Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

This is actually my favorite DMX album. I grew up with it. DMX sounds pretty fierce on this album…but lyrically yeah, he’s just good. The 3 song run of “Where the Hood At”, “Dogs Out”, and “Get it on the Floor” is amazing. “Shot Down” with 50 Cent and Styles P is another banger. The production on this album is pretty solid. I love most of the grimy beats. “Ayo Kato” is a nice song dedicated to a friend of his that passed away. “Don’t Gotta Go Home” featuring Monica is the lone love record. The song “F*** Y’all” is a bit much imo. There’s a lot of quality tracks here… Overall we have a pretty solid album from DMX. It’s not his best nor is it his worst. Lyrics 22 Beats 22 Depth 21 Tilt 21 Verdict 86

This is, the best A.Keys album to date…it starts with an awesome Intro. Then “Karma” really pleases the ears. She sings about a foul lover. The next 2 songs are really good and well produced: “Heartburn” and “If I Was Your Woman” respectively. The next 3 singles are excellent as well. I believe “You Don’t Know My Name” helped solidify her spot as an R&B elite artist. I also believe it was produced by the great Kanye West! The album’s 2 nd half is the weakest half….but its not really bad or anything. I’m assuming if you’re a fan of Alicia you’ve already heard this; but If you haven’t listen now! Verdict: 9.6  A Great Diary Indeed

Opening Opinion: 9.9/10 While not his best album, The Black Album is probably my favorite album from Jigga. It was supposed to be his last album. I’m glad its not, but it was good enough to be. “What More Can I Say” produced by the Buchananas, is like his “Hey I’ve got to be the best rapper ever song”….that’s the vibe I got from it. Its really triumphant sounding. The first 2 tracks; “Interlude” and “Decemeber 4 th ” are produced by Just Blaze. The latter features Jay’s mom, Gloria. She does a good job of adding to the picture Jay Z paints. The song is basically just about him growing up. The first track is nice too. “Encore” is incredible. It might as well be like the trailer or preview track for the entire album. It’s produced by Kanye West. I really like when the crowd chants. It feels like a concert. Jay wants to be appreciated here. “Change Clothes” was the first single I believe. It is so glossy so bright sounding…and man is it infectious! The Neptunes really hit...

Luda’s 2 nd best album is C&B. It’s a lot of fun to listen to, despite very minor flaws. There’s lots of great songs here like Stand Up, Blow It Out, Screwed Up, and Splash Waterfalls. And that Intro song tho! Lyrically Luda’s as good as he’s ever been. The production is also very hot. The last 2 songs are also very very good. We Got is a perfect posse cut featuring Chingy. (What happened to him?) Anyway things aren’t all good. Teamwork is very skippable. I don’t care too much for Hoes in My Room either, which is Snoop Dogg assisted. Overall though it’s a great album with lots of replay value. Verdict: 9.3

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...

Joe Budden is a really good rapper, and this debut album surprised a lot of rap fans like it did me. He has no real gimics, but when you listen to the personal songs on this album you can feel his struggle and relate to him. It’s a really well balanced album. Joe spits fire and the beats are just as hot. There’s really only 2 songs that I thought were just plain average, but this is a stacked album.  The song 10 mins is just over that, and is a really good story. Give Me a reason is similar to UAGGH but they don’t sound exactly the same. This was actually one of the better rap albums a few years ago…debuts aren’t normally this good… The Verdict: 9.25/10 I can't wait for ALL LOVE LOST coming October 2015, this month!

G-Unit’s debut album was really good. 50 was still on top, and the soldiers (Lloyd Banks, Yayo, & Young Buck) hadn’t dropped albums yet. The album is nothing new but the production is really good. 50 is on most songs. The singles are awesome, but My Buddy, Footprints, Groupie Love, and Betta Ask Somebody are also great. Some songs are obvious filler, like I’m So Hood. Overall this is a great listen. The verdict: 8.75/10 Ge Ge Ge G-UNIT!

Animal Ambition: This album is by far 50’s worst. There’s not really any terrific songs, but there are some good ones like Animal Ambition, Flip On You, and Pilot. However he caters to the ladies far too much in the middle of the album. Maybe  he was making up for the lack of lady friendly songs on Before I Self Destruct. C- Before I Self Destruct: Fitty’s 4 th album is pretty damn good. He sounds very focused lyrically on it. The album has some quality songs like Baby By Me and Do You Think About Me. Those are the only lady friendly songs. The album is still high  quality. There’s not many guest spots either. Check out the excellent bonus track Flight 187. B- Curtis : The 3 rd album from 50 Cent is good, but you cant help but feel like he’s lost a lot of his ambition that made him great. However the album has some gems on it. However only 2 songs, “Ayo Technology” and “I Get Money” feel on par with 50’s usual standards for a hit. The album is hit or miss, w...

This is the album that put T.I. on the map. He hasn’t really gotten a whole lot better lyrically than on I’m Serious, but he has diversified his subject matter. The result is a deeper album, with lots of replay value. The singles are dope, like  Be Easy, 24s, Let’s Get Away, and the anthemic Rubber Band Man. Theres some other good stand out songs like Look What I Got and I Still Love You. The album closes on an even note. This is one album that if you missed out on it, you need to hear it. The verdict: 8.75/10  

Raekwon’s third album is a really good one. The album is lyrically great as Raekwon is joined by a plethora of guests such as Redman, Capone, Fat Joe, and of course Ghostface Killah. The beats are pretty good as well. I don’t really think I came across one song that I just had to skip…but most of the songs aren’t 5 star…but despite that this is a very deep album with high replay value. It was mentioned in an interview was Rae tryin to top OB4CL 1..his first classic album. I think he was trying to match it here….but there’s not quite enough storytelling nor is it excuted as well as on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx I or II. Ultimately though this is a dope album. ALbum score: 8.75/10

I’m going to make a bold statement; This is the last album Jay-z should of made. I say this because its not only a classic, but it proves Jay didn’t need another rapper to spit a verse, while keeping your attention. Jay went to different producers for different sounds like Timbaland, Kanye West, 9 th Wonder, and even Eminem. The result is an album that is almost flawless. My favorite song is Dirt Off Your Shoulder, although many may claim 99 Probs is a better track. You already know the lyrics are on point, and the beats are stellar, and the album doesn’t get old, even after many listens. The only flaw is some of the songs are a little overshadowed by some of the better ones. Jay-z was on top when he made this, and you could argue he’s still on top now, but in late 2003 there was no argument. Overall i give this album a 9.9/10. Its just one of those really special rap albums!