Put a little pop in your life and what you'll discover is that underneath the materialistic veneer Nelly's got a good delivery, sharp lyrics and impeccable breath control, which would make him #1 no matter WHERE he was from.

This is the first time 'Ghostface Killah' and 'inconsistent' could ever exist in the same sentence. It's still a worthy investment and a must-have for fans, but I could've waited for an even fresher catch.

Thankfully the Bankhead rapper you know and love ain't change a damn thang and while this album may not blow down the doors to the Rap Hall of Fame as the greatest of all-time it offers a comfortable consistancy that should keep it hot in your Hummer all summer long.

BBNG have been doing this since 2010 and over a decade+ they’ve gotten really good at what they do.

Mr. Dibbs and Oh No might have been preferable to will.i.am and Nottz, even though the beats here are decent enough. It's cool to see Murs get the money he deserves for his project and even to hear him team up with luminaries like Snoop, and it's head and shoulders above the other garbage the major labels are circulating these days.

This album [is] unabashedly fun and very easy to listen to.

Goodie Mob sounds newly rejuvenated, almost vivified by the tremendous odds they faced coming back instead of impeded by it.

This album is two veteran MCs going hard and loose, feeding off one another's energy and pushing one another to step their game up. It's definitely the start to a beautiful friendship.

He may be young and he may like to have fun, but he's also gotten depths of thoughtfulness that you don't have to dig deep for before they shine.

She does so many things right it's hard to point out any one in particular.

This feels fresh yet familiar; a throwback picture in a modern frame. ... The truest of Eminem fans out there ... will absolutely lap it up.

"Return of the Mac" is everything that "Blood Money" should have been and wasn't.

In the end, I think that long time fans of Big K.R.I.T. will find the album to be well put together, but they'll still be left wanting just a bit more.

It's fair to say that if there's one criticism of Devin that can truly stick it's that he takes the "Dude" aspect of his personality very seriously, and in few songs will you see him regard women as more than just objects of his sexual conquest. Nonetheless songs like 'Me, You' show he can still charm a girl or two.

There are few better ways to ride through the current Omicron surge than spinning “Garbology” and joining Aesop and Blockhead as they excavate garbage for gold.

It's hard to complain much about Event II given Del's razor sharp wit and deft tongue skills.

The Cool Kids don't want people debating over the underlying message of every song, picking apart and arguing over every little lyric. Rather, the duo wants listeners to simply sit back and enjoy the ride, and those who do so will almost certainly not be disappointed with the often quirky rhymes and unique production from Chuck and Mikey.

The debut was unexpectedly good and remains a classic. The official sequel to it was EXPECTED to be good and it is.

Even if this isn't a Grammy-winning album, it is actually better than most of the bullshit Def Jam has released this year, and if LL Cool J had a point to prove on Exit 13, he has made it in acerbic style.

The fans that know and love P or Havoc will immediately identify with H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 and will enjoy listening to it, for sure.

The material found on "Manifesto" is, for the most part, superb, with only a handful of tracks that fail to live up to the quality found on the rest of the album.

As a sequel to "The Greatest Story Never Told" some people will feel that it's not as good as the original, but as for this reviewer Saigon is still that dude who has something to say that's worth hearing.

Though this won't go down as De La Soul's best album, it is highly intelligent, artistic and features razor sharp lyrics making it arguably Posdnuos and Dave's most musically ambitious project yet.

Not all of the songs are in easy to digest radio play lengths either, as 'Live Forever (Fly With Me)' proves they aren't afraid to do a song that's over seven minutes long. The more that GHC take chances on this album, the more they succeed.

The Bake Sale is a near-perfect EP, insofar as it acts as an imperious album primer: not too long, not too short; it doesn't give away everything, but displays enough to get you excited.

There's little doubt that "Tha Blue Carpet Treatment" ultimately qualifies as a successful follow-up to "R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) - The Masterpiece," although there's also little doubt that Snoop is not pushing any new boundaries or exceeding already set expectations.

The In Crowd is a largely enjoyable record with very few missteps, but it's actually a little bit frustrating that they hint at Little Brother or Lupe Fiasco-esque levels of dopeness yet are content to hold the hand they've been dealt instead of drawing for a straight flush

So there you have it, a finely produced, polished, and performed album from one of the game's most hated emcees.

What makes this record successful, is exactly what Lupe refused to do on "The Great American Rap Album:" make enjoyable songs first and spread a message second.

Rob Sonic absorbs elements of earlier electronica, industrial and IDM to create delectably expansive, engrossing parfaits of sound- this is perhaps the greatest space boogie funk record since The Cold Vein dropped.

Skepta is more than happy to satisfy his core fanbase. It’s something Dizzee Rascal struggled to find a formula for, so “Ignorance is Bliss” succeeds in that regard. Minus the terrible “Animal Instinct”, it’s easy to recommend.

Ego Death is the perfect summer record. Breezy, smooth, lazy, and meant for warm nights.

It's safe to say that with "20/20" they've created another album that will serve their core audience well.

The beats are banging, and Waka proves that owning a thesaurus and being clever aren't the only way to be a rapper. Waka is a blunt instrument that beats you into submission.

Rihanna delivers the best LP of her career. It's not chock full of huge singles; it takes risks and may well alienate the more casual element of her fanbase, but really they should have grown up with her over the last decade (otherwise newbies should stick to "Good Girl Gone Bad" and "Loud").

In the end, 8 Diagrams is a very good album that is best appreciated when taken out of the shadow of the Clan's greatest endeavors.

In fact whether or not you consider this an actual Wu-Tang Clan album there's not much to hate about "Chamber Music" other than the fact it's a small dose of the dopeness instead of the full out Wu-Tang hit that fans undoubtedly wanted.

The flow is intact, the rhymes are well written, and even though Smith hasn't crossed that line from pop friendly into hardcore gangsta... he's definitely a bit more rugged this time out.

It is a meticulously crafted album that goes down smooth and leaves you with something to think about.

It has some outstanding musical qualities, an author with a unique voice, a solid enough narrative and hit singles.

For fans of RA The Rugged Man, this is essential. For fans of early Eminem, this is essential. For everybody else, if you can ignore the swearing and appreciate the intricacies of RA's rhyming, you'll undoubtedly enjoy this because at least 80% of this record is straight up dope hip hop.

He... sounds more lyrically consistent and motivated than he has in some time.

Wayne, much like in his mixtape days, is finally having fun again. And when he does that, the results are captivating.

At its best--on "We Could Be Free"--"The Autobiography" adds to this reputation. At its worst, the album still sounds very good; aside from a pair of tracks that evince a teenaged boy's understanding of love, sex, and women (both of which--"Homewrecker" and "Gorgeous" -- are musically pleasant enough), there are just two more that rubbed me the wrong way. And that's mostly because they have a sound that is currently on-trend, which me feel old and out-of-touch.

I’m confident is his best work since his return in 2017. ... Roc Marciano isn’t likely to win over those who aren’t into this style of hip hop, but it certainly feels more accessible than the DJ Muggs record “KAOS” or even the “Rosebudd’s Revenge” albums.

If you even have the least inkling of how funky giving Oh No "unlimited access" to the archives of Rudy Ray Moore would be, I think you realize how enjoyable it would be to let him loop these beats and cherry pick his favorite emcees to flow over them.

I'm New Here is an album that is best appreciated as a whole, under optimum conditions, when you can really absorb what he is saying. It's worth your time and your money, and stands proudly among the better works in Gil Scott-Heron's large and impressive discography.

As tracks like the apt Andre Harris produced finale “Wings” show, EarthGang can fly on their own without any comparisons. They are as much R&B as hip-hop and for them it’s an ideal match.

While he's still the 21st century's answer to KRS-One, a rapper who is simultaneously intelligent and engaging, he needs to work with producers who are capable of sharing that vision with the masses in an equally engaging way. At times "The Beautiful Struggle" achieves this perfection combination, and at other times you're left loving the lyrics but lacking in headnodding dopeness.

The album is an excellent listen from start to finish, and a generally successful snapshot of London in 2008.

It is an extremely well produced album with good emceeing. It is a unique experience as it should be.

Whether he does fast angry raps like "Domo23" or revealing personal songs like "Lone," his music is never not fascinating.

This is a quiet, mellow album that works better as chill out music than work out music. ... Well worth checking out, especially if you thought Tyler was a one-trick pony.

While most of the album is concerned with asserting that YG is still a G despite his fame, it closes with a trio of protest songs.

This is gritty, grimy, hardcore hip-hop, as nasty as it wants to be.

He's a mover and shaker who has every right to look back in pride, in personal pride. Godfather is the reaffirmation of a status.

Malibu more than lives up to the high expectations facing Anderson .Paak.

He traverses the well-trodden avenues of gun and drug rap, reinterpreting redundant rhetoric into remarkable displays of comic genius, all while sticking firmly to a food motif.

The only complaint one could have about this CD is that it actually may be slightly overloaded with guests, meaning the deep and dusty voice that made him the Wu's first breakout solo star occasionally gets overshadowed.

On “It’s Almost Dry”, Pusha T proves that while he is fixated on selling drugs (almost to an obsessive extent), he is also a truly creative and, yes, original artist.

If you like the Cannibal Ox sound, and want to hear 90s NYC grime done 2011 style, then OX 2010 is worth the investment.

This EP cannot be recommended for who I consider our core group of readers unless you are familiar with his previous material and know you enjoy it, but the level of talent is undeniable.

Skyzoo has created an album that may not be the dream we all thought it could be, but it is one that will be playing in your mind long after you've nodded off.

While not as strong as some of her earlier albums, it does rectify the mistakes found on "This is Not a Test" and show that far from stagnating Missy is growing as an artist both in front of and behind the mixing board.

Scott Mescudi may be many things and nothing all at once but he's definitely not the "same lame old same thing."

Everybody Down may try to tackle too much in its 48-minute run time, but even if the story isn't always coherent, the emotions of the characters shine through.

I can say I recommend the entire thing as high quality.

It is very dense and maybe needed more melodies to help digest it all. Adding to that, the production at times lets her down, ranging from excellent to average, with a couple of songs that could well have worked better as skits.

Most of Let It Go is solid, but there are some skippable tracks.

Influenced by many but perhaps literally fathered by none, ScHoolboy Q remains an intriguing enigma whose ambitions presently know less limits than Percy Miller.

This more cerebral music is interesting and challenging, but it is missing some of immediacy of his earlier work.

He has definitely still come back with an admirable album - I'm just not sure that it is as MEMORABLE as it could have been.

I think there’s room for “alternative hip-hop” in the mix, not everything in rap needs to be swaggering cock grabbing male posturing, and the difference between a rapper who sings and a singer who raps has diminished greatly. That doesn’t mean “Pony” is going to take the place of all-time classics like Organized Konfusion in my rotation, but it does mean that I can see a more open-minded interpretation of rap music as not necessarily destroying hip-hop music and culture. Rex Orange County has his place too.

Even if you struggle with the minimal production, “The Book of Traps and Lessons” is still an important album and one worth repeated listens. We are in an age of chaos and outrage, and Tempest offers clarity and compassion. She is one of the great voices of our age, and an essential artist.

Musically, it has only a few elements, but are arranged well, a simplicity the lesser often veer into undeveloped blandness.

Positives of “The Goat” — it’s 47 minutes long, it’s slickly produced, and even when Polo’s voice is Tuned up it’s not to cover up him being mumble mouthed or syrup addled. Negatives — well there aren’t too many.

On the tracks of I Am the West that work the best, he's still got the vintage gruff demeanor, lyrical ferocity and hard hitting beats to claim some significant ownership of the Pacific shoreline. At other times he desperately desires to have a contemporary sound, and that's where things fall apart, but those mistakes can be overlooked or easily skipped compared to the quality of the overall presentation.

Though “Blame It On Baby” is fairly short at only 33 and a half minutes, the bop of songs like the Nils & Wheezy produced “Talk About It” and the title track from DJ Kid and friends prove you can hit skip and land on something good anywhere.

It would be more fitting to say Hell3 is an album that challenges conventional understanding of WHAT beginnings and endings are, leaving it up to the listener to draw their own conclusions, and that's what makes Hell3 both interesting and frustrating--but far moreso of the former than the latter.

Petestrumentals 2 is a worthy follow up to "Petstrumentals," and a must-listen for any fan of Pete Rock or instrumental hip-hop.

After two studio albums and a handful of mixtapes she's reached a level of confidence where she can do a track like "Self Interview" and answer all the questions anybody would want to ask, all while humorously noting that "most people already skipped this song/cause it ain't about sex and killing".

By bringing his beats up to date he may not only win back some old fans but convert a few new ones in the process by showing them he's more than just a Hollywood actor.

While it's good to see hip-hop stick up for Ross and his charismatic storytelling, their support sometimes gets in the way of hearing what Ross actually has to say, and at the end of 50 minutes you're left wanting more of Ross than you actually got.

Stay Trippy may not be the album you play for doubters to prove the artistic merits of hip-hop, and its subject matter wears thin after a while, but damn if it doesn't sound good loud.

This isn't their greatest album, but there's plenty to enjoy from Evidence, Alchemist, the carefully chosen guests and the mostly excellent instrumentals--Steppington isn't a fully realised character but a thin theme binding together a very good collection of eccentric hip hop.

Extended Play has the comfortable feel of a mid-to-late 1990's DJ Premier P-P-P-Premier mixtape though so I'm not mad at it--I just want Statik to knock his next one out of the stratosphere.

The fact that she is still a teenager makes it all the more impressive, and I for one hope to hear more from her in the future. For now, VYP is a solid debut that covers a broad range of styles, and it deserves to catch notice beyond the many radio spins it is sure to garner

This is an overall above average album that needed a little more of something--a little more 9th Wonder, a little more swagger, a little more about the world of today--and possibly just a little less angst.

That's not to say there's no "Boom and Proud" anywhere to be found on Nothing but it's not "Shut 'Em Down" level like those old Bomb Squad albums from the 1980's and early 90's.

Most of his fans will chose to follow, while first time listeners may find it hard to relate. I promise you there's no bitter aftertaste if you give it a chance - in the end you may find it surprisingly sweet.

There’s a very real, dare I say relatable feel to Cole’s music that “The Off Season” continues to highlight. Unfortunately, it’s a few songs short of being a great album as Cole experiments with some different styles of production that aren’t always successful. Cole’s nearly-man mentality produces a nearly-great album.

Enough things are right that you can't go wrong with The Last Kiss, but the key is that the album makes you want Jadakiss to stay in the game instead of hanging up his sneakers and walking off the court.

Over the course of just under an hour, the Clipse still do a good enough job of selling us their particular brand of music, and whilst this may not be a sure-fire classic, it is still an interesting enough listen to make it one of the more worthwhile purchases of the year.

It's a solid performance, that is both better and worse than it could have been.

The drawbacks to Bush are few and far between though, and even these complaints are more like minor annoyances.

The 40 or so minutes of "All People" are what I imagine taking a shower in a waterfall on a hot summer day would be like--nd if you're too far removed from nature to do that then it's like putting on your swim trunks and running around an open fire hydrant.

It’s a complete package (pun intended). I’ll take the Jay-Z style “Song Cry” feel of “When to Say When” as an album song any day. The MexikoDro and Shebib “From Florida With Love” is the example of why I can handle Drake being Tuned up more than most of his contemporaries. He uses it without abusing it to ridiculous absurdity.

Fabolous is borderline to being cornball with his jokes, but he's got the one hundred to pull it off when you add all the elements together. Add in the fact he pulls some of the hottest guest stars in hip-hop for albums like Loso's Way and you've got it made.