The follow up to the Marshall Mathers LP is an incredible
and may be his most complex and accessible album. At 21 tracks(bonus songs
included) it’s a thrill ride. Lyrically Em proves he hits hard, perhaps harder
than any other rapper today. His punchlines are better than on Recovery…..and
the production is better too. There are just so many interesting songs….somehow
Em has managed to be very introspective on almost every song. There’s also
songs like Berserk and Rap God, that are just cool songs but very effective. The
guest features are also good like Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar, but there aren’t many
guests here and really you don’t need a lot. The bonus songs help balance the
album out, but ultimately it’s the 2013 album of the year….
30) Rick Ross (7.7) Essential Album: Teflon Don Starting off the list is Ricky Rossay. Ross has great delivery and a lot of good albums. He scores really high in the versatility category. Ross’s pen game has definitely gotten better from when he debuted in 2006 with Port of Miami. Ross’s biggest flaws were his storytelling and impact. Otherwise solid MC. 29) Young Jeezy (7.8) Essential Album: The Recession Another dirty south MC. Jeezy is one of my favorite rappers. He has a lot of good albums with no real duds. He does have the best ad libs in the game. His collaboration and versatility are high. He really brings the heat on his features. Storytelling and Impact weren’t that high but hey; hes tied with the next rapper. 28) Nicki Minaj (7.8) EA: The Pinkprint Arguably the most dominant female rapper of all time. Nicki really shines when features on others tracks. She usually steals the show like on Kanye West’s “Monster” song. She’s also really versatile; able to sing also and