It's accessible enough to be listenable, challenging enough to be interesting, and has many layers for the listener to unfold and decipher.

Lizzo is a level-headed rapper who besides rhyme and reason also balances endearing and terrifying qualities. But she wouldn't quite be the standout if it wasn't for her screwball moments, which are frequent.

When Common is feeling himself few can do it better, but one of the best things he does on "Nobody's Smiling" is spread the love around.

It's also among his best work and he raps with the passion and fury of a rapper on his first LP.

Open Mike Eagle does one better and shows a path forward for hip-hop.

The songs feel more like eight variations on the same concept than eight distinct tracks. That's neither surprising nor unforgivable given the experimental bent of the band, but you can't help but notice the sameness when you listen to the album.

The production is ultimately enough of a spoonful of sugar to make it easy to swallow.

This album makes up for substance with slickness.

It's lines like [in "Flicker" that] keep me coming back to Atmosphere's music, and make Southsiders another solid entry into the Atmosphere catalogue, warts and all.

Remember Me isn't a perfect album, but it has some great songs and a lot of promise.

The Infamous Mobb Deep is an enjoyable journey for long time fans of the group, but for newcomers it's a hefty two hour plus tome that can't be taken in one sitting.

Pharoahe Monch has always been among the most talented rappers in the game, and now with PTSD, he has an album that showcases not only his lyrical prowess, but also his ability to craft a fully focused and theme driven album.

Illmatic by Nas is a 10/10 classic hip hop album. It's essential, and that's undeniable. Illmatic XX when taken as a whole, isn't.

My Krazy Life is a successful debut album that achieves most of what it sets out to achieve.

Madlib produced albums tend to only get better with age, and I don't expect Pinata to be an exception.

At times the production teeters back and forth between cohesive and monotonous, but after repeated listens, the tracks stand out apart from each other more as you unravel the heavily layered production.

When push comes to shove, there are only about three songs here that merit that kind of mindshare--and none of those come close to his best singles. By his standards, Mastermind is technically a good album, but neither timely nor memorable.

The production is too inconsistent to get him there, but it's certainly not due to a lack of intrinsic talent on his part. Keep your eyes on Q.

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.

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

If you felt Roc's previous albums were too Roc-heavy, this is the ideal album to ease you in to his brand of excess rap. Yet for somebody that held his previous two albums in such high regard, it's a little bit disjointed, unpolished and dare I say it, scruffy

Dam-Funk's production is solid and quite funky, while Snoop's personality shines through his vocals just as they have for the past twenty years or so.

It's fair to say he's not a Childish Gambino any more though--he's an Adult Gambino.

Doris may not get the party started, but it's still an inspiring album.

Within the initial audio assault of "Matangi" lies a fine album, but it's also one that could have done with some pruning, a bit more care taken in the sequencing and perhaps a bit more self-belief.

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

Hip hop is an artform based on messages, yet all too frequently he comes across as a messenger with little to report.

While none of the songs are straight terrible (except "Bugatti") none leave me feeling like I'd want to leave the CD in my whip on a long trip--it would probably lull me to sleep and I'd crash.