Rap Expo Part 1: The Duos

·Welcome to the Rap Expo! I will be presenting Rap Duos, Groups, and Labels. I hope u enjoy it.

The Throne: Jay-z and Kanye West-The two rap superpowers joined forces in 2011 and released Watch the Throne. Its a pretty good album. These 2 are my favorite solo rappers(top 5) but WTT wasn't as good as it could have been. Where is the 2nd album??
B-

· Blackstar: Mos Def and Talib Kweili-These 2 conscious rappers have incredible storytelling ability. They haven't been too successful commericially, but the skill is certainly there. These 2 released a self titled album called Blackstar in 1998. I'd love for them to collaborate again.

· Bad Meets Evil:Eminem & Royce Da 5'9- Interesting enough, these two made a song way back on Eminem's 1st official album The Slimshady LP. The "sequel" finally came out in 2011, which was a whole album and it was decent. This may be the most lyrical of any rap duo. The two have incredible chemistry.
B

· Outkast: Andre 3000 & Big Boi-Unless you live under a rock, you don't know about Outkast. Outkast is the highest selling rap duo. (Unless u count The Throne's single artist exploits.) Big Boi is an elite southern rapper, while Andre is a lyrical juggernaut with a taste for weird things. Sadly the ATL duo hasn't released an album since 2006's mediocre Idlewild album.
B+

· Run the Jewels: Killer Mike & El-P-A somewhat new duo. RTJ has incredible chemistry. Both rap really hardcore. I really enjoyed their 1st 2 albums. However the two also collaborated on their solo projects in the past. Admit it, these 2 are exactly what rap needs right now.
A+

· Prhyme: Royce Da 5'9 & DJ Premier-A new duo. Prhyme is a solid album, with a lot of chemistry. Check out their album. Yeah it appears Royce is in 2 duos at the same time...lol.
B

· UGK :Bun B & Pimp C- A landmark duo for southern rap. Both are talented rappers who appeared on a ton of other rapper songs. R.I.P. Pimp C.
B

· Mobb Deep: Havoc & Prodigy- I like Mobb Deep, but it seems like since their glory days they've just been kinda there....They are back on track with a great 2014 outing. I'm not really sure what they can do to further cement their legacy.
C

Nas Albums Worst to Best

20) Nastradamus (75)- It really shouldn’t be a surprise to see this one ranked so low. The lyricism isn’t abysmal but everything is pretty average. How does a song like “Big Girl” make it to a Nas album?? It’s just a boring album plain and simple….I don’t really have a lot to say about it. 19) Street’s Disciple (82) -I hate having this one so low. I honestly like a lot of the songs on this double disc. Unfortunately there’s quite a bit of filler here just like with Jay-z’s Blueprint 2. Disc one has hits like “Nazareth Savage”, “American Way”, “ Just a Moment” and “ You Know My Style”. Disc 2 has some heat on it too: “Suicide Bounce”, the title track, “Virgo”, “Bridging the Gap” and “Thiefs Theme”. 18) T he Lost Tapes 2 (86) -This one I admit I haven’t heard that much…but its pretty decent. It gets off to a good start with songs like “Vernon Family” and “Jarreau of Rap (Skatt Attack)”. A lot of these songs are ok….but not muc...

Album Review: Kid Cudi-Insano (regular version)

I gotta admit I didn't like this album that much when I first heard it over half a year ago. I've heard that Kid Cudi doesn't exactly play to his strengths....that's partly true. I do like his rapping here tho. Honestly most songs here kinda blend together....."Keep Bouncin'" is really hype....and it gets the album off to a good start. "At The Party" with Pharrell Williams and Travis Scott may be my favorite song. "Wow" with A$AP Rocky is another highlight. Overall tho I feel this album tries too hard to be trendy. Cudi needed to put more of his pain into it. I mean a happy Cudi album isn't a bad thing but it really seems odd to me. You're not getting alot of singing or hums here know what I mean? However the production I found to be very good. Cudi is one of my favorite rappers like top 20 and I guess this will do for 2024. Lyrics 20 Beats 23 Depth 21 Tilt 21 Verdict 85

Album Review: Lupe Fiasco's Tetsuo & Youth

Lupe has come back, and with a classic album. He seemed to be back on tracks with Food and Liquor II, but F&L2 wasn’t as fun to listen to as his earlier albums. Even LASERS was more fun. This album however, is very complex and fun to listen to. It’s also incredibly well produced. Lupe proves he’s still a top lyricist in the game. Check out his lyrical showcase on Mural, or storytelling on Prisoner 1 & 2. He’s got a really long song called Chopper which features a lot of guests but its all good. The last song might be the weakest which features Ab-Soul. No Scratches feat. Nikki Jean is one of my favorite songs here. The interludes are pretty intersing, but ultimately skippable. This album is already up for album of the year, and honestly it will be hard for anyone to match this effort. The verdict... its 10/10 for me. This is a great album

Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

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