Disc one of The Powers that B is a maze of mirrors that will both confuse and amaze those who journey through the sonically dense but short 30 minute runtime. Up My Sleeves shakes any uninterested listener who enters this project, the mesmerizing Bjork samples and abrasive rambles of Ride give an immediate representation of what's to follow. Billy Not Really and Black Quarterback perfectly balance the head banging rhythms and extremely bizarre production Death Grips are capable of. ... read more

36 Chambers represents a new quality of hip-hop rarely seen previously in every aspect from unique production, 10 distinctive MCs, creative lyricism, charismatically aggressive deliveries, and chemistry that would change the rap scene. The word count won’t let me list them all, but every member deserves credit. RZA brought the clan together in the early nineties to make enough money off of rap to get out of poverty. Personality filled interludes and completely iconic samurai movie samples ... read more

It’s not often a rap album comes out and strikes a chord with me as hard as “Faces” did when I first started walking home from school with “Angel Dust” or “Diablo” playing at max volume practically daily in late 2018. Now that time has passed and I’ve evolved my music taste, I still find Faces to have all the qualities of a modern classic. Mac’s almost “haunted” production throughout the album exerts itself as murmuring organs, ... read more

With some of the best and most innovate production in hip-hop, “A Tribe Called Quest” present a sublime jazz-rap album with countless tracks that are the best in the genre to this day. Not only does “A Tribe Called Quest” deliver on addicting baselines and organic drums consistently, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg serve some of the catchiest lyrics ever written, sometimes their lyricism can get a little abstract but Q-Tip’s more mindful lyrics mixing perfectly with ... read more

Death Grips on the entirety of “Bottomless Pit” find a way to make your mind feel equivalent to a rubber band being stretched at its farthest point. A perfectly chaotic mess that could only be accomplished by coordinated cohesion has never been displayed better than it is here; various different overwhelming synths define most tracks but they wouldn’t be much on their own without MC RiDE’s insane vocals and lyricism led by occasionally directionless drumming that only ... read more

The cinematic and psychedelic sounds on “Little Dark Age” never let my attention look away even for a second, influences from electronic and pop sprinkled on instrumentals backed by strangely filtered and sung vocals heralding what appears at first to be nonsense all comes together to form one of the most different styles in modern music’s wide landscape. MGMT’s ability to put together such layered and complex production that is so effortlessly memorable is one of the ... read more

Madlib and Freddie Gibbs’ “Pinatá” is a modern classic; with Madlib’s genuis once again innovating fresh keys and pretty sleek beats accompanied by his best synths yet. The production on tracks like “Thuggin’” are so clean and the verses stay melodic enough to never quite lose me despite it’s repetition which I usually am annoyed by. Consistent repetition is actually one of my biggest complaints about”Piñata”, even though ... read more

Lauryn Hill’s basic yet perfect blend of rapping and singing presented on ‘The Miseducation’ is unmatched by any vocalist I’ve experienced so far, the depth of these lyrics to her magnificent voice keeps me coming back for more endlessly. While swapping between miserably vulnerable and confidentially angry; Lauryn’s presence is always attention grabbing even on her worst performances due to how willing she is to let the audience hear the wails of pain imprinted on ... read more

“The House Is Burning” is a collection of chill beats to accommodate any summer party with some friends but not much more, the consistent lowkey production accompanied by relaxed bars from Isaiah make for an entertaining but shallow experience. While not bad by any means I do find Isaiah’s flows and lyrics to be a hair too boring compared to some of the really phenomenal beats that can just suck you into the listening experience, the quality of his vocals are never low enough ... read more

“how i’m feeling now” is an experience that has left me in confusion while contemplating my satisfaction with it due to how many pros and cons are consistently present throughout the entire album. I found myself doubting the quality of the music somewhat despite my enjoyment of most tracks because of issues like Charli’s vocals often feeling out of place in the “hyperpop” sound or instrumentals just lacking in memorability and certain songs having less work ... read more

Grimes’ achievement in self-production on “Visions” is something to marvel at with all 13 tracks being entirely made on Apple’s “Garage Band” over a 3 week period. The futuristic universe filled with sounds from the electronic unknown is beyond encapsulating from start to finish on this short and sweet album, the cheap sounds from “Garage Band” never take away from the quality but only only add atmosphere and texture to the music. Grimes’ ... read more

“Flower Boy” is a masterclass in atmosphere and artistic vision, without a clear storyline or connection between lyrics; each track seamless flows to create a location in your head. The sonic similarities are close enough to create a 45 minute experience that never feels repetitive or old, even on countless listens. The evolution of maturity in Tyler between “Flower Boy” and his previous project “Cherry Bomb” is huge and obvious, even to those who adore ... read more

For full disclosure Lil Peep was the first modern rap artist who’s music and life I genuinely had interest in in and loved, he always will be an icon to me personally. The unique attempts at genre blending throughout Lil Peep’s first two mixtapes “Lil Peep Part One, Live Forever” was extremely innovative and influential in a music scene that is now dissolving and most likely leaving the mainstream after only being popular for a couple years, it’s decline in ... read more

I am stuck in a state of false hopes when it comes to this album and my views on it. While I admire Kanye’s production and influence on the music industry, as well as his great discography in the past; I find “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” to be more than just disappointing. I want to admire Kanye’s supposed effort and love put into this project but I just don’t see it. His often tired delivery and largely repetitive beats are indescribably lackluster compared ... read more

“Endless” is possibly one of the best albums of this century and Frank Ocean’s second masterpiece in a row, his masterful understanding of lo-if production and beats on only his sophomore commercial release is shocking. Perhaps the biggest shame of Frank’s entire career will be the limited release of this album, with it’s entire track-list being exclusive to Apple Music in the form of a visual album that films multiple Frank Oceans building a staircase to the sky. ... read more

“The Love Below” is an experimental album so full of genuine romantic atmosphere and innovative song-writing, one wouldn’t guess it’s Andre 3000’s first and only solo project. The ahead-of-it’s-time production and basic ideas shown on the track list leave me in awe at how risky they were for the time, especially with all of OutKast’s fans expecting a more traditional hip-hop album. The song “Prototype” is a great example of how Andre ... read more

Released only 24 hours after his previous project “Endless” premiered, Frank Ocean’s modern classic “Blonde” is a sublime yet flawed work of art. Despite the poorly thought out opening and closing tracks, “Blonde” is an album that will take you to another world with every listen. From the glisteningly clean production on “Ivy” and “Pink + White” to the more experimentally dramatic “Pretty Sweet” and ... read more

“Nevermind” is easily one of the most famous albums ever made, with songs such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are” being staples of 90s America. I’ve always believed that Nirvana lived up to the praise they have been given since 1989’s “Bleach” first released. Each and every track on “Nevermind” perfectly flows together to create a list of songs that all have personality and purpose to be on the album. ... read more

“Take Me To Your Leader” was the beginning of DOOM’s prime and the start for his vast collection of alternate-personas. Every lyric sung by DOOM on this album is supposed to be said by the character of “King Geedorah” who is shown on the album cover being a 3-headed rapping dragon who has come to take over the world, the only issue with this great concept is how little it is expanded upon. The idea of listening to an album made by a dragon is thrown to the side by ... read more

“The Divine Feminine” is an overlooked masterpiece of the last decade, no other album of recent memory has encapsulated the feeling of love through instrumentals and passion the way Mac Miller has. The opening track “Congratulations” sets the tone for the whole album with fantastic modern production and harmonic female vocals that lead into Mac rapping over a heaven-like piano piece, one of the best introductions to any album I’ve ever heard. That fantastic modern ... read more