“E.L.E. 2” may be bloated and overloaded with A-list star features, but it works. Somehow managing to cater toward two generations of listener; you could have this playing on a CD in your car for weeks, skipping some tracks and then discovering new favourites down the line; yet there’s enough excellent individual moments here to populate a digital playlist too.

Neva Left is unfortunately, yet predictably, another mixed bag. The good tracks are effectively updates to proven formulas, which when matched to more imposing beats, show Snoop hasn't lost his touch.

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.

"Certified" treads a fine line between keeping it real and selling units, but Banner treads that line very well.

Blade of the Ronin has its own artistic ambitions that aren't duplicative of its predecessor, all resemblances notwithstanding. Vast Aire and Vordul Mega have shown on this record that, as a duo, they stand alone and aren't defined by their producer.

"Venomous Villain" is more of an Insomniac promo CD than a credible sequel to Doom's dastardly "Vaudeville Villain" release two years ago. Even so, Doom stylistically slays every opportunity he's given at the mic.

Talib Kweli keeps the level of discourse high throughout Gutter Rainbows, and it should come as a surprise that some references he makes will go right over your head (props if you knew who knew Yohji Yamamoto was or what the Bhagavad Gita is).

Tricky isn't trying as hard to be all things like he was at the turn of the millennium, and he's not phoning it in to pay the bills like he's been doing for the past few albums. He's making music for the love of making music, and the results are pretty satisfying.

A third of the songs are about hooking up with ladies, a third are heartfelt ballads to lovers, and a third are break-up songs. It's the lifecycle of a relationship, over and over. I'm not convinced by it, but it's working for him.

Ultimate Victory is everything one could have hoped for as an official sophomore album follow-up to "The Sound of Revenge"--there's no slump here.

Even many of his prettiest, most delicate tracks are grounded in thumping bass. As a result, it's a more satisfying listen than Shlohmo's or Nosaj Thing's albums.

At the end of the day Mac Miller is without a doubt capable of bringing more to the table than shallow, boring rap. Unfortunately, he doesn't do much to prove that on GO:OD AM.

The strength and the weakness of the Odd Future crew is that Tyler does stand out from the rest of the Wolf Gang, and in many ways.

In all honesty, it's not the sentiment that bothers this reviewer. Rather, it's the insertion of the sentiment into what should have ostensibly been a light-hearted romp, a fun return to their days of old.

I fully respect his artistic and creative choices and his right to be his own man and not be defined by his years as a seminal underground rapper. I respect his choices, but I still pine for a Camu Tao we don't hear on this album and that we won't hear ever again. In the end I feel that his potential still went untapped.

The third album from T-Pain, Thr33 Ringz, finds him once again attempting to master the triple threats--rapping, singing and producing. That it turns out to be incredibly formulaic and slavishly apes his sophomore effort ("Epiphany") proves only to be a minor deterrent, since almost everything here is upscaled.

There's nothing boring about the tracks on Ego Trippin' though, from the hard hitting Neptunes produced "Sets Up" to the soft-spoken Polow Da Don produced "Why Did You Leave Me."

This is the most satisfying P.E. album in over fifteen years, both a throwback to their glory years and a hopeful sign of more great years to come.

Rick Ross' Rather You Than Me is fun to listen to.

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

I Heard it Today makes me a less reluctant Lif fan since I've come to terms with his vocal style, but I still yearn for the collaborative efforts of Perceptionist days gone by which had incredible rhymes and incredible beats all at the same time.

He tends to repeat himself and his punchlines lack punch--but Seen It All is an album you can listen to start to finish and not hate yourself for buying it.

While the pull of the charts is hard to resist, the tracks with Primo and Just Blaze show he knows where his heart truly is, while the rest of the album tries and either fails or succeeds at pulling him away from the grime, grease and grit of the street corner.

Whether it is a product of being stuck in mixtape territory for so long or having to work on a limited budget, The Nacerima Dream is neither dream nor nightmare.

It certainly doesn't reach the catchy levels of Ross' biggest hits on most songs, but sounds good enough to have been decent album tracks.

“Everybody’s Everything” reflects Peep’s short but impactful catalogue by deviating little from the things that made him viral — his hazy wavy style, his emotional delivery, and his apparently complete lack of control over his demons.

Jeezy has a competent flow, good breath control, plenty of hot beats and all-star guests, and yet this album really is a sequel to "101" in all but name because it picks up where the last one left off without even trying to differentiate between the two.

Overall, Wretch 32 gives us a fresh take on a common story.