Tag Archives: Hip-hop

VOIR DIRE – Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist ★★★

Year Album Artists Stars Score Genre 2023 VOIR DIRE Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist ★★★ 63 Hip-Hop Earl Sweatshirt will always be a little low energy for me, and his recent efforts have been too choppy to really hold my interest even if I know the things he’s doing and saying are interesting and creative.  TeamingContinue reading “VOIR DIRE – Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist ★★★”

And Then You Pray for Me  – Westside Gunn ★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2023 And Then You Pray for Me Westside Gunn ★★ 49 Hip-Hop With an artist as prolific at Westside Gunn and the rest of Griselda, you should expect some variance in quality from release to release. It’s a slight miracle that the 12 records and mixtapes Westside’s released formContinue reading “And Then You Pray for Me  – Westside Gunn ★★”

For All The Dogs – Drake ★½

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2023 For All The Dogs Drake ★½ 32 Hip-Hop I don’t think I’ve actually liked a Drake album since about 2014, but it’s hard to deny that he’s consistently been able to produce a handful of quality songs and singles every year since his commercial debut in 2009.   Yeah,Continue reading “For All The Dogs – Drake ★½”

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill ★★★★½

Years Album Artist Stars Score Genre 1998 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill ★★★★½ 93 Hip-Hop R&B Soul The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill really checks off all the boxes of what makes a record work. Strong vocals. Smart and personal lyrics. High quality, captivating production. Musical continuity from beginning to end and a clear,Continue reading “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill ★★★★½”

Sundial – Noname ★★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2023 Sundial Noname ★★★★ 82 Hip-Hop A lot had changed in the five years since Noname’s last record, 2018’s Room 25. The world’s become more divided and conflicted. There was a worldwide pandemic and a presidential election. There were protests about race and women’s rights. People are quicker toContinue reading “Sundial – Noname ★★★★”

Yeezus – Kanye West ★★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2013 Yeezus Kanye West ★★★★ 81 Hip-Hop Alternative Hip-Hop Electronic R&B Kanye West was on quite a run heading into 2013: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010, Watch The Throne in 2011 and Cruel Summer in 2012 showcased his skills as a producer, a lyricist, a curator ofContinue reading “Yeezus – Kanye West ★★★★”

Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels ★★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2013 Run The Jewels Run The Jewels ★★★★ 80 Hip-Hop In 2013, respected by at-the-time essentially forgotten hip-hop veterans Killer Mike and EL-P joined forces to form Run The Jewels. Together, they created an album that felt 100 percent authentic to them and was sonically different from the trappyContinue reading “Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels ★★★★”

UTOPIA – Travis Scott ★★½

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2023 UTOPIA Travis Scott ★★½ 50 Hip-Hop A really appealing aspect of listening to Travis Scott albums for the first time is that he doesn’t note who his guest features are on the tracks when you listen on streaming. It makes the experience a journey, because you don’t knowContinue reading “UTOPIA – Travis Scott ★★½”

Madvillainy – Madvillain ★★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2004 Madvillainy Madvillain ★★★★ 82 Hip-Hop Alternative Hip-Hop Madvillainy is an almost one-of-a-kind listening experience. It’s highly intriguing and enriching, but so many fragments and ideas are thrown at you that it sometimes leaves you feeling like there actually wasn’t that much fully formed substance to grab onto.  TheContinue reading “Madvillainy – Madvillain ★★★★”