Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

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

Lupe has returned after only a 2 year gap after the excellent Tetsuo & Youth album. While this album isn’t as good as that one, its still a premier, top notch kind of album. The album might also be his most accessible. Lupe makes trap songs….and he raps with a lot of excitement…simply put, its LIT! He has a terrific opener, and some well used guest features. The interlude, High, is also really hot. The album’s lyrics are also really great, and the production is fresh. Some of the later songs are kind of similar to what we heard on L.A.S.E.R.S., but it doesn’t sound all depressing and s***. This is another album that solidifies Lupe as an all time great. Verdict 9.3

Wassup y'all. I was just looking at my list of Best Rap Albums ever reviewed(no need to look at it it's very dated). I was thinking of what makes a these 4 rap albums the best I've ever heard. Thats right they are 100 rated albums or 10/10. They arent the only ones, but man are they excellent. I'm going to break down the four. Jay Z: The Blueprint  (2001) This is Jay's best album, although Reasonable Doubt is technically just as good score wise. BP1 is incredibly well executed from both a lyrical standpoint and production wise. Jay was in top form here. He was closse tying this one with Black Album but nope. Its one of those albums where I can truly hit the shuffle button and just let it play. I guess you could say that about all four of these albums. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) If you've been around, then you know I love this album. While I do not feel this is the album we should remember Kanye for; I do feel its his best. I...

The Weeknd has made another great album. This one is just as good as the last one imo. The title track gets things going nicely…and things rarely let up. As with his last project, the album has some songs that sound too similar. I found the production to be awesome, and his lyricism seemed a little improved. Party Monster is my favorite track…Weeknd is a cool dude…kinda like the Drake of R&B. The man shouldn’t release any album in 2017, but he shows no signs of slowing down. Verdict 9.1/10

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 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

So Big Sean is now 4 solo albums deep. Incredible…this one is good, but not his best. No Favors features a really mean sounding Eminem. Same Time Pt. 1 features Jhene Aiko(part of Twenty88). The album doesn’t have a lot of bangers on it like Dark Sky Paradise, but there’s lots of good songs here. Some songs make it end up sounding like a poor man’s College Dropout lol. The last song about his Mom is terrific. Ultimately this is a solid outing for Big Sean but its not likely to win over any new fans. Verdict: 8.8/10