Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

This battle will see Kanye West’s College Dropout (2004) vs. Late Registration (2005). The opening opinion is that College Dropout is the better album. Album The College Dropout Late Registration Result Singles A- A Late Lyrics B+ B+ Tie Beats A+ A+ Tie Cohesivness A+ A College Legacy A A Tie Final Result: Well this was a hard battle to call…in fact, it’s a tie! Late Registration had  better Singles (Gold Digger,Diamonds)…but CD had more cohesiveness. I Felt the Legacy of the albums was about the same as well….so its DRAW. A tie is a rarity in these battles.

This battle will see T.I.’s King(2006) vs. Paper Trail(2008). The opening opinion is that Paper Trail is better. Let’s get this battle going. Album King Paper Trail Result Singles A+ A King Lyrics A- A Paper Beats A+ A+ Tie Cohesivness A- A Paper Legacy A A Tie Final Result: Well it was somewhat close, but Paper Trail is the superior album. King had better singles (What You Know, Front Back, Live in the Sky)…but that was it. T.I.’s lyrics on Paper Trail were a tad bit better. Also Paper Trail was a slightly more cohesive album. Overall though, this was a close matchup. I think these are the best 2 albums in his discography.

Kendrick Lamar has returned after the incredible Good Kid Maad City. This album is a lot different than that album, but it still tells a story, albeit in a different way. This album is “black” as in really African American. That may sound odd but it is. Kendrick displays incredible lyricism all over the album. Theres a poem he recites at the end of various tracks. Each time you get to hear a little more of it. On the song, Mortal Man he interviews none other than his idol, Tupac Shakur. The album is great, but the songs are complicated, and require some deciphering. I didn’t feel the beats were perfect, but they are very good. I really like Blacker the Berry. I feel the album needed one more song like that. There’s also not too many guest rappers…there’s just Snoop Dogg and female rapper Rapsody. There’s a live version of the popish song “I” which works well. King Kunta is a nice song too. This is a tad bit below Good Kid Mad City, but hey it’s a terrific album in its own...

Ghostface Killlah has joined forces with BadBadNotGood for another album of different sounding music. The production is crisp and live. It doesn’t sound dark like the superior album, 12 Reasons to Die. The guest list is short; Danny Brown, Elzhi, and MF Doom . I really like Ghost. He’s just a raw spitter, and honestly might be the Wu-Tang’s best member.I enjoyed this a little more than his last album 36 Seasons…which came out in late 2014. The album doesn’t really have any major weaknesses….its only 33minutes and honestly that’s all you need. The verdict 8.5/10. Its a solid album oh yeah stay tuned for the Kendrick Lamar album review.

Ne-yo is back after a solid outing. Some didn’t like R.E.D., but this album is an improvement, albeit a small one. Ne-Yo does well here lyrically, but that’s like standard Ne-Yo. I really liked most of the songs, even if some didn’t really stand out that much. The album is really smooth, but sometimes it doesn’t flow all that well. The Schoolboy Q featured, Run, is a good example of that. That song is still good though. The lead singles are great with Jeezy on Money Can’t Buy, and Juicy J on She Knows. The latter is arguably the best song here, however, the Pitbull assisted Time of Our Life is dope. The beats are varied here as well. The bonus tracks are also really good. I like the fact that Ne-Yo tells a story here throughout the album. That focus was missing on R.E.D. Like rapper Jeezy, Ne-Yo makes hits easily, but going forward, the albums may not be as interesting as earlier bodies of work. The verdict: 9/10

Hey, i'm back. This addition of My Thoughts is dedicated to Queen B, Jay-z's wife. I really like her music, a  lot more than I did a few years back. She was fire on Destiny's Child, but her solo career has been very successful. Her debut album, Dangerously in Love was ok. I got it back in 2004 i think. I honestly only listen to half of it, the first half. B-day, which I got in 2007, was waaaaay better. In fact i think it was a classic. It had tons of hits, like Irreplaceable, RIng the ALarm, and Deja Vu. Later B came out with arguably her weakest album I am Sasha Fierce.It had some hits, but ultimately it was a weak album. Beyonce then released her 4th album, called 4...which I have reviewed here on the blog. After that she released her self titled album, which was almost as good as B day. Beyonce is a great performer. She has strong vocals, and great sex appeal lol. YEAH B!

I've been wanting to make this post for a while now...I'll do one on The Notorious B.I.G. later. This round of My Thoughts is dedicated to the one and only 2pac. I'm gonna give u my point of view with a a topic as i do so well on the My Thoughts series. I was just a kid when Pac was shot....about 8 to be exact. I wasnt that into rap back then, but in 1999 i was a huge fan of the song Changes. Little did I know that was just one of Pac's great song catalogue. Of course I liked California Love (original version). So my point is I wasn't a huge Pac fan till well a few years ago. Pac is rap's most versatile rapper, with only Jay-z and Kanye West being even close (IMO). He made rap's most viscous diss record, Hit Em Up. He made some really great introspective songs too like Dear Mama. He could also story tell with the best of them. Of course theres the songs for the ladies, and the club bangers too. Pac's standout albums are Me Against the World a...

Nelly’s 2 nd album is, I think, his best. The album’s weakest point are the lyrics, but those are good. The production is great, and I liked about every song. Air Force Ones and #1 are great songs. Then there’s Dilemma with Kelly Rowland, and the anthemic ultimate party song Hot in Herre. Pimp Juice is also a creative and effective track. This is just a feel good album from 2002 that everyone should have. The verdict, 9.25/10. 

K Michelle comes out with a masterful, well varied R&B album. She is a really good vocalist, and the lyrics are very on point. The beats aren’t bad either. The whole album is just amazing. The album has a lot of midtempo songs….which works well. It will be hard for her to top this effort. The verdict...9.75/10. Its a blast to listen to.

 Newcomer YG drops a decent debut album. The album is constructed well and has a good amount of guest spots. Theres nothing groundbreaking here, but the songs are well executed.I liked about every song.. Guests include School Boy Q, Jay Rock,Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Jeezy. The My N**ga song is hot, and there’s even a remix to it. YG is a decent rapper, and I look forward to his next project I feel he's an O-G, so this album gets a 8.5/10

This is a good debut album. Iggy sounds black but this review isn’t about her, its about the album. Its not that creative, and Iggy sounds bitter on so many songs. Complaints aside, it works for her. Her lyrics are sharp, and the album’s beats are nice. Her vocals stand out; I didn’t really get bored with her bars often. The album is pretty cohesive, but there are a couple of songs that she could have left off. This is a good start to her career. Who knows she might even challenge Nicki Minaj next year. The verdict...an 8.25/10....technically its more like a 8.4, but I cant give it that score.

Whattup. I havent blogged a whole lot but I will be blogging more now, hopefully. This is another My Thoughts blog.....just like i've done in the past for Lil Wayne, EMinem, and Nicki Minaj....This time's topic is the West Coast Rapper Game(the). He dropped the 'The' now its just Game.... Funny thing is I didn't really like him that much when he first came out with G-Unit. I just didnt think he stood out at all in the group. That would change in 2005....(10 years ago wow). Game dropped his debut album The Documentary. It was fire....it was actually better than label mate and group leader 50 Cent's The Massacre album. In fact it was tied, IMO, with Kanye's Late Registration album. Game shined. He had personality, charisma, and flow. Skill i hadnt seen on his guest features on the other albums. Anyway after that things got rough with him and 50, which resulting in Game being dropped from Aftermath and G-Unit records. I knew that wouldn't be the end...