Arthur Flores

Being Saba's 3rd studio album, Saba has crafted a very atmospheric yet sunny soundscape that is very engaging to the ears. What impressed me was how catchy most of the songs were and how Saba was able to keep my attention throughout the album. My only gripe I would say is that towards the end, specifically the title track, goes a bit too long but otherwise I say this album, as well as his other 2 albums I also recommend, is an enjoyable listen. My favorite songs are: Free Samples, One Way, Survivor's Guilt, Fearmonger, Still, Soldier, If I Had A Dollar, & Stop That. Overall, Saba definitely surprised me and I think he continues to expand his catalog and artistry with each project he makes. I'm giving Few Good Things an 8/10.

TONI! 2 Chainz is back with his 7th album, DDSI. Out of all the albums Chainz has put out, especially since Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, DDSI is Chainz' most laid back album. By that, I mean that, Chainz does not push any new ideas nor does he expand upon his lyrical ability, instead, I believe Chainz just wanted to make a good trap record. Is that bad? No, no necessarily. However, coming off of So Help Me God, being his most vulnerable yet still engaging album, DDSI doesn't go into much of the same territory as SHMG, nor ROGTTL and PGLTM, but still finds some very noteworthy pros. The production throughout DDSI is great, most of the features aren't bad yet still I wish he picked more entertaining guests. Best part, its very easy to pick up, clocking in at 32 minutes with 12 tracks to listen to, making it Chainz' shortest album to date. The best songs on DDSI are: Bet It Back, Kingpen Ghostwriter, Million Dollars Worth Of Game, 10 Bracelets, & Vlad TV. Overall, I don't think its Chainz' best album, but for new listeners and/or fans that want a quick and entertaining album, I say DDSI is a good trap album from the titty boi himself. I give Dope Don't Sell Itself an 7/10.

Pushin p? Nah man. This is the 3rd studio album from Gunna, DS4EVER. Now, lemme get this out of the way, I am not a Gunna fan, never have been, and coming out of this album, I'm still not. Gunna comes off as wanting to be a typical trap artist without having to do anything different, much as alot of trap artists nowadays. However, I will say what surprised me the most on DS4EVER was the production. Most of it, is actually not bad and quite honestly the best thing about the album. Other than that, features feel dry as ever, no one sounds like they want to be on here, Gunna sounds okay for a good bit of the project but still isn't engaging enough to make me want to return to this album. The only songs I can say I do enjoy are: mop, thought i was playing, & flooded. Overall, I didn't expect much going into DS4EVER, but at least it wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be, typical trap album at best. I'm giving DS4EVER an 3/10.

What a view it is, or am I just not seeing it right? This is the anticipated 2nd studio album from Cordae, FABIV. Now, after multiple listens I've finally understood this album, it's empty. Sure, it has some good songs, Cordae's flow remains to be entertaining at times and he continues to show that he can rap very well. However, most of this album is forgettable. 14 tracks, 2 are an intro and an interlude, 2 are bonus tracks that just don't feel like they needed to be there, and worst of all, are the features. Gunna is terrible, Lil Wayne has an okay verse, Lil Durk is forgettable. The only worthy features are H.E.R. and Freddie Gibbs. The best songs are: Jean-Michel, Super, Want From Me, Coach Carter, and Champagne Glasses. Overall, I don't hate this album, but anyone who listened to The Lost Boy knew the anticipation was high for Cordae and sadly I think Cordae focused too much on delivering a standard hip-hop album rather than pushing himself and making an incredible sophomore record. I'm giving From A Bird's Eye View an 6/10.

Holy damn Abel, you did it again! This is The Weeknd's 6th full length album, Dawn FM. A wonderful start to 2022 is being blessed with new music from Abel. Right as it starts with the intro, Abel pulls you into this new sonic landscape with incredible synths and amazing 80s electronic pop vibes all over this album. I love the transitions between songs, the fact JIM CARREY acts as this radio host that guides the listener through the album, which in itself, represents purgatory and the album transitions more and more towards the afterlife. The best songs on here are: Gasoline, Take My Breath, Sacrifce, Out Of Time, Here We Go... Again, Is There Someone Else?, Don't Break My Heart, and Less Than Zero. Overall, Abel continues to push his sound, elevate his style, and impress with every album/project he makes and has come a long way from the Trilogy days and I truly recommend this album to anyone, regardless if you're a fan of Weeknd or not, I really think the overall sound will get people hooked. I'm giving Dawn FM, an 9/10.

SLATTTT! That's right, it's a Playboi Carti album review! By the writing of this review, it has been 1 year since WLR dropped and after repeated listens and finally understanding and getting used to Carti's style and flows, I've come to this conclusion: WLR is great. Not only that, I think its even better than Die Lit. Now, in the Carti community, I know that there 2 sides: The people who enjoy both albums but perhaps prefer WLR more, and the other being people who don't like WLR and prefer Die Lit. To put this album in perspective, WLR is its own genre, its ideas are just so loud, bombastic and in a way, creative, especially for Carti. Now, my first and really only gripe with WLR is the fact it can feel long at times. I think the length of each track is great because it makes it very replayable but I think some songs don't help with that. Songs like Punk Monk & Not Playing are mostly the only tracks I do not return to at all. Best part, not alot of features. Carti wanted this album to be dominated by him and he is successful in this with only 3 features and they all do a pretty good job being in Carti's space. My favorite tracks are: Rockstar Made, Go2DaMoon, Stop Breathing, Beno!, JumpOutTheHouse, M3tamorphosis, Slay3r, Teen X, New Neon, Control, On That Time, Sky, & ILoveUIHateU. Overall, I think this is one of those albums you can't just rush into and immediately understand the vision of WLR, its something that you have to try and get used to the sounds and once it clicks, it CLICKS. I'm giving Whole Lotta Red an 8/10.

T h i s i s J . C o l e' s 6 t h s t u d i o a l b u m a n d C o l e i s r e a d y t o g e t b a c k o n t h e c o u r t w i t h s o m e h e a t! C o l e s h o w s h i s a b s o l u t e l y r i c a l a b i l i t y o n O f f- S e a s o n w i t h i n c r e d i b l e f l o w s a n d i m p r e s s i v e p r o d u c t i o n. O f f- S e a s o n m i g h t b e t h e b e s t a l b u m C o l e h a s m a d e i n m y o p i n i o n, a n d t h a t 's c o m i n g f r o m s o m e o n e w h o r e a l l y e n j o y s 2 0 1 4
F H D. B u t a f t e r a l o t o f r e p l a y s, d i s s e c t i n g t h i s a l b u m, C o l e i s s o l i d a n d a t h i s b e s t w h e n h e 's a g g r e s s i v e y e t s t i l l e n g a g i n g. N o t t o s a y h i s o t h e r a l b u m s i n t h e p a s t
h a v e b e e n l a c k i n g b u t O f f- S e a s o n i s a l s o a s h o w o f i m p r o v e m e n t f o r C o l e a n d s h o w i n g o f f h i m
b e i n g i n h i s p r i m e a n d f l a u n t i n g
i t. T h e b e s t t r a c k s h e r e a r e: 9 5.
s o u t h, a m a r i, m y l i f e, a p p l y i n g
p r e s s u r e, 1 0 0 m i l', p r i d e i s t h e
d e v i l, i n t er l u d e, t h e c l i m b b a c k, a n d c lo s e. 1 2 t r a c k s, z e r o s k i p s, a n d a m a z i n g r e p l a y v a l u e m a k e s
t h i s a l b u m g o l d a n d I t r u l y t h i n k O f f- S e a s o n i s p o s s i b l y C o l e 's b e s t y e t. I a m g i v i n g T h e O f f- S e a s o n a n 9/10.

Finally! After 5 years since The Sun's Tirade released, Isaiah is back with his 3rd studio album. THIB is definitely his moodiest and vibest album to date. With songs like Claymore, Headshots, and Chad, Isaiah brings a chill atmosphere into the album. My only real gripe is the end track, HB2U, where its a nice end to the album, I hate how overhype people make this track out to be. It's not great, and certainly does NOT sound anywhere close to Kid Cudi. Regardless, I think THIB is his most accessible album and I think for Isaiah its very good. I will say though, this album takes a few listens to fully enjoy everything Isaiah puts THIB and rightfully so. The features are a great touch as well, ranging from an incredible Lil Uzi Vert verse to a lovely SZA & 6LACK performance. My favorite tracks are: From The Garden, RIP Young, Lay Wit Ya, Headshots, Wat U Sed, Chad, & Score. Overall, it was definitely worth the wait and hopefully we don't have to wait too long for Rashad's next album. I give The House Is Burning an 8/10.

2 phones in this bitch! Baby Keem's debut album is here and I am impressed with the talent he shows here. Being Kendrick Lamar's cousin has got to be alot of pressure to have but thankfully I think Keem has staying power. Don't get me wrong, this album is not perfect. Alot of songs either go on too long or feels awkward to at times. This can best be explained with the worst song in my opinion, pink panties. Its just too ridiculous and comes off as a bit corny. People say south africa is a bad song, I at least enjoy the rhythm of that song. Regardless, I think the rest of the album has really interesting sounds and catchy songs. Even the features feel fluid and integrate well with Keem. Obviously Kendrick being the best feature killer on here, but Travis Scott and Don Toliver were great with Keem. I think the best songs on here were: trademark usa, range brothers, cocoa, family ties, durag activity, issues, & vent. Overall, I think Keem has a strong future ahead of him, I doubt he's going to be in Kendrick's shadow, that's for him to overcome, and for it being his debut album, lots of praise for that but I still think he has some work to be done in order for him to master his own sound. I give The Melodic Blue an 7/10.

This album sounds like the word, blessed. Adele has finally returned from her 6 year hiatus and has followed up her 3rd album, 25 with this. Adele successfully brings us back with strong topics such as motherhood, depression, divorce, and self-love and quite elegantly shows growth on 30. The last leg of the tracklist is a bit long, the last 2 songs in particular, but I assure you, the subject matter is quite engaging. The interlude with Erroll Garner is really the only forgettable track and doesn't really add much to the album, perhaps it acts as a shift change but to me it's not a returnable track. Overall, very surprised by this album and Adele's performance throughout and I definitely recommend giving this a listen . I give 30 an 8/10.

Goddamn tHis album is good. Being Q's 2nd album, it felt like He really started to find His sound and own it. Songs tHat really sHow His skill and catcHy flows are: THere He Go, Hands On THe WHeel, Oxy Music, My Hatin Joint, Sexting, and 2 Raw. Great features, tHe most memorable one being A$AP Having tHe Hardest verse. I still say Q doesn't fully sHow His potential on Here as most songs in tHe last Half aren't too fully flesHed out, tHe song tHat is my least favorite is N.A.K.D.F mainly just How it feels like a tHrowaway track. Overall, Q sHows improvement on H&C and I tHink Has alot more HigHlights tHen Setbacks. I give H&C an 8/10.

OD helped the birth of K.Dot's rise in the rap game with incredible songs such as Michael Jordan, Ignorance Is Bliss, Growing Apart, and Alien Girl. Listening to this project, Kendrick is showing clear examples of his amazing lyrical ability and song structure throughout OD that would later be the base for his future albums. However, most of OD is not perfect. Most of the time I look at OD as the first stepping stone for K.Dot but for replay value it lacks that. Most tracks are interesting to listen to but this in my opinion is my least returned to Kendrick project and a handful of tracks are not very exciting nor interesting EXCEPT of course for Kendrick's wordplay. Overall, do not take this a harsh review because I do enjoy this project for what it is, Kendrick's debut into the rap game (despite the KL EP) but I just don't see much replay in most of the project but I do recommend listeners to give it a listen as it does set up his first album, Section.80 very nicely. I give Overly Dedicated a 6/10

Being His first album, Q sHowed tHe layout for wHat would come in His later projects. His voice is younger, doesn't Have tHat edge yet but for wHat it is, Setbacks is a nice start to get into ScHoolboy. Incredible tracks Here are Figg Get Da Money, Kamikaze, LigHt Years, and WHat's THa Word. My big gripe witH Setbacks is tHe last Half of tHe album. Not very exciting and kinda bland but it being His first project I don't mind it but I don't revisit tHe last four tracks. Overall, I really enjoy Q on tHis one, LigHt Years witH Kendrick is easily tHe best tracks and I tHink people wHo want to get into ScHoolboy I recommend giving tHis a spin first, if not, His 2nd album, Habits & Contradictions as on tHat album its Q but more defined and solid. I give Setbacks a 7/10.

Damn, this song is definitely a club hit for the ages. Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion collab on a single that I believe is quite fun, bouncy, and full of in-your-face attitude that I can't help but bump my head to. Sure, its not the best song of all time, but for what it is its pretty entertaining and in a way, a female postive anthem if i would say. Cardi B & Megan aren't the most lyrical rappers but I do gotta give it to them by their impressive performances. Overall, if you haven't heard it by now, I say go ahead and enjoy it.

YUGH! DAYTONA is a glowing example of what time can do for a skilled rapper such as Pusha T. This is album is the perfect length, 7 tracks, 21 minutes long and I couldn't be happier with it. Short, sweet, consistent and straight to the point, DAYTONA pulls all the punches. With incredible tracks like If You Know You Know, Hard Piano, Come Back Baby, and Santeria, this album shows off Pusha's lyrical ability as well as his technical flow. The production feels flawless as Kanye made it feel like he constructed every song to personally fit with Pusha's energy. My one and only critique here is the song What Would Meek Do? Isn't the strongest track on here. Overall, I love this album, Pusha has not only elevated himself but has proven his longevity in the rap game. I give DAYTONA a 9/10.

Coming out of Detroit 2, I was curious on what route he would do on this surprise EP he dropped with producer Hit-Boy producing the entire 6 track project. Turns out, I think its pretty good. With many people, including myself, enjoying alot of what the duo did on certain tracks off of Detroit 2, Sean definitely made this short EP pretty entertaining. Every track has bouncy, at times in your face beat, and Sean uses alot of his fast flows making the EP more interesting and engaging. I think the biggest problem I face are the songs with features, Sean should've taken the chance and did the whole EP by himself. Yes, even though its only 6 tracks and only 2 of them have features, they didn't really add any flavor compared to Sean. Best songs I enjoyed the most were definitely Chaos and What A lIfe. Overall, I really enjoyed the production, Hit-Boy continues to impress me every song/album he touches, and Sean, while not being his best work, I say is one of his best projects and his energy on here was top notch. I give What You Expect a 7/10.

I guess not all of it was punk. Being Young Thug's 2nd studio album, Thug was hyping everyone about this being ambitious, and even calling it "real hip-hop". However, what we was honestly surprising. Most of the album consists of Thugger"s most personal tracks such as Die Slow, Road Rage, and of course Love You More. Punk isn't a bad album, far from it, I actually like the idea of Thug getting more personal and the album cover is incredible. Yet, personally speaking, there's not alot of returnable tracks. Sure, we get great songs like Love You More, Stressed, Yea Yea Yea, Scoliosis, and even Bubbly. Also, I thought some of the features sounded odd and kinda out of place. Rocky trying to sound like Thug on Livin It Up, and Drake having no energy on Bubbly. Overall, I did enjoy what Thugger wanted to do on Punk, it had its emotional highs but didn't quite live too much to the hype I was personally expecting it to be, regardless, Punk had an interesting sound and I think there's still a good handful of songs to pull from, even if it still feels bloated with a bit of filler. I give Punk a 6/10.

MR. RAGER!!!! Ever since Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin', I've been wondering where Cudder was going to go musically. Even after KIDS SEE GHOSTS I was still left questioning how Scott could return with a full album. MOTM III answers those questions. Every song, Scott makes every song feel like a visceral journey. From the moment it begins with the intro and Tequila Shots, it brings me back to Scott being on top form with his flows and catchy hooks. All over the album, you will find impressive lines, memorable hooks, head-bopping and vibey beats, and of course, classic Cudi hums. I will say the only minor problems I find is that the last quarter of the album isn't the best BUT I does not ruin the vision Cudi has put together for this album. I really enjoy this album as its one of Scott's best in his discography and I definitely recommend it yet I still prefer those who do wanna get into Kid Cudi for the first time to go back to the first MOTM. I give this album a 9/10 🌕

A$AP! Rocky at his humble beginnings. This is what I can say is what a true example of what can make a mixtape memorable. LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is one of those albums that, as of this review is posted, hits its 10 year milestone is still celebrated in the Hip-Hop community and has even been talked about as a classic. For me, I see this as a great mixtape, definitely one of the best mixtapes in Hip-Hop and hell maybe as more time goes by I could potentially call it a classic. As for the music itself, you can tell how Rocky gave his iconic flows, his rhyme patterns, and who wouldn't enjoy songs like Peso, Bass, Purple $wag, and Roll One Up? One thing I will say is certain songs don't quite live up to my liking. Songs such as Leaf and Demons feel either too long or feel more like they could've been left on the cutting room floor, but I wouldn't say they are horrible to listen to, every project has their one or two songs not alot of people enjoy. Overall, I see this has a mixtape people should definitely check out, ESPECIALLY if you are wanting to get into Rocky and see where he began his journey into Hip-Hop. I give this mixtape an 8/10

A Collab for the ages! Kid Cudi and Kanye West grouping up after years of collaborations, they both teamed up to make 7, incredible, master-crafted songs. Each song feels like going through different emotions and vibes. The BEST songs in my opinion have to be Cudi Montage and Feel The Love. Both are set up as perfect songs to begin and end the album that NEED to be talked about more, especially the album itself. Kanye felt like he really put in his soul into the production and Cudi just glided through this entire project with ease. This is an album worth celebrating and should most definitely be talked about being one of the top tier hip-hop albums of all time. Maybe its just me being a fan of both artists, but I think of this album alot and hopefully in the near future when this album is more older more people will think the same about it. I personally recommend this album to anyone wanting a more diverse, cohesive, psychedelic album, especially since its only 7 songs and 24 minutes long. I solely put this in my personal favorite albums of all time and by now I think its obvious I'm giving it a 10/10.

This being his 2nd album, I feel like Don is definitely improving more as time goes on. From his first impression in the mainstream with his feature on Travis Scott's CAN'T SAY,  to his debut back in 2020, Heaven Or Hell. I can say Life of a Don is an album that requires a bit of replayed listens in order to understand the atmosphere Don wants to capture. From the start, XSCAPE is a great way to start the vibe of the whole album as the rest of it follows that same energy with songs such as 5X, FLOCKY FLOCKY, all the way towards 2AM. Each track feels wavy and Don definitely puts us in a groovy but melodic space. My only true gripe with the album is not every song is a winner or less than that. Songs like Way Bigger get a bit repetitive, even if that's still not a bad song. However, once we get to Get Throwed, the album derails with forgettable and lackluster songs such as the boring Company Pt.2 and the worst song, Smoke being the more repetitive song. Overall, despite some mishaps, I really do think Don improved more on his creativity and mostly on the atmosphere he wants to show off, even if its in the same soundscape Travis has elevated on his own discography. Hell, I think Don has the potential to make an even more incredible album on his next project. I give Life of a Don a 7.5/10