The Solution once again combines Buckshot and 9th Wonder's accomplished and refined skill sets as pioneers of the '90s and the past decade respectively.

It, like so many mainstream rap records, could be five songs shorter, and would be more successful if some of this fat was trimmed. Even though some of the material sounds like it was left over for solo work pre-tragedy, or supposed to be on the second Unc & Phew tape, it holds back an album that could have been in the best of the year conversation.

J. Cole has a gift in turning tears into teaching tools and KOD is a concise, leather-bound audiobook of invaluable life direction goals.

The album is repetitive in nature (a sure complaint for anyone highly critical of his solo work), Prodigy continues his largely consistent reign as a still thriving pioneer of New York’s once thugged-out era.

Breaking fresh ground with the latest addition to an already prolific catalog, Gravitas finds Talib Kweli simultaneously wearing the hats of businessman and creator.

In a time where her late age peers getting major release priorities get more experimental, introspective or attempt to follow trends, Iconology works as a reminder of Missy’s DNA not only in the recent explosion of female rappers but pop music in general.

Even with its melancholy closing, Dark Comedy is an incredibly fulfilling listen.

Libra Scale lacks the sparkle found in Ne-Yo's previous work. Much like "Champagne Life," there is still plenty to celebrate. Toast it up.

For now, Follow Me Home is a lowrider journey to California, with many ups and some downs included.

Murs and Fashawn forge an exceptional chemistry on This Generation that more importantly doesn't compromise their stylistic individuality.

Good To Be Home is the better, more streamlined version of Blu’s nonchalance.

While The Chief sets him up for a more focused sophomore effort, Jidenna’s genre-hopping album is merely a sliver of his versatility as an entertainer.

Ronson and company created an album that’s accessible by all, a little bit of everything that everyone wants to hear.

It doesn’t introduce a new sound, nor does it feature many moments we haven’t heard before. Yet what makes this album important are all the reasons Hip Hop needs Freddie Gibbs. On any one album, he can give you pieces of Tupac, UGK, Three 6 Mafia, and blend them into a harmony that would make Bone Thugs-n-Harmony proud.

With a dynamic range that stretches from speedier tracks like “I Wish” to the slow and steady “90’s Class Act (Ek),” PeteStrumentals 2 refuses to settle on a single model, rather incorporating snippets of what Pete Rock has shown has fans over the years.

Those who are less dedicated to the soul-trap genre might find the hour-long, 24-track album a test of their aural endurance. Beautiful Mind shows every element that contributed to Wave’s rapid ascent to the top of his genre: the interplay between his vocals and verse; the bitter honesty with which he describes his early life experiences; and his skill for turning any sample – no matter how well-known – into his own anthemic trap-soul style.

It may not be as beautifully consistent as Malibu, but during those glorious pinnacles when Oxnard is firing on all cylinders, it’s undeniably some of the best music of 2018.

Evermore: The Art Of Duality is an album that might overstay its welcome once it’s finished, but it is a project that takes an old concept album idea and breathes new life into it while, concurrently making the talent and the rep of this against-the-grain Beast Coast duo grow bigger with each new release.

After the first initial play through, this album definitely translates as Jadakiss’ most celebratory to date. The beats are more grandiose, less gutter horror story and more hustler’s celebration. The whole theme plays out like his very own victory lap.

Even with a lengthy tracklist, WASTELAND is economical and patient with its time. Songs are given a chance to breathe and arrive at their full potential rather than being sequenced and chopped to appease streaming requirements.

The Family Sign is a heavy, moody album. There's not nearly as much humor here as with Atmosphere's previous two releases, but that doesn't make it any less of a quality addition to the group's catalogue.

Whatever adolescent deficiencies Mac Miller dealt with throughout his prodigious rise as Rostrum’s second brain child, Watching Movies With The Sound Off genuinely keeps him grounded for a calculated performance that will earn him the respect he’s craved since his Easy Mac days.

Listeners who like Drake’s pop songs will have plenty to enjoy here, while huge fans of his old stuff can play “Jimmy Cooks” on repeat until Scary Hours 3 drops. ... It’s simply an album of Drake songs people will actually listen to in public, not just while driving, or at the pregame, or through headphones in the early AM uber home.

The tension that fuels this album is exciting, dynamic, and worth examining. It’s when 21 sits back and coasts or tries to land a radio hit that this record comes up short.

Some faults of Dreezy’s album is that it sounds like a combination of the current trends in Hip Hop.

He’s established a solid, consistent repertoire, one he should be proud of on its own merits if nothing else.

It’s clear that DROGAS Wave has enough value to be memorable but is less than the sum of its parts.

4 doesn't necessarily stand so well by itself, but as part of the Beyoncé experience, there are enough vehicles here to keep her moving.