While Aesop Rock may not be every hip-hop fan's cup of tea, you must respect the man's grind. All-in-all The Impossible Kidis like (yet unlike) any Aesop Rock release: Ill underground beats and a lyrical prowess that yields rewards with each willing listen.

Once you listen, you'll never be able to look at rap's landscape the same way again.

A true original not to the game, but to rap music at its best.

The Cool picks up right where "Food & Liquor" left off, once again using his Muslim background and Chi-Town sensibilities to inform his perspective without being rigidly bound by either.

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.

The magic in "The Craft" is that whether you're a student of the craft of hip-hop or not, you'll always enjoy the experience. The magic in "The Craft" is that it doesn't get stale with time - the beats and rhymes only get fresher and fresher.

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.

It's the depth of lyricism that continues to impress, months after release.

Nas has made a passionate album to reawaken your love of the art and if your heart isn't thumping in your chest by the end then it's not hip-hop that's dead, it's you.

There is very little that doesn't work, with both Marley (obviously) and Nas (surprisingly) meshing flawlessly into practically everything.

Welcome to a new classic.

It is, really and truly, an experience.

The end result sure looks promising from the moment you hit play, with over an hour of music and 18 tracks to look forward to, the kind of full length project all those [Kickstarter] backers have demanded.

Talib Kweli has made the career-defining work that his fans have been expecting for nearly a decade.

Easily one of the best records released in 2019, superlatives only go so far. ... “May the Lord Watch” only solidifies Little Brother’s place in the pantheon of great rap duos.

Felt 3 is a work of art that unlike so many sequels in life exceeds what the originals had to offer, and indeed offers something everyone can appreciate.

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

Eleven tracks featuring Gift of Gab's superb rhyme writing, breath control and musical flow just don't seem like enough, but the amount of content he packs into that small space creates an energy density comparable to NOX, fueling this rocketship all the way to Mars and beyond to distant stars.

Nas sounds like he’s regained his confidence as the king once more. He sounds like the king. He’s in that “Ether” mindset once more – not necessarily as vicious, but simply sounding like he’s willing to name names and it feels like he’s genuinely having fun with his writing.

There's not a single track on Imperius Rex that I didn't dislike or even skip.

Even though some might miss Slug's angst-ridden diatribes (Lucy Ford is nowhere to be found on this album), he manages to toe the line between rapper and griot better than he ever has before on this new effort.

If you want to know further why this album is a classic you'll have to check it out yourself, but know for a fact it's well worth your fifteen dollars.

'So Far to Go' embodies everything great about Common--his witty delivery, smooth flow, loquacious lyrics and perfect sense of timing --but then the same could be said for virtually any track on Finding Forever.

So Far Gone is unquestionably one of the most cohesive, atmospheric hip hop records in recent memory--which is almost the antithesis of what one expects from a mixtape.

The chemistry is undeniable and “The Elephant Man’s Bones” is the culmination of this partnership. This is an album that gets better with each listen and yet, despite capturing everything great about previous Roc Marciano albums, sounds remarkably fresh and current.

The reason ArchAndroid is so good is because, from minute one, it is so apparent that its author loves music. And for those of us that love music, that's a real treat.

P.O.S. has created something that sounds vibrant and alive, and stretches the narrow limits of the genre.

It is an album that pushes boundaries and yet is always listenable and relatable, even at its most intricate and complex.