The Best Rap Albums of 2017: The Final List

20) G-Eazy: The Beautiful & Damned (92)-I’m not the biggest G-Eazy fan but this is his best album. He’s dope. It dropped a bit from it’s earlier spot tho.

19) N.E.R.D.: No One Ever Really Dies (92)-If I had more time maybe this would be #15…but for now its 19. Great album from Pharrell and company tho.

18) Drake: More Life (92)-This album grew on me. Its really dope. The 3 songs in the beginning flow together so f***in well! (Passionfruit/Jorja Interlude/Get It Together).

17) Vic Mensa: The Autobiography (92)-I love this album but I wasn’t sure I wanted it till I saw other reviews. Its highly personal and introspective. He’s the future of Roc Nation.

16) Eminem: Revival (92)-This is a sequel to Relapse and Recovery. And I think it’s the best of the 3. Sure it doesn’t rank too high but it’s no this list of must listen to albums for the year.

15)Action Bronson: Blue Chips 7000 (92)-AB really killed it with this dope album. It was much better than his 2015 outing, Mr. Wonderful.

14) Talib Kweli: Radio Silence (93)- I will give this one more spins as it’s a very strong album from the legendary MC.

13) Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Light (93)-I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get Drogas Dark, but hey, this will do. Different sounds for Lupe equal an exciting listen.

12) Rick Ross: Rather You Than Me (93)-One of my favorite albums this year. Ross dropped his 2^nd best album this year.

11) Raekwon: The Wild (94)-Lyrcial wordsmith master. Check it out mane.

10) Rapsody: Lalia’s Wisdom (94)-An incredible album which shows much growth for this talented female MC.

9) Cyhi the Prynce: No Dope on Sundays (95)-I haven’t heard this one that much, but it’s dope af. NU AFRICA, nuff said.

8) Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory (95)-Vince killed it in 2017 and that really didn’t surprise me. The Title track is amazing. The album flows really well.

7) Tyler the Creator: Flower Boy (95)-Originally titled Scum F*** Flower Boy, Tyler kills it with a successor to Cherry Bomb. It’s smoother and he raps better too.

6) Big Boi: Boomiverse (96)-Big Boi’s latest offering is really good, even though it’s not as good as Sir Luscious Left Foot from 2010. The beats are so good and his bars matchup perfectly.

5) Run The Jewels: Run the Jewels 3 (97)-RTJ cannot be stopped. And with their third album rated above 95 in a row, I’m starting to think the rap duo is up there with any duo in the game.

4)Kendrick Lamar: DAMN (97)-Kdot got bumped down a spot under Jay Z, but hey its just as good technically. A deep album and very commercial sounding compared to GKMC and TPAB. This was probably the most commercially successful album on this list.

3) Jay Z: 4:44 (97)-Maybe my most anticipated album this year. Jay’s latest album is really vulnerable and introspective. It’s biggest flaw is that it’s short. You gotta cop this terrific album.

2)Big K.R.I.T.: 4Eva Is a Mighty Long Time (98)-A double album that is almost flawless. I just haven’t had it as long as #1 but its just as good actually. KRIT has surpassed Cadalactica…..and easily too.

1)Logic: Everybody (98)-I was really feeling this album. It gets the top spot maybe just due to the face I had it since May. It’s a personal album for Logic. A racial album. A terrific album. Yeah the skits or monologs are kinda unnecessary but it sometimes adds to the tracks atmosphere.

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

Search This Blog