Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

1.        Jay Z (10)-A big lift for arguably the greatest to ever do it. 4:44 is the reason he’s up here. But Jigga has long been one of my favorites. 2.        The Game (1)- I hear he’s only gonna make one more album. Well don’t rush it. I rated his last 3 albums really high. He’s got a case for best rapper of all time so far…. 3.        Kanye West (2)-I’m a giant Kanye stan I admit. But he’s not my favorite as of right now….Still top 3 tho. 4.        Drake (3)-Drizzy, I like some Drizzy songs mane. More Life grew on me, and Views was also great….he needs to let his works breathe before dropping another project. 5.        Logic (18)-A HUGE jump for Logic. I consider him one of the best rappers of today’s new elite. 6.        J. Cole (5)-Cole world seems to do no wrong since 2013. I loved 4YEO and well I have been big on the last 2 projects as well before that. 7.        Kendrick Lamar (4)-Kung Fu Kenny is an all time great in the making….but DAMN wasn’t as good as his fir

1.        Rihanna (6)-Rih Rih got a huge boost this time around. Anti was a great album, and she shows no signgs of slowing down. I picked her over Beyonce….im just a bigger Rihanna fan; always have been actually. 2.        Beyoncé (3)-While I’m not a huge fan, I am a fan. B has been killin it! Her last 2 albums have been classics. Nuff said. 3.        Usher (4)-Mr. Raymond jumped up a spot. He’s really dope. An all time great for sure. I didn’t think Hard II Love would be as good as it is. 4.        Tinashe(new)-If you know me, then you know I’m  a huge Tinashe fan. Albeit not enough to put her in the top 3…but hey! She needs more albums, but the 2 I’ve heard I really like. 5.        Alicia Keys (3)-Miss Keys fell back a couple spots but the competition is tough. Her last album HERE, was one of her best. 6.        Trey Songz (1)-Big fall off for Trigga Trey, but honestly its only cause his last album wasn’t that great. Still tho, he’s’ a dominant force in the genre to me.

   1.        Britney Spears (1)-It was very close…Brit is an all-time great for sure. Her last album Glory was one of her best albums. She sounds reinvigorated and vibrant. 2.        Justin Bieber (new)-I went back and forth on whether he or miss Spears would get the top spot. Remember this is right now, and JB’s Purpose album is dope af but overall I feel its not all that. I like his past works too….for the most part. 3.        Adele(new)-You may not consider her Pop, but that’s what she is. She has serious vocal ability and I loved 25. 21 is great also! 4.        Taylor Swift (new)-Ayo Taylor..i’m happy for you, ima let you finish…nah…her albums(that I’ve heard) are as good as any album from any artist in Pop on this list for the most part. That alone gets her in the top 3. 5.        Bruno Mars (new)-You know Bruno…I admit he could have been in a top 10 last time…it took him 3 years and a great album, but he is here now! 6.        Lady Gaga (3)-Gaga could have been as hi

9. Port of Miami (79): Ross’s debut isn’t bad. The album was very well produced and had a lot of guests. I wasn’t a fan of Ross at all before I heard this.  Lyrically the album is rather weak. Still tho, for a 2006 rap album, its not bad at all. Top Tracks: Push It, Hustlin, White House, Hustlin (Remix) 8.Hood Billionaire (80):  HB is good, but Ross sounds really uninspired on this album. There are some gems…but I seriously think he rushed this since it came out in 2014 after Mastermind. Still the production is good….. TT: Movin Bass, If They Knew, Burn. 7.Trilla (80):  I have slightly more regard for this album over the first 2 albums you saw. Trilla has filler, sure; but there are seriously good songs here. The guests are here too, just like on Port of Miami. The production sounds flashier than on PoM, albeit not really better.  TT: This is the Life, All I Have in This World, The Boss, Maybach Music. 6.Mastermind (87): While somewhat uneven, Mastermind is really go

Jay Z vs. 2pac How did we get here? Jay Z R1: Jay Z defeated Jadakiss R2: Jay Z defeated Kid Cudi BF: Jay Z defeated Eminem SemiFinal: Jay Z defeated Kanye West 2pac R1: 2pac defeated Rick Ross R2: 2pac defeated T.I. BF: 2pac defeated Drake Semifinal: 2pac defeated The Notorious B.I.G. Prediction: Either heavyweight could win….let’s get it! Flow: Tie. Both rappers are really good here. I wont give an edge here. (5-5) Creativity: I feel Pac has a 7-3 edge here. His music is a little more creative than Jigga, albeit not too much more. (8-12) Storytelling: It’s no secret Pac is a better storyteller. However, its more like a split…(12-18) Impact: I think these are the 2 most impactful rappers the game has ever seen. Pac inspired so many, as is did Jay. Tie. (17-23) Collab: I’ll have to give Jay the full 10 points here. Pac just doesn’t have the collaborations like Jigga has. (27-23) Versatility: These are some of the most versatile rappers in th

Cardi’s GBM mixtape ain’t bad man. The first few songs are high tempo, and feature Cardi B being….a bad bitch. LOL. She slows it down on “Selfish”. Right after that on “I Gotta Hurt You” she goes into techno/dance music vibe. Lyrically Cardi needs a little work, but she’s got lots of personality and good delivery on these bars. The production is really solid. I’d like to hear more from this exciting artist…and yeah I have lol. Verdict: 8/10

Too many songs = TOO MUCH Khaled. Just kidding. The album gets off to a good start with songs from Beyonce and Jay Z, Drake, and Rihanna. To let the cat out the bag it has some bad songs on it that kind of put it firmly below Major Key, but its still a good album. The production is solid throughout….in fact its really hot. I really don’t mind the first disc mostly. The 2 nd is kinda just a collection of songs. Lol. I got Mad Reviews! We THE BEST! Verdict: 8.6/10

New Criteria Rules The categories are the same but if not a tie, then a category can be split 7-3 or 6-4 or 8-2. Criteria Flow: How well the rapper articulates on beat. Creativity: How creative is the artist’s music compared to their peers. Storytelling: Self Explanatory. Impact: How have they affected the game. How are they influential. Collaboration/Guest Feature: How much fire do they typically bring to other people’s tracks. Versatility: How many kinds of songs are they effective at making Albums: How many good albums do they have, and how good are they. Commercial Success: How well have their albums/mixtapes/singles sold. Kanye West vs. Jay Z How did they get here? Round 1: Kanye defeated Young Jeezy….Jay Z defeated Jadakiss. Round 2: Kanye defeated Common….Jay Z defeated Kid Cudi. Bracket Final: Kanye defeated Kendrick Lamar. Jay Z defeated Eminem Semi Final Prediction: I predict Jay Z will win but it will be close. Flow:

I’m so glad BK didn’t rush this album. It is banging. It’s actually one of the better dirty south albums of all time. The album is long, but it doesn’t feel like a bloated listen. It’s divided into the Big Krit half and then the Justin Scott half. The first is typical excellent bangers. The 2 nd is more thoughtful jazz/gospel infused songs. It all just works really well. T.I., Bun B, Lloyd and Cee Lo join Big K.R.I.T. The albums is just greater than Cadalactica which was an excellent album in its own right. There’s the song for the ladies “1999”, the love story “Miss Georgia Fornia”, and “Subenstein (My Sub IV) bumps in the whip! Verdcit: 9.8/10