JPEGMAFIA’s ‘Offline!’ LP is a pure display of the artist’s extraordinary talent as both a producer and rapper- having refined his skill over his previous two albums and multiple Devon Hendryx projects. When I first listened to this album over two years ago, I remember having mixed feelings about it as whilst I enjoyed tracks like ‘REBOUND!’ immensely for its industrial, slick beat and great rap performances, I struggled to appreciate the wider album’s ... read more

All before eighteen, up and coming talent Redveil was able to create ‘learn 2 swim’, a project which both stands amongst his contemporaries greatest releases and also serves as a testament to the rapper and producer’s extraordinary talent and hard work. What I love most about this album is how Redveil infuses his rapping so effortlessly with all his self-produced beats, complimenting the gorgeous soul samples whilst also delivering punchy verses and catchy choruses. Some ... read more

Despite hearing frequent praise for Danny's works, this was my first time listening through one of his solo studio albums from start to finish. This is one of the most abstract and experimental albums I have heard in quite some time, especially in hip-hop, which is in thanks to its wild production and Danny's over-the-top delivery, with both being used to convey the album's themes of drug and alcohol abuse and their effects on Danny's mental state. This is clear from the ... read more

Playboi Carti's self-titled, debut mixtape really ends up being a mixed bag for me. Whilst the tap as a whole doesn't appeal to me, nor provide any concept that I want to come back to, there are tracks that I enjoy listening to and keep in my rotation. 'Location' is a given here for its heavenly, atmospheric production that compliments Carti's flow and adlibs really well. The beats across this album are consistently solid too which helped keep me engaged during my ... read more

What can I say? 'Blonde' is one of the most incredible albums I've ever heard, and also one of the first I listened to from start to finish. This is a popular opinion though, and I don't think anyone will be suprised by how much I love this record. Even though 'Blonde' is an exceptional listening experience purely as an album, it also captures so many differents moods and emotions that mean I can almost always find a song from this album that compliments a ... read more

'DAMN.' by Kendrick Lamar is one of my favourite albums ever made, and it isn't hard to see why. Whilst not every track on here is a 10/10, I find myself returning to this record to listen front to back more than any of Kendrick's other albums. Whilst records like 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' and 'To Pimp A Butterfly' tell their stories more clearly and on more grandiose production, especially for the latter, I find that the sheer variety and complexity of ... read more

My first time listening to this record was earlier this year in April, a couple of weeks before I would see Jordan Ward support fellow artist Smino at his show in London. From my first listen, I instantly fell in love with 'FAMJAM4000'- a track that incoporates both jazzy and funk-infused production as well as a catchy chorus sung beautifully by Ward. Apart from this song, I mostly forgot about the rest of the album until a couple of months ago when I started to see various accounts ... read more

'CARE FOR ME' was my first exposure to Saba and his craft, and from that first listen I instantly fell in love with this album. Whilst on its surface the album is beautifully produced with carefully selected instrumentation, its lyrical content underneath is far more gritty, melancholic and pessimistic. The album was created following the death of Saba's cousin and is used by the rapper as a way of processing his grief. In this process however, the Chicago-rapper ends up creating a selection of ... read more

Given that we've now entered the festive period, I thought it would be fun to review one of my favourite artist, Tyler, the Creator's, Christmas EP. Produced with inspiration from Illumination's 2018 'The Grinch', Tyler captures the spirit of Christmas across all 6 songs on this project; whether it be twinkly, plucked strings or starry percussion. The production is very much in Tyler's style which is nice to hear, but due to the project's short runtime and lack of depth/purpose, the majority of ... read more

'ASTROWORLD' has inarguably cemented itself as one of the most monumental rap albums of the 2010s- from its incredible first listening experince with hidden features, to its robbery at the Grammy's. This project has been in my rotation consistently since it released over 5 years ago, however my opinions on individual songs have changed quite a lot. For example, I used to really enjoy '5% TINT's grungey and edgy production with switching drum dynamics, yet now find it to be pretty mundane ... read more

When this album released last year, I was very impressed by it and enjoyed certain songs, such as 'T.P.W.H.I.T.B.', however did not find myself returning to the record as much as I'd have thought. I came back to this album a few days ago after listening to one of Quadeca's newest songs, 'Easier', which I really like and read online shared a similar sounding piano opening to 'T.P.W.H.I.T.B.'. Reading this, I decided to listened to the whole record once again, and was floored by how my opinion ... read more

This album gave me my first impression of Jean Dawson, after listening to 'Bad Fruit*' when it played through shuffle on my Apple Music. I instantly fell in the love with the song for its delicate guitar melody and Jean's quiet tone of voice floating atop, and I decided to listen to the album hoping for more of the same. The album's first track, 'THREE HEADS*' caught me very off guard and instantly converted by expectations of the album. Despite the song's differences with 'Bad Fruit*', such as ... read more

Yeezus, in my opinion, is Kanye's most ambitious and genre-bending album to date. Featuring production that sounds like it came from another dimension and some of Kanye's most aggressive vocal delivery, it's no wonder this album has divisive opinions amongst the hip-hop community. Personally, whilst I don't think this is Kanye's best album or even in his top 3, it still contains some of his most striking and sonically impactful songs ever. Yeezus' intro, 'On Sight', despite not being a ... read more

What happens when you combine one of the greatest hip-hop producers of their time and one of underground's most talented lyricists? Madvillainy. It's hard to fathom that this record is almost 20 years old now, with Madlib's unique sampling and alternative selection of instrumentation making what is one of the most forward-thinking soundscapes in hip-hop. This album thrives as a listening experience in my opinion, rather than having standout tracks that hold their own as ground-breaking pieces ... read more

Probably the most anticpated album in rap this year, 'UTOPIA' delivers what is probably Travis' most ambitious, experimental and stylistically diverse project to date. This is clear from the outset, with the album's opener 'HYAENA' incorporating epic drum patterns and various electronic, glitchy instruments from different samples to allow Travis to rap and flow swiftly over the beat. The album's alternative components only transcend from here though, especially with tracks such as 'MODERN JAM' ... read more

7 years after recieving 'Process', Sampha has released his sophomore album, 'Lahai'. The record showcases sonic, whimsical productions that accompanies Sampha's renowned beautiful singing voice to deliver what I consider one of the best albums of the year. I really started to enjoy Sampha's music around May last year after hearing his feature on Kendrick Lamar's 'Father Time' from 'MM&TBS'. Because of this, my wait for the album hasn't been quite as drawn out as other people's, yet when it ... read more

I remember all the buzz around this album when it dropped last year, going to listen to it and just being floored by the sheer breadth of styles between each song, with each being interlaced with flawless production and incredible performances from JID. ‘The Forever Story’ is an album I can very easily get lost into listening to over and over again just because of how quality every song is. The album’s first full length track, ‘Raydar’, really highlights just how ... read more

85 -> 90
Lil Yachty’s ‘Let’s Start Here’ has so far been my favourite album to release this year. It showcases a radical shift in both genre and stylistic approach to Yachty’s sound, switching from his soundcloud rap to beautifully produced rock, soul and funk pieces; all culminating to create an epic, psychedelic soundscape. The album’s opening track ‘the BLACK seminole’ is a unique experience in itself; combining Yachty’s light, ... read more

100 -> 95
Undoubtedly, ‘Channel Orange’ is one of my favourite albums ever. Whilst the cover is simple, the title cleverly establishes the television format of this album which I love- serving as a source to escort through Frank’s memories as different programmes. There are numerous highs on this album, such as the beautiful storytelling on ‘Thinkin Bout You’, insane production on the electronic ‘Pyramids’ and angelic singing on ‘Pink ... read more

Since this album’s release in March of this year, I have not stopped listening to it. If it wasn’t for Quadeca’s recent release, this would undoubtedly be my AOTY. The record is really consistent all the way through, beginning with the most beautiful of openings I’ve heard in a long time. ‘Melt Session #/1’ is a gorgeous track with fantastic drums, gorgeous supporting vocals and Denzel smoothly rapping atop of the beat. ‘Walkin’ is one of the ... read more