Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

 I meant to review this album a long time ago, but never really got to it. This album won a grammy so you know its great. I like this album, but idk I don't love it as much as you'd think. I really enjoyed the Run the Jewels run Killer Mike & El-P were on in the 2010s. "Talk'n That Shit!" is a banger where Killer Mike attacks the beat. "Slummer" feat. Jagged Edge is s a smooth tale of love. The best song here is "Scientists & Engineers" which features Andre 3000, Future, & Eryn Allen Kane. The song is really soulful and smooth. There were some songs I wasn't feeling too much like the last song, "High & Holy". The African talking on that one just seems kinda odd to me.... "Motherless" was a very personal song for Mike.He raps about missing his mother and grandmother. Overall the lyricism is quite a bit better than the beats here, but the album is pretty well rounded. I do feel Killer Mike has been an under...

 Tinashe is getting much more exposure in 2024 and I'm so happy for her. Before I get to her latest album, I thought I'd review this album. This album is short at only 7 songs. The album gets off to a beautiful start with "Treason". "Talk To Me Nice" has a really nice bounce to it. "Needs" might be the best song. I love its chorus. The production on this album is pretty uniform. Her singing is great as usual too. Ultimately this is a terrific album but not quite as good as her album 333. I liked every song...even "Uh Huh" which is kinda slow but still executed well.  Lyrics 23 Beats 22 Depth 25 Tilt 23 Verdict 93

This debut album by Victoria Monet definitely grew on me. This is a short but great album. It kinda has an old school kinda feel to it. The first song, "Smoke", is really up tempo. The big single "On My Mama" is so smooth. Victoria is good singer and songwriter. The production on the album is good but nothing amazing. I like most all these songs however. The song "Hollywood" which features Earth,WInd and Fire is also a highlight. Overall you have a really consistent album here. I can't wait for more music from her.  Lyrics 23 Beats 21 Depth 24 Tilt 23 Verdict 91

 I gotta admit this album really grew on me. It's an official sequel to her first album, Pink Friday. That can be a little confusing as I thought her 2nd album Pink Friday Roman Reloaded was a sequel to Pink Friday. Anyways this album has a lot of different sounds to it. She raps on that Biggie Smalls beat on "Barbie Dangerous". "FTCU" is another highlight with a dope sample. "Let Me Calm Down" Featuring J. Cole is really smooth too. I didn't care too much for the Lil Wayne assisted "RNB". I like the vibe of the song "Needle" which features Drake. I really like "Everybody" which features Lil Uzi Vert. One thing that works for this album is the sample baiting. Say what you want; it's used really effectively on this album. I really enjoyed the lead single "Super Freaky Girl" too. Overall Nicki spits well but you can't help but feel she could of done a little better. The production is really good tho. Th...

 Its hard to express how disappointed I was with this album. Sure there are some highlights. I really enjoyed "First Person Shooter" which features J. Cole. Both rappers really bring the heat. On "Fear of Heights" Drake take obvious shots at Rihanna and A$AP Rocky lol. "8 Am in Charlotte" features Drake at his lyrical best. I really like the ratchedness of "Rich Baby Daddy" which features Sexy Red & SZA. Most of these songs tho are really bad to mediocre tho. Drake doesn't put much effort in lyrically. At least the beats are good tho. Yeah there's just not a lot to go back to on this one. Lyrics 18 Beats 22 Depth 19 Tilt 18 Verdict 77

Travis Scott's latest album was surprisingly good to me. Yes I think its better than Astroworld.(Not by much tho). For one he's actually saying stuff more in his lyrics....and the production is great as usual. The guests spots are well used here like Drake on "Meltdown" or SZA and Future on "Telekinesis". I just really  find this one easier to get threw then Astroworld. I won't say its his best album...but man this was quite the way to bounce back after all the drama in 2021.   Lyrics 20 Beats 24 Depth 23 Tilt 22 Verdict 89

 The latest album from Logic is really good. There's a narrative throughout as Logic and his homies get ready for a show in DC as they drive from Maryland. One thing I like here is Logic gives his homies more chance to shine on this album whether that be through actual album cuts like "Gaithersburg Freestyle" or the skits. Logic spits really well on this album and honestly I would expect nothing less from a Logic album at this point. "Shimmy" featuring Joey Bada$$ is really good too. Production wise its pretty good too. I liked most songs alot. Overall tho there's not much here that blew me away so its a slight step below the Vinyl Days album. Still another solid project tho. Lyrics 24 Beats 23 Depth 24 Tilt 22 Verdict 93

30) Rick Ross (7.7) Essential Album: Teflon Don Starting off the list is Ricky Rossay. Ross has great delivery and a lot of good albums. He scores really high in the versatility category. Ross’s pen game has definitely gotten better from when he debuted in 2006 with Port of Miami. Ross’s biggest flaws were his storytelling and impact. Otherwise solid MC.     29) Young Jeezy (7.8) Essential Album: The Recession Another dirty south MC. Jeezy is one of my favorite rappers. He has a lot of good albums with no real duds. He does have the best ad libs in the game. His collaboration and versatility are high. He really brings the heat on his features. Storytelling and Impact weren’t that high but hey; hes tied with the next rapper.   28) Nicki Minaj (7.8) EA: The Pinkprint Arguably the most dominant female rapper of all time. Nicki really shines when features on others tracks. She usually steals the show like on Kanye West’s “Monster” song. She’s also really versatile; able to...

Are of Pleasure continues down the path that her last album went. This time however the album is purely about sex and pleasure. Janelle's singing and rapping is very on point here. This is evident from the first song "Float" which is a major banger. There is a strong reggae sound on this album as well. The production is pretty good, but its not amazing like on previous works. "Lipstick Lover" and "Water Slide"are infectious singles as well. "Phenomenal" is a smooth song too. Overall this is a great album but its not quite on the same level as her previous works. Some of that is due to the fact the album is short...only 30 some minutes. Some of the songs are really short too. Complaints aside tho I liked most all the songs. Janelle continues to prove she's one of the best artists of the century. Lyrics 24 Beats 23 Depth 23 Tilt 23 Verdict 93