mercurialfan

If hip hop is still rightly considered a vehicle primarily for storytelling, Aesop is still one of the masters.

While this album might be a bit overlong, he packs its track list with his remarkable ability to make the mundane sound fantastical and expanding seemingly simple concepts into more intriguing explorations of the human experience. Where most rappers fall into the trap of getting older and having nothing left to talk about, Aesop manages to take those later life crises and turn them ... read more

Adebimpe successfully blends a plethora of different sounds on this solo debut, and while it's not the most exciting thing I've heard lately it's still pleasant overall and commendable in its ambition.

The album is littered with electronic, acoustic, disco pop, alt-rock, and hip hop sounds that all feel like genuine explorations from Tunde rather than half-hearted attempts even if the song wasn't necessarily my favorite. He's even beatboxing at one point. In my view, ... read more

Duckwrth has been releasing albums almost annually since 2015. While he's been the king of sleeper hits for years, he has yet to really pull together a collection of tracks that truly impresses. All American F*ckboy is unfortunately no different.

At almost an hour long, this three chapter track list quickly becomes boring. The idea is solid enough, the tales of an infamous fuckboy who's trying to change (or at least trying to convince you that he is) but ultimately it just ... read more

I've been anticipating an album from Hope Tala since I first heard her single "All My Girls Like to Fight" back in 2020 as well as "Lovestained" from the year before. Tala's "Girl Eats Sun" EP was so promising that I can't help but be disappointed by this lengthy debut album's lack of verve.

Her primary strength is her songwriting ability, as she usually presents us with clever and endearing lyrics about intimacy and identity. The lyrics from ... read more