Vince Staples' ability to continue to innovate again and again is truly admirable, especially considering that some may have considered his return to making music from an extended hiatus after the release of 2018's "FM!" a stagnation of sorts. His subsequent projects, including his self-titled album "Vince Staples" in 2021, and "RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART" in 2022, were well-received critically, but not as culturally resonant or groundbreaking as ... read more
JPEGMAFIA's brash new album "EXPERIMENTAL RAP" and the discourse around it claims more than just it's existence as an LP. It's a bold statement from Peggy himself-- that he is the pinnacle of cutting edge hip hop. And while JPEGMAFIA is definitely a leader when it comes to pushing the genre forward, to say that he is indisputably THE best is not just confidence-- it's utterly audacious and dismissive of his peers. Therefore, the expectations of this project to ... read more
An emotionally-supercharged, too-much-to-say, artistically-eclosing redveil finds himself setting the stage for a neo-soul-touching, acoustically-cinematic, near-ethereal piece of music in "sankofa".
The level of polish here warrants that this LP be referred to as more than just a "project"-- not just in regards to the sonics, but also with the masterful lyrics and deeply explored themes of multifaceted growth. redveil has frequently demonstrated his range and talent as a ... read more
This is like the 2019-20 OKC Thunder. The most random group of artists stuffed into an 8 track mixtape, and somehow it just works. Spearheaded by Denzel Curry, "Strictly 4 The Scythe" offers a promising glimpse into the future of The Scythe. I can't say I'm not excited for what's next, but as for this one right here, it's a solid collection of heavy hitting bangers, with more interesting moments sprinkled in between that allows the group to show off their range ... read more
8 years in the making, and we got an À la carte-esque offering from A$AP Rocky. After so much time, it only makes sense that the follow-up to "TESTING" would cover as much ground as possible. "Don't Be Dumb" does that while simultaneously validating the ahead-of-its-time concepts and sounds from its predecessor. The album's lack of a thematic focus drags down the listening experience as a whole in addition to a number of more-than-questionable artistic ... read more
“Alfredo 2” is a record of exceptional quality and a lot of care clearly went into it from both the artist performances and production. The only knock I have on it is that this just isn't as interesting as Freddie's last couple of releases.
Sure, the theme is tighter, the aesthetic sharper, and the rapping honed like a Samurai's katana. From an objective standpoint, this project is of a higher standard musically than what Gibbs has put out in the last few years-- ... read more
It's a really solid-- and I mean SOLID-- rap record. "Quaranta" is well written, interesting, and refreshingly simple aesthetically (especially from the outrageously experimental catalogue of Danny Brown's music).
It's just that there are SO MANY good traditional rap records. There's nothing really differentiating this thing from other projects made by Danny's peers and contemporaries, except for the fact that Danny himself rapped on this. The bits of unique ... read more
It's good-- just a little unfocused. Just look at the number and range of genre tags this thing has: "Experimental Hip Hop, Electronic Dance, Decons Club, BBG Bass, Hyperpop" and so on. It's one thing, then it's another. Track by track, they're all really solid with some real standouts here too. Unfortunately as a collection in an LP, it's very jarring going from a track like "Copycats" with its uniquely harsh instrumentals to a super light track ... read more
One of the best ways to curate and deliver a 5-track project. 13 minutes and not a single one wasted.
Head. Banger.
Not only is "BRAT" chock-full of creative ideas and unique sounds, it manages to present them in a highly accessible package. "BRAT" is the kind of record that you'll be struggling not to replay constantly because of the immense surface level appeal it has in addition to the deeper messages presented beneath that. You don't have to be in a "TPAB" kind of mood to enjoy "BRAT". It's energetic, overwhelming, vibrant, and goes extremely hard ... read more
The fact that this album placed higher than the following albums in the 2024 album ranking on this site (based on user score) is just baffling:
1. Charli xcx's "BRAT"
2. Denzel Curry's "King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2"
3. Tyler, The Creator's "CHROMAKOPIA"
4. Quadeca's "SCRAPYARD"
5. Kendrick Lamar's "GNX"
6. Billie Eilish's "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT"
7. Vince Staples' "Dark ... read more
I did not know that I liked Art Pop or Folktronica or whatever this album is but now I know that I do.
Track 1 0:00 - 3:20: OKAY?! Thug is back 😮💨🔥
Track 1 3:20: What the fuck 😭
Tracks 2 - 21: 😴
UY SCUTI? More like EBLM J0555-57Ab.
Speechless. This is art in its purest form-- an uninhibited medium for conveying an idea or concept. And Saba conveys beautifully here.
Track 1 - Banger, Track 2 - Banger, Track 3 - Banger, Track 4 - Banger, Track 5 - Banger, Track 6 - Banger, Track 7 - Banger, Track 8 - Banger, Track 9 - Banger, Track 10 - Banger, Track 11 - Banger, Track 12 - Banger, Track 13 - Banger, Track 14 - Banger.
When it comes to a more laid back record, I find it quite hard to latch onto a sharp characteristic where I can go "yeah that shit is fire". Starting off with "Every Painting Has a Price" is a deliberate, yet daring choice for a project like this; No ID's production throughout-- while being intentionally minimal-- covers a lot of bases here. Why start this album off with such a sonically-stripped track? It's only when you get to the rest of the LP do you understand ... read more
Smino effortlessly floats on an exuberant beat, layers in smooth vocals as needed and calls it a day. No surprises here.
The cuts that hit, HIT. "DARK AURA", "SUPAFLEE", and "UNDERWATER" are excellent examples; a mix of Joey's signature rapping mixed with some new experimental soundscapes that meet the expectations of an album with the grandiose title "Lonely At The Top". At the same time, there's cuts here that are utterly head-scratching. The musical mastermind who was able to put together a song like "DARK AURA", made "READY TO LOVE" and ... read more
Nothing particularly bad, but nothing particularly memorable either. It's a solid project, but not good enough to distinguish it from the myriad of other great hip-hop projects-- not just from other artists-- but 21 Savage himself. Why listen to this when I could put on "I Am > I Was" or "Savage Mode II" which are much better records? Sure, there are cuts on here that I'll come back to, but for every one of those, there are two others I will never actively seek ... read more
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Recent Review Comments
On KindaDecentGuy's review of redveil - niagara
"ur good bro success is not measured by whether you have made a quality record. just do you."
On JoeySnell's review of Danny Brown - Stardust
"I was the same-- it's going to take time to really palette these types of artists since their music is so out there stylistically esp coming from traditional hip hop. It's good though, so I'd recommend you come back at some point. I disliked JPEGMAFIA for the longest time (4-5 years) up until recently when I my music tastes shifted a bit. If you don't like it now, I'd hold off for a bit and then come back later. :)"
On Vylet Pony - Monarch of Monsters
"@abioticbomb abby what u doing smh..."
On wheat's review of Saba - C0FFEE!
"I feel like this is the best interpretation of what we got-- sure it's cool we got to see the music-making process, and it's awesome we get something like that from someone as talented as Saba. It's just that though-- a sketchbook, since it's never channeled into a polished final product. It's nice to take a look at, but not necessarily something I will come back to really."
On CormacMcCarthy's review of Lil Yachty - Nuthin' 2 Prove
"Yeah, I'm not sure what reviewers are looking for?? It's a Yachty album. Like just enjoy the bangers smh. It's not that deep. Sure, its nothing revolutionary, and it is derivative, but that doesn't make it bad in the slightest. It's not exceptional, but it also doesn't really warrant a super negative reception. There are some misses here and there, but this album pretty much does what it sets out to do. It's consumer music-- so just consume. Hit play, enjoy, and forget."
On Vylet Pony - Monarch of Monsters
"@jakus Show them what? You got a whole non-existent storyline going on. 😭"
On Vylet Pony - Monarch of Monsters
"@Yellowslotcar It worked 🤷♂️"
On davis_barnes_'s review of McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!
"I feel like im the only one who knows about that track holy shit W"
On Dark_Moon's review of Freddie Gibbs - Alfredo 2
"I can agree with the same-same feel this album has track per track, but I would recommend a re-listen-- the quality is there for sure in my opinion."
On Maxwell's review of Danny Brown - Stardust
"This was probably not the best starting point for Danny's catalogue lmao. Good record tho."
On Deidrheamim's review of Vylet Pony - Monarch of Monsters
""almost every other reviewer who has never listened to vylet pony before has done"
Those people are the ones who were able to spare themselves the agony and misfortune of listening to the album, and also not have their time wasted (as per your negative review). I'm praying you make a full recovery from this horrifying listening experience you have put yourself through."
On Vylet Pony - Monarch of Monsters
"@stonest I respect your accountability and reflection."
On SirCapybaraGuy's review of JPEGMAFIA - SCARING THE HOES: DIRECTOR'S CUT
"you need to type the whole NONONONONONONONO... or your review is fake."
On Zel_'s review of Vylet Pony - Monarch of Monsters
"im gonna judge you for your profile picture and your username"
On Saba - C0FFEE!
"lmaooooooooo. the user score per track gives it away..."
On the biggest arianator's review of Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
"Album not gonna bite you bruh lmao"
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