Best Rap Albums of 2017 (1st Half)

1)Logic-Everybody (98)- Logic has the title right now as far as the best rap album of 2017. Why? The album is really honest, really straight forward, and oh yeah; sounds good af. Logic is black and white and he pretty much makes sure you know it. However, the skits are unnecessary. Great album and the one to beat for 2^nd half albums of 2017.

2)Kendrick Lamar: DAMN (97)-King Kendrick aka Kung Fu Kenny comes back in 2017 with an explosive album. Its also his most accessible. Ironically this is the weakest of the 3 major projects! K.dot flows effortlessly over the great production. A must listen to album for this year no doubt.

3)Jay Z-4:44 (97)-Great Hova blesses us in 2017 with this short album. It features a very vulnerable Jigga. A very apologetic Shawn Carter. I think that’s just we needed from him in 2017! The Story of O.J. will go down as one of his best songs. It’s a must cop.

4)Run The Jewels: Run the Jewels 3 (97)-I didn’t get this album until 2017, so I’m putting it with the 2017 albums bihhhhh!. In case you don’t know RTJ goes hard. Lightning struck 3 times for the group of Killer Mike and El-P. Its arguably their defining work.

5)Big Boi: Boomiverse (96)-Big Boi returns with another dope album….which honestly surprises no one. Its an improvement over the last one in 2012. The beats are varied and smooth. Big Boi’s flow is nearly impeccable.

6)Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory (95)-This album goes hard. In fact I’m pretty sure it’s his most cohesive project to date….even better than Summertime ’06 but not by much. I really like the production. Not every song is a hit, but most are! West Coast!

7)Raekwon: The Wild (94)-After a decent outing in 2015, Raekwon came back with a near classic effort. The flows are tight and the production isn’t bad either. I found the skits highly annoying tho LOL.

8)Rick Ross: Rather You Than Me (93)-Ross has returned with arguably his best album…too bad its not really good enough to crack the top 5, but whatever, RUH! Ross takes a different approach from 2015’s Black Market, and I really like the result..RUH!

9)Lupe Fiasco: DROGAS Light (93)-Lupe comes with an accessible album of his own. It sounds like’s he’s giving Trap rap a try on some songs…and it works…because he’s one of the best lyricists we have. Unfortunately a chunk of this album sounds like his Lasers album(his 3^rd album) which is kind of a bad thing.

10)Drake: More Life (92)-I didn’t care too much for this album at first….um…playlist but yeah its lit. I like the way the songs have a high level of cohesion. Its almost as good as Views was….its just not as good lyrically imo. The album has well used guest spots including Skepta and the great Kanye West.

*Didn't see your favorite rap album here from 2017? Well no albums after June are eligible for this list plus I didnt get to some of them but hey thanks for reading*

Nas Albums Worst to Best

20) Nastradamus (75)- It really shouldn’t be a surprise to see this one ranked so low. The lyricism isn’t abysmal but everything is pretty average. How does a song like “Big Girl” make it to a Nas album?? It’s just a boring album plain and simple….I don’t really have a lot to say about it. 19) Street’s Disciple (82) -I hate having this one so low. I honestly like a lot of the songs on this double disc. Unfortunately there’s quite a bit of filler here just like with Jay-z’s Blueprint 2. Disc one has hits like “Nazareth Savage”, “American Way”, “ Just a Moment” and “ You Know My Style”. Disc 2 has some heat on it too: “Suicide Bounce”, the title track, “Virgo”, “Bridging the Gap” and “Thiefs Theme”. 18) T he Lost Tapes 2 (86) -This one I admit I haven’t heard that much…but its pretty decent. It gets off to a good start with songs like “Vernon Family” and “Jarreau of Rap (Skatt Attack)”. A lot of these songs are ok….but not muc...

Album Review: Kid Cudi-Insano (regular version)

I gotta admit I didn't like this album that much when I first heard it over half a year ago. I've heard that Kid Cudi doesn't exactly play to his strengths....that's partly true. I do like his rapping here tho. Honestly most songs here kinda blend together....."Keep Bouncin'" is really hype....and it gets the album off to a good start. "At The Party" with Pharrell Williams and Travis Scott may be my favorite song. "Wow" with A$AP Rocky is another highlight. Overall tho I feel this album tries too hard to be trendy. Cudi needed to put more of his pain into it. I mean a happy Cudi album isn't a bad thing but it really seems odd to me. You're not getting alot of singing or hums here know what I mean? However the production I found to be very good. Cudi is one of my favorite rappers like top 20 and I guess this will do for 2024. Lyrics 20 Beats 23 Depth 21 Tilt 21 Verdict 85

Album Review: Lupe Fiasco's Tetsuo & Youth

Lupe has come back, and with a classic album. He seemed to be back on tracks with Food and Liquor II, but F&L2 wasn’t as fun to listen to as his earlier albums. Even LASERS was more fun. This album however, is very complex and fun to listen to. It’s also incredibly well produced. Lupe proves he’s still a top lyricist in the game. Check out his lyrical showcase on Mural, or storytelling on Prisoner 1 & 2. He’s got a really long song called Chopper which features a lot of guests but its all good. The last song might be the weakest which features Ab-Soul. No Scratches feat. Nikki Jean is one of my favorite songs here. The interludes are pretty intersing, but ultimately skippable. This album is already up for album of the year, and honestly it will be hard for anyone to match this effort. The verdict... its 10/10 for me. This is a great album

Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

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