Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

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...

The Documentary 2 & 2.5 The Game In Depth Review The Documentary 2 Opening Opinion 9.9/10 The Documentary 2.5 Opening Opinion 10/10 Okay so this is technically a double in depth review….but let me kill 2 birds with one stone. These albums really blew me away. In October of 2015 I knew The Game was dropping a sequel to his former best album, The Documentary. What I didn’t know, is that he was dropping another album right after that…like a week after that. First I’ll talk about 2, then 2.5. First up there’s a skit, that’s really just about how real it is in Los Angeles. On Me with Kendrick Lamar is a great song. Game does that rapping copycat thing where he sounds like the rapper he has on the track lol. He’s done it before…he did it a lot on the Red Album. Kendrick’s verse is dope too, but you can tell right away that Game has stepped it up. Step Up is another great track. Its silky smooth and hype at the same time. Next Game recruits a couple of west coast l...

Call of Duty Black ops 3 is an interesting game. On one hand you have a COD game with all the right features. I mean there's  a campaign, Zombie mode, free run mode(which i never play past the first playthrough), and a zombie campaign mode. So on the surface this game had the potential to be the very best COD in years. Its a good looking game and controls are great as usual. The campaign starts out fresh, but quickly grows tiresome. The story is quite lame and stupid. On the game's last stage i couldnt wait for it to be over, which is the last thing you want to be thinking on a game's last level. Like what the f*** bro! lol. Its some dumb Artificial intelligence thing that makes your comrades go crazy...yes all of them. Im like dude get the f*** outta here with this bull **it story! Its difficult sure, but all CODs are tough. Multiplayer is great. There's so much to do and unlock. There are even Specialists that give you more playing options. A Specialist can...

8.4/10 MGK returns with his 2 nd album…. It’s not really as good as his first, but its still a good album. The best songs are Till I Die, which is an ode to Cleveland, and Bad Mother F*cker featuring Kid Rock. The album isn’t bad but it seems like on most songs MGK isn’t really bringing much variety lyrically. The beats are really good, and despite my gripes most of the songs are good. I didn’t expect a classic, so this is a good album.

The Verdict, 8.8/10 Ghostface has been one busy guy since late 2014. He released 36 Seasons, Sour Soul, and now this. This album is about as good as 12 Reasons to Die #1, but I guess I expected more. One artist that was absent from 12RtD#1 is Raekwon. There are other guests too, like Vince Staples. The album tells a cohesive story that I wont get into here. The songs are fairly short, but it flows together pretty well. Lyrically Ghostface proves he’s still one of the best rappers around. The production ain’t bad either.

The Verdict: 8.8/10 Ty Dolla $ign’s first official album is pretty good. Its not really what I expected though. The album has good lyrics, and matching production. I liked most every song. Ty sings mostly and raps (like the opposite of Future) lol. There’s a big guest list too: Kanye ,R.Kelly, Future, Wiz Khalifa, Fetty Wapp, Kendrick Lamar, and a few more. Some songs run a bit long but its an album you should check out if you like Ty’s features on other albums.

Alessia Cara is a very young artist, and honestly, she shows a lot of maturity on this album. The hit single Here is very antisocial but hot. She really shines on just about every song. The production is the low point, but its just below a 9/10.   The single Here is amazing and creative. Four Pink Walls is my favorite track, as is the next track, Wild Things. Vocally she sounds young (I mean she is) but her singing is really good and the choruses are great. The album has great depth and you don’t really feel like you needed more songs here; its just right. The Verdict: 9.2/10

The Verdict: 8.0/10, its pretty good, but not great Chris Brown’s 2015 effort is not an easy album to review like X was. A big issue isn’t his singing but the lyrics, the topics, its all so similar and repetitive. The production is on point. There are some serious highlights here like Zero, Liquor, and Picture Me Rollin. This is not a bad album, just a little disappointing. He shows no growth here, like he’s stuck in some kind of limbo lol. Chris needs a break from making music obviously; and that’s just fine. I mean look what a break did for his exes’ career.

Ah G-Eazy…hes another white rapper. This guy reminds me of Mackelmore…but he might be slightly better than that Pop Rapper. The album doesn’t sound dark at all. It’s got some variety here, and fresh beats. G-Eazy isn’t that bad on the mic either, even if he’s rarely rapping of anything of substance. Overall I’d say this album is a win. It grew on me lol. “B*Tch U got me f***ed up” raps G-Eazy, and yeah I did… The Verdict: 8.7/10!

Kid Cudi’s 2015 offering isn’t that bad. I was worried that it would  be abysmal but no, it’s an Alternative rock album. The album features some skits here and there by Beavis and Butthead…yeah u read right lol. The album’s production is the best part. Kid Cudi’s singing is pretty average, and the lyrics range from good to just tolerable.  This album is a weird one and it’s a little too long.Cudi b’ses on those last bonus tracks…Fade 2 Red might be my favorite track. I can’t really say its for Cudi fans…no just fans of alternative music. Ok ok if you liked INdicud and the last short album give this one a try. The Verdict: Hmm it passes but barely...7.4/10

The Verdict: Its a solid 9.6/10 King Push has returned after a very good 2013 outing. This is supposed to be a prequel to the real King Push coming later…but this is a really good album. Lyrically Push is on point as usual. The production is also solid. He’s the new president of GOOD Music, and this album flows well. Its not quite as good as his 2013 album tho. Most songs aren’t excellent, but the biggest thing is the album is just over half an hour. I’d take 2 more songs from Push anyday. The Dream had the best features here…along with Jill Scott.

Adele’s latest album is even better than 21. Yes I absolutely love this album. Hello, the lead single is great, but I wouldn’t say it’s better than some other songs here. Vocally Adele shows great range all over the place. Send My Love is a great song, as is the Danger Mouse produced River Lea. U know I’m not really sure why some didn’t like this album. It’s a terrific album! The verdict: 9.9/10

Make no mistake, this is Justin Bieber’s best album. He isn’t as vocally powerful sure, but the lyrics are better than ever, the hooks just as good too. The production is solid throughout.I really like the song Children in addition to the singles. He seems to be channeling MJ on Children in particular….um yeah lol. Sorry is easily my favorite track. The album I swell rounded and a good comeback. Verdict: 8.9/10

The Avengers 2-Age of Ultron- Avengers 2 isnt as good as the first, but its still very good and the characters have great chemistry. The villain, Ultron is supposedly a creation of Starks(Ironman) that goes Rogue. He can manifest in multiple robotic bodies, but he has just 2 main ones.                 The story of the movie seems to be on par with the first film, but it just doesn’t seem as interesting. The special effects are on par. The fight with a out of control Hulk and a “VERONICA” Super Iron man suit are terrific. Ultron himself is a good villain who says random quotes. There’s even a new edition to the Avenger team.                 Overall Avengers 2 was a great film but the bar has been raised high for every Marvel movie to come after it(Captain America 3…etc). Rating: 9.0/10   Jurassic World- Jurassic Wo...

Man its been a good year for rap. As you can see alot of albums had the same rating so I didnt really say one was better than the other, I just gave them the same rank starting with 1 and going up to 20.  You'll notice I added 2 cds that werent on the original list(Rick Ross and Pusha T). If you dont agree let me know. 20) A$AP Rocky- At Long Last A$AP 20)Scarface- Deeply Rooted 20)Mac Miller-GO:OD 12) Raekwon-Fly International Luxurious Art 12)Drake-If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late 12) Joe Budden-All Love Lost 12) Talib Kweli & 9 th Wonder-Indie 500 12)Jay Rock-90059 12)Rick Ross-Black Marcket 12) Jeezy-Church In These Streets 12)Ludacris-Ludaversal 10)Tyler the Creator-Cherry Bomb 10)Big Sean-Dark Sky Paradise 8) Jadakiss-Top 5 Dead or Alive 8)Logic-The Incredible True Story 7) Vince Staples-Summertime ‘06 6) Pusha T-King Push: Darkest Before Dawn 5) Dr. Dre-Compton 4) Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly 3) The Game-The Document...

A$AP Rocky returns with a truly complex, laid back album. This album proves A$AP is a good rapper….but is he a great one? Not really. The album has really good production. It gets off to a great start with Holy Ghost which features Joe Fox, a singer who’s on a few tracks. The album doesn’t really get really good till after the first few songs are over (excluding Holy Ghost). Things do pick up really well though. Guests include Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Future, M.I.A. Schoolboy Q, Juicy J, UGK and Miguel. All of the guest spots aren’t well used but most are. This is an album that grew on me and is very well executed. The verdict is a solid 8.9/10

The boss has returned for his 3 rd album in 2 years. This one is better than Mastermind and way better than Hood Billionaire. Lyrically Ross has stepped up.  There isn’t really just one song I can say that he really stepped it up; he’s consistent throughout. The beats are pretty good too. Not all trap beats as you might expect.  There’s a lot of guests like Nas, Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, and the Dream. This is a solid album and keeps Ross relevant easily. The verdict: 9/10

1.       Game-Documentary 2.5 (100)- Game’s 2 nd offering of Documentary 2 is a classic. Songs like Gang Bang Anyway, The Ghetto, and Up On the Wall are incredible. Is it the album of the year? 2.       Game- Documentary 2 (99)- Arguably has more bangers than 2.5…Game’s sequel to Documentary is superior in most every way.  There’s a huge guest list like Kanye, Dr. Dre, Future, and Snoop. 3.       Dr. Dre-Compton(97)- Perhaps the most unexpected album of the year. Compton has just enough Dre and just enough guests to make a great album. 4.       Vince Staples-Summertime ’06 (94)- VS’s debut didn’t disappoint. The songs are short but they are great. The album is oozing style. 5.       Jadakiss-Top 5 Dead Or Alive (93)- A great offering from an aging yet extremely effective rapper. I really like the guests too. Lil Wayne shows promise on the song Kill...

Jadakiss claims hes a top 5 rapper all time..i say no, maybe top 15, maybe. However this album is very good. Theres a big guest list including Styles P, Lil Wayne, Akon, Swizz Beatz, Ne-yo, and Jeezy. The guests do well, especially Lil Wayne...who surprisingly steals the show. The beats are also pretty good. Some are raw and dark, but others bring a brighter energy. Jada spits with intensity on every track. I liked the skits too.The album is superior to the Last Kiss album easily. AHHA! The verdict is a 9.3/10

Tamar  Braxton’s new album is a damn good one. It seems better than its predecessor in some ways, most notably depth. The first 2 tracks are fire. The album slows down a little afterwards, but the quality tracks continue. She shows some tremendous. Vocally she’s really good too, and the production is like a great backdrop. Circles is a great ballad track. These are the tracks I yawned at sometimes on her Love & War album. Give this one a listen. The verdict is a 9.1/10