Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

This album hit me by surprise and it is a worth successor to the Documentary series .The Game spits really well here but that doesn't really surprise me. He always seems to bring it lyrically. Honestly this album grew on me. At first I want too big on it. A song like "Sticks" is kinda odd but I like it. "Geezus", the first song is really dope as Game raps, "Ima make you a celebrity overnight". I didn't really like the song "Party at Game's"....I mean I see what he was going for but nah. "Baby" is pretty damn good tho as it samples Ashanti's old song with the same name. There's 2 Kanye West assisted songs "40 Nights" and "LA Monster". Both are great.Kanye is really great on the former."Do You Love Me" is interesting as a woman tells Game "yeah I love you" LOL.The Game gets really personal on songs like "Nothing 2 Hide" and "Meet the Parents". "I Won'...

 This album grew on me. It’s just Tyler having fun for once after the theme heavy Chromakopia. It’s funny I just did a discography ranking for Tyler cause I didn’t think he was gonna come out with a new album any time soon. This is Tyler’s shortest album thus far at only ten songs. He’s not as lyrical as he’s been on the past couple albums . I really like the title track. It’s just a banger. "Suck Free" is dope too. I do like the different sounds and styles he implores here. "Mommanem" is short but has one of the hottest beats. It was dope to hear him rap with Pharrell Williams on the first song "Big Poe". This album has great production, but I've come to expect that from Tyler's albums. Overall it's good to see him try something new. He's really become one of my favorite rappers ever since 2015. Lyrics 21 Beats 24 Depth 22 Tilt 22 Verdict 89 to check out my Tyler the Creator album ranking click here:  https://maxreviewsandthoughts.blogspot...

 This is my list. All these albums are relatively 98-100 rated. I do have some personal bias here. If you don't see an album you think should have made the list just comment. Honorable Mentions Nas-Stillmatic Jay Z- Reasonable Doubt The Notorious B.I.G.- Life After Death Raekwon-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Ice Cube- Amerikka’s Most Wanted Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp A Butterfly  Eminem- The Marshall Mathers LP 2 10) Outkast-Stankonia- This was the album really propelled Outkast to superstardom. Sure it’s a little weird at points but it really is an impressive album from Big Boi and Andre 3000. The production is really solid. I love the first song “Gasoline Dreams”. “Ms. Jackson” is one of those all-time great rap songs. You also have “So Fresh, So Clean” and the super hype “B.O.B.” There some other good songs too like “We Luv Deez Hoez” and “I’ll Call Before I Come”. It feels good to have a dirty south album on this list. Underrated Track Pick: Gasoline Dreams. 9) 2Pac- Me Against the...

 I really really enjoyed this album. I didn't like the self titled all that much that came out in 2021, but this is fire. "Black & Blue" the first song is so damn smooth. Things get a lot darker with "Government Cheese". Lyrically Vince is great, and I love the cohesive production too. "Nothing Matters" was another highlight. I found the Liars skit and the final track to be pretty intersting."Étouffée" might be the best song. I don't have a lot to say about the album. I liked every song but I've got to admit he's made better albums in the past. Still tho Vince's discography is looking very impressive man. Lyrics 23 Beats 23 Depth 25 Tilt 22 Verdict 93

Goblin (75):  Like many of you this was my introduction to Tyler. The subject matter is truly insane. But yeah I do like some of these songs. The first song is really out there. The last song “Golden”, is so funny man. Overall tho I don’t like this album that much. The successor Wolf did so much better. Top Tracks: Golden, She, Yonkers, Golden. Wolf (85):  This was when I started to kinda like Tyler’s music. Sure the subject matter is still kinda crazy but it’s a little toned down here. These songs kinda bleed into each other for me….I really like “Treehome95” with Erykah Badu….and “Tamale”; Definite highlights. TT: Jamba, Domo23, Tamale, Treehome95, Cowboy, Ifhy. IGOR (91):  Ok im not gonna lie, im not the biggest fan of IGOR. Maybe it has to do with the gay theme lol. The music is pretty damn good tho. “Earfquake” is infectious as hell. That is followed by “I Think” which is another banger. “New Magic Wand” is also great. The production was stand out here. This could go...

 Ok I am a big Schoolboy Q fan. I gotta say I love this album...but believe it or not what kept me from getting it till fall 2024 was that horrendous album artwork lol. I mean damn its gross! Schoolboy has some great flows and lyricism on this album. "Thank god 4 me" is absolute flames. "Blueslides" is another highlight. There's something about the song "first" that is just so catchy to me. "Yern" is also pretty hard man. The guest list is minimal but it works. The production is really good here too. The album isn't quite as good as Blank Face to me but its definitely a major improvement over his last album Crash Talk. Definitely check this one out. Lyrics 24 Beats 23 Depth 23 Tilt 23 Verdict 93

 While this is probably the most easily digestible Kendrick album yet....I didn't wanna rush my review. This is an album that got better the more I listened to it. Kendrick really spits well here. The album is mostly banger songs with few concepts. The production is really good...as good as any he's rapped on. "Wacced Out Murals" is an excellent intro....and who isn't feeling the major banger that is "Squabble Up". Kdot and SZA showcase great chemistry on the Luther Vandross sampling "Luther". "Reincarnated" is another highlight as he tackles an old 2pac beat. I didnt like every song as the title track is kinda lackluster. I love how we tells his story on "Heart Pt. 6.". The album closer, "Gloria", is strong too. Ultimately I feel this is a weaker album in his discography but its still a terrific album.  Lyrics 24 Beats 24 Depth 23 Tilt 23 Verdict 94

       The Game didn't retire off of his last album and I'm glad he didn't. Drillmatic is a great album....I'd say thats pretty on par with L.A.X. The album is really long and yes there is some filler but most of the tracks are decent. Lyrically Game does pretty well. The production is really soulful here and filled with lush sounding hood anthems. "Chrome Slugs & Harmony" is so infectious. "No Man's Falls" featuring Pusha T & 2 Chainz is another highlight. I found "Fortunate" which features Kanye West and Dreezy to be a breath of fresh air. A$AP Rocky absolutely kills his feature on "Money Cash Clothes" which uses an old Jay Z sample. Game and Cam'ron trade bars well on "K.I.L.L.A.S." Of course we've got to address the controversial "The Black Slimshady" where Game takes shots at Eminem. Overall I felt the diss was good but honestly Game came off as a tad bit of a fan of Eminem on it lol. T...

The Game's final album isn't the glorified album I was hoping for. For one its too many songs....25 tracks to be exact. Lyrically Game is consistent throughout. There are some real gems here like "The Code" which features 21 Savage. The album starts and ends with Ed Sheeran features but I was only feeling the album's closer "Roadside" out of those 2 songs. The production is good on this album but it doesn't sound very aggressive like with most Game albums, instead its very laid back. "Welcome Home" features the late Nipsey Hussle and is another stand out. Overall this album has some good tracks but its too long of a listen....Alot of this album could have been cut imo. This album doesn't have the most replay value falling short of 1992 which was an excellent album. I wish this wasn't his last album and who knows maybe he'll make another... Lyrics 24 Beats 22 Depth 22 Tilt 20 Verdict: 88

Section 80 (87)- Before you cry foul, hear me out. This is Kendrick’s first real TDE project (I think). The mixtape is good, but the production is pretty basic. You cannot debate me on that. I really like his lyricism tho. “Member’s Only”, “Rigamortis” and “A.D.H.D.” are great songs. I like how deep the album is too. This really was just a flash of greatness we know today as King Kendrick.  Top Songs: Poe Man’s Dream, HiiPower, A.D.H.D., No Makeup, Members Only. Untitled.  Unmastered(92)- Kendrick dropped an EP/Bonus Track type project on us in 2016. It’s a really odd album that sounds very similar to the excellent TPAB. Overall its really interesting and soulful sounding. He raps about the world’s end in Untitled 01. All the tracks are good but Untitled 07 is too long. Overall I’m not sure what the top songs are… DAMN (97)- Kung Fu Kenny as he calls himself, gave us a very accessible album recently in 2017. It’s dope as f*** but it’s not as complex or as well r...

Vince Staples just doesn’t disappoint! Sure its only 7 tracks but its lit. The opening song, “War Ready” features Andre 3000 and its amazing.  The worst thing about the album is the mellow crooning at the end of some songs. Kilo Kush, she is an amazing R&B vocalist that has apperared on past Vince projects. I wont say this was an underwhelming project but its clear from Summertime 06 that Vince can do better. Virtually it is 9/10 in both its lyrics and production! It won’t be long till he’s one of the best period. Yeah you heard it here first. Verdict: 9.2 Oh yeah, the Big Fish Theory Review is coming soon!

East Coast 1.        The Blueprint-Jay Z (100) 2.        Illmatic-Nas (100) 3.        Ready to Die-The Notorious B.I.G. (100) 4.        Reasonable Doubt-Jay Z (100) 5.        The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill-Lauryn Hill (100) 6.        The Black Album-Jay Z (99) 7.        Stillmatic-Nas (99) 8.        Everybody-Logic (98) 9.        Black on Both Sides-Mos Def (98) 10.    Blackstar-Mos Def & Talib Kweli (98) 11.    Supreme Clientelle- Ghostface Killah (97) 12.    Life After Death-The Notorious B.I.G. (97) 13.    Life is Good-Nas (97) 14.    2014 Forest Hills Drive-J.Cole (97) 15.    We Got it From Here…-A Tribe Called Quest (97) ...

Arguably the best rapper of our generation from the West Coast...lets look at this discography ranked! I'm not including O.K.E., Streets of Compton, or Block Wars..... 9) Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf (83)- It really shouldn’t surprise you that this is Game’s weakest album. Sure, it’s a collaborative album but there is enough Game present here to save it. There are some strong tracks here and there like “Really” which features T.I., 2 Chainz, Soulja Boy, and Yo Gotti. There’s just too much filler. Top Tracks: F.U.N., The Purge, Really, Bigger than Me, Black on Black. 8) Jesus Piece (89)- JP is an underrated album. Sure his lyricism isn’t as good as on the RED Album, but this one has some serious bangers on it. However, there’s just too many guests. The production is good also. I think this album’s biggest flaw is it doesn’t seem to have a story behind it like ….every other Game album. The theme is very loose as well. TT: Ali Bomaye, See No Evil, Pray, Church. 7) ...

NEW KUNG FU KENNY! K.dot has returned with an album I was really hoping he would make. I mean, strong narrative albums seem to be his forte’ but this one, I just an album….and a damn good one. The singer assisted songs Love and Loyalty (feat. Zacari and the latter feat. Rihanna) are great tracks. Humble, the lead single is f***ing fire. The production is really great, which you may or may not expect. His lyricism, is great, but not up to his usual standards. Hey a 9.5/10 is nothing to complain about! Overall the album feels refreshing and is a very very accessible, something that TPAB was not. Verdict: 9.7/10

Predator is yet another great Ice Cube album. He talks about a lot of what he did on his first 2 albums. Cube raps about the injustices against the black community in America. Cube proves to be a great storyteller. I feel the skits kind of break up the album’s rhythm a little bit, but otherwise the album is really deep. Dirty Mack, It Was a Good Day, and The Predator are some dope songs. Ultimately this is a must have album, but it’s easy to see that Cube was running out of things to rap about. 9.3/10

This is a good album from E-40. The lyrics aren’t all that, but the hooks are good. The album has good depth and great production too. The album is a little long, but its banging. The first 3 songs I really like. There are some really good ones in the middle too like Yee, U and Dat, and I’m Da Man. The production is a strong point too. I wasn’t really feeling the songs at the back of the album, but overall this is a great 2006 album. He passed with a B- lol Verdict: 8.3/10

Ab-Soul returns with another album after about 2 years. This album is very weird, deep, and lyrical. I gave Ab a 9/10 lyrically. I almost felt they were higher but the hooks aren’t that effective again, but overall this album is clearly better than These Days. There’s lots of great bars here. Production is good too, and the album holds up well on repeated listens. There is rarely a dull spot here. It’s a total mind-f***! However that also is it’s weakness, as Ab-Soul seems to be all over the place sometimes.  8.9/10

The Snoop album is good despite leading with a god awful song Legend. There’s some really decent lyrics from Snoop here. He sounds rejuvenated, and poised unlike some of his other albums. The album’s production is better at about a 9/10 believe it or not. The album has too many songs however, being at 77 minutes in length. Despite this I am proud of his effort as he’s out done the BUSH album. Verdict: 9/10

The Game has dropped a proper album upon us this year. Spoiler alert…its not as good as The Documentary 2s but it is great! Every song is good here for the most part, but most songs aren’t anything spectacular. The album is introspective. The Game tells you his story in or around 1992. The album has some nice samples like on F*** Orange Juice and However Do You Want It. I really don’t have any complaints with this album. Lyrically its terrific,and the beats aren’t too far behind. Let’s just say he’s an all time great rapper now. Verdict: 9.6/10

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...