Midnight Sun – Zara Larsson
Overall impression

Quick review — this is probably the best pop project of the year from Zara Larsson.

Every song feels like it has:

effort
intention
meaning

There’s serious variety, but it still keeps that fun, consistent pop feel. The hooks and vocals are incredible throughout.

Track highlights
Midnight Sun — works better as a single, but still a really good song and sets the album’s theme well
Blue Moon — might have the ... read more

Jump Out – OsamaSon
Overall impression

This is my second OsamaSon project after Psykotic, which I have around 75/100. That album felt like one of the purest rage albums I’ve heard — super aggressive but still enjoyable.

Coming into Jump Out, I expected more of the same, especially since people were hyping it up. But I was surprised — this is actually a different style. It’s still new-age rage/trap, but the overall experience is very different.

Even though I ... read more

DS2 – Future
Overall impression

I already reviewed Monster, which I had around a strong 7/10 (roughly 75–79/100), and honestly right now I think I’ve been enjoying Monster more.

I know Future isn’t really a conceptual album artist — his projects are more collections of songs — but Monster felt much more passionate and bold, whereas DS2 feels like he didn’t put the same level of effort into developing ideas.

The biggest difference comes down to ... read more

Yeat – ADL

type: trap

Overall impression

I had big expectations for this album after how much I liked A Dangerous Summer, but this ended up being a bit of a letdown for me.

There are still some real highs — “Griddle” and “Lose Control” are honestly song-of-the-year contenders for me, and “Let King Tonka Talk” is also impressive. But outside of those, the album doesn’t hit that same level consistently.

I wouldn’t say it’s bad ... read more

Slayr – Half Blood

First impression — I wasn’t even planning to review this. I only listened to it to see if I liked Slayr or not, but I loved it so much I had to write about it just to praise it.

Seriously, I don’t think I’ve had more joy listening to an album in a long time — maybe ever. Slayr hits the perfect balance between rage and hyperpop, but does it in his own unique way. This is exactly why I need to listen to more underground artists — ... read more

A Great Chaos — Ken Carson

I mean this album is already kind of a classic for me because it got me into rage rap and into Ken Carson. On relisten it’s still just as good — it definitely held up. I already reviewed More Chaos, which feels like a sequel to this, and I’d definitely say this album is better.

More Chaos is more experimental and chaotic, while this feels more like Ken Carson truly finding his sound. It’s more polished and it feels like Ken really ... read more

Young Thug – So Much Fun

Type: Trap

Overall impression

This is my second Young Thug album review after UY Scuti, which I rated around a light 6. A lot of people say So Much Fun is Thug’s best project and much better than that one — but honestly I think they’re very similar. This album might be slightly better, but they share the same strengths and weaknesses.

Young Thug still has some of the most interesting flows in rap, and when he really locks in — like on ... read more

Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo

Type: Hip-Hop

Overall Impression

This was my first time listening to a Freddie Gibbs album, and it took me a few listens to really understand it. At first it felt very different from the type of hip-hop I usually listen to, but once it clicked I could definitely see the quality.

This album feels very personal and intentional. It’s clearly a closed project — not something designed for streams or mainstream attention. It feels ... read more

XXXTENTACION – ?

Type: Experimental rap/ emo rap

Overall Impression

This is my first full XXXTENTACION album, and before this I’d only really heard “SAD!” and “Look at Me!”, both of which I love. So going into this, I didn’t fully know what to expect — but honestly, this is a seriously impressive first impression.

The variety on this album is insane:

rage

rap

hip hop

rock

pop

emo

melodic

You can clearly hear raw talent. This album ... read more

Baby Keem – Casino

Type: Hip-Hop

Overall Impression

This is Baby Keem’s third album, and he’s already one of my favourite artists — mainly because every album he’s made feels completely different.

Die For My Bitch felt like a closed, chaotic mosh-pit experience: no features, pure experimentation, just vibing with him.

The Melodic Blue was his breakout — more features, more contrast, but still a closed, replayable album with identity.

Casino continues ... read more

Brent Faiyaz – Wasteland

Type: R&B

Overall Impression

This used to be one of my favorite albums and the project that really got me into R&B. Coming back to review it, I still enjoy it a lot — but I noticed more flaws than I expected.

This is probably one of the clearest examples of a closed album done right.

Clear theme

Strong sequencing

Skits that build a narrative

Songs that feel purposeful

A cohesive emotional atmosphere

Every track feels like it belongs. Even ... read more

OsamaSon – Psykotic

Type: Rage / Opium

Overall Impression

This is my first OsamaSon project, and I’ll say this: I enjoyed it.

It’s a pretty basic Opium-style project — freestyling over hard bass-heavy beats — and since I’m already a fan of Ken Carson and that whole sound, this was naturally going to work for me to some extent.

But the main issue is obvious.

Almost every song sounds the same.

Now normally I defend that critique when it comes to rage ... read more

Don Toliver – Octane

Type: Melodic Trap

Overall Impression

As you know, I loved Life of a Don. It was one of my most played albums that year. But this? This might become my most played album of the year.

I listened to Octane six times in two days. No joke, I almost teared up on first listen. I genuinely didn’t want it to end. That’s rare.

This feels like Don at his absolute peak emotionally. The passion is insane. The hooks are some of the best he’s ever written, ... read more

Justin Bieber – SWAG

Type: Pop

Overall Impression

I’ve been meaning to properly review this album for almost a year. Back in summer 2025, this was easily one of the albums of the season for me. Songs like “Daisies,” “All I Can Take,” and “Walking Away” stayed in rotation for a long time.

This album is extremely easy to listen to. You can put it on and zone out instantly. It’s simple, soft, melodic, and comfortable. But that simplicity ... read more

A$AP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb

Type: Hip-Hop

Overall Impression

This is technically my third Rocky album, but it’s the first one I really locked into. I kept hearing it everywhere online, so I sat with it properly — and honestly, it’s a really fun, replayable album.

A lot of people complained about the 8-year wait, but most of this was recorded recently, so I wasn’t expecting some massive reinvention. Still, I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that ... read more

Kanye West – Yeezus

Type: Hip Hop

First Impressions

This is the second Kanye album I’ve reviewed, and somehow it took me this long to hear Yeezus properly. Kanye is one of my favourite artists, and this album is exactly my type of music: chaotic, aggressive, uncomfortable, and production-driven.

From the first four tracks alone:

On Sight – insane intro, instant tone-setter, brutal beat switch, the whole album in one song.

Black Skinhead – chaotic, pounding, ... read more

Drake – Take Care

Type: Hip-Hop

Overall Review

Take Care is my third album into Drake’s discography run, and in many ways, this is Drake at his peak as a rapper. When he’s locked in, the lyricism here is some of the strongest of his career. Tracks like “Over My Dead Body,” “Look What You’ve Done,” and “The Ride” show how good he can be at introspection, storytelling, and emotional detail when he actually commits.

That said, this ... read more

The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness

Type: Pop

Overall Review

The Weeknd was my second most-listened-to artist this year, and this is the fifth album of his I’ve heard in full. I’m coming to this after reviewing Hurry Up Tomorrow, which I rated very highly (96/100), so naturally I’m judging this with his full potential in mind.

After two listens, it’s clear that Beauty Behind the Madness is designed primarily as a radio album — and that’s not ... read more

Fred again.. – USB

Type: Electronic / House

How I Listened

This is not only my first Fred again.. album, but also my first full album in this genre — house / electronic music. I don’t really have other projects to compare it to, but I don’t think that matters much here. I’ve been playing this album non-stop all week, to the point where it’s basically the only thing I’ve been listening to.

I listen to music to zone out, to let my imagination drift, ... read more

21 Savage – What Happened to the Streets?

Type: Trap

How I Listened

This is my fourth 21 Savage album, and he’s one of the artists that really got me into music in the first place, alongside Travis Scott, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. When I first heard this album, I honestly didn’t like it much — but over time, it grew on me. Even now, though, I still see a lot of flaws.

Overall Impression

Let me be clear: 21 Savage’s rapping has not declined at all. His ... read more