HipHopDX's Scores

  • Music
For 889 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.4 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 Undun
Lowest review score: 20 Neon Icon
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 2 out of 889
889 music reviews
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    While there are plenty of people who are able to seamlessly blend their preferred musical genre with Hip Hop (Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Barker, Billy Ray Cyrus), Ed Sheeran isn’t one of them. And because he spent the whole album trying too hard, it falls flat, overall.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The most glaring issue with No Love Lost is the truly terrible production featured throughout.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    At 15 tracks, Heart Blanche is not much longer than 2010’s The Lady Killer and noticeably shorter than his first two albums, which both had no less than 18 tracks. However, sequencing is the heart of any album and Heart Blanche palpitates from its redundancy.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Only traces of Lupe Fiasco's greatness are present on Lasers, and even then he sounds less focused.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    What makes 3 listenable in its darkest moments is the production, where P often struggles to sound comfortable.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    While Suffering From Success has all of the coherency one would assume comes from locking down the A-Room of one of Cash Money Records’ studios, DJ Khaled offers none of the earmarks which have previously separated his collections from everyone else’s.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Iggy Azalea’s The New Classic aims high, but ultimately falls flat.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    While she’s making a valiant effort to mimic a lot of the mainstream rap currently infiltrating the airwaves, it’s going to be challenging for people to not immediately dismiss her as an unwelcome gimmick. That’s not to say the 15-year-old doesn’t have an arsenal of slick jabs ready to go. Much like her fiery personality, Bhad Bhabie’s song lyrics exude healthy doses of attitude toward anyone who tries to stand in her way.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 54 Critic Score
    Teezo’s debut wants to convince you that he’s this generation’s ODB, but really, he’s closer to a zanier Kid Cudi, but without the influence. His beats, while eclectic to some degree, feel like a minor subversion of the indie-rock-rap crossover that’s become increasingly popular. His lyrics remain juvenile at best with hints of maturity sporadically hidden in the deeper cuts.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    He should listen to Rise of an Empire more closely, though: He may be part of an empire now, but it’s looking more and more like Rome in decline.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    In a business where artists come and go with quickness, Flo has managed to remain relevant. Only One Flo will only strengthen Flo's relevance, but it will never be mistaken for a solid piece of art.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Most of the songs on Full Speed are catchy in their own right, but on the heels of tracks that sound so much alike just now seeing their expiration on radio, the feeling is mixed at best.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    With his debut album he's revealed himself as bare and buffoonish.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This 25-song compilation renders itself as a gift to the die-hard X fans that are rightfully craving anything new from the late rapper – even if it’s simply lo-fi humming over baselines for a hot second.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Excuse My French comes off as extremely formulaic.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 52 Critic Score
    It’s disappointing no standalone soundbed reaches the hypnotic levels of Sean’s “Bounce Back” instant classic, but there’s still a tremendous amount of experimentation worth noting throughout the 10-song ultimate misfire. ... Sean spends a ridiculous amount of time skeeting on tracks with no filter on the filler.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    No Boys Allowed doesn't match its polished predecessor success a whole project. The songwriting feels more in line with her R&B/Pop peers than anything else.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Wild Ones is an unfilfilling [sic] and detached listen.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Jackson's progressiveness and laser-aimed focus on perfection was always the foundation of everything he ever did and resonated through every song he ever made....Given the patch-work necessary to piece Michael together posthumously, it's impossible to imagine that this is a collection of songs Michael intended to deliver.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    NAV’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t provide anything new with his music other than another generic serving of NAV.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While the misses hold Blacc Hollywood back from being great, Wiz still reminds listeners that regardless of what they’re looking for, he’s capable of providing.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The album skips along predictably and offers nothing much outside of Rozay’s usual narrative.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    His immersion in Rastafarianism has produced a middling album, at best.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Scattershot as the features may be, Drake still opts to tackle the majority of the album on his own, which have some highlights. “Away From Home” is Drake at his best, offering the only real glimpse into maturity.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Though The DeAndre's Way only has 10 tracks, it feels as if it has four or five too many.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    When listening to this record, there isn’t much to enjoy or appreciate. It’s a struggle to sit through, partly because it reads like the ramblings of an ex-genius turned affectless braggart, but mostly because it’s monotonous and unimaginative.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Aside from a few moments where his trademark live-wire energy shines through, Blockbusta tries too hard to capture the charts and new fans alike, relegating its headliner’s usually dominant personality to second fiddle.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    By Quality Control’s standards, Nuthin’ 2 Prove is a brisk listen-through as it clocks in at just over 45 minutes, but it certainly feels as bloated as recent projects from Migos and Quavo’s solo album.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All in all, Vultures 1 doesn’t move the needle for Kanye West — or Ty Dolla $ign, for that matter. Listeners, fans, haters and hopefuls will be in the same place they were before the album dropped: confused, disappointed, but holding onto the idea that the Kanye we all fell in love with can still deliver undeniably good music that is worth defending.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    It’s hard to blame B.o.B. for wanting to acclimate himself to a different scene. But the startling lack of creativity he exercises in doing so makes Underground Luxury easy to write off, and the duality that once powered crossover appeal is now hard to detect.