go merely skin deep, withhold his most coveted skills, and ... read more

EVERYBODY 2: SEXY EDITION

The singles are massive powerhouses of quality, and some are easily the best songs of the year! There's great amounts of musicality, innovation and inspirations from Prince, Bowie and Whitney Houston all in one. Unfortunately though, the majority of the album isn't too consistent, and each moment of inspiration is met with one of mundane blandness or commercial pandering unfortunately. Each moment of inspired wisdom is met with another quasi-woke one liner. It's ... read more

BEEN THE MAN WITH A PICKLE PLAN BROTHAS KNOW THE DEAL

Tyler's at the top of his game here, and the healthiest he's ever been. Listening to his angst and inner turmoil was fun and empathizing, but it's good to hear he's out of the woods and finally in the sunlight while still making angsty homages to let us know he's still the same Tyler. This has his best production, some of his most inventive lyrics, and overall his song structures and themes are more varied, more vulnerable, and engaging. ... read more

HUH HUH HUH HUH

I think that I was originally upset with this because I was expecting another Acid Rap. Chance's bars are definitely not a good, and the beats and overall song structures aren't always as exciting and could use some more fleshing out. However, as it's own project it's still a phenomenal achievement in it's own right. Where most Christian rappers are now changing their sounds, vying for commercial viability, Chance, at the top of his commercial game makes an album that's ... read more

IGH! IGH! IGH! IGH!

God give me one sentence more. The musical prodigy of Kanye, Gil Scott Heron, Muddy Waters, Common and Earth Wind & Fire all coalesced into one immaculately sounding record. Had to revisit for this review, but it's not just what put Chance back on the map, but re-established a vitality in Chicago music and rap mc'ing in general that had been waning from Ye's earlier years. Inspired a generation of Soundcloud and acoustic band focused rappers. Brought back an energy of ... read more

WHO AM I GYPSY RAP GYPSY NEED HER DOLLAR BACK

Super strong and consise, compelling, soothing and with bars for days! She's taking that chi-city soul and introspection, and showing us unique perspectives from a down to earth woman in an industry that desperately needs voices like hers...

This should be talked in every conversation for best rap records of the decade.

fave tracks: Yesterday, Diddy Bop, Shadow Man, Reality Check, Forever

OH MY OH MY

Near perfect record from one of trap rap's greatest, especially revisited after he cut some tracks. Sad that in his later years he would strive for more live performance worthy bangers over substance, but we'll always have this gem on dis side.

fave tracks 90210 his best song fight me, Apple Pie, Oh My Dis Side, Pornography, 3500, Impossible

the title doubles as its own review

fave tracks: grave architecture, motion suggests, rattled by the rush

RIP SHAZ THE PHARAOH

idk why there’s a lot of hate on this record. Sure it’s no Rodeo (which also had its hit or misses btw), but it’s consistent, fun and extremely exciting. Despite a drop in innovation here he’s still leagues ahead of every other trap rapper. Skip coordinate, through the late night, and wonderful if you must, but Pick Up The Phone and Goosebumps are some of his best singles yet! The Ends into Way Back make for a really interesting opener. And Bryson ... read more

I FEEL LIKE THE TOM SAWYER FOR REAL BROTHAS

But actually I feel like the Burgundy bridges sums this project up nicely.
The fans know Earl has bars and we want them and he gave them to us.
Aside from two or three tracks, this is an excellent ride through Earl's nihilistic noir lifestyle.

fave tracks: Whoa, 20 Wave Caps Centurion, Hive, Chum, Knight, Hoarse

I DON'T ACT HARD I'M A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW

This might just be a personal favorite because it helps me reconcile with my own anxiety and depression but c'mon.
Earl holds nothing back here, production and bars wise.
Doris and Earl were great in their own right, but I always felt like he was just making those songs to make them.
Here, he shed's the public manic personality for an opportunity to show his true colors.
And that color is darkness, in every sense of the word.

Tightly thematic and ... read more

Song or EP, doesn't matter, this is definitive Earl.

The Braid remix is possibly better than the original?!? And in general these do a great job of reimagining and adding to the already stellar grandeur of No Shape. Hot stuff indeed.

fave tracks: Braid 2, Slip Away 2, Just Like Love 2, Run Me Through 2

Really love this record. It demands a different listening experience that we're just not used to in 2018, but that shouldn't diminish the skill and musicality of the project in anyones mind. Already off the first listen I can distinguish between several tracks, and it's clear this is even a step above his previous The Epic in terms of polish and grandeur. He pulls from many influences outside of jazz here, and it's entrancing to hear.

And hey if jazz isn't for you, this is still great as ... read more

AY CARUMBA MAN

I gotta rate this high because you could totally bring together the materials and resources she used to make this album, but you haven't. I couldn't. It's fun, swaggering, introspective, and somehow, in an era of music where the newcomers clearly have no respect or at least semblance to the ones that have come before them, she's playing homage and high honors with every track.

And you could argue that Tomboy is one of the top tracks of the decade.

fave tracks: other than the ... read more

Ahhhh so she caaaaaan sing.