Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

This 2007 UGK album is a dirty south work of art. The album has no major flaws. It’s arguably UGK at their best. It’s a double disc…which means lots of music. Most songs are laid back but really effective. There’s a lot of guest spots like TI, Talib Kweli, Raheem Devaughn, Rick Ross and some others. I really like the songs Like That, Like That Remix, and Int’l Players Anthem. Pimp C seems to handle most of the hooks and its effective. This album should have been on my best rap albums of 2007 list. Hmm maybe I will have to reevaluate that list. The Verdict is a solid 9.5/10 ! Knowwhatimtalkinbout? LOL

Wale’s 4 th album is narrated by Jerry Seinfeld. Its an interesting dynamic for the album. The album doesn’t feel as well thought out as his last album, The Gifted. The biggest problem is Wale’s lyrical ability. He’s just everywhere…..and it hurts the cohesiveness and impact of most of the albums’ songs. I’m not saying his lyrics are terrible by any means though. There’s not as many guests as his last album but they are well used. Most songs here are good but some are just too long or have beat change-ups that aren’t too effective. Overall the album is good but far from great. I kind of wish it was really about something lol. The verdict is a 8/10 which isnt bad

Drake’s original mixtape…I didn’t get to hear it till 2014. Yeah I had the EP…which was fire. I’ve heard some of these songs on the EP, but there are some standout songs here that I really like. Ignant Sh** with Lil Wayne is dope. Also Unstoppable featuring Santigold is arguably the best song. Of course there’s Best I Ever Had which is the  awesome heartbreak drizzy song. The extended version of Succesful, Trey Songz’s song is dope too. In hindsight, its better than Drake’s first 2 albums easily. The verdict... .9.25/10 . Shopping bag drizzy!

Action Bronson’s commercial debut is really good. You can tell he likes other kinds of music than rap. The beats are really hot, and AB’s lyrics aren’t far behind. Occasionally he will sing, and its not that good. AB is a good rapper (of course). The only notable guest spot is Chance the Rapper. AB is a goofy rapper, with hard hitting punchlines. There really wasn’t enough great tracks to get it at least a 9/10…but this is a fun album to listen to. The Verdict....he sounds like Ghostface Killah...lol Oh the score? The score is a 8.75/10 ! 

This is the album that put T.I. on the map. He hasn’t really gotten a whole lot better lyrically than on I’m Serious, but he has diversified his subject matter. The result is a deeper album, with lots of replay value. The singles are dope, like  Be Easy, 24s, Let’s Get Away, and the anthemic Rubber Band Man. Theres some other good stand out songs like Look What I Got and I Still Love You. The album closes on an even note. This is one album that if you missed out on it, you need to hear it. The verdict: 8.75/10  

It seems only natural that TI would digress a little after the mighty Paper Trail. This album isn’t that bad, its just not creative at all. The first track features Kid Cudi on the hook, and a troubled Kanye West. After that the album is either a mellow club banger,  or a feel sorry for me/I am a changed man type of song. Rocko does well on his feature, as does the great Eminem. The closer with Christiana Aguilera is also good. The verdict is a 6.75/10..TIP can do better

Video Game System Review Wii U This is a system review. I’m not going to go into a lot of specifications. I’m just going to give you what I feel about the system. I’m going to review a system I have. That’s only fair. I got the Wii U right after it came out. I really liked the Gamepad. I find myself playing on it while having the TV on something else often.. It’s a really handy device. Of course not all games (like Mario Party 10) enable that feature. The Wii Nunchuks are cool. I mostly just use them to play regular wii games. That is an awesome feature too. I missed out on a lot of wii games like Zelda Twilight Princess and Mario Galaxy(1and 2). The Pro controllers are very comfortable. I had to cop 2 of those. Graphically, the Wii U is good, but rather inferior to the PS4 and Xbox 1. It does have some nice features though. Theres an ability to share messages with other players even in a game with Miiverse. The stylus and the gamepad can be used as a browser.

RTJ 2 is a slight improvement over the incredible RTJ1. Killer Mike & El-P are relentless on the mic again. The album seems to flow together slightly better than the first. There aren’t any big guests, but the spots are well used. The production is similar to the first RTJ, which isn’t a bad thing at all. I liked every song here especially Close Your Eyes, Oh My Darling Don’t’ Cry, and All Due Respect . I feel like it will be tough for this Rap Duo to best this effort.  The verdict is a 9.75/10. It's the album of the year for 2014.

Hey y'all. I been bloggin up a storm. What i'd like to do here is just give a little opinion on alot of different things in quick manner. Other than that it will be a typical MY THOUGHTS blog post. (Mario VOice) HERE WE GOOO! Dating Sites I've ranted on this before but i'm going to do it again. I like dating sites..or I did. I feel like they don't work anymore(At least the free ones don't). Of course the issue is with the people. Since i'm a guy, ima say the girls. They are either shallow, Picky, or just not up there enough. I really used to have success in my early 20s, but now its abysmal. I mean i can get some convos going but as far as getting dates....nope. Music a  I'll keep this short since i'm blogging about music all the time lol. Kendrick Lamar and Lupe are competing for album of the year. There's also been some good music from BIg Sean, Drake, and Ludacris as well. I will have a review for Action Bronson and Wale soon. Video Ga

Ludacris, the great dirty south hitmaker has finally released his 8 th album. I love that he’s really personal on the album, without coming across as corny. He raps about him not rapping and being a movie star, and being a father and not wanting to go to clubs on Grass is Always Greener. Like with Jeezy’s last album, Luda saves the features for the 2 nd half of the album. The guest spots are well used like Monica on Ocean Skies, which is a tribute to his father, Wayne Bridges, who passed away. Not Long feat. Usher is an inspirational song. Come and See Me with Big K.R.I.T. is dope, as well as the interlude. Lyrically Luda is as sharp as ever, but the beats are good too. The beats are actually the weakest part of the album. The album is constructed very well. I don’t get the feeling that Luda is washed up, but he may be running out of things to rap about.  The verdict is  a 9/10. I'm glad Luda took his time with this one.

In this battle Eminem’s 2 “comeback” albums will be pitted against each other. The OP is a tie between Relapse(2009) and Recovery(2010). Album Relapse Recovery Result Singles B B Tie Lyrics A A+ Recovery Beats B B- Relapse Cohesiveness B+ B+ Tie Legacy C+ B- Recovery Final Result: Well this is a close battle. I felt the singles for both albums were great, but ultimately We Made You is just as good as No Love. Lyrically Recovery features a more lyrical Em but not a whole lot more lyrical. Relapase had great production, while Recovery’s beats weren’t spectacular. The albums tied in their construction and quality songs as well. What made this battle was the Legacy for Em. Relapse was great but not hailed very high from the fans. Recovery wins due to this!!!

In this battle I’ll put Jay-z’s 2 best albums against each other…that’s right: Reasonable Doubt(1996) vs. Blueprint 1(2001). OP Is a tie. Album Reasonable Doubt Blueprint Result Singles B+ A+ BP Lyrics A+ A+ Tie Beats A A+ BP Cohesiveness A+ A+ Tie Legacy A+ A RD Final Result: A close battle. The winner is the 1 st Blueprint. The two albums tied in lyrics and Cohesiveness. However I felt BP’s beats are flawless, while some on RD aren’t as stellar….even considering the time difference. RD did have more of a legacy than BP1.

Disclaimer...I know i will miss an album or two that should be up here, but i'm only putting albums up here that I own...Alot of albums that were eligible had the same score, 9/10...which kind of made me make this a top 15, instead of top 20 list(like the rap one). ENJOY. Im open to suggestions, or if you think an album shouldn't or should be up here. 15) Trey Songz-Chapter V Trey Songz returned in 2012 with a great album. Its very well rounded. I felt it was just a tad bit better than his PPP album. Key Tracks: 2 Reasons, Heart Attack. 14) Alicia Keys- Girl On Fire Alicia came back like she never left. This album isn’t quite as good as Element of Freedom, but its eligible. The depth on the album is great. KT: Girl On Fire, New Day. 13) Usher-Looking 4 Myself Ursher also makes the list, this wasn’t his only eligible album, but this is better than Raymond v. Raymond. The album is good front to back. KT: Twisted, Climax 12) Mariah Carey-Me I Am Mariah, The E