Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

Remember this is not a ranked list....but these are more of my favorites, check out part 1 here http://maxreviewsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2016/08/my-favorite-rap-albums-ever-up-to-2015.html 1.        From Nothing to Somethin(2007) :Fabolous- I have a lot of fond memories of this album. Fab spits fire on these cohesive beats. Yes there’s some filler but its hard to deny the singles as some of his best songs to date. FF: I bought this really soon after it came out along with the video game Mario Kart DS lol. FT: Brooklyn, Return of the Hustle, Make Me Better 2.        Raw Footage(2008): Ice Cube- Perhaps the last great Ice Cube album. He hits hard and spits fire on topics of extreme relevance. I wasn’t really a fan of Cube till I heard this album. Some critics rated it higher than Game’s L.A.X. album so I had to peep it. FF: This is the album that made me a fan of Cube…funny right? FT: It Takes a Nation, Hood Mentality, Tha...

This was really the first album that got me into Lil Wayne. The album has a lot of songs, and for the most part they are exceptional. In retrospect its almost as good as the Carter III and it blows away Carter I. Sure its simplistic, but it works. Songs like Feel Me, I’m a D’boy, Money on My Mind, and my personal favorite, Best Rapper Alive are dope. The beats are the weakest part of the album, and they are a solid 8.5. Now that I think about it I haven’t reviewed Carter I yet lol. This is Weezy F. Baby’s rise to power! The Verdict: 8.9/10

Dreezy is a rapper I heard very little of but she is very talented. This debut is good too. She’s a decent rapper and singer. That’s right, like Nicki Minaj she’s effective at both. Her flow is kind of bouncy and I like it. The production is good, but actually the weaker part of the album. The guest list is kinda small too (Gucci Mane, Jeremih, T-Pain, and Wale), but Dreezy carries the album fairly well. I don’t get why so many disliked this album. I’m sure she’ll make a 9/10 album or higher going forward. The Verdict: 8.8/10

I didn’t know what to expect with this album. Its older than me (by 2 years) and its incredible. The way they rap is a lot of fun and they also story tell really well, like on Paul Revere. Some highlights include No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Fight For Your Right, and of course, Brass Monkey. Overall the album is terrific, but not quite perfect. The beats are awesome, and the lyrics aren’t far behind either. It’s  must have for a rap fan. Verdict: 9.7/10

Kelis’ 2010 outing is short at just 9 songs, but fairly impressive. My biggest gripe was with the lyrics. The hooks aren’t all that(notice I’m not knocking her singing cause that’s fine.) The production is stellar however, and I enjoyed most songs. 4 th of July is a major highlight, as is Home….ok Home is actually my favorite track. I haven’t mentioned this album has a very electronic sound and it works well. I recommend you check it out if you haven’t already. Verdict: 8.8/10

Call of Duty Black ops 3 is an interesting game. On one hand you have a COD game with all the right features. I mean there's  a campaign, Zombie mode, free run mode(which i never play past the first playthrough), and a zombie campaign mode. So on the surface this game had the potential to be the very best COD in years. Its a good looking game and controls are great as usual. The campaign starts out fresh, but quickly grows tiresome. The story is quite lame and stupid. On the game's last stage i couldnt wait for it to be over, which is the last thing you want to be thinking on a game's last level. Like what the f*** bro! lol. Its some dumb Artificial intelligence thing that makes your comrades go crazy...yes all of them. Im like dude get the f*** outta here with this bull **it story! Its difficult sure, but all CODs are tough. Multiplayer is great. There's so much to do and unlock. There are even Specialists that give you more playing options. A Specialist can...

K’naan’s album is a good album. What shines the most is his flow. Lyrically he’s a beast. Everything else is pretty good also, but a couple steps below his incredible lyricism. The album does a great job of giving you that African/Somalian feel too. Wavin Flag Remix is a stand out, as is Does It Really Matter. I really like America too. T.I.A. is also a great track. Overall though the album suffers from some slower tempo songs after the halfway point. Despite this its still a great album.. Verdict: 8.7/10 

Teedra jumped out the gate with a classic. There aren’t many guests either. She has a nice sultry voice and the production is top notch as well. In one respect it’s a   weird album because the songs are so great few stand out. Better Tell Her is a great one tho. There are no weak songs either. Overall with this quality of music you wish Teedra had  more than just 2 albums at the time of this review. The Verdict 10/10

Ah another DJ Khaled Album…..he’s got big names on it as usual…but this one is really really good. There are some really elite songs in the beginning….like Nas Album Done where Nas spits nothing but fire. There’s a song with Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and a bunch of singers that I like despite having a recycled beat from Lovers and Friends(Lil Jon). The Drake song isn’t bad either. Who forget about Holy Key featuring good verses by Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar. The song with Jeezy and Kodack Black and French Montana is just not that good. The last song is also a head scratcher…. But overall this is the best Khalid album imo. They don’t want me to have more blog views than Kanye lol.   9.0/10

Luda’s 2006 outing isn’t bad at all. Sure some of the songs sound too similar, but the album has no big weaknesses. The last song could have been left off, but it fits the theme of the album. Runaway Love with Mary J. Blige is a classic. Grew Up a Screw Up with Young Jeezy is awesome, as is Money Maker. The biggest flaw with this album is Luda is being WAY TOO serious. I mean nothing wrong with that but its his funny nature that I love, and its missing here or it feels forced. LUDA! Verdict: 8.7/10

Some say that Rap music is on the decline. Big Sean’s album isn’t bad but it certainly supports that argument. The beats are catchy, and Sean’s flow isn’t bad, but it is really similar to Drake. But looking back in retrospect this isn’t bad for a debut. The beats are good, and his lyrics are far from terrible. There’s a huge guest list as well such as Kanye West, The Dream, John Legend, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, and Pharrell and Pusha T. Ultimately it’s his weakest album ,but like I said its good. The Verdict is a 7.8/10 way way wayyy

Logic has come out of the gates again in 2016….and this one is even better than T.I.T.S. his last album. It’s got no big flaws. Lyrically he’s on point as usual. The production is also pretty damn good. There’s the excellent Slave II and Slave songs. Also Pusha-T drops by for a great song. There’s also the excellent Super Mario World & Flexicution. Overall this may not be a themed body of work but its really fun to listen to. 9.4/10

Young Buck’s debut album is really hot. Buck isn’t a great rapper, but he damn sure is a good one. Every song here is good, with great production as well. Black Gloves might be the best song, but Let Me In, Shorty Wanna Ride, and Do It Like Me, are all bangers. Guests include 50 Cent(of course), Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo….there’s also David Banner, Lil Flip, Ludacris, and The Game. The album is extremely dark and gritty, which suites Buck well. Verdict: 9.2/10

Fergie’s debut…erm only solo album is pretty good. I love the singles. London Bridge is probably the best song, but Fergalicious isn’t far behind. Pedestal and All That I Got are good songs as well. I really like Glamorous with Ludacris too. Here I Come is also quite the banger. Ultimately tho some songs weigh the album down a bit like Finally. The production is really good, as are the hooks. Fergie Ferg we need a new album now!!!! The Verdict: 8.7/10

Who said Madonna was washed up? Rebel Heart is a unique and stylish album. The biggest weakness is her singing and lyrics but they aren’t bad. I can’t help but think of Rihanna when I hear this…and it should be the other way around haha. The production is really great on this album. Ghosttown is a great song and B*tch I’m Madonna with Nicki Minaj is also great. My favorite track tho, is the chilly Illuminati whose beat was done by none other than Kanye West. Chance the Rapper and Nas also make appearances. This is a hot album that I’m glad I gave a chance to. Verdict 9.4/10 b**ch that's Madonna

Hey this isnt' a ranked list.....there just in order of when I wrote the description FF: FUn Fact FT: Favorite Tracks 1.        Graduation(2007):Kanye West- Kanye’s third album kicks off my list. It’s a tremendously fun album to listen to. He did most of the production himself. A fun fact is that I bought this with 50 Cent’s Curtis and well, this blew that album out of the water. Favorite Tracks: Stronger, I Wonder, Can’t Tell Me Nothing. 2.        Word of Mouf(2001): Ludacris- Luda’s best album (in my opinion) is also my 2 nd or 3 rd favorite all time. The album is so much fun to listen to. FF: This was actually the first album I ever bought back in 2001. FT: Rollout, Area Codes, Saturday 3.        Get Rich or Die Tryin’(2003): 50 Cent- 50’s best album without debate; It’s incredibly addictive. The production and hooks are stellar. Fitty proved to be a decent lyricist as we...