Gunna's new album, WUNNA, is a pretty average trap album carried by mostly good production. I was actually pretty excited going into this album, because I was a huge fan of "Skybox" when it dropped earlier this year, and I also tend to enjoy Gunna on features. He usually adds a nice touch to songs even if his delivery is relatively one-dimensional and predictable. On this album, I thought Gunna showed some nice artistic growth, but there was also a fair amount of material that exposed ... read more

For the most part, I'm gonna have to agree with Anthony Fantano's take (something I have not been doing much of recently) on this album: the production is immaculate, but the vocal performances are almost always underwhelming. I loved the overwhelming, drugged-out swells of a few songs, and I did find myself impressed by Yung Lean's rapping at times. However, I often heard a good deal of tension between Lean's vocals and the vibe the song should be creating. Yung Lean is not a good singer, and ... read more

Earlier this year, Key Glock dropped his "Yellow Tape" mixtape, which featured a lot of flexing and stunting over some really good production. On that tape, I thought Key Glock raised the bar for other up-and-coming trap rappers by showing a unique ability to blend old-school and modern influences in a refreshing way. Going into this new release, I had high expectations, but I also had a couple reservations: 1) Glock made it clear that this album would have no features, and 2) the ... read more

With a delivery somewhere in between teejayx6 and Rico Nasty, Hook doesn't really sound like anyone else in rap. It's also clear that she doesn't want to. And although this tape is a mixed bag in terms of quality, Hook raps with a frantic urgency that makes her music compelling even in its worst moments.

It's hard to distinguish between "good" and "bad" songs on this tape, because the beats and vocals are all relatively unstructured and unrestrained. However, underneath ... read more

Bbymutha can rap. She's got undeniable swagger and charisma on the mic, and luckily for us she seems unafraid to experiment with different sounds. Although not everything works out perfectly on this EP, it's got some soaring highs ("muthaleficent" and "territory" are two of my favorite hip hop tracks of 2020) and continues her hot streak of quality EPs.

The bar is high for her first full album, whenever that arrives.

Deante' Hitchcock's recent album is promising, but very mediocre. Throughout the album I couldn't stop comparing him to J. Cole, an artist who has been held back by a lack of experimentation, lyrically and musically. Hitchcock, like Cole, approaches his music from an introspective angle, crafting personal songs with clearly earnest and genuine intentions. He has some good things to say, but most of the time I couldn't help feeling like he barely scratched the surface of the concepts he's ... read more

Going into this album, I was curious to see if Polo G could follow up his excellent debut. Although this project is mostly a mixed bag, its moments of greatness prove that Polo G is a legitimately good artist who is continuing to improve in all areas.

This album finds Polo G addressing the issues that are important to him: trauma from his upbringing, mental health issues and addiction, navigating newfound wealth and fame, and the ways these themes manifest in his relationships with others. ... read more

Excellent collection of forward-thinking pop songs.

This is far from Future's best project, but for an artist with nothing left to prove, "High Off Life" comes as a friendly reminder that Future is really good at making music. Over a sprawling tracklist, Future muses over his dark past, complicated emotional state, and of course, some of the same materialistic trap themes he's been rapping about forever. He raps alongside an excellent supporting cast, with a truly spectacular appearance by Travis Scott on "Solitaires" taking ... read more

Truly one of the greatest west coast rap albums ever made. Vince's fierce storytelling and captivating sense of humor make him a powerful and compelling MC. On this record, he displays an unnatural ability to dash between mind-states in perhaps the truest example of introspection. He gets totally in touch with his inner voices; at times, he sounds stoic and self-assured, sometimes numb and unfeeling, and other times anxious and fearful. Each inner voice means every word it says, from the ... read more

This is my first Lil Durk project, and right from the start I was impressed with his intensely emotional lyricism. This tape finds Durk navigating heartbreaking subject matter, from the death of his close friends to his relationship with drugs. Durk labels himself "voice of the streets" on "Internet Sensation," and his wisdom throughout the tape affirms this claim. Songs like "Street Affection" and "248" deal with Durk's friendships and the meaning of ... read more

I'm not feeling it. Pretty generic stuff that other artists have done better. I like Kehlani on features, but I don't think she has much artistic vision when it comes to her solo stuff. There's nothing really bad on this, but most of it is incredibly boring. Even for a 40 minute project, this feels overstuffed.

Lil Tjay's new mixtap explores a range of sounds and subject matter gracefully while not overstaying its welcome. The lyricism, beats, and guest verses are solid, with some flashes of excellence.

Overall, a pretty fun and easy listen. Lil Tjay is a solid lyricist with a good ear for beats and a knack for songwriting. His songs are dark, brooding, and somewhat paranoid. They build well and Tjay does a good job of supplementing his autotune flows with punctual ad-libs and frequent guest verses. ... read more

For the most part, this is the same garbage we've been getting from NAV. I didn't expect much, since my past impression of him gave me no reason to believe he has more potential. If NAV were to impress me, he'd have to totally revolutionize everything from his beats to his vocals to his cover art-- and he doesn't. "Good Intentions" is the result of incredibly minor tweaks making very little difference in the overall quality of the music.

Almost every beat here is generic (at best). ... read more

Ka returns with a deeply emotional, beautifully crafted album about love, growth, morality, poverty, violence, heartbreak and peace. His pithy one liners, wordplay, and double, triple, and quadruple entendres remind us that Ka is not only one of the best rappers right now, but also one of the greatest to ever do it.

This album is beautiful, front to back. The biblical concept of fratricide is handled beautifully from all sides. At some points of the album, Ka focuses on the crime of Cain, ... read more

Smino is back!

What a fun mixtape. The laid back, partially freestyled style makes this an easy casual listen, but don't let that distract from some truly fantastic rapping and singing. The production here is also beautiful. "Fronto Isley" has got to be one of the most gorgeous tracks of the year, with some soulful samples and an unbelievable singing and rapping performance from Smino. Other songs are more upbeat, but mostly this mixtape has a distinctive stoner vibe. On some ... read more

Drake's new mixtape is a mixed bag with more lows than highs. The production is mostly generic, which is disappointing because the sounds Drake tries on a few more experimental songs are actually pretty good. Drake's rapping is mostly focused on his own emotions and paranoia as a result of his status. While there are some great lyrical moments, Drake seems to have trouble putting his good ideas into words at many points, and some of his bars come off as corny or repetitive.

The mixtape starts ... read more

I LOVE Megan Thee Stallion. She's unapologetic, harsh, powerful, and so much fun to listen to. Her rapping is elite and she knows it, her songs are confidently self-affirming and uncompromising. On "Suga," Megan delivers on her signature sound while also stepping outside her comfort zone and attempting some more melodic sounds. Although it's an imperfect project, the first five songs are ridiculously good. "Savage" is the Hot Girl Summer type anthem we've come to expect from ... read more

Some hard bangers delivered with distinctive flows. Sada Baby's past projects have been good but slightly bloated, this one is concise and technically tight. The beat on "Slide" is a real weak point, but otherwise there were no major slip ups. Not really anything hugely original or groundbreaking happening here, but a good rapping performance over hard beats is worth celebrating.

Oooooooffffff.

Joyner Lucas seems to think he's God's gift to earth as he spits off-putting bar after bar. The occasional flashes of wisdom are quickly rendered meaningless by Joyner contradicting himself or reminding the listener how tone deaf he really is. Each song either bores the listener to death or overstays its welcome. There is truly nothing redeeming artistically about this album. Even the vague concept of ADHD and mental health is clumsily thrown together and mostly ignored outside ... read more