A quality contemporary UK rap album with equal shares of bleepy, futuristic and poppy, everyday music and plenty of singing to support a rapper that clearly isn't just rapping because everyone else is. Still, there's room for improvement.

Akrobatik and Lif are the ideal lyrical yin and yang.

Alias's production merely compounds the record's dense and oppressive aesthetic. The tracks tend to bleed into each other musically, one grainy backing indistinguishable from the next.

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.

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.

It's easily among the best of his work in his entire career.

With All the Beauty in This Whole Life, he created not just an album that represents an arranged amalgamation of his own experiences, but also a hip-hop album with so much soul that Rakim would blush.

The album is still a must-have any true hip-hop head, and it is certainly a promising release from the young emcee, but just don't go in expecting an easy, feel-good listen.

As disappointing as Bleeds is at points, it is still a Roots Manuva album. The man can weave an intricate rhyme like few others, and his message of searching for righteousness and forgiveness is one that resonates.

It hurts me to say different choices in terms of the production would have made it more accessible, because I respect his intent to be inaccessible here. If I have to sum it up and put a bow on it, I think “UGLY” is an album that will probably be appreciated more 25 years from now than it is today.

This album makes up for substance with slickness.

The order of the songs in the end seems carefully chosen, not unlike a play or movie where the emotional resonance from each piece is meant to build you up, bring you down, and build anticipation through each movement towards the climactic ending.

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

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.

There's something magical about pairing Talib with Hi-Tek on production that transcends his already almost unlimited lyrical potential and creates an extraordinary experience.

The only potential pitfall is that the tableau that is a Curren$y record leans too much towards self-care and opulence like some showy Instagram account. ... While “Covert Coup” was more varied musically, the familiarity of the arrangements and orchestration on “Continuance” ensure a certain timelessness.

Sean Price has rarely if ever lost a step and Mic Tyson is not going to be the time that he did.

There's just enough to be cut that this could have been one outstanding album instead of two discs that overall make a pretty damn good release.

Ali is a mess of contradictions, but his latest effort proves how well those contradictions work together. Mourning In America is another amazing album by Ali, hip-hop's best street preacher.

Big K.R.I.T. does a good job of separating the two personas at the end of the day. If the album was about 5 or 6 minutes shorter, it could have fit on a single disc but perhaps at the expense of the narrative. The double disc format really helps to drive home the point when the listener wants to switch from Big K.R.I.T.'s "Get Away" to Justin Scott's "Keep the Devil Off."

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

Lupe Fiasco doesn't present tracks that are just a hot beat and some memorable bars--he's aiming for cinematic moments and drawing you into the atmosphere he seeks to create.

If you can get into the fantasy and ignore the reality then DS2 might be good escapist music for a little while.

Despite the many cooks involved in this project, it maintains a sonic and lyrical cohesiveness.

The production throughout Aquarius is on point, whether it's the infectious, yet odd sound of "Wildfire", or the crashing bongos backing a pseudo-rap switch in to some long notes on "Far Side of the Moon."

Oddisee makes good music that deals with real life issues with wisdom and humility. Oddisee is not only fighting "The Good Fight," he's winning.

They were just waiting for the right time to kick precisely the right rhyme, so that "The Grind Date" would go down not just as an important date in rap history but in the pantheon of all musical endeavours since the dawn of mankind. It's that damn good.

It's funny and soulful, and will help keep the blues at bay.