Looking to make a convincing splash across the pond, Tempah offers up a hearty sample of talent and charisma with the aptly-titled debut album Disc-Overy.

Although the production and detrimental hyper-lyricism place Eminem’s worst habits on display throughout the album, there is plenty of good here. Extremely compelling is the theme of Eminem’s growth.

His penchant for memorable music makes up for a lack of dexterity and gives DropTopWop a strong sense of unique artistry.

An indistinct retread of his past work that falters further under self importance and desire for ambition that falls flat.

Czarface Meets Ghostface is far from a “bad” rap album despite having a seemingly uninspired rap trio. From a bar-for-bar standpoint, the rhymes on here are better than a lot of today’s modern offerings but it’s missing the menacing attitude which is often times half the battle.

Subversion is what distinguishes Never Enough from his previous efforts. Instead of sprinkling female voices across the album as he did on Freudian, this record exclusively focuses on the male perspective — save for a handful of background harmonies from women and a Summer Walker remix on the deluxe.

On it’s own merit; Barter 6 is the definitive mainstream strip club album of the modern era.

While not DS2 nor What A Time To Be Alive, Purple Reign is an important Future release because it shows an artist continuing the work of discovering his best talents while also staying well within his own, now well-defined zone.

Fishing Blues may not be your bag due to its pacing and down-trodden tempo but in between the suburban man bars should lay some appreciation for storytelling.

Ghostface Killahs won’t shake up the current Hip Hop ecosystem but does offer a gritty detour down those commercial highways. But longtime fans could argue the project is his strongest since 2006’s Fishscale.

One Of The Best Yet makes a strong case that its chain and star logo is Hip Hop traditionalism’s version of the Union Jack flag to salute where credit is due to one of rap’s greatest MCs and duos yet.

While the boastful rapitty raps are par for the course for an artist of DMX’s tenure, he shines even brighter on the more broodingly beautiful “Walking In The Rain,” which features another appearance from Nas.

Magic 2 has a high floor as a rehashing of a proverbial tried and true formula of a Nas and Hit-Boy collaboration. It can still be magical, but you’re left with the sense that Hit could use a few new tricks.

It’s a well-calculated offering from a living legend whose abilities are still very much intact.

From a technical standpoint, they're still rough around the edges; a weakness that can be improved over time. More importantly, their hearts seem to be in the right place, which can't be said for many of Animal Farm's peers.

The project succeeds in tying its theme of spiritual crisis amidst stardom to an analogy for the struggle to satisfy purists, but the overall results for this concept are fairly lackluster.

Overall, Bobby has bars for days--and days--and as a consistent top to bottom play, YSIV has vibrant energy.

Detroit 2 shows when Big Sean opens up and tells his story he’s an artist worthy of being in the conversation of the best of his era. He just needs to come back stronger with more airtight songs and not attempt to attract every audience that’s out there.

Where GoldLink hardly breaks new ground thematically waving the flag for tortured souls aiming to survive ghetto violence, he has continually achieved sonic innovation having coined his own sub-genre “future bounce.”

Overall, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God is a welcoming addition to Busta Rhymes’ extensive catalog.

Celebrating their 30th anniversary, there’s still plenty of life in the elder statesmen who once started a musical revolution.

Gift of Gab is a craftsman, and achieves goal to provide uplifting music.

Blade of the Ronin is a dense collection of music. Fans of lyricism will appreciate the wordplay, as well as the contributions from artists like Elzhi and DOOM, among many others.

His rapping capabilities are clearly present and his newfound singing abilities hints at some more engaging possibilities down the road. But in order to translate those skills to his listeners, he’ll need to stray from the path already traveled, quit trying to prove himself and blaze his own trail rather than trying to please every rapper dead or alive he clearly wants to become.

The light, nimble, casual nature of Robed in Rareness makes it a pleasant interlude within the Shabazz Palaces discography.

Despite some solid songwriting about addiction and mortality, Macklemore’s comeback album still experiences the same struggles with corniness and over-sincerity that torpedoed him from a household name to an afterthought, leading to a mixed bag that’s more admirable than actualized.

MFH2 frequently chooses to forgo these extremes that make Gates riveting, opting for something more middle-of-the-road.

Gutter Rainbows is a fairly easy spin, and can go into the listener's steady rotation in a pinch. That being said, this feels a bit like a subdued version of Eardrum.