2 Chainz – “Rap or Go to the League” review

2 Chainz is a 41 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who came up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle. They eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records & Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s releasing only 2 albums. He eventually ventured off into a solo career, with his previous album Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC easily being his most mature work yet. But almost a couple years later, he’s back with the long-awaited follow-up.

The album kicks off with “Forgiven”, where Tity Boi gets spiritual over a trap beat with some beautifully alluring background vocals. The next song “Threat 2 Society” vents about not getting the credit he deserves over a pretty 9th Wonder instrumental while the track “Money in the Way” is a boring diatribe about this chick even though I like the triumphant beat. The song “Statue of Limitations” reflects on his drug dealing days over a bass heavy beat from 30 Roc while the song “High Top Versace” with Young Thug sees the 2 getting braggadocious over a disappointingly bland beat. The track “Whip” talks about going back to drug dealing over a WondaGurl beat with a dark atmosphere to it while the song “NCAA” of course talks about hustling over an eerie Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental.

The song “Momma I Hit a Lick” with Kendrick Lamar of course has perfectly vivid storytelling accompanied with a Pharrell instrumental kin to “Amazing” off of T.I.’s 2010 album No Mercy while the track “Rule the World” is a smooth ode to his ride or die chick over a luxurious instrumental. The song “Girl’s Best Friend” talks about diamonds over a vintage West Coast instrumental from Cardo while the track “2 Dollar Bill” sees ColleGrove teaming up with E-40 to deliver a dime a dozen club banger with a dime a dozen DJ Mustard beat. The song “I Said Me” is all about how real he is over a nondescript beat while the penultimate track “I’m Not Crazy, Life Is” with Chance the Rapper & Kodak Black talks about how he’s never changed over a somber trap beat. The album then finishes with “Sam”, which gets conscious over a druggy beat.

To be honest, this is neck & neck with Tity Boi’s previous album. Sure some of the beats are generic, but it’s just as mature as last time on all fronts. Makes me really happy to see him continuing to progress as an artist & flexing his lyrical prowess a bit more.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Boogie – “Everything’s for Sale” review

Westside Boogie is a 29 year old MC from Compton, California who first broke out onto the scene in 2014 with his 1st mixtape Thirst 48, eventually following it up with The Reach exactly a year later as well as Thirst 48, Pt. II the year after that. This would eventually catch the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Boogie to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records in late 2017. He then gained even more exposure with a pretty great feature on “Dumb” off of Royce da 5’9”’s latest album Book of Ryan but now almost 9 months later, he’s ready to deliver to his full-length debut.

Things kick off with “Tired (Reflections)”, where Westside Boogie talks about what he’s sick of over a mellow beat. The next track “Silent Ride” talks about being detached over a flute-heavy instrumental while the song “Swapmeet” is an pretty, acoustic love ballad. The track “LOL SMH” talks about his baby momma over a smooth beat with a nice switch-up during the 2nd half while the song “Soho” with J.I.D sees the 2 talking about being sick of people tryin’ to be cool with them now that they’re famous over a banger beat. The track “Skydive” is another acoustic love tune while the song “Live 95” talks about being broke & the beat has a great vintage West Coast vibe to it.

The track “Rainy Days” with Eminem sees the 2 talking about not wanting to be forgotten over a monstrous trap beat from S1 & STREETRUNNER that kinda sounds like it was made during the sessions of Em’s latest album KAMIKAZƎ, but it’s still enjoyable. The song “Skydive II” is pretty much a reprise of the predecessor & while it’s not bad, but it should’ve been merged together with the first one because it seems so out of place standing by itself. The track “Whose Fault” reflects on the arguments he’s had with his baby mama over a somber beat while the song “No Warning” talks about his toxic attitude over a minimalist beat with some gloomy piano chords. The penultimate track “Self Destruction” talks about his ignorance over a nocturnal trap beat & then the closer “Time” with Snoh Aalegra is a corny duet about Boogie treating Snoh like a side-chick

Overall, this is Westside Boogie’s best work yet. The production’s more refined in comparison to his mixtapes & I feel like we get a greater glimpse of who he is. Definitely a solid beginning for Shady Records’ next big star.

Score: 3.5/5

J.I.D – “DiCaprio 2” review

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J.I.D is a 28 year old MC from Atlanta, Georgia who released his 1st mixtape Cakewalk in 2010 & joined EARTHGANG’s Spillage Village collective that same year. He dropped 2 more mixtapes as well as then an EP (to which this serves as a sequel to) after that & signed to J. Cole’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records last year, dropping his full-length debut The Never Story just a few weeks after the deal. But now as we reach the end of November, he’s delivering his highly anticipated sophomore album: a sequel to his 2015 EP.

After the “Frequency Change” intro, we go into the first song “Slick Talk”. Here, J.I.D brags about his skills over a haunting beat. The track “Westbrook with A$AP Ferg is a charismatic club banger with some nocturnal bells throughout while the song “Off Deez” with J. Cole sees the 2 viciously attacking their critics over a decent trap beat. The track “151 Rum” vividly describes life in the streets over a trap beat with a prominent vocal sample while the song “Off da Zoinkys” is an anti-drug anthem with a wavy instrumental. The track “Workin’ Out” vents about depression even with his newfound success over a prominently beautiful sample of Helen Merrill’s 1954 rendition of “Don’t Explain” while the song “Tiiied” with 6LACK & Ella Mai is a drab & corny love ballad.

However, the track “Skrawberries (For da Ladies)” does a better job at being romantic than the previous cut does. Especially with the mesmerizing instrumental from J. Cole & the late Mac Miller. The song “Hotbox” with Joey Bada$$ & Method Man is about smoking weed over a punchy piano instrumental rap while the track “Mounted Up” celebrates where he is now over a boom bap beat with some sinister piano chords.

The song “Just da Other Day” discusses his rise in the game over a bland trap beat while penultimate track “Despacito Too” angrily talks about being whatever he wants over this murky boom bap beat. The album then finishes with “Hasta Luego”, where J.I.D lets go or his painful past to become the artist he is know over a nocturnal beat from WondaGurl & Cubeatz.

Overall, this is just as solid as The Never Story & I’ll even say it’s better than the first DiCaprio. The production has stepped up for the most part & lyrically, J.I.D continues to prove each & every single one of us that he truly is the future of Dreamville Records.

Score: 3.5/5

Vince Staples – “FM!” review

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Vince Staples is a 25 year old rapper who came up as an affiliate of Odd Future. He dropped a number of mixtapes from 2011 up to him being signed to ARTium Recordings & Def Jam Recordings in 2014. Since then, he’s hit us with an EP one year & a studio album the next, with his 3rd EP over here coming fresh off of Vince’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Big Fish Theory last summer.

The EP kicks off with “Feels Like Summer”, which is an out of place summer anthem with a murky trap beat. The next song “Outside!” gets bloodthirsty over a bouncy beat while the track “Don’t Get Chipped” with Jay Rock talks about wealth over a spacey bass heavy instrumental. The song “Relay” has some great storytelling about this woman, but the hook is annoying. The “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude pretty much trolls everyone who’s been anticipating Earl’s new album & while the song “Run the Bands” gets boastful, the hook is obnoxiously repetitive.

The track “FUN!” with E-40 is of course a party anthem over a hyphy beat while the song “No Bleedin'” with Kamaiyah sees the 2 vividly getting murderous over a nocturnal beat. The “Brand New Tyga” interlude is a follow up to the “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude, except nobody wanted it. After the “562-453-9382” skit, we go into the closer. Here, Vince & Vonnie talk about how far they’ve come over a spacey trap beat along with a pretty Kehlani hook.

Honestly, this was just ok. The production is eclectic & Vince sounds hype, but I feel like it’s chocked with filler. I really hope his next album will be a much more consistent listen, because I know he can do much better than this.

Score: 3/5

Sheck Wes – “MUDBOY” review

Sheck Wes is a 20 year old rapper from Harlem, New York who started out in 2009 as a member of the MillYorkers at the age of 11. He eventually signed a joint deal with Travis Scott’s Interscope Records imprint Cactus Jack Records & Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music at the beginning of the year but now with him being on the verge to head out with Travis on the upcoming ASTROWORLD tour next month, he’s decided to drop his full-length debut.

The album begins with “Mindfucker”, where Sheck sends a message to his haters over some prominent hi-hats. The next song “Live Sheck Wes” talks about roaches in the crib over an eerie trap beat while the track “Gmail” brags about his skill level over a futuristic trap beat . The song “Wanted” gets confrontational over an instrumental with a sinister atmosphere to it while the track “Chippi Chippi” talks about his new lifestyle over a spacey beat.

The song “Never Lost” reflects on his rough past over a moody WondaGurl instrumental while the track “WESPN” laughs off at how his doubters became his believers over a spacey beat. The song Kyrie” sees Sheck comparing himself to the Boston Celtics player Kyrie Irving over a beat with some chilling bells & while it is cool, the track “Mo Bamba” takes it to a whole new level as Sheck talks about all these labels contacting him & intelligently comparing it to how his childhood friend & Orlando Magic player Mohamed Bamba was being targeted by universities when they were in highly school over a grimy trap beat with some keyboards.

The “Burn Slow” interlude is way much less of an interlude & more of an atmospheric brag while the track “Jiggy On the Shits” recalls roaming the streets at the age of 10 over another spacey beat. The song “Fuck Everyone” angrily talks about his arrival to the hip hop scene over a looped sample of a MacBook Pro start up sound & while the penultimate track “Danimals” does vent about an ex, the hook is awkward & the beat is generic as Hell. The album does end on a high note though with “Vetements Socks”, where Sheck gets introspective over a meditative yet blissful beat.

As a whole, this was a pretty solid debut. Some of the beats could’ve been better & I do appreciate Sheck Wes for holding it all on his own, but I wish we got at least just 1 Travis Scott verse on here. All that aside, this is a great beginning for the rising NY star. BITCH!

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Wayne – “Tha Carter V” review

Lil Wayne is a LEGENDARY rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana who was signed to Cash Money Records at the very age of 9. He then got started as 1/2 of The B.G.’z, 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Cater II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & the legal issues that’s been tangled in with Cash Money for the past 4 years. But now that he’s free from Birdman, he’s finally delivering his long-awaited 12th full-length album to celebrate being the sole owner of Young Money.

After the 2 minute spoken word intro, we go into the first song “Don’t Cry”. Here, Weezy talks about the afterlife over an atmospheric beat & the posthumous XXXTENTACION vocals on the hook don’t sound that bad at all. The track “Dedicate” is about his influence on today’s hip hop landscape over a trap beat with some plinky keys, the sampling of the 2 Chainz song with the same name as the hook was pretty cool as was the reference to The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel.

The song “Uproar” is filled with clever battle bars & while I kinda feel like Swizz Beatz’ heavily sampling of the classic G. Dep song “Special Delivery” was too much, it does do it’s job. The track “Let It Fly” with Travis Scott is a modern day club banger with a moody beat with both parties complimenting each other very well while the song “Can’t Be Broken” is a middle finger to his haters over a piano & a BEAUTIFUL vocal sample.

“Dark Side of the Moon” is a romance anthem over a moody beat that works pretty well & I actually find Nicki Minaj’s singing throughout the 2nd half to be pretty empowering. The song “Mona Lisa” is about unfaithful women over an atmospheric beat & the Kendrick Lamar verse really makes it hard to decide who outrapped who. Especially with lines like “They started French kissing so he didn’t see moi” as well as that one about waking up to The Great Gatsby & then dogging it like Lassie.

The track “What About Me” is a dedication to his ride or die chick over a decent moody trap beat & even the Sosamann verse doesn’t really do much for me personally. The perfectly-titled “Open Letter” is Wayne venting to the listener over a spacey beat with punchy drums while the song “Famous” is a piano ballad reflecting on the Lil Wayne’s feelings of fame & the hook from his daughter Reginae Carter worked out much better than I had anticipated.

“Problems” talks about the issues he’s having with this woman over a bass-heavy Zaytoven instrumental while the song “Dope Niggaz” talks about growing up in the streets over a banger beat that constantly from that I to a killer sample of the classic Dr. Dre track “Xxplosive”. WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s hook is charismatic too, but I really wish he had verse. The track “Hittas” talks about having shooters over a chilling vocal sample & the song “Took His Time” picks up where the previous joint left off albeit in a more introspective fashion over a trap beat with some piano chords & harmonious background vocals.

“Open Safe” sees Weezy flexing & it’s not bad, but the DJ Mustard instrumental sounds like any other instrumental that you’d hear from the guy. The song “Start This Shit Off Right” sounds like a vintage Early 2000’s club banger down to the Mannie Fresh instrumental & the Ashanti hook while the track “Demon” vents about all the demons in his life over a soulful trap beat from Cool & Dre. The track “Mess” is pretty much A Day in the Life of Lil Wayne over an spacey acoustic trap instrumental that’s very pretty while the song “Dope New Gospel” sees talking to himself in a mirror over a celebratory trap beat & the hook from Wayne’s ex-fiancé Nivea is beautiful.

The track “Perfect Strangers” is about switching women over an a trap beat from Mannie Fresh with somber piano chords while the song “Used 2” talks about his evolution over a spacey beat from non other than Metro Boomin’. The album ends beautifully with “Let It All Work Out”, which has a prominent Sampha sample throughout. Also, the final verse where Wayne recalls a suicide attempt at age 12 is damn-near heart-wrenching.

It’s been a long time coming but at the end, this was a strong return to form for Lil Wayne. I was a bit worried given that we’ve had many disappointing 20+ track albums this year, but the production is his best in years & Wayne himself has A LOT to say throughout it’s 87 minute runtime. It’s very remarkable & refreshing to hear him at his strongest in years after he went through so much. Welcome back, Weezy!

Score: 4/5

Eminem – “KAMIKAZƎ” review

It’s been merely 8 months since the critically panned RƎVIVAL was released but earlier this weekend out of nowhere, Detroit hip hop icon Eminem is returning with his 10th full-length album.

The album begins “The Ringer”, where he says “fuck you” to everyone who trashed his last album over a gloomy beat. He also takes shots at Lil Yachty, Lil Pump, Lil Xan & Vince Staples. I found the disses at all 3 Lil’s to be pretty funny, but I can’t say the same for the one about Vince. The next song “Greatest” serves as a sequel to “Rap God” with a Mike WiLL-Made It instrumental while the track “Lucky You” with Joyner Lucas sees the 2 talking about being underlooked & overlooked despite their success over a trap beat with some chimes. After the Paul skit, we go into the song “Normal”. Em on here talks about an ex over a instrumental that starts off grimy, but switches into a trap beat with plinky keys. However, the hook & the delivery when the beat switches is trash. After the “Em Calls Paul” skit, we go into the song “Stepping Stone”. Here, Em pretty much confirms that D12 is done over a punchy instrumental. The song “Not Alike” by Bad Meets Ǝvil literally starts off as a parody of “Look Alive” by BlocBoy JB & Drake down to the Tay Keith instrumental, but it does a complete 180 as an original instrumental with a futuristic bass-heavy vibe comes in halfway through the track. I also liked the MGK diss at the halfway point of Em’s verse.

The title track sees Em pretty much calling RƎVIVAL the “FACK” of his albums over a Mike WiLL-Made It instrumental kin to ƎNCORE & while I don’t care for the instrumental or the hook on “Fall”, Eminem responds to his critics very well. I also found the one line at the beginning of the 2nd verse dissing Everyday Struggle creators DJ Akademiks & Joe Budden (the latter of whom was once signed to Shady Records as 1/4 of the now defunct supergroup Slaughterhouse) to be pretty unapologetically lethal. However, the jab at Charlemagne Tha God was just ok & the ones towards both Tyler, The Creator & Earl Sweatshirt were my least favorites on the entire album. It’s not even because he called Tyler a “faggot”, because Eminem has literally calling people that throughout his entire career. It’s because I found it to be unnecessary. However, I did find it interesting that he ends the final verse by taking a jab at Lord Jamar as well as owning up to influencing Hopsin & Logic, both of whom’s latest material has been pretty awful in my personal opinion. The next 2 songs “Nice Guy” & “Good Guy” with Jessie Reyez on both tracks Segway into each other very well sonically & lyrically, as they each talk about a failing relationship. The instrumental on “Nice Guy” has some pretty piano chords during the awkward Melanie Martinez sounding hook, but during the verses it switches into a gritty baseline. As for the beat on “Good Guy”, it has a WAY more classier tone to it. Both of them are just ok, but I just wish they were fused into 1 single track. The album ends oddly with “Venom”, which is commissioned for the upcoming Marvel movie with the same name. It’s a good theme song for it, but the hook is hilariously awful.

To be quite honest, I enjoyed this album quite a bit. A couple of the beats & hooks are weak but for the most part, Eminem manages to come out of the dark with a vengeance. The production is much better than RƎVIVAL’s down to the mixing & Em lights a fire under his ass, both lyrically & delivery-wise.

Score: 3.5/5

Bas – “Milky Way” review

Bas is a 31 year old rapper from Paris, France who broke out onto the scene with his 1st mixtape Quarter Water Raised Me in 2011. He eventually signed to J. Coles’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records at the beginning of 2014, dropping his debut album Last Winter a couple months after & then following it up in 2016 with what I believe to be his magnum opus: Too High to Riot. Then earlier this month out of the blue, Bas announced that he would be releasing his 3rd full-length album.

Things start off with “Icarus”, where he talks about an ex over a mellow instrumental. The next track “Front Desk” has a very funky instrumental, but Bas’ singing is horrendous & it’s concept is really corny. The song “Tribe” is all about making it over a creative sample of “Zum-Zum” by Edu Lobo & the J. Cole verse is probably my favorite feature on the entire album while the track “Boca Raton” with A$AP Ferg sees the 2 talking about partying in the titular city over Sango’s “Para a Luz”. The song “Barack Obama’s Special” takes a jab at his old racist neighbors over a jazzy boom bap beat from Ron Gilmore while the track “Purge” talks about killing people off from his life & the instrumental on here is just decent. The song “Fragrance” talks about this woman who won’t leave him alone over a smooth instrumental with rattling hi-hats, but Bas’ predominately sung-execution ruins it.

The spoken word “Infiniti” skit leads us into the next song “Infiniti+2”, where Bas tells this woman to get her head right over a spacey trap beat. It’s ok, but I don’t get why these 2 tracks weren’t merged into 1. The track “Sanufa” tells this woman that she knows better over a house instrumental from J. Cole & after the “Great Ones skit, we go into the song “PDA”. Here, Bas is about making up lost times with his girl due to his newfound success over a moody beat & the hook is absolutely God awful. The penultimate track “Designer” gets braggadocious over a settle instrumental & then the album closes with “Spaceships + Rockets”, which is a weird EDM/trap fusion.

For the most part, I found this to be just average. There are quite a few interesting ideas being presented, but Bas’ attempts at being melodic fall flat on it’s face & the romantic themes tend to wear thin after a while.

Score: 2.5/5

Iggy Azalea – “S.t.S. (Survive the Summer)” review

Iggy Azalea is a 28 year old rapper from Sydney, Australia who came up as a T.I. protege earlier this decade. She then signed to Def Jam Recordings in 2013 & dropped her debut album The New Classic the following year, which would go platinum. She’s been VERY quiet since then, but now she’s returning with her 2nd EP.

The title track kicks things off as Iggy gets confrontational over a piano & bass heavy instrumental that’s actually not bad while the next song “Tokyo Snow Trip” speaks on a coke addicted woman, the beat is boring as Hell & Iggy completely bites the Ying Yang Twins’ delivery from their classic club banger “Wait (The Whisper Song)”. The track “K.R.E.A.M. (Kash Rules Everything Around Me)” with Tyga is more of a bastardization of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan song “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” than it is a contest to see which of the 2 rappers attempting to stay relevant over a hyphy/trap fused instrumental.

“Hey Iggy” is an egotistical brag about how hot she is over a bass-heavy trap instrumental with some dreamy synths while the track “Kawasaki” is a hilariously corny sex tune over an generically eerie trap beat. The nightmare finally ends with “OMG”, where Iggy & Wiz Khalifa brag about their wealth over a woodwind-infused trap beat.

As I completely expected, this is awful. It’s a really pitiful attempt at trying to stay relevant with it’s mostly generic production & the self-absorbed lyrical content

Score: 0.5/5

The Carters – “EVERYTHING IS LOVE” review

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The Carters are a musical duo & power couple consisting of legendary Brooklyn, New York emcee JAY-Z & his wife, former Destiny’s Child member & Houston, Texas popstar Beyoncé. Their latest albums Lemonade & 4:44 saw them at their most personal, but now they’re closing out the trilogy with a collaborative effort.

The album starts off with “SUMMER”, which is a sex song over a Cool & Dre instrumental that suits the mood fantastically. The next track “APESHIT” is an energetic club banger with an infectious Pharrell beat & Bey’s rapping was a very nice touch. The song “BOSS” talks about success over a triumphant trap beat from D’Mile & Mike Dean while the track “NICE” with Pharrell sees the 3 getting braggadocious over some beautiful keys & rattling hi-hats. The song “713” is a dedication to Beyoncé’s hometown over an instrumental with heavy bass with even some Scott Storch-like keyboards. It makes even more sense that Bey interpolates the classic Dr. Dre tune “Still D.R.E.” in the hook, but that’s really the only part of the song that I’m realistically not crazy about.

The track “FRIENDS” sees the 2 individually dedicating the time to song crew over a gloomy trap beat from Boi-1da & for some reason NAV while the song “HEARD ABOUT US” tells their critics to watch their mouths over a funky beat. The penultimate track “BLACK EFFECT” sees the 2 intelligently talking about being African American over a soulful trap beat & then it finishes perfectly with “LOVEHAPPY”, where the ‘03 Bonnie & Clyde go back & forth with each other about professing their love for each other as well as moving on from the whole Becky incident over a beautiful Eddie & Ernie sample.

I’m well aware that Jigga intentionally gave us this just the day after the new Nas album NASIR & while that is definitely superior, I still thought this was a lovely way to end the trilogy. Given what they’ve been through, the impeccable chemistry between JAY-Z & Beyoncé is a lot more stronger than it’s been in the past. Most of the instrumentals are luscious too & while I do enjoy a handful of trap music, I feel like a few of the beats on here sounded like they were forced to throw in hi-hats when they really didn’t need to

Score: 4/5