Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

The Verdict: 8.8 This is the conclusion of the Jay-z Volume trilogy. This is the album that has the monster song Big Pimpin which is arguably Jay’s biggest hit. The album has a good set of hits but its not incredibly deep though. So Ghetto, Do It Again, It’s Hot(Some Like It Hot), and Snoopy Track are some great songs. Then there’s some obvious filler but hey I really like the production on this album. Also his lyricism isn’t Jigga’s best but its still a 9/10. So if you haven’t heard this yet go ahead and listen to it.

This is Chris Brown’s best album to date. The album gets off to a good start, has a few average songs here and there but most are really good. Chris enlisted a big guest list this time around which includes Big Boi, T-Pain, The Game, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and others. The album is a reminder to R&B fans that Chris can be classy and make hits. Lyrically and Production wise the album is about a 9/10. The album just doesn’t have any major flaws, and I found the replay ability high. Verdict: 9.2/10

Opening Opinion:9/10 It’s time for another In Depth Review. This time it’s Eminem’s Recovery album which is his 2010 outing. It’s a very strange Eminem album. For one there’s not skits, and very little graphic pictures painted in his lyrics which is odd if you just listened to Relapse. It’s just Em spitting hard bars over varied production. The album 2 nd song is “Talkin 2 Myself” featuring Kobe. It’s a great song that basically sums up the whole album. Em talks about his best friend’s passing and how much he misses him. He also addresses his drug issues and him being a father. The 1 st song is typical Eminem; “Cold Wind Blows” which features some great lines from the white rapper. “On Fire” is a good track as well, even if some of Em’s punchlines are corny. “I’m so fuckin sick I got ambulances pullin me over and shit.” “Won’t Back Down” featuring Pink is an excellent song. It’s very odd to see her featured here, but like I said its not a typical Em album. He spits ove...

Nas continues to impress with his collection of Lost Tapes. Nas spits street knowledge on each track and the result is a really well rounded album. Every song is good. Fetus is interesting, while Black Zombies and Doo Rag are excellent. I like No Idea’s Original and Everybody’s Crazy as well. They were also bonus tracks for Stillmatic. Overall the album’s beats aren’t bad at all…but the lyrics of Nasty Nas are up to his incredible standards. This album of “throwaway songs” is better than a lot of rapper’s albums! The Verdict: 9.2/10

Joey Crack blessed us in 2005 with a dope album. It’s one of my favorites for a few reasons. Fat Joe’s punchlines aren’t bad. The production is pretty stellar and consistent across the album. The album isn’t too deep as far as quality songs go, but its really addictive. It’s basically constructed like most mid 2000s albums: Club bangers, Songs for the ladies, etc. Temptation Pt 2 might be the best Fat Joe song I’ve ever heard. So Much More, Rock Ya Body, and Get it Poppin are also good. My Fofo is a viscious 50 Cent diss. All in all this is a great album that you should check out. Verdict: 8.9/10

In depth Review Opening Opinion: 9.5/10 Well you’ve got to know that in early 2003, my cd player had this album in HEAVY ROTATION. 50 Cent came through like hurricanes do. So let’s get into 50 Cent’s major label debut. The intro is just change hitting the table or whatever. The first song, “What Up Gangsta” is a perfect opener. The hook is fire and the bars are good too. 50 Cent is known for his hooks…u know, choruses lol. The song gets me hype all the time. “Patiently Waiting” is arguably the best track here. The beat sounds dangerous and ominous; which fits 50’s style well. He’s joined by Eminem who spits, “The rap juggernauts of this rap shit like it or not”. “Many Men” is a great kind of introspective song. 50 raps about many men trying to kill him. I noticed the edited version of the album skipped all the gunshot parts in the beginning. It’s a sad sounding song but really effective. You already know about “In Da Club”. I must say it’s a terrific song. Fairl...

9.1/10 The new Mac Miller album is a concept album and a damn good one. It’s about women of course. The subject matter doesn’t really get tired either; The album is short and well executed. Mac’s lyrics have taken a step back but he’s still a potent lyricist. The beats are really smooth and fitting. There’s also the right amount of guests here:Kendrick Lamar, Bilal, Ty Dolla $ign, Cee-Lo, and Anderson.Paak. I won’t say this is his best work…but it’s certainly more entertaining than his last album. Mac Miller isn’t bringing the cheesy raps no more lol.

Desiigner is a future clone and I’m sure you already knew that. The album/mixtape isn’t flat out horrible like Souljaboy but its not good either. A lot of these songs are short and sound incomplete. The beats bump in the whip though. His lyrics are really basic and repetitive. Even Future would cringe at his lack of lyricism. Pusha-T joins him on Jet, but not even King Push can save this album. Overall I know we’ll get at least one more album from him and I hope its in the C range at least lol. Verdict: 6.4/10

The Documentary 2 & 2.5 The Game In Depth Review The Documentary 2 Opening Opinion 9.9/10 The Documentary 2.5 Opening Opinion 10/10 Okay so this is technically a double in depth review….but let me kill 2 birds with one stone. These albums really blew me away. In October of 2015 I knew The Game was dropping a sequel to his former best album, The Documentary. What I didn’t know, is that he was dropping another album right after that…like a week after that. First I’ll talk about 2, then 2.5. First up there’s a skit, that’s really just about how real it is in Los Angeles. On Me with Kendrick Lamar is a great song. Game does that rapping copycat thing where he sounds like the rapper he has on the track lol. He’s done it before…he did it a lot on the Red Album. Kendrick’s verse is dope too, but you can tell right away that Game has stepped it up. Step Up is another great track. Its silky smooth and hype at the same time. Next Game recruits a couple of west coast l...

Hey guys I'm back again. This time I'm talking about Usher Raymond Terry IV aka Usher, aka Ursher lol. As you recall I did a post about Ne-Yo recently, this will be similar to that....If you havent read that go check it out. Now Usher has a new album coming out on the 16th of September. It's called Hard II Love, and I honestly am not sure it will be very good....but hey i'll review that when it comes out... Unless you live under a damn rock you know all about Usher. He's a singer-entertainer. He was inspired by Boyz II Men, Janet Jackson, and the great Michael Jakcson. He is followed by Chris Brown, who I will do a MT blog about one day..... You know Usher's career goes back quite a ways and to be honest, I've liked his music from day one. I didnt really become a huge fan until i heard songs like U Got it Bad, U Remind Me, and U Don't' Have to Call. Hmm all these songs start with "U" lol. I have gotten all of Usher's albums s...

Lets Get It: Thug Motivation 101 :The album that solidified Jeezy as a true rap star. This was one of my favorite albums back in late 2005(that’s when I copped it). Jeezy raps slow and some of his punchlines are predictable. Also the album is tad bit too long. Complaints aside this is a really good album. Jeezy has an impressive guest list here: Jay-z, T.I., Bun B, and Trick Daddy, Lloyd, and Young Buck. The beats are also fairly impressive. Some songs are a little too similar but this is a great start to a career regardless. B+ The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102: This has got to be one of the most difficult albums I have ever reviewed. The first few songs are completely lacking in creativity. Then the album picks up with I Luv It, Go Getta, 3 AM….well it actually just goes up from there. This album has a different sound than TM101…and for the most part that’s a good thing.  Jeezy’s guest list includes Keyshia Cole, R.Kelly, T.I(again)….this is a good album but its not his...

Frank is back! But is the new album up to par? Well actually no. Channel Orange was excellent, but this new album is good tho. Vocally the album is terrific. It’s the Frank Oceana show. He’s singing delicately with ease and occasionally rapping too. The production has taken a step back but its by no means bad. There’s just a not to the production. This album could have used some more guest spots but hey its dope. The ballady feel of the album works to an extent. It just doesn’t have the outstanding songs like Channel Orange had(Lost, Pyramids). I really look forward to his next project. Verdict: 9.0/10

OMG another album from the legendary Miss Britney Spears, and yes I do mean legendary. Glory is a magnificent return to form. She sounds so confident and relaxed on this record. The first song sounds like a Justin Bieber song and might be the worst. Theres a great song with G-Eazy. Man on the Moon is another banger as is the seductive Slumber Party. The production is awesome too. This is a must have for any fans of the Pop genre. Verdict: 9.7/10

Whats good. I have another post, this time it's about  Wasalu Muhammad Jaco. He's long been one of my favorite rappers....but why? Lets get right into it. Lupe is the Chi Town rapper meaning he is representing Chicago...the same place that Kanye West and Common come from. But you knew that. He is a terrific lyricist with a razor sharp yet smooth flow. I remember when I first got his 2nd album The Cool. I was so hype and it didn't disappoint. Nowadays Lupe is still spitting fire and he's going to drop at least 2 albums before 2018( I hope). Questions: Lupe is the best Lyricist of all time. Lupe is the best rapper in Chi Town? First the 2nd question. He is great, but as a complete rapper, no. Kanye is greater, maybe that is it though. As far as regions go then Eminem too. They are more popular and more influential than Lupe. Secondly, I would say yes and no. He's got an impeccable flow yes, and his lyricism is also top notch. So maybe he's the most ...

Hey guys i'm back with another entry in the My Thoughts series.....this time I'm talking about Shaffer Smith aka Ne-Yo. This addition of MT will be a little different from past artists entries format wise. Ne-Yo actually got his start as a songwriter. He wrote Beyonce's Irreplaceable and Rihanna's Unfaithful. Those are some terrific songs, but lets be clear, he's a great artist in his own right. I think it was 2006 and i was watching BET. I saw the video for his song Stay. I thought it was pretty good, but it wasnt until i got his debut album that i knew this dude was the next big singer in R&B. I listened to the album in late summer 06. I thought it was terrific. It wasn't really until i got to college my freshman year that I realized this dude's career had taken off. Question: Is Ne-Yo the best male R&B singer right now, or has he ever been?? Tough question...notice i put MALE R&B singer cause there's no doubt Beyonce is the be...

Verdict: 8.5/10 Ah the debut album from Outkast. It’s not as interesting but I didn’t expect a whole lot from it. Lyrically its sound, and the beats are pretty good too. Some songs drag on too much like Funky Ride. Git Up, Get Out is a great song; as is Ain’t No Thang. Players Ball is another stellar track. I hope we get a new Outkast album one day….Big Boi and 3 Stacks are both elite rappers. #BringOutkastBack