Lil B die-hards may accuse I'm Gay of pandering to hip-hop purists; in reality, though, the project's production is high quality and inventive.

At 24 tracks and 98 minutes long, the bloated project sounds like two distinct albums. Often we learn more from a story by what isn’t written, rather than by what is. Lupe spends so much time telling the story of everything, he leaves little room for the listener’s reflection on anything.

Gucci sounds more comfortable, confident and icier than ever before.

Throughout the 11-track record, Em and Royce deliver exactly what their fans have been waiting for for a decade plus: lyrics to go.

Transformation suffers from a few forgettable beats, but not in a way that devalues the project. Add another four-star LP to Murs's solid catalogue.

Despite using a familiar formula, Havoc’s beats never sound too dated here; new techniques in his repertoire, such as using more melodic synths and complicated drum arrangements, keep things sounding fresh. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for his lyrics.

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.

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.

From a glimpse of his rock star lifestyle to transparent parables of his quest for inner peace, Machine Gun Kelly crafts a well-rounded effort that is likely to raise his stock and push his name back into the conversation of respected rappers. Bloom is an effort that’s just short of a comeback, but is very much a step up for Cleveland’s finest.

Despite the numerous false starts for a release date, Hall Of Fame has finally arrived and it’s well worth the wait.

While God of the Serengeti doesn't blaze any new ground, it is a release that will hold up to the Paz's legacy on the underground scene and will surely satisfy long-time fans.

With his latest effort, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, the 37-year-old Dungeon Family elite again tackles fresh sonic landscapes while remaining nimble with verbal wizardry.

If anything lets Tha Carter V down, it’s the track sequencing and transitions, which can start to make the project feel like it’s dragging about halfway through. However, that should hardly dissuade Wayne’s most diehard fans, as even in its slowest moments, the album never loses its heady sense of rapture. ... The album is indeed memorable, as much for the journey that led to its release as the previously unseen layers that Weezy reveals.

The problem with Ferg’s swag raps, though, is that like any party (or after-party) that goes on for too long, it ends up just feeling overwrought and repetitive.

Banks & Steelz constantly shift shapes and sounds on Anything But Words, but the experimentation doesn’t always work. However, the album never bores even in its uneven tracks.

“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

A project filled with rich, jazzy vibes and all the tight lyricism we've come to expect from one of Chicago's very best.

The emotion and power is not missing from MMLP2--but you’re getting one with more perspective, a version which has seen 13 more years and has a different outlook on some of the same topics that he first visited in 2000.

Gucci Mane’s latest may be business as usual, but Drop Top Wop gives the customer exactly what they’re looking for, which is a tried-and-true art within itself, making it another quality offering in the Atlanta legend’s extensive catalog.

The LP finds Meek at his most concise and focused in some time. All 17 songs carry that raw, kinetic emotion that has made Meek such a force to be reckoned with but they are also much more dialed in and concentrated than anything on DC4 or his Meekend Music series.

Campaign may not exceed the musical brilliance of Free TC but it’s a close runner-up.

While the LP is worth the wait and a worthy debut, it lacks the explosive selections and raw exuberance that put Vic’s Innanetape mixtape in classic territory and ignited his buzz.

While BS may not exhibit the growth sonically or conceptually that fans may have anticipated after hearing Cole’s early work, he remains too gifted lyrically, too keen of a storyteller, and too emotionally open for his sophomore LP to be anything less than impressive, but not overly so.

YSIV succeeds when it forgoes pretentious views on what hip-hop should be and instead focuses on what makes the self-proclaimed Young Sinatra unique. The trio of “Everybody Dies,” “The Return,” and “The Glorious Five” feature the Everybody MC at his most fluid and nimble.

His cadence and dance party-made flow make light of his more serious situations in a way that translates well to listeners. His rhymes are relatable and the beats are bumping—a true win-win.

Shunning party-hearty staples for the mainstream and taking it back to the concrete, Snoop Dogg turns back the hands of time on Neva Left, delivering an album that is a testament to his unprecedented staying power.

MFH2 highlights everything we have come to love about Gates and more. Even though he wavers with some vocal performance on a few tracks, he still manages to put together a solid free sample project that should tide us over until his sophomore offering drops next year.

OF Tape, Vol. 2 works within itself, and adds another project to the growing catalog of the collective.