Best of 2023
Recent Ratings
Recent Reviews
I really wanted to enjoy this album in its entirety. The message of the album is to counter racial stereotypes, especially those directed towards the Black community, by pointing out hypocrisies and the advancements that Africans have brought to the world since human inception. There are a lot of ideas thrown out across the 15 tracks of the albums that serve as a story of their own, but they still conceptually hold as strong tracks. Nas is at his most complex lyrically on this album, ... read more
When Eminem’s dramatic and muddy production isn’t drowning out the vocals from each artist on this project, pathetic moments from the members of Shady Records bring to the mic outweigh the highlights. Individually, the members range from decent (Stat Quo) to hit-or-miss (Obie Trice) to intolerable (Ca$his). Not even Eminem, who at this point was at one of the lowest moments in his life, could make an impressive presence.
Takeaways: "You Don't Know," "By My ... read more
Is hip-hop really dead? Or has it just evolved? At the time of this album’s release, hip-hop was in the midst of its ringtone era, one in which artists would sacrifice making a well-rounded album for tossing together whatever will do best commercially. As Jay-Z said in “Moment of Clarity,” “Truthfully I want to rhyme like Common Sense (But I did five Mil)/I ain't been rhyming like Common since.” On Hip Hop Is Dead, Nas’s thesis is exposing this rising trend, ... read more
Eminem predicted his own career trajectory with the line “‘Til the fire inside dies and expires at 30” off “Soldier” on The Eminem Show. By the time of Encore’s 2004 release, Eminem had deeply explored his three personas (Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers, and Eminem) across his three major-label releases, released two studio albums with his rap group D12, starred in arguably one of the most successful R-rated films of all time, began his own label, and took on ... read more
Good comedy is based on truth, just as “My Band” is based on the intragroup dynamics of D12 upon the release of D12 World. By 2004, Eminem had just reached the end of his reign of hip hop, let alone the entire music industry. Upon the release of D12’s Devil’s Night in 2001, the position of each member of the group was not as separated as it became years later. While there are several duds on that album, each group member seemed to feed off one another and enjoy the ... read more
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Rating Distribution
100
90-99
1
80-89
14
70-79
29
60-69
29
50-59
16
40-49
15
30-39
13
20-29
3
10-19
3
0-9
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