Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

1.       Loose Yourself- This is an incredible rap record. It's just so creative, so emotional. The beat is simple but the lyrics hit hard!!! It's plain and simply Em's best song to date. 2.       The Real SLimshady- Em has a lot of party songs, but this is the best one. The jokes are so funny, and that Dr. Dre beat is perfection. 3.       Stan- One of the great storytelling rap songs ever. It's just so deep. A chorus that single handedly boosted both artists careers. 4.       Cleanin Out My Closet- This song is dark, unforgiving, and foreboding. Em lashes out at his mother. Yeah he regrets making this song, but its dope. 5.       The Way I Am- Another dark song. Em lashes out at fans and his record company. He's just downright vicious here. The lyrics are really on point. 6.       Rap God- A lyrical showcase. I love the bea...

1.       Kendrick Lamar- Kenny Kdot is back on top of the rap game. His To Pimp A Butterfly album was a terrific follow up to GKMC. Kendrick is just a breath of fresh air for rap, and right now, is the best West Coast rapper. What’s next for this talented lyricist? 2.       Drake- Drizzy is a really dope rapper. Say what you want…but his melodic rapping is really effective. His mixtape/album was really good. Drake’s been on seemingly everyone else’s rap albums since 2014. 3.       J.Cole- Cole world! J.Cole dropped a really good album 2014 Forest Hills Drive late last year. It was incredible and ultimately a shade better than Born Sinner. He shows shades of Jay-z, Nas, and even Game these days. 4.       Lupe Fiasco- Lupe dropped a classic on us this year. Tetsuo and Youth is incredible, and notworthy. He hasn’t’ really done much else lately though. He’s perhaps rap’s best lyricist....

1.       Lupe Fiasco-Tetsuo & Youth - Lupe’s best album is incredible, varied, complex, yet catchy. The first song contains so many elegant bars its just insane. He will likely get the album of the year. 2.       Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly- A lot can be said about K.dot’s new album. Its different, complex, and thought provoking. While I went back and forth on the rating odds are he will be in the top 3 or 4 albums no matter what albums come out in the 2 nd half of the year. 3.       Big Sean-Dark Sky Paradise- The latest offering from Big Sean features a load of great songs. It’s only a tad bit better than Hall of Fame but its one the best albums of the year. I DON’T EFF WIT UUUUU! lol 4.       Tyler, the Creator-Cherry Bomb- Tyler’s new album is a weird one for  him. It’s creative sure, but no horrocore, which I love. Tyler has matured as an artist and made a fu...

1.       Gold Digger- To be honest, I didn’t like this song the first time I heard it. The beat is so infectious, and the lyrics are so clever, and that hook. Its his best song to date! He raps about a gold digging chick lol. 2.       All Falls Down- Kanye is extremely introspective on this song. The hook and beat make it great. This is ranked so high because it was the song that really propelled him to superstardom in 2004. 3.       Jesus Walks- A controversial song about Jesus being with those in need. Its just plain awesome. But I wouldn’t expect him to make a JW2 lol. Not in a million years. 4.       Can’t Tell Me Nothing- The best song on Graduation is dope. It’s a dark sounding banger. Kanye drops lyrical gems here. The Jeezy sample and the other sample are pure genius. 5.       Power- The aggressive first single to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy...

Lil Boosie has returned with a great album! Oops I mean Boosie Badazz. Well the hooks are simplistic but effective. It’s a really enjoyable dirty south album. He has an odd rapping voice but it doesn’t get tiresome on this album. The album has lots of different kinds of songs, but nothing revolutionary. The guest list is good: Jeezy, Rich Homie Quan, Keyshia Cole, J.Cole, T.I., Rick Ross, and yes even Young Thug. I really like this album. It’s simplicity and effectiveness are what’s missing from some albums these days. The verdict: A dope album thats almost a 9/10....8.75/10 Be on the lookout for my top rap albums of 2015 first half!! 

Ciara returns with her 6 th album! Hard to believe. Just 10 years ago she dropped her first album. The album is good with a good mix of uptempo and slower songs. My biggest complaint is the album has very little features. This album is screaming for more than 3…Overall its decent with lots of radio friendly songs.. The lyrics are good and the production ain’t bad. At this point though, you have to wonder if Ciara has done all she can do musically.  The Verdict: 8.5/10!!!

Hey guys, as you know, today is Kanye's B-day. I've got at least 2 posts about him today. The first is just a My Thoughts blog. Hey You knew it was coming!!!! lol Kanye is my #1 favorite rapper, but he wasn't always. It started in late 2003 when i first heard the single, "Through the Wire". It was a great song, but honestly i didn't think much of it. Then there was Slow Jamz. I really liked that song. Sh** the hits kept coming. One of my friends, Jay, (R.I.P.) let me hear his first album the College Dropout back in early 2004. I loved it. Fast forward to summer 2005 when Late Registration dropped. Some regard this as his best album. I literally was so hype I got a nose bleed the night I got it. (a little too hype huh). Fast forward to 2007 when Graduation dropped. By then it was clear this guy was my favorite rapper. In 2008 i heard 808s and Heartbreak, and liked it. However I remember not being a fan of "Love lockdown" when I first heard it....

Well this is the first album I’ve reviewed by Future. He’s not a great rapper or singer, in fact he’s pretty average at both. The first song, Look Ahead, is dope, as is Move that Dope, which is has dope in the name. Honestly getting through this album is a chore. I just got the feeling that Future could do better lyrically. The beats were good though. To be honest, there’s just not a lot of replay value here, despite having a great guest list: Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West, Drake, Pusha T, and Lil Wayne. The verdict, a 6/10 . Poor album, but maybe worth a listen or two. 

This is another My Thoughts blog.  Jay-z is an incredible rapper, a great businessman, and he is married to Beyonce. I wasnt into rap when Jigga rose to the top in 98'-00, but i was a big fan of his work even as a casual rap fan. Let's start with BLueprint 1 which is easily one of raps best albums. Later on i'd get the BP2 which was ok. By the time Black ALbum rolled around I was a huge fan of Shawn Carter. Later he'd retire, which i think was more of a publicity stunt lol. In 2006 Jigga returned to the game. I was happy he did, cause rap really needed him. He had squashed his beef with another favorite rapper of mine Nas in 05 i think. I think that Nas won that beef but that's a story for another blog. Jay has made nothing but great albums since 2007 in my opinion. American Gangster was great as was BP3,Magna Carta Holy Grail, and of course Watch the Throne with Kanye. I would say Jay doesnt need to prove anything, but he can still make great albums so ke...

I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t really impressed with Earl’s previous album, Doris. This one is much darker and it fits his raw rhyme style. The song Grief seems to set the tone for the whole album. Fishy n**gas stink, they eatin off of hooks” is just one of the many clever lines off this album. The album is pretty short, at only 30 minutes, but honestly its great. The beats are the weak point but they’re not bad. I was a little surprised this album was so good due to the lack of guests. It’s a win. The verdict is a 8.75/10 . Antisocial n***a!