HipHopDX's Scores

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For 889 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.4 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 Undun
Lowest review score: 20 Neon Icon
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 723 out of 889
  2. Mixed: 164 out of 889
  3. Negative: 2 out of 889
889 music reviews
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    • 71 Metascore
    • 46 Critic Score
    The Big Day
    The fact that it’s 22 songs only highlights how disorganized the project is. There are some tracks that I actually like scattered throughout, but none that really compare to the best from his previous projects. His two mixtapes were also similarly eclectic, but these collaborations feel less exciting and more calculated. ... The Big Day will go down as one of the biggest disappointments in rap in recent memory, in no small part because Coloring Book was so great.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    The Lion King: The Gift
    Overall, it works and is another jewel in her crown — one that she, overall, can be proud to call hers.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    The Lost Tapes II
    Gems are few and far between on The Lost Tapes 2. Nasir Jones mostly sounds uninspired and distracted throughout the 16 tracks, which begs the question: why even release these previously hidden records to begin with?
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    No. 6 Collaborations Project
    While there are plenty of people who are able to seamlessly blend their preferred musical genre with Hip Hop (Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Barker, Billy Ray Cyrus), Ed Sheeran isn’t one of them. And because he spent the whole album trying too hard, it falls flat, overall.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    ERYS
    On the surface, it’s an overwhelmingly average album, and if you were to strip away all the unnecessary intermissions and segue ways, it’d probably venture into plus territory. As it is, however, it’s a futuristic skyscraper of an album that lacks the foundation to keep from collapsing, and the more you buy into his staggering concept, the more likely you are to come away disappointed.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Diaspora
    Listeners will find themselves going back to the top of the tracklist and letting the album roll through the variety of worldly sounding tracks. A true GoldLink summer vacation. A true summer diaspora.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 64 Critic Score
    SAVE ME [EP]
    SAVE ME, opposed to previous collaborative EPs such as 2016’s Purple Reign with Metro Boomin, feels incomplete for it’s lacking the divine energy felt from previous Future projects.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    4REAL 4REAL
    With production wizards such as Mustard, Hit-Boy, Cubeatz and more on deck, the production checks all the boxes as steroidal bass and encompassing synths permeate the project for modest results.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    ZUU
    ZUU is filled with entertaining records, but their relatively short runtimes often leave one yearning for more. This brevity is just minor quibble though when presented with rewind-worthy efforts such as “Ricky,” a creation named after Curry’s father.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    7 [EP]
    Earworms aside, some songs are merely second-rate homages. ... 7 does show some promising directions for the meme maestro.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Shea Butter Baby
    Overall, for a debut album, Ari Lennox shows a lot of promise as a contemporary musical child of past neo-soul pioneers (whether they claim the title or not). With minimal effort, Ari impressively delivers the kind of R&B that has been missing (and missed), from the genre.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    Apollo XXI
    Filled to the brim with ideas even when it sometime sounds as if he’s creatively a little too all over the place. Thankfully, even when he fails, listeners should be fascinated by even those attempts.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 44 Critic Score
    Father Of Asahd
    Not only are the song structures disappointingly formulaic but the samples picked for the project rank as some of the laziest in recent Hip Hop Years.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fever
    No sole record matches the adept level of musicianship exemplified in her breakout hit “Big Ole Freak,” but Fever’s dedication to eschewing pop-leaning material wins big with the everyday people, strippers and strip club aficionados.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
    Across the album, there’s a looming question--what makes any of these canned Confessions even remotely Dangerous? If Logic wants to be above commercial Hip Hop, he will have to try a lot harder than this. Scratch that, maybe he should stop trying this hard.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    IGOR
    On IGOR, Tyler showcases a more polished iteration of the hazy pop he’s been perfecting for years. Though some might be disappointed that he’s becoming more of a singer than a rapper, this is the kind of project that should encourage more artists to disavow labels and relish in taking risks.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    CrasH Talk
    There are without doubt a few tracks on this album that could make it to your favorite ScHoolboy playlist but said “few” don’t outweigh the remaining dozen that fall flat on their blank face.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 66 Critic Score
    Anger Management
    Instead of replicating last year’s hit mixtape, Nasty is clearly set on experimenting and expanding her sound. Even though it shows that she’s a risk taker, Anger Management is unfortunately half-baked.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    ARIZONA BABY
    At times Abstract is advancing the alternative Hip-Hop genre, while in other moments he’s relishing in an indie-pop fantasy. Generally, he’s at his best when he’s building off his previous Hip Hop success.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Guns
    The production on Guns is most appealing when he relents and allows for more free-flowing instrumentals.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The World Is Yours 2
    Rich The Kid has done a fine enough job with his second album, and he’s successfully set the stage for a career that could be long, fruitful, and ultimately well-respected.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 64 Critic Score
    Bad Habits
    It’s the perfect type of album to have playing in the background at your local Foot Locker and as long as it’s getting streamed somewhere, somehow by someone, NAV will likely be happy.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Cuz I Love You
    It’s a tumultuous journey of trials, tribulations and everything in between, which is something Lizzo is able to illustrate quite well. Whether you’re here for it or not, Lizzo has arrived.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 96 Critic Score
    Homecoming: The Live Album
    Not only is Homecoming an artistically-sound triumph, it’s a cultural touchstone and, quite possibly, the live album of a generation.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Free Spirit
    Free Spirit isn’t an outright failure. For it to be a failure, Khalid would have to at least take a few risks.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Ventura
    .Paak’s newest project is less cinematic and epic than its companion piece but it’s just as ambitious, texturely rich, and bustling with pleasant surprises.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Czarface Meets Ghostface
    Czarface Meets Ghostface is far from a “bad” rap album despite having a seemingly uninspired rap trio. From a bar-for-bar standpoint, the rhymes on here are better than a lot of today’s modern offerings but it’s missing the menacing attitude which is often times half the battle.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Death Race for Love
    Genre-blending albums (no matter how commonplace they might be these days) are not easy to pull off and for that, Juice WRLD should be given credit. From the seemingly sincere lyrics to the equally candid delivery, Juice truly goes with his gut in whichever way (rap, sing, hum, sob).
    • 82 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Rap Or Go To The League
    While Chainz’s level of authenticity remains intact throughout the album’s duration, the commercial ambitions of its third quarter give way to a lapse of quality.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    When I Get Home
    While When I Get Home is a valiant effort and (thankfully) distinctive to mainstream music’s consistently homogenized landscape, it could’ve benefited from less freeform and a little more stability.
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