Raekwon’s passion and well-crafted rhymes show he’s still capable of creating high quality work as an MC, but F.I.L.A. is too disjointed to stand beside his best work.

He’s fully aware of who exactly he wants to be in hip-hop: a proud, raw, unapologetically Southern MC, something the game’s been missing. He really touches the country audience with the project, a genre hip-hop rarely reaches.

Cherry Bomb is his greatest achievement thus far, solidifying his place in the game, with or without the conspicuously absent Odd Future crew.

While Ludacris’ name may miss several Best Rapper Alive lists, he never fails to deliver on each album. If Ludaversal is a reminder that he hasn’t fallen off lyrically, the game should pay attention.

The Album About Nothing has an infectious, feel-good vibe with an undeniable cohesiveness.

Nothing is forced in his rhymes; his lyricism is so dense and acrobatic that his freestyle vibe is all the more impressive.

Aside from a few problematic miscues, the majority of Mr. Wonderful can be maneuvered without the skip button in tow.

Fashawn’s lyrical assaults are just as potent as his moving commentary and his core fans would like to hear more.

“One Man” in particular, which deals with the loss of his grandmother and his acceptance of her passing, really underlines what the entire work is about: dealing with the ups and downs in life and figuring out the best way to accept them and move forward. With Dark Sky Paradise, Big Sean has finally found that balan

Chris Brown and Tyga have given fans what they wanted, but with an abundance of turn-up tracks, the album fails to tackle more serious topics, as the duo has in the past on “Deuces.” It’s a wonder why they avoided the prior formula this go round.

For all his subtle lyrical techniques, the Drake experience at full throttle is only achieved with the aid of his criminally underrated usual suspects; Noah “40” Shebib, PartyNextDoor and Boi-1da dominate the instrumental duties.

It’s the heated Cash Money conflict that’s carrying the project, no question, but aside from some of his singles and featured verses, this is as focused and engaging as we’ve heard Wayne since Tha Carter III. S4TW2 falls short of being a great standalone project, but it’s not built for that anyway.

Overall, Full Speed is probably Kid Ink’s best project to date. He sounds focused and he executes by pleasing his core fans with quality radio and club-friendly music.

Sonically separated by the four different seasons, Lupe has arguably released his most thematically layered and engaging album to date.

B4.Da.$$ should be seen as a huge step forward and a platform for Joey to progress even further.

PRhyme is the perfect alternative for listeners who are tired of juvenile lyriscim, mud sippers and unintelligible hooks.

J. Cole is righfully satisfied with the end product, as will the fans.

With a slimmed down tracklist and looser vision, A Better Tomorrow would be a fantastic offering. But as it stands, what could be the last Wu-Tang album ever leaves much to be desired.

The LP is fun and a return to what hip-hop started out as in the parks--a way to rock the crowd and have a good time.

The growth is unmistakable, with each song and new project, fans see his raw talent getting more finely tuned and concentrated. Hell Can Wait is the next step in the maturation process of Staples as a MC.

Even without much mainstream appeal, K.R.I.T.’S relatability keeps it accessible, and ultimately, Cadillactica proves to be something the game barely knew it needed. Consider the gauntlet thrown.

Overall, Stalley’s debut album is highly entertaining with a sound that is very refreshing in today’s rap scene.

Theophilus London’s musical ability is evident throughout Vibes, a mesh-mash of genres that come together to form one of the better listenings of 2014.

If their first album acted as the duo’s thesis statement, the two MCs laying out the blueprint to what they wanted to accomplish, then this second is a laser-focused execution of that idea, of never letting up and never sugar-coating their sound to fit into any particular lane. There won’t be another album that comes out this year that sounds anything like this one.

Black Milk’s versatility shines on Hell Below, even if at times some parts felt disjointed. This is a small complaint for an overall album that culminates in the talented musician effectively communicating a consistent concept through the LP.

Under Pressure feels like a roadmap to the influences he states on the album--OutKast, A Tribe Called Quest, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Quentin Tarantino films.

Despite the album’s loaded guest list, T.I. manages to squeeze in enough room to allow himself to shine and tells us why after nearly 15 years deep; he’s still a top-tier artist in the game.

The genius of Flying Lotus, which has been invariably present throughout his preceding releases, but most especially on You’re Dead!, is that he has an incredible ability to both illustrate and extract exceptional amounts of emotion, without saying much at all.