Can't say I hate it. The album has a handful of unbearable "soft" tracks but everything else is either passable or a banger.

BEST TRACKS: Bank Account, Whole Lot, Thug Life, Famous

WORST TRACKS: FaceTime, Special, 7 min freestyle

HOLY SHIT WHY IS THIS THING AN HOUR AND A HALF LONG. Still love you Khaled and Asahd

BEST TRACKS: Wild Thoughts, Shining, I'm the One, Good Man

WORST TRACKS: Pretty much everything else

I was not terribly interested in this album to begin with, but the rave reviews that it has gotten across the internet made me finally give in. I gave it a listen and as you can probably tell by the score I do not get the hype. At all. While this album has seen praise for being experimental and cutting-edge hip hop, what I hear is possibly the worst production I have heard all year. It seems more intentionally corny and annoying than experimental, as if Vince listened to Kanye West's ... read more

HOV is back with a 10 track LP that sees him at possibly his most mature and honest state of his career. Addressing topics such as black life in America, relationships, family, and his legacy, this album feels highly personal, especially for someone like Jay. The features compliment the personal nature, with additions of Frank Ocean and Damian Marley almost being part of the beat, rather than having a verse of their own. 4:44 features some of the best hip-hop production of the year from veteran ... read more

Denzel has come through with a hard-hitting aggressive EP that is exploring a new side of the Florida rapper's new sound. It serves as a solid preview for what Denzel has coming next and tides his fans, including me, over until his next full-length project

FAVORITE TRACKS: All of them

WORST TRACKS: None

Calvin Harris has taken a change for the better with a wavy, synth-heavy, star-studded album that serves as great mindless summer fun.

BEST TRACKS: Slide, Cash Out, Rollin, Feels, Faking It, Holiday

WORST TRACKS: Skrt on me

In 2013, New Zealand singer Lorde burst onto the scene with the smash hit "Royals", a song that showed Lorde, who was 16 at the time, to be smarter than most of her pop rivals, or at the very least above the celebrity culture associated with being a pop star. Along with "Royals" success, Lorde released PURE HEROINE; an album that, while inconsistent, has a handful of great pop songs that seemed fresh for the time. Four years and zero radio hits later, Lorde is back with a ... read more

The only things that have stayed consistent about Thugger's music, especially in the last year, is that it is gonna be weird, and it is gonna be good. Unfortunately, BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS is projected to sell just under 20k copies first, which is a huge flop for anyone, especially when compared to Thugger's contemporaries such as Migos and Future, who all have been widely successful this year, crossing over into mainstream status. There's any number of reasons why this album is not doing ... read more

2 Chainz has quietly been one of the best rappers in the game, and fresh off a handful of great singles, PRETTY GIRLS LOVE TRAP MUSIC picks up right where 2 Chainz left off. While singles such as the posse cut "Good Drank" and especially the Drake-assisted "Big Amount" may be old at this point, they're undeniable hits and help out the album. This is far from a short album and that is "PRETTY GIRLS" greatest weakness (well, that and the awful "Bailan" ... read more

CTRL is a charming album, one that is carried by SZA's impressive vocal performance and lyrical ability, displayed especially on the standout track "Drew Barrymore". The guests that SZA brings along (including superstars Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar), for the most part, add a lot to their respective tracks. While there are not many objectionable tracks, there are a handful that I find myself lukewarm towards in the second half of the record, making the 49 minute runtime of the ... read more

Admittedly, I had no idea who or what BROCKHAMPTON was going into this record. I was aware of Kevin Abstract but wrote him off as someone who I would not be interested in listening to. But about a week ago, in wake of a real lack of music for me to listen to and overall positive buzz on social media, I decided to give this thing a listen. I expected to have a couple of decent hip hop tracks to listen to, what I did not expect is one of the best albums I've heard all year. Taking inspiration ... read more