Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

Common returns with a great 2007 effort. The album features him in his comfort zone, and that’s not a bad thing. Lyrically it’s a great performance from the Common Sense. He got Kanye to produce a lot again, and the result are some wonderful beats. Will.i.am does a good job with “I Want You”. The first half of the album is the better half…but besides the ridiculously long end of Common album track at the end, all the songs are good to great. “The People” featuring Dwele is such a beautiful song. I really like the bounce of “Drivin’ Me Wild” which features Lily Allen.  “U, Black Maybe” is interesting too. I love the synergy of Kanye and Common on “Southside” too. Ultimately this album is just about as good as Be…..in my opinion. Lyrics 25 Beats 23 Depth 23 Tilt 23 Verdict 94

Rihanna is my favorite singer. I feel like I didn't really know a lot about her. I feel that she is a truly wonderful woman and she is SUPREMELY talented and a very beautiful. She is a tall woman from the Island of Barbados. I'm pretty sure my readers know of her. I feel the more I learn about her. The more intrigued I am by her. She's very passionate about what she does. Rihanna released 4 albums from 2009-2012. That's 4 years and all 4 albums were 90 rated (or above) which is incredible. I just feel she's a wonderful woman. I didnt know she was an ambassador fo rher country. She also is really into fashion. I think that what makes her perhaps the most dominant Pop-R&B artist of this current era is the fact that she is REAL. There is no fakeness with Rihanna. I can understand that an artist has to promote themselves for their music. But you don't get the sense "Artist Rihanna" is not the girl from "Barbados". I graded albums...

Could Ne-Yo hit the ball out of the park again in 2007? Well yeah he did. The album isn’t as good as In My Own Words, but few albums are. The first song, the title track, is actually the best here. The next 2, “Crazy” and “Can We Chill” are good but more standard Ne-Yo songs. “Do You” follows the tale of the girl we were introduced to on “So Sick” form his first album. It’s truly a great song. His singing and song writing didn’t take any steps back here. I really like “Angel”, “Sex With My Ex”, and “Go on Girl” too. I wasn’t really feeling “Leaving Tonight” tho. Great album. Verdict: 9.1

Transformers Movie Review                 It’s time to review where it started, Transformers numero uno. In fact some say this is the best of the movie saga. The movie has great pacing and great story. However there isn’t a lot of action(For a Transformers film) and that’s to be expected.                 Our saga begins with Optimus talking about, “The Cube” aka the AllSpark. The AllSpark creates life or Energon(as explained in TF2). Optimus says he tracked it to Earth but that he was too late. The next scene is really good. In retrospect you have to remember that we humans don’t know anything about Transformers(so you think-major continuity errors in later movies).  So when Blackout takes out an American Middle Eastern base its like oh sh**!. I love the special effects, which in 2007 were groundbreaking.  ...

This is a pretty good outing for Fab way back in 07. I like most of these songs. In fact only the last song,  wasn’t really that up to par for me. Loso spits really well over these nice beats. “Brooklyn” features Jay-Z…and who could forget about the amazing “Me Better” featuring Ne-Yo. The Swizz Beatz produced “Return of the Hustle” is also a banger. The beats are nice…but nothing really spectacular. Overall it’s a great album from an underrated rapper. Verdict: 8.9

The only Timbo album I really listen to lol. This is a good album with something for everybody. The lyrics aren’t great, but that there not terrible either. The production is really solid, which is, what I’d expect. Songs like Bounce, Apologize, and Give it 2 Me are really dope. Then there’s Scream which features Timbaland at the end talking nonsense…lol. It’s a great song between Keri Hilson and Nicole S…(Cant spell Lol). There are some other highlights like A G-Unit assisted Come and Get Me, and Fantasy. Its not all good tho; Bombay and Board Meeting are pretty bad. Overall its just a fun listen. I recommend it to Rap, R&B, or Pop fans… Verdict: 8.5

Cassidy is a dope rapper. This is only a good album, I honestly remember expecting more. The first 2 tracks are really good. On the first one Cassidy battles himself like he did on I’m A Hustla….but this time its BARS vs. the Hustla…and the Hustla barely loses. The album features a very vulnerable Cassidy. Don’t get me wrong, vulnerability is very good for a rapper, but when you’re trying to be all hard and gangster it doesn’t work well. Overall though it’s a decent project. Innocent Man is a highlight. Verdict: 8/10

This is Chris Brown’s best album to date. The album gets off to a good start, has a few average songs here and there but most are really good. Chris enlisted a big guest list this time around which includes Big Boi, T-Pain, The Game, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and others. The album is a reminder to R&B fans that Chris can be classy and make hits. Lyrically and Production wise the album is about a 9/10. The album just doesn’t have any major flaws, and I found the replay ability high. Verdict: 9.2/10

I have nothing against dance-rap but this album is nothing special, and it loses it’s flair quick. There are some quality songs here…but they sound pretty similar to each other. Overall I wouldn’t recommend spending money on this. The lyrics are atrocious. LOL! The Verdict is a solid 5/10.....foh lol

An excellent debut album from an excellent songwriter. His lyrics and singing are top notch. The hooks are great here. The production isn’t so dope tho, but its good. The songs seem to blend together in a masterful way. The guest list is short: just Fabolous and Rihanna. The album loses some steam after the halfway point, but Ditch That and Livin a Lie are great songs. I originally rated this album a lot lower but nope, radio killa! The Verdict is a 9.5/10. AH AH AH AH! lol

The Verdict: 9.6/10 An incredibly strong album by all accounts. The beats are incredible and varied. They seem to fit her vocals really well. The songs are really extravagant sounding. Take the opener Bamboo Banga for example. Then the hits just keep coming with songs like Hussel and Bird Flu. Mango Pickle Down River is cute with these young boys it features. The album closes with Paper Planes (which Kanye sampled for Swagga Like Us) and Come Around which features Timbaland. Why is this not a 100? Well some songs are a little too weird sounding but those are few and far between.

A lot can be said about this album. For one it’s Keyshia’s best work to date. The album is filled with memorable tracks like Didn’t I Tell You, Fallin Out, Heaven Sent, and Last Night. The latter is a short version to the P.Diddy song, and I love it. Let It Go is present here as well as a remix to it. Like some other R&B albums I’ve rated this high, the production is solid, but a weak point of the album. Keyshia’s strong vocals and clever lyrics make this a must have for your collection. The Verdict is a 9.7/10

This wasn’t Rihanna breakout album, but it made her a certified superstar. Rihanna isn’t a bad girl yet here, but on the last title track song, she warns you that she will. Her hooks are great, lyrically its really good, and the production here is just terrific. The singles are standouts but I found Breakin Dishes, Sell Me Candy, and Lemme Get That are also bangers. Say It is the weakest song..and thats is quite good. Don't Stop the Music does Michel Jackson justice...The album is Rih Rih’s best to date and if you haven’t heard it yet, please cop. Favorite 3 Songs: Breakin' Dishes, Umbrella, Don't Stop the Music Least Favorite 2: Say It, Question Existing Overall Rating 99 Lyrics 24 Beats 25 Depth 25 Tilt 25

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 2007 UGK album is a dirty south work of art. The album has no major flaws. It’s arguably UGK at their best. It’s a double disc…which means lots of music. Most songs are laid back but really effective. There’s a lot of guest spots like TI, Talib Kweli, Raheem Devaughn, Rick Ross and some others. I really like the songs Like That, Like That Remix, and Int’l Players Anthem. Pimp C seems to handle most of the hooks and its effective. This album should have been on my best rap albums of 2007 list. Hmm maybe I will have to reevaluate that list. The Verdict is a solid 9.5/10 ! Knowwhatimtalkinbout? LOL

Let me just say that if lyrics could go to 30 lupe would have that. Lyrically he’s the best as evident on Go Go Gadget Flow. His flow is incredible. Where he doesn’t come across too great is on some songs like Fighters, which is not a bad song, but isn’t all that exciting. The album’s depth is almost perfect. The song Gold chain really grew on me, I didn’t like it at first. Superstar and Dumb It Down are great, but HHSML is a classic. The album feels a tad bit long, but its better than F&L in every way except for the beats. The beats are good but not amazing. The final score....9.5/10...not quite a masterpiece...but an excellent album nonetheless.

Graduation   Kanye West   In Depth Review     Opening Opinion: 9.5               My hype for this album was very high. It’s kind of a hard feeling to describe. I had heard enough singles form the album to know that it was dope. However what wasn’t apparent to me is this going to be his best album, or not. Graduation certainly lives up to that hype….and it’s my favorite rap album ever.               The first 3 songs are all pretty different. “Champion” has a great sample, and Kanye shows improved lyrical ability on this song, as well as the whole album. “Good Morning”, the first track is a great opener. It’s laid back, but incredibly effective. There’s a Jay-z quote at the end of it. Stronger samples the Daft Punk song “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”. The song isn’t that great lyrically, but the way it flows tog...

Talib’s 2007 album is a great one. The album has a lot of good songs. Stay Around is where he discusses those who have criticized him in the past. The album has general topics for Talib, but the execution is really well done. There’s nothing here as good as Get By, but the album has quantity over quality. The album has a very laid back feel to it, which works to Talib’s advantage. The album has a lot of quality songs, and Talib is in his zone. Talib is one of the elite Mcs, and this album is further proof. I give this album a 9.25/10....it's one of the best from his catalogue.

This is an album, that is just plain inferior to rival album Graduation. However it’s a good album, but a difficult review.   I’ll start with the production, which isn’t bad, but not as good as 50 is used to. There are some gems though, the best beat easily going to AT, with JT and Timbo. The song is really hot, but 50 is rapping like Chamillionaire on it... Some of the guest features aren’t that good, Eminem does a C job, Young Buck is only on a chorus, Mary J feels forced to sing, And Tony Yayo, is well Tony Yayo!. Overall its 50’s worst album out of 4. Its constructed well, but it just feels forced and he doesn’t sound as hungry or as creative as on GroDT or the Massacre. Follow My lead With Robin Thicke is a nice song, and a welcome surprise. Overall i give this a 7.5/10. Its not bad by any means, but its his worst album so far....or is Before I Self Destruct his worst??