XXL's Scores

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For 380 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 68% higher than the average critic
  • 6% same as the average critic
  • 26% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.7 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 Life is Good
Lowest review score: 40 Hotel California
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 260 out of 380
  2. Mixed: 120 out of 380
  3. Negative: 0 out of 380
380 music reviews
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    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Nehruviandoom
    Weighing in at a terse 32 minutes in length, spanning eight tracks plus an introduction, the album is a cohesive and methodical offering yet because of the constrained spin time, neither Bishop Nehru nor MF Doom have the space to flex their creative impulses and push the envelope in their respective spheres.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    PartyNextDoor Two
    The highs of PND 2 have replay value, and the lows--though there are certainly more of them--blend with the rest of the album as it plays in the background of a bedroom.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    X
    X certainly proves that Chris Brown’s talent will forever shine through over whatever troubles come his way.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Seen It All: The Autobiography
    Seen It All: The Autobiography is a solid offering, and shows growth of Tha Snowman who is 10 years deep in the rap game.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    10 Summers
    Featuring Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, and TeeFlii caps off an impressive debut album for a producer who plans to be around for a while.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Blacc Hollywood
    The lyrics on this album are more of the same.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    What Goes Around
    What makes this album so great is Statik’s ability to coagulate the old with the new.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium
    Cellar Door comes off as a bit of an endurance test as result. That’s a knock against it, but a small [one] for what’s a brisk and enjoyable listen.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Directors of Photography
    Directors of Photography shows that three artists that have achieved individual success can come together once again to create something substantial despite years of inactivity.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    By Any Means [Mixtape]
    On By Any Means, he comes off worthy of the acclaim, spitting vivid street stories that range from gut-wrenching to endearing all while demonstrating a serious knack for songwriting.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    These Days...
    Ab’s creative leaps are sometimes jarring at the onset, such as “Closure” featuring Jhené Aiko, a track that will be deeply unsettling to the National Association of Backpacker Excellence among others.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Nobody's Smiling
    Artistically, it’s a new and deeply concentrated side of the veteran MC we haven’t seen and, as a result, it comes off as one of his best albums yet.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Freebase [EP]
    Without a doubt, 2 Chainz has the formula to make great music--but now we just need a little more substance, and we’re not talking about freebase cocaine.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Trigga
    Filled with lust, desire and sexual journeys, Trey Songz reaches an expected level of mainstream success with Trigga, and while safe is always encouraged during sexual acts, perhaps Trey could’ve taken a few more risks with this album.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Neon Icon
    It pans out as--at the very least--a unique and varied production that asks to be received seriously, even if Riff Raff’s choppy, uneasy flow and absurdist imagery runs counter to that.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire to Win
    The album is a welcomed return for 50, who sounds like his hiatus didn’t affect his ability to create his signature street records.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Good to Be Home
    The album does not compare to Below The Heavens as the excess number of tracks and the lack of coherence, despite how long Blu and Bombay collaborated to assemble this LP, result in a middle-of-the-road project, regardless if the road is in the West or East.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    RetroHash
    RetroHash is a confused jumble of ideas that has its heart in the right place.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
    The Roots have not only proven once again that they are one of hip-hop’s most consistent acts, but also one of the genre’s most important.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Sincerely Yours
    He proves easy to listen to both as a capable MC with some shining moments.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Southsiders
    Atmosphere has never been afraid to bare everything, strip things down to their most honest form, and grow with their listeners. Southsiders is the next step in that lineage, and one that falls directly in line with their previous work.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    P.T.S.D.: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
    P.T.S.D. takes listeners on a worthwhile journey from confusion and loneliness to bitterness and triumph.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The New Classic
    Although a few late quarter misfirings render the album’s title misleading, there is too much good here to say with a straight face that Iggy will amount to nothing more than a flash in the pan.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dream.Zone.Achieve
    He could have benefited from having the album broken up into seven-track EPs and released over the course of two-three months, but we’re forced to aimlessly sift our own way through D.Z.A. Lucky for us, there’s enough gold in there to go around.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Testimony
    Finding the balance between sex, love, and ratchet, Testimony is truly a testament to a new era in R&B that shifts safe lyrics to smooth street tales.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Infamous Mobb Deep
    The Infamous Mobb Deep is a must-have in a true Mobb Deep fan’s collection. Crafting such a quality hip-hop album, two decades after your magnum opus, is a remarkable feat.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Gravitas
    He may still be too lyrical for some, but for many his Gravitas will be a welcome change from hip-hop’s current norm.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Convertibles
    The album, while slightly unfocused, does have its moments, and Inglish in particular, has revealed himself to be an artist to keep an eye on going forward.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Remember Me
    Its greatest moments shine through in club hits that seeped through virally on the web and made him a nationwide phenomenon on the radio, it’s other moments aren’t as flashy.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Piñata
    Madlib and Freddie Gibbs are both total pros who knew exactly what they wanted out of Piñata, went out, and did it.
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