Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

 So 2011 was 10 years ago. I thought it would be fun to go through my top 10 rap albums of that year and give new perspective on them. I'll give what I said about the album 10 years ago as well as new commentary. I had alot of these albums ranked numerically about the same at the time. 10) Drake- Take Care What I Said Then-  Coming back 1 year after last year’s Thank Me Later, this album isn’t quite as good, but it’s more cohesive than his debut. Drake also seems more comfortable this time around. I really liked about every song, especially Headlines and Take Care. Either you like this because of the singing, or you’ll hate it. Drizzy rounds my top 10. What I think Now- Well to be honest I still don't really love this album more than Thank Me Later...but I have to admit its a better album. There's just not many skips on it all. It probably should of been ranked a little higher than 10th. Drake was in his lane on this album. Songs like "Headlines" and "Take C...

Rihanna’s back again with another hot album. This one is short but sweet. Which Is funny cause Rihanna is tall and sexy. HA! But this album which came out in 2011 has some seriously good songs on it. Songs like Birthday Cake and Cockiness (I Love It) are some very sexual songs which works well for Rih Rih.  Album: Talk That Talk Artist: Rihanna Overall Rating 95 Grade A Lyrics 24 Beats 24 Depth 25 Tilt 23 The Navy is very well represented here on songs like Drunk On Love. Songs like Where Have You Been have flawless production but the song We Found Love seems rather cookie cutter. I love her lyrcics on that song but the song sounds too similar to other songs. Overall it’s a strong album from Rihanna and she shows no signs of slowing down.

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...

Droid X2 (2011) Ah man the Droid X2 was my first real smart phone. It was amazing to me. It could do so many things that we unfortunately, take for granted today. Being able to surf the web, add a huge variety of   mobile games, and a fast processor. The Droid X2 did a lot of things right, but it didn’t even have a front facing camera. It also had only 8gb. That wasn’t even much space at the time even in 2011. I ran out of space so quick! Score: 7.5/10 Samsung Galaxy S4 (2013) So after the droid I wasn’t sure which phone I wanted until I saw Jay Z promote the SGS4. This phone was beast. I knew I wanted it. I just went out and bought it. It was improvement over my Droid X2 in every way. Bigger screen, more memory, and a great camera. I remember taking a lot of pics. I think mine had 16gb of memory. I really enjoyed this phone but a little over 2 years later I wanted something new. Score: 8.5/10 Samsung Galaxy S6 (2015) This is where things get inter...

                Now on to the review for Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. This movie came out in 2011. I don’t remember being too hype for it, but the movie delivered. The acting is good. Shia Lebeouf returns but Megan Fox has been replaced (written out lol). Dark of the Moon is a darker film than it’s 2 predecessors…much more so!                 This is a long movie; well over 2 hours. The pacing isn’t that great in the first half at all. The 2 nd half is action packed however…maybe too packed lol. I absolutely love the long intro. It shows how the space race was in response to a mysterious alien ship crash landing on the moon. The scene ends by going into the eyes of Sentinel Prime, who I will talk about more later.                 The movie then shows Sam Witwicky and his new girlfrie...

Kdot’s first album is really good. The beats are the lowpoint, but they aren’t that bad. Lyrically he shines on most tracks. The album is also deep and well-constructed… I love how the tracks fit together: Some songs talk about the vices for a man and woman, and others are their evils. That is a dope concept. Members Only might be my favorite song. Ab-Soul shines on his interlude, and Kendrick kills it on Rigamortis. All in all this is a good album. It’s one that you shouldn’t skip. Verdict: 8.7/10

Some say that Rap music is on the decline. Big Sean’s album isn’t bad but it certainly supports that argument. The beats are catchy, and Sean’s flow isn’t bad, but it is really similar to Drake. But looking back in retrospect this isn’t bad for a debut. The beats are good, and his lyrics are far from terrible. There’s a huge guest list as well such as Kanye West, The Dream, John Legend, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, and Pharrell and Pusha T. Ultimately it’s his weakest album ,but like I said its good. The Verdict is a 7.8/10 way way wayyy

After a poor effort with Graffiti, CB returns with an impressive album. This album is perhaps his best, rivaling Exclusive. The first half is the better half of the album. There’s a good guest list too including Lil Wayne, The Game, Busta Rhymes, Wiz Khalifa, and Justin Bieber. I really like the song Look At Me Now. Sounds like a rap record but hey its dope. The song with Bieber is also another one of  my favorites.Also, Yeah 3x is so much fun makes you want to dance lol. The album is one of Brown’s best. He is one of my favorite R&B singers mane. Verdict: A solid 9/10

For this list, i went back to my old system of reviewing. Who knows, i might start using the simpler system. It seems better to me after reviewing these rap albums. To be eligible for this list, the album must have been released from 2010 to 2014. Also no mixtapes qualify (Sorry Vince Staples and Chance the Rapper) 20) Watch the Throne- Jay-z Kanye West (Great Rap Duo the Throne) Okay this is the 1 st album on the list. I feel this album was good enough and popular enough to beat out quite a few albums that scored lower. Jay-z and Kanye complement each other very well. Maybe not as well lyrically as Bad Meets Evil( Eminem and Royce da 5’9), but the production is solid. The album has interesting tracks on it like No Church in the Wild , New Day , and Murder to Excellence . There’s also hits like Otis , and N**gas in Paris. 19) Yeezus- Kanye West (Kanye’s Divinity in full force) Ah more Kanye. Face it; he’s been a dominant force in rap since 2004 when College Dropout dropped....

Beyonce’s 4 th album…oddly titled just 4, is a decent album. Its hard to say if its better than I Am…Sasha Fierce, but it’s a good enough album to keep Beyonce relevant. The album’s 1 st three singles are excellent, even though Kanye has a minimal presence on Party. The album’s lyrics are bit unoriginal, but the beats are good. Some of the songs sound uninspired almost .So I hope this isn’t a sign that Beyonce has lost her touch. She’ll might not make another classic like B’Day, but I think she has a 90+ album up her sleeve. Despite being an average album for B, its still a solid 8/10. YEaaaa B!

Adele’s 2 nd album is very very good. She has great vocal ability, and she showcases that on just about every song. The only real knock on this abum is the beats, which aren’t bad, but not perfect. Adele sings mostly of heartbreak and problems in relationships. The future is bright for this talented artist. Set Fire to the Rain is my favorite song here. It’s so emotional and it sets the tone for the album. Shoot it got me to give her a chance. 9.75/10 is the score!    

This is the first work I’ve heard from the conscious mc. It’s a great album with really thought provoking songs. I really like Rich Man’s World as he plays like he’s an elitist. The song is incredible. The rest of the album has plenty of high points as well. The beats aren’t bad, but the lyricism is the real star here. I cant wait to here more from this prolific rapper. I give this album a 8.5 out of 10. Good s*** man!

Lady Gaga’s 3 rd album is a work of art. It’s extremely varied, however the album has a good amount of cohesiveness. Gaga has vocal dexterity that puts some Pop artists to shame(not going to name names). She seems to have to really fine tuned her sound. She gives inspiration on Born this Way. Judas and Bloody Mary are pretty controversial   songs.   She speaks german on SheiBe , and   closes the album with a bang with The Edge of Glory. Overall this album should silence critics that may say Gaga couldn’t relase another hot album   with all new songs. Government Hooker is my favorite song on the album     Ima give this album 9.5/10 which is pretty damn high. There are only a couple of songs i dont really care that much for, but the rest of the album is amazing

This is a list of rappers who I feel are the best right now, not all time. It’s mostly based on albums and songs from 2011-2012. Here’s the top 20 Top Rappers 2012 2 nd Edition *Eminem and Royce Da 5’9 are combined into Bad Meets Evil *Outkast didn’t have an album this year yet so they aren’t included.   1.       Nas(19)- Nasty Nas is finally on top. He’s jumped 18 spots mostly due to the fact he hadn’t done much in the 2010-2011 time frame. Life is Good is a stellar album that I didn’t think would be that good. Nas feels he still has something to prove…and maybe he does. “When you become better than legends you thought were the greatest”, raps Nas. Not only that, he’s had some good guest features as well like on Tha Carter IV and The Dreamer/The Believer , and   Pink Friday Roman Reloaded. When its all said and done Nas may be known as the best rapper ever. 2.       Lupe Fiasco(14)- I am incredib...

Ah Eminem has signed another white rapper……Yelawolf is a good rapper but he seems to shine on certain kinds of songs. He struggles on the “love” songs but the introspective songs are good. This is not an easy album to review. The guest spots are well used such as Eminem, Gangsta Boo, Kid Rock, Lil Jon, and others. This album has a southern feel to it, but it doesn’t sound like your typical dirty south album. Overall this is a good debut album. I look forward to hearing more of that Bama slang lol.   I'm going to give this album a 8/10. Its not bad for a debut album.       Man this guy is young. I’m older than him…..He is not a bad lyricist but Mac Miller doesn’t really talk about much. There is no song here that is really really awesome but there’s some good tracks. I think Mac Miller just hasn’t experienced enough in life to make a very interesting album with more varied topics. Complaints aside this is a good debut album. It will be interesting t...

WOLF GANG!!!  WTF is this? This is by far the craziest album I’ve ever heard. The album is creative but the execution on some tracks is poor. The beats are really hot. I haven’t heard anyone rap this crazy since early Eminem. But you can’t really make a comparison between the two rappers, no disrespect to Tyler who is a decent rapper. This is one of the hardest rap albums to get through due to the crazy subject matter, but Tyler & company due a good job of painting pictures with their rhymes. Even with that being said the album has very few poor songs. The final track, Golden is simply hilarious. I give this album 7.5/10. Not bad, but there are some flaws.

J.Cole’s debut album is very good, even though it suffers from some minor mistakes. Cole has a short guest list which only includes Jay-z, Missy Elliot, Drake,   and Trey Songz….all 4 are used well but you cant help but wish there were more guest spots. Cole really delivers lyrically on most of the songs, in fact they’re all good but I found   that   the album has too many “thoughtful” songs on it near the end. This is a complaint only because you would think that they’re be more “Mr. Nice Watch” type songs…but his song topics remind me a lot of 2pac’s greatness. One thing is for sure; J. Cole is a gifted MC. I give this album  8.25/10

Lasers Letting Go - A pretty mellow track. Lupe speaks of inner conflict. The chorus is nice, and the beat fits pretty well.   8/10 Words I Never Said - Lupe gets right into some conspiracy stuff and he also speaks his mind on Presidenet Obama as well as some other things. The song has a hot beat and a great chorus. 9/10 Till I Get There - Lupe speaks introspectively about his experiences. The beat is decent, and I really like the chorus. He seems to be struggling with stardom on this song. 8/10 I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now- A really cool song….Lupe turns it up a little bit lyrically here. The chorus fits right in. The beat has some nice flashy elements to it. 9/10 Out of My Head - Lupe is joined by Trey Songz for the first time. Trey’s chorus really makes the song, Lupe’s verses aren’t that bad though, but they’re a little dumbed down from his usual greatness. 7/10 The Show Goes On - This song seems to have everything going for it. It’s inspi...

Here's my list, i hope you enjoy it. If you disagree leave a comment 10. Drake- Take Care: Coming back 1 year after last year’s Thank Me Later, this album isn’t quite as good, but it’s more cohesive than his debut. Drake also seems more comfortable this time around. I really liked about every song, especially Headlines and Take Care. Either you like this because of the singing, or you’ll hate it. Drizzy rounds my top 10. 9. Kendrick Lamar- Section 80: Kendrick’s album is very dope, and is certainly a good debut album. He raps about a lot of different topics like the late great Tupac would. The album has a lot of good songs on it. I can’t wait to hear more from this talented West Coast mc. 8. J.Cole- Cole World: Arguably the hardest album to review. It’s constructed in a unique way, and I had to listen to it a few times to really let it soak in. Cole’s lyrics are on point, yet his subject matter is kind of stale on ...

Intro : This song has a hot beat, It seems Wayne wanted to structure this album like Carter II….with 3 tracks with the same beat. 8/10 Blunt Blowin: A really addictive song. I love the chorus and the beat is pretty good. “You don’t need a bus pass for me to bust yo a** n****”! 9/10 Megaman: A fast paced song. Megaman is an interesting title. Perhaps Wayne feels the beat is like some of the music in the video game….I don’t really agree. 8.5/10 6 Foot 7 Foot: The successor to AMilli. This song is almost as good as that song. Wayne goes hard on every punchline. Young Gunz’s verse is tight but it’s so fast you almost can’t understand what he’s saying. Overall it’s a dope track. 9.5/10 Nigtmares of the Bottom: This is an interesting style for Weezy. This is a slow song dominated by Piano. The song doesn’t really have a chorus but its decent. 8/10 She Will: This song is catchy but ultimately nothing new from either Lil Wayne or Drake. It’s about a gurl putting it on a...