Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

Vince Staples just doesn’t disappoint! Sure its only 7 tracks but its lit. The opening song, “War Ready” features Andre 3000 and its amazing.  The worst thing about the album is the mellow crooning at the end of some songs. Kilo Kush, she is an amazing R&B vocalist that has apperared on past Vince projects. I wont say this was an underwhelming project but its clear from Summertime 06 that Vince can do better. Virtually it is 9/10 in both its lyrics and production! It won’t be long till he’s one of the best period. Yeah you heard it here first. Verdict: 9.2 Oh yeah, the Big Fish Theory Review is coming soon!

SZA finally drops an album proper and its fire! She reminds me of Rihanna a little bit minus the whole dance vibe thing. SZA has lots of spunk and her vocals and lyrics are really dope. The production is fresh and laid back for the most part. “Drew Barrymore” and “Prom” are 2 terrific songs that happen to be back to back. She’s really good at painting a picture on these songs also. “Go Gina” is also a banger. T.D.E. has a major win with Miss SZA. Overall Rating 94 Grade A Lyrics 24 Beats 22 Depth 24 Tilt 24

This is a pretty good album, it has grown on me since I first listened to it. While it’s not as explosive as his classic Trigga album, it has some different sounds to it. I like actually like the 2 nd half more than the first half. Trey sounds almost bored on some songs….like been there done that lol. The last song, Break From Love, is a beautiful ballad. There needed to be more guest features here. However long time fans won’t want to miss this. I guess I just expected more since his last album Trigga was  classic. Verdict 8.7

One of the best debut albums and lyrical performances ever by a rapper. Jay-z has some serious bars, and its evident with his first album which is arguably his best lyrical outing. Believe it or not, I didn’t like this album as much as some other Jigga albums when I first got it in 2008. He story-tells really well and his flow is basically flawless. Sometimes its almost too fast, but I won’t deduct a point for that. There is also a good amount of guest spots: Mary J. Blige, Mecca, Foxy Brown, Memphis Bleek, and The Notorious B.I.G. assist Jigga. Dead Presidents II is an incredible song. D’Evils is also dope. You’re not a real Jay fan if you haven’t heard this one. Verdict: 10

Kdot’s first album is really good. The beats are the lowpoint, but they aren’t that bad. Lyrically he shines on most tracks. The album is also deep and well-constructed… I love how the tracks fit together: Some songs talk about the vices for a man and woman, and others are their evils. That is a dope concept. Members Only might be my favorite song. Ab-Soul shines on his interlude, and Kendrick kills it on Rigamortis. All in all this is a good album. It’s one that you shouldn’t skip. Verdict: 8.7/10

I haven’t even reviewed the last B.o.B. project cause it was too many songs! This album is pretty good. However it just doesn’t sound like anything special or different for that matter….which is disappointing because that’s what I look for from a B.o.B. album. Of course it is another album from him…so you are going to get some good topical songs like Fan Mail and Substance Abuse. The 2 songs in the middle are pretty good which feature Young Thug and Young Dro respectively. Avalanche might be the best song. Overall I can’t say I love this album nor hate it….its decent music from Bobby Ray. Verdict: 8.5

Hallelujah- This is a terrific opener. Logic really goes in on this. He sings at first, and you know from T.I.T.S. Its an uplifting track. At the end we get a skit that introduces Adam and Neil Degrasse Tyson playing God, literally lol. The skit continues later in the album. 9/10 Everybody- I really like Logic’s flow this song. “Everybody people, everybody bleed, everybody need something..”  It’s basically just a regular Logic song.9/10 Confess- This is where race really becomes a topic of discussion. Logic is really on point here. The chorus and production is really different than most tracks on his last album. Sonically this sounds amazing. Killer Mike does a confessional rap spoken word thing at the end of the track…. 9.5/10 Killing Spree- I really like the chorus on this song. Logic raps about the state of what I’m assuming is the black man’s struggle. However it could be a rapper’s struggle. He also raps, “Everybody looking for the meaning of life through a cell phone scree

Justin Timberlake’s much awaited album lives up to the hype. The album has some really great songs, with most of them over 5 minutes long. I like every song, but “That Girl” might be the weakest of the bunch, but I feel “Pusher Love Girl” is just too damn long. Mirrors is even longer, but it’s a better song. I felt the production of the album was really strong. JT does really well here too, especially considering Jay Z is the only feature. “Don’t Hold the Wall” is probably my favorite song. “Blue Ocean Floor” is  a good song that really stands out. The 2 bonus tracks are good too if  you’ve heard them. Verdict: 9.5