Death Grips have always been a challenging group to listen to, but Government Plates is more migraine-inducing than head-nodding.

There are also some genuine standout tracks, and all in all, A$AP Rocky and his team deserved the critical and commercial acclaim that will inevitably flood their way.

Yes true believers these villains are definitely up to no good, but they're just the anti-heroes you've been looking for. With beats and rhymes more punishing than Frank Castle, Czarface Meets Metal Face is the hip-hop for everyone who's had it up to here with mumble mouthed singing emcees.

A mature performance over sleek, fresh production makes Life's Quest a pleasure.

While it's disappointing that Bada$$ doesn't offer more inspiring rhymes, it would be a mistake to write off "All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" because he isn't the second coming of Ice Cube.

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.

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.

All in all, Dizzee hasn't gone all out to make an artistic masterpiece, but it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference.

B4.DA.$$ is a step in the right direction in New York hip-hop getting the attention and validation its long been denied.

Cole World does end up as a good debut.

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.

As for meaningful depth to his bars, humorous “press rewind” punchlines or emotionally resonant stories, I regretfully must honestly say he didn’t grab me in any of these categories. As a lyricist he was “just there” — not terrible, not brilliant, just okay. Does he show future potential on “Meet the Woo Vol. 2“? Yes. Absolutely.

"Movie Scenes" is mystical, it is magical, and it's also prone to confuse some.

This is a fun, modern rap album with strong roots in '90s creativity and '80s innocence that has the potential to reach longtime fans as well as recruit new followers.

I'm curious to see and hear how an album that addresses nothing but social issues would turn out, but I'm more than satisfied with this release in the meanwhile as Mike continues to pledge his allegiance to getting rich independently, or simply put, the grind.

Some areas of this album [are] a little redundant.

This isn't an album of 1990's styles brought to 2012 - these are contemporary beats and rhymes that can hang with anything else coming out on the scene

Themselves do have a niche. They are not for rap purists; they are not for hip-hop newcomers. But they are for faithful listeners, sick of what they've been hearing, but not ready to give up entirely.

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

This is one to spin a couple of times, then never again.

For the moment, we are treated to a promising if frustrating record that remarkably lacks a hit single itself.

At 10 songs and nearly an hour long the "Back to Reality" album packs a lot of bang for the buck, and if you're in the mood to go retro this is the perfect album to fire up when you put on your Michael Jackson glove, fire up the Coleco, play Donkey Kong 'til your hands get sore then go party at Studio 54.

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.

Considering how tight "Strength & Loyalty" is, it's not likely anybody is going to forget Bone Thugs-N-Harmony any time soon.

With "The Undisputed Truth," Brother Ali improves as a rapper, while sacrificing none of the unique, personal touch that made "Shadows on the Sun" so impressive.

With very little filler and a strong selection of songs from start to finish, the hype that this is potentially "album of the year" according to Atlantic Records may ACTUALLY be true.

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

The amount of enjoyment you take out of this is undoubtedly directly proportional to the amount of money you put into Meow the Jewels.