Many of the album’s strongest moments find room in the spaces he’s already mined giving his house blends more depth.

This is the fairytale of Puff Daddy the hitmaker turned businessman and culture tastemaker, and he's writing the epilogue to his happily ever after. So far, so good.

Janet is reflective, optimistic, and offering encouraging, motivating lyrics to those listening.

"Trap Queen," "My Way," "Again," and "679" are all great songs: impassioned, radically romantic, and congenial sans the PG-13 restraint of, say, Jidenna's "Classic Man.".... The present ubiquity of Fetty's singles renders Fetty's album largely redundant.

Despite a corny bar here or there, Drake sounds way more energized with much better flows. But he’s still on Future’s planet.

Jay shows range by playing with his flow and experimenting with his sound on tracks that feature beat switches.

Travi$ Scott made an enjoyable album for his fans peppered with undeniable bangers for his detractors.

The lecherous lyrics that built his core are still here, but the beats are larger, more capacious, and more lush..... [“Tell Your Friends”] shows a growth in the Weeknd’s songwriting that unfortunately isn’t more prevalent throughout the album.

Compton is his third-best album, but that's hardly an insult. His skills have always been about immediacy, the grandiose, a sixth sense for the universal. On Compton, that's still intact.

Dom Kennedy's third studio release is short and to the point leaving no room for fillers. But it lacks the certified bangers we're used to him delivering. Still, it's a solid offering from an independent artist.

If you've followed Future's recent moves, DS2 is not unprecedented, but it greatly enhances the brooding ambiance of his recent work, a dive further into the abyss.

Dreams Worth More Than Money sticks the landing, sustaining over its running time without stumbling and occasionally providing some thrilling moments.

Although, it's a bit too long, and suffers from some peaks and valleys, it's a very solid project overall.

Surf is a boardwalk picnic with sunset views of the Ferris wheel, grassy laughter, and paper plates smeared with blueberry shortcake.

All things considered, this is a solid album. Fans of old Rocky will be happy to hear he hasn’t left them behind and new fans will have a plethora of options to choose from.

His latest album loads several compelling rounds of rage and heartache, and no egregious duds (though "Spoil You" really is pushing it).

It may seem dismissive to write the album off as a stepping stone, but when you consider the stark contrast between tracks like the gospel leanings of "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" and, say, "Basic Space," In Colour isn't only a necessary listen, but an important one too.

Trey Songz and The-Dream can gripe on tracks about smart phones and Omarion can make a run for dancehall licks, but Kehlani’s pulling all these ideas together into something that feels original and authentic and, somehow just slightly transgressive.

Ultimately, Zedd’s True Colors shows the guy is brilliant at what he does, and for those who want to get all in their feelings on the way to a festival or to soundtrack a beach date with bae (or a group of friends), this will be the disc to keep on repeat.

Dark, frenetic, and complicated, Ratchet is so thrilling because of its refusal to settle down.

On Barter 6, a rapper frequently dismissed as a druggie dance trapper inverts himself, yielding a passionate and personal record that's as insular as Earl's latest, but with charisma and color.

Cherry Bomb is Tyler's greatest creation to date. However, the album is bit of a mess in the beginning, and while Tyler's grown immensely as a producer, his rapping isn't consistently up to par.

As the third installment of Spitta’s aircraft-themed series, Pilot Talk 3 finds the NOLA sky captain delivering a familiar set of luxury rap fairytales upon which he’s built a quietly impressive career.

The second half of The Album About Nothing is a bit more hit-and-miss than the opening seven tracks.

Mr. Wonderful is a solid offering from a guy who consistently puts out quality music.

With all its superfly flourish and talk of Willie Lynch, Butterfly is heady and ambitious, if not unprecedented as subject matter.

The end result is a love letter to the world of feels, and a great escape for heads looking to let their freak flag fly.

Occasionally clumsy but wonderfully plainspoken, and impassioned when he wants to be, Sean has advanced (if not graduated) from the tepid mythmaking of Hall of Fame. Here he’s dynamic, and a pretty good rapper.