"JACKBOYS" is a catchy and good collection of songs, though the potential of the group's song output hasn't been realized. Slightly more engaging production and high-effort performances could go a long way.

70/100

Thundercat's fifth studio album, "Distracted," is ironically anything but distracting. It's very cool and collected, yet it's candy for the ears. Cat's vocals and the production alike are sweet. Well, that is until around halfway. From that point on, most songs are just decent, probably with the exception of the outro. Besides the odd lyricism, it's a very monotonous track. The real kickers to this album are in the beginning, including No More Lies, She Knows ... read more

Thundercat's "It Is What It Is" is great. Compared to "Drunk," which was quite simplistic in concept, this album is more coherent and consistent, though containing that same lightheartedness and goofiness. Plenty of good tracks, but Black Qualls is one of my favorite songs by him. It's a really funky and enjoyable track with amazing features, including Childish Gambino and Steve Lacy, and it's a very tasteful track.

80/100

"Meow meow meow meow", "Goku fucking ruined meee 🎶", and "Because I'd rather play Mortal Kombat anywayyy 🎶"

I recognize Thundercat to be one of the most important and eccentric bassists you can find in modern hip-hop culture, and that, along with his song-making talent are apparent here. The instrumentals are pleasant. I find Thundercat's vocals to be a bit of an acquired taste, as I initially disliked them, but by the end, I started to like them. ... read more

Surf gang bitch

MIKE and Earl are two of my favorite abstract rappers, so when "POMPEII / UTILITY" was announced, I had indescribable excitement. Sadly, it's not as great as I was hoping it would be. The production crew, SURF GANG, handled most of the production, and it's safe to say they did a good job; however, paradoxically, their production is too safe. MIKE and Earl didn't bring their all to the table, either. MIKE's disc just feels like a slightly worsened ... read more

Ye's long-awaited "BULLY" is flawed, half-baked, and rather mediocre. Kanye's legacy will forever be cemented into hip-hop, but his reign is over, and it has been over for a while. I do hate the person he is now, but even with that aside, this isn't by any means a good project. Most of the music is poor. I find the songs that are supposed to go hard are just annoying. The songs that are supposed to be emotional and touching are soulless. The album as a whole is also ... read more

"UTOPIA" is Travis's most quality-erratic studio project, having great ideas but somewhat lacking the right execution. This is what caused my real opinion about this project to be unclear, but I'll focus more on the enjoyment rather than the execution. By execution, I mean that there are usually flaws in the performances, segments in songs (K-POP, for example, contributes to the lack of cohesion of the album), or some sort of flair missing.

MELTDOWN, FE!N, DELRESTO ... read more

Psychedelic, accessible, and consistently great. Just really good stuff. It falls off after the first half of tracks, then gradually picks back up again. STARGAZING, SICKO MODE, and STOP TRYING TO BE GOD are amazing tracks. Some overrated, though.

80/100

There are good songs, but altogether, it's a bit tough to listen to. Kind of goes in one ear and out the other. I feel like the only ones who love this are die-hard Travis fans.

the ends (Andre does not mix well with Travis), sdp interlude, and pick up the phone are overrated, but they're still good. first take and beibs in the trap are underrated. goosebumps is good too.

Are you sure you want to party with the demons?

70/100

I don't like trap.

My feelings about this album fluctuated a ton. At the time of review, I listened to this around 8 times and went through 3 drafts of reviews.
I went from "This is the best the genre of trap has to offer? Kind of disappointed," to... well, I'll get into that.

Some of my initial criticisms included: music can sound much crazier than this, the soundscapes are not as absurdly cool as I expected, and it was nothing more than being relatively enjoyable ... read more

It's decent, but a little boring. Nothing against Travis; his rapping is really nice on most songs. Most of the production choices and sound directions are good, too. There aren't any tracks that are actually poor, but there aren't any that I'd consider great. It just doesn't resonate with me.

65/100

Ever since "...lightskin problems" and "DARKLIGHT," I've been a huge fan of heavensouls. He's one of the most elite experimental producers in the underground. I love the Afro-Beat / Jazz Fusion direction he went with in this release. I really like the long tracks on here, shed a tear for me and o di gbere, as well as playing around wit a flip.

75/100

An album that cuts incredibly deep into RiTchie and Parker.

Something I sincerely love to see from musicians is their souls truly being reflected in their music, and these guys have always done that, especially since Groggs' death. You see, what makes most experimental projects so good is often the experimentation itself. Regarding Injury Reserve / By Storm, their expression of the emotions they feel is mostly what makes their music so hard-hitting and great; that, in essence, is why I ... read more

This is what I imagine experiencing a schizophrenic episode while on ecstasy and while everything around you is collapsing, being embodied by music.

"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" serves as multiple things, both within the context of Injury Reserve and the music sphere. This includes: a milestone in the world of Experimental Hip Hop, a testament to the brilliance of the Three-Man Weave, and a memorial for deceased member Stepa Groggs.

Injury Reserve's second studio album, ... read more

Really awesome and fun concepts, as usual. In terms of an Injury Reserve project, it'll meet your expectations, though it won't blow them out of the water.

You'll really feel some of the songs on here, like Best Spot in the House. But then, you'll also have Gravy n' Biscuits.

Highlights on this project include What a Year It's Been, Best Spot in the House, and Three Man Weave. They're all fantastic songs with great attributes respective to each other. Every ... read more

"This ain't that jazz-rap, this that, this that spazz-rap"

Really fun tape. The dynamics between Injury Reserve's three members are astounding. The production, varying from jazzy to hardcore experimental, is impeccable. Bangers across the entire tracklist. This project is just so great.

Also, Back Then is underrated as hell. Other highlights are Bad Boys and S on Ya Chest. Every song is top-tier, except for Keep on Slipping.

Edit: Dropped song ratings here and there ... read more

I AM SO EXCITED TO LISTEN THROUGH INJURY RESERVE / BY STORM’S STUFF

Live from the Dentist Office is a splendid debut. I just love how they sound like they're straight up just having fun with jam session vibes, like the hook on Friday, for example. I'm all for this kind of chill yet somewhat radical production. It has its ups and downs, though. Yo and Wow are my favorite tracks.

75/100

It's good R&B. I definitely appreciate that he made more interesting backdrops and instrumentals on these songs, as compared to some of his other work. Most songs are better than average, but short of great. In other words, this project is mainly missing a components that make it really speak to me-- and though he showed much more ambition on "Wasteland," he's showing no signs of stopping dropping great music.

70/100

Half filler, half banger. Overall, a pretty good tape, though not as good as that of WASTELAND. This could’ve used more artistic nuance. Additionally, the features on this album genuinely made or broke many of these songs (Belong To You, On This Side vs. Upset, Outside).

Forever Yours, Outside All Night, and Upset are nice playlist adds!

70/100

Dude is as sweet as sugar and calling himself a villain

"Wasteland" is amazing for a modern RnB album. Brent made a lot out of a simple sound. It's a huge step-up in quality from his debut. It's not just that Faiyaz's performances are better, but even the concepts and production choices are great. The features are great, and the vibes are off the charts. There are many delectably chill tracks on here. You can really tell that he put in a ton of effort on this album. ... read more