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Overall Rating and Impression: 8/10

Released on July 28, 2017, Good For You is Amine’s debut studio album. The album comes over a year after Amine released its first single, the smash hit “Caroline”, which has gone triple platinumin the meantime.

Overall I found the majority of this album to be very enjoyable, with hardly a dull moment on this for the most part positive, happy, and uptempo album. I really enjoyed the songs where the deep bass lines really made the song jump and pop, and the production for the album felt really good overall. One thing I found a bit off about the album was that a lot of the songs had pretty awkward endings that felt like they either cut off too soon or just had something that felt off. I didn’t find that majorly distracting but definitely is something I’d like to see him improve on, and maybe he did already improve on it by now to make his songs feel a little more wrapped up and whole. The topics he talks about aren’t terribly deep, but that’s really not what he’s going for on the album. There’s roughly twelve songs on here that feel like they’re more for fun and he definitely has fun with the production and lyrics. There’s three more introspective cuts, those being Money, Turf, and Sundays where we hear about his problems, trying to relax, the way money rules everything, and his hometown. There’s a lot of references to Portland laced throughout the album which I enjoyed as it shows his pride and making sure that when he says things like West side, you know he’s not just talking about LA or California, rather about northwestern Oregon. I can’t help but feel like he could go above and beyond what he made on this album and push for higher tier music that feels a bit more refined in some way, but that’s all subjective and personal. All in all this is an enjoyable listen and makes for a nice summery album with the positive and fun vibes. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Heebiejeebies (ft. Kehlani)
2. Wedding Crashers (ft. Offset)
3. Beach Boy
4. Veggies (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
5. Turf
6. Spice Girl
7. Dakota (ft. Charlie Wilson) 
8. Caroline
9. Blinds
10. Yellow (ft. Nelly)
11. STFU
12. Hero
13. Sundays
14. Money
15. Slide

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Heebiejeebies (ft. Kehlani)
• Wedding Crashers (ft. Offset)
• Beach Boy

Veggies starts the album off with Somme emotional strings which makes for a slow start, but quickly transforms with a jumpy bass line after the beat switch into the second verse. He talks a bit about how he isn’t happy in relationship, but he likes the sex enough to stay. All in all I think this was a great start to the album. 

Yellow has a deep muddy bass and a very happy beat. He talks about how he wants to flex a bit since he’s feeling so good about himself. I liked how light and happy thing song kept it while still talking about flexing which can sometimes get annoying and played out. It also sets up the yellow aesthetic that Aminé has associated himself with. 

Caroline is a bit of a love song and the breakout hit for Aminé. This song went viral for a while when it was first released and of what really launched his career. If includes some synths that really pop and some simple short verses. This is a chorus heavy song which seems to be a characteristic of widely successful songs nowadays which is interesting. 

Hero starts with a funny intro skit about the different way people pronounce his name, or more so how they mispronounce it. This song overall is a a bit more chilled out as he talks about how this girl is his hero and his heroin since he’s addicted to her. He hates her habits but loves her as a person and thus spends a lot of money on her. He opens his heart to her but she doesn’t respect him which is a pretty bleak and sad message.

Spice Girl is another very fun song where he sings about his love for the spice girls somewhat, and talks about how he needs a spice girl. He doesn’t care which one since he name drops them all. I really enjoyed the flute in the mix for this song since it isn’t an instrument you hear much out of as well. 

STFU is a pretty lighthearted song despite the title. He talks about how he’s tired of people throwing their problems at him and all the bullshit he has to deal with and wishes people would just STFU. Aminé almost sounds like Lil Uzi on the second verse with all the auto tune which I found pretty interesting. I thought this was a pretty funny song to include since it shows the problems he deals with but also shows his general attitude of just being relaxed and going through life with a positive outlook. 

Wedding Crashers is another very happy and uptempo cut that’s dedicated to his ex lovers, and is largely about how they shouldn’t have left him and how he hopes they never find anyone like him. I liked Offsets verse and feature on this song and thought it made for an interesting addition to Amines vocals. 

Sundays is a song about how loves his Sundays and what they represent to him. This song is a a lot more relaxed and has a lot of layered vocals on the chorus which I enjoyed. Sunday is the day of rest and a day that he can relax which is why he likes it so much. Despite feeling like he’s bound to drown in his problems, he has a way to escape all of this for at least a bit. 

Turf is a song about leaving your neighborhood as well as the highs and lows of his neighborhood. I really loved the beat switch into the first verse which makes the song a little harder but still chill. This song has one of my favorite flows on the album in it, and is easily one of my favorites. It was nice to hear about his life in Portland which is also applicable to a lot of other cities and has a good general message. 

Blinds is a short minute and a half almost interlude type track. It’s a little more funky and jazzy which I enjoyed. I really loved the keyboard chords and vibe this song gives off. This song is far too short and I would’ve loved for it to be a whole song with more than two short verses. 

Dakota is a little more soulful song where he takes a look back on his life. The intro and chorus to this song is talking to a girl he wants to get with and how he wants to make her feel something. It seems that Dakota represents something and isn’t an actual place he goes back to. If I were to guess I’d say Dakota represents a somewhat lower or depressive state since he seems to always find himself back here and how he also mentions he drinks to forget his problems. I wouldn’t be surprised is Dakota is also the name of a bar or something which would explain the girl he’s hitting on as well as his drinking. 

Slide is very upbeat and somewhat more wavy. This is a pretty light and happy song about how he wants a girl to slide through for a booty call. Although, he tries to thinly veil that it’s a booty call by calling it a late night snack. He talks about all the different things he’s doing to give himself a better chance at getting with this girl such as putting on certain records. 

Money is a more relaxed and introspective song about how money rules the world around him. Despite this he says that he’s focused on his dreams, and that although money can apparently do anything, it can’t take his passion away. He says that there’s there’s no satisfaction in just chasing money which I thought was a good message to include. I also enjoyed the pretty minimal production which makes you focus on his words which are the main feature here. 

Beach Boy is another very upbeat song about having fun. I loved the choppy piano riffs, and how the chorus is pure summer vibes. He talks about how he’s rather take risks in life rather than playing it safe which shows his attitude in life. The outro slows down the track and talks about not knowing when he’s gonna die, but if it’s meant to be then he’ll accept it. This part was very different than the rest of the song and interesting to include. I think it emphasizes the idea of living your life to the fullest since it could end at any moment. This is the final true track on the album and I think it makes for a very fun and great closer. 

Heebiejeebies is credited as a bonus track and talks about how he found true love. This song has a somewhat jazzy piano and is very upbeat. I absolutely loved the production on the chorus and the entire song. This is one of my favorite songs on the album and marks a fantastic collaboration between Aminé and Kehlani. Apparently he still cheats on his true love as he says in the second verse, but he assures her that it’s only lust and that he still truly loves her. This isn’t the most positive message to include, but at least he’s being honest with himself here I guess? Despite that I still adore this track and everything about it. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 8.75/10

PSYCHODRAMA is Dave’s debut studio album and follows the South London rapper’s 2017 Game Over EP.

Going into this album I really didn’t know what to expect since I’ve never heard any British rappers before this, and was curious to see what inspirations are drawn from and what stories Dave had to tell on this album. From the get go you’re introduced to the idea that this album is a therapy session due to the spoken words from his therapist. Looking back at the title, I originally thought this was a made up word for creative purposes, but the term Psychodrama refers to a form of therapy where patients act out events from their past which is exactly what this album is. We hear Dave talk about topics such as where he grew up and the problems he faced there such as racial and social inequalities, past relationship and how he feels burned by them, all of his internal struggles despite success, and the penultimate track Lesley which is eight full minutes of vivid story telling about a girl and her abusive boyfriend. I really enjoyed the concept that this album is his therapy session from the title and the spoken word bits that are interlaced between tracks to remind the listener. All of these songs feature expert wordplay and really impressive lyricism. The beats range from uptempo to very relaxed, but always seem to carry darker undertones as we hear about different parts of his life. All in all I think this album is very much worth everyone’s time to check out as I think it’s different from what a lot of listen to day to day. It’s all very human and relatable which makes this album a very engaging and entertaining listen. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Lesley (feat. Ruelle)
2. Black
3. Psycho
4. Drama
5. Voices
6. Environment
7. Streatham
8. Screwface Capital
9. Purple Heart
10. Disaster (feat. J Hus)
11. Location (feat. Burna Boy)

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Black
• Psycho
• Voices

Psycho brings the album and introduces the idea that we’re listening to a therapy session in this spoken word intro. He questions how to stop all the pain and talks about the problems he internalizes. He notes that suicide isn’t the answer to stop his pain because he knows it’ll only cause more people pain to the people that love him which is an interesting perspective that isn’t often talked about sadly. 

Streatham brings us back to his childhood and where he grew up. He talks about eh wasted potential he sees in the youth, and notes that he’s the type that doesn’t want to fight without a good reason. It seems where he grew up there was a culture built around street fighting somewhat, or at least was prevalent enough that he felt pressured by it. Still he doesn’t want to fight for petty reasons, but it also seems like he won’t back down if there is a good reason 

Black is a bit darker and features a slower more dramatic piano production. The topic of this song is race and social inequality. I liked the line about how if the killer is white they’re  as having mental issues, but if they’re black then they’re automatically more dangerous in the public and police eye. This song has three verses with brief instrumental breaks and he talks about a lot of stereotypes and what being black actually is and isn’t. I think it’s important to note for a lot of American listeners and people around the world that social inequality doesn’t have any borders and it racial profiling sadly happens everywhere.  

Purple Heart is done in a more ballad style and features an acoustic guitar. A Purple Heart, as the title refers to, is awarded to those that are injured in battle. In context the of the song he’s talking about how he and his lover are both jaded and hurt from past relationships. This song has lots of double entendres and wordplay which I really enjoyed. The outro brings us back to the therapy session where instead of pain he’s now talking about past relationships. 

Location is a song where he talks mostly about success and girls. This song is very relaxed and again has lots of double entendres and expert wordplay that made it very enjoyable. Somewhat that really stands out with Dave is his wordplay and I think it really sets him apart from others. Originally there was something in the back of my mind that turned me off from listening to his accent, but hearing his unique stories was well worth the listen. 

Disaster is a song where he goes back and forth with J Hus on the verses which I liked. I also really liked the instrumental from this song. However, there is something about it that makes it fall lower on the ranking list for me, but that’s mostly due to how good the other songs on, not that this is a bad song. 

Screwface Capital is a song about London which he dubs the screwface capital. He talks about his struggles, his loyalty to family, and how he puts family over himself in this song. This song falls in the middle for me as I didn’t think it stood out particularly, but it reaches a middle ground for what I enjoy and didn’t enjoy as much on this album. 

Environment is a song about the music industry and again starts with the spoken word therapy session where he’s not questioning what people see when they look at him. A big theme of this song is the difference of what the listener sees the artist as and what he sees artists as. This song has one long verse where he goes pretty in depth about the music industry and how fake people can be. The outro is the therapy session again questioning how different people perceive others. He says that he feels grateful for his problems since they’re due to success, and his problems could be due to something a lot more stressful. I think this is a pretty unhealthy mindset because you should take time for yourself no matter how successful or not you are. 

Lesley is a ten minute song with six verses where he tells a thorough story about a girl named Lesley who’s abused by her boyfriend. This song is the pinnacle of good story telling that I thoroughly enjoyed. If starts where he met this girl on a train and befriended her. He says that she used to be the life of the party but now her life is so controlled by her boyfriend that she doesn’t know herself anymore. In the third verse she talks about how her life is falling apart and how she ends up getting pregnant. The icing on the cake here is that she also ends up getting cheated on by her boyfriend. There’s a grand build up with a fight when she finds out, and she ends up calling her best friend. The woman she was being cheated on with is hiding in the closet, and it’s revealed that it was her best friend that she was being cheated on with when the phone rings in the closet. It’s hard to describe this sequence since it’s so detailed by Dave and really is masterful story telling. Nothing I can say will give this song justice. This scene ends where Lesley is put in a coma when her boyfriend assaults her as she tries to confront him. The beat prompt switches into an interlude where the therapy session ends. He says that he feels in control of his emotions now and he’s at a place where he understands them. This is the end of the therapy session, and makes a pretty logical conclusion to the album since we’ve now lived through his traumatic life with him in full. However, there are still two more songs on the album which wrap it all up. 

Voices is a more uptempo where we hear about a relationship. He talks about how all the pain from this must be the reason that he’s heard voices in his head all his life. If seems like different emotional states are simultaneously his relationships and voices in his head, and it’s possible that he’s just personifying different emotional states as different women which would really show some excellent writing. 

Drama is the final song where he talks about all the drama in his life such as his dad leaving as a child and his brother who’s now in jail. He notes that the psychodrama is his therapy session in this sad, introspective song. He talks about a few of the songs on the album and how they really did happen which I enjoyed and added another layer of depth and humanity to it all. This made for a nice closer and really made it all seem very whole and complete.  

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Overall Rating and Impression: 8.25/10

i am > i was is 21 Savage’s sophomore studio album. The album arrives almost a year and a half after Issa Album, his debut. The album boasts features from a plethora of artists, including J. Cole, ScHoolboy Q, and Childish Gambino.

Overall I thought that this was a pretty well made album and it really surprised me and surpassed my expectations on a lot of the tracks. Going in I expected something along the lines of luxury rap where we hear all about his money, clothes, women, wealth, so on and so forth. While all of those themes were present at some point during the album, i found the diversity of songs and styles to be refreshing which made for an entertaining listen. There’s harder tracks like gun smoke, 1.5, and 4L where we hear about street life and the need to carry a gun, but we also get more emotional songs like all my friends, pad lock, and letter 2 my momma which really paints a multi dimensional image of 21 Savage. I thought a lot of the songs had funny punchlines that made me audibly laugh a few times, and overall a lot of the tracks were very good. There are a few that I wasn’t really a fan of, but I didn’t find that really took anything away from the album since it is so versatile in the topics and styles used that there’s really something for everyone on this album. I could easily see myself returning to this project in the future to re listen to a fair amount of the songs, but there are some that just straight up aren’t my style and I can’t see myself going back to. There’s a fair amount of features on this album as well and it really feels like the tracks were made with the features in mind. I found that to enhance the album somewhat and made it work better than if this was strictly no feature or limited feature album. All in all I think this is a good album with a lot of enjoyable songs I can return to, and includes a little something for everybody that they can enjoy as well. 

Personal Ranking:

1. a lot
2. ball w/o you
3. monster
4. out for the night
5. letter 2 my momma
6. 1.5
7. all my friends
8. 4L
9. asmr
10. good day
11. gun smoke
12. break da law
13. pad lock
14. can’t leave without it 
15. a&t

Standout TracksAdding to Playlist:

• a lot 
• ball w/o you
• monster

a lot starts off the album with an introspective song about pain and loss; especially relationship wise. He wear a little bit about 21s success and what he did to get to where he is today. J. Cole is on this song with a really nice feature where he talks about the music industry and how fake some people are. I really enjoy J. Coles music and style and thought that his relaxed delivery fit very well here. I thought this was a strong start to the album and somewhat sets the tone for what there is to come on this album. 

break da law immediately switches up the vibe into a harder song where we hear about gang life, violence, and east Atlanta where 21 grew up. I liked this song, but thought it wasn’t as strong as the opener. I suppose it would be pretty tough for any song to follow it up though.

a&t stands for ass and titties and is the next song on the album. I personally didn’t like the instrumental on this song where he talks about sex, money, and how he likes his women natural. There is something undeniably catchy about the production though which offers a bit of redemption to the track for me. 

out for the night is a more chilled out and features a relaxed guitar in the mix. In this song he talks about how he’s a loyal guy in relationships which I liked, but also thinks it’s a funny follow up to a&t. It seems he likes numerous women, but once he’s in a relationship he won’t cheat. This song had a really nice instrumental that I enjoyed more than anything I think. 

gun smoke is a song about guns as you’d guess from the title, but I liked the story that he tells about it rather than just flaunting it as you hear all too often. He talks fairly in depth about how he needs a gun and can’t put it down because he always needs it with him. This paints a rather bleak image of Atlanta, but I think is an important reality to point out. This song also features whispering ad libs which I’ve never heard before so I found that pretty interesting and creative. 

1.5 is a song that’s less lyrically important and just more of a banger on the album. On this song he talks a lot about money and women in a somewhat generic way that you’d expect, but this song is so catchy I find that it’s still a very good song despite the simplicity. I find a lot of the time the instrumental with a lot of music, not just this album, makes it breaks a song so a strong beat can save a song. 

all my friends is a very relaxed and more emotional cut where he hear about how he lost friends by focusing on money and success. Now that he’s found success he find that’s he’s surrounded by fake friends that just want his money. This feels like a very heartfelt track and is interesting to see on the same album as songs like a&t. I think it shows how versatile he can be within a single project and the diversity of topics he can talk about to keep things fresh and interesting.

can’t leave without it is another song where he talks about about how he’s not able to leave anywhere without a gun. This song has a more creeping and crawling track with a low piano and flute instrumental. He talks a bit about money and how he’s not going to take your shit. I’m not the biggest Lil Baby or Gunna fan but still felt they fit well on this track. It was interesting to hear a bit more about this topic. 

asmr is a quiet and fairly relaxed track as the title would suggest. Despite the relaxed vibe there’s still a somewhat energetic but low key synth backing the i strident always. This song also features whispering on the chorus as we hear about violence in Atlanta. The biggest takeaway from this song is that 21 has honor and doesn’t have time for people that are fake or fronting. 

ball w/o you is another more emotional song where he talks about relationships that failed for one reason or another. I really liked the bars about how he would rather have loyalty than love because you can love someone but not have their back. It seems the problem with the relationship he’s talking about is that the woman wasn’t loyal to him so now he has to ball without her. There’s also a high pitched singing bridge was very interesting to hear since normally you wouldn’t think of 21 Savage as a singer. I think he was really pushing himself creatively on this album and it showed. 

good day is another song that talks about gun violence, but twists it by albums how it’s a good day when he doesn’t have to shoot anybody. I thought this was the perfect track for ScHoolboy Q to hop on since it has the grimy street vibe that he portrays in a lot of his music. 

pad lock is yet another emotional song about he put a pad lock on his heart which has turned into a central theme across the album. On this song he he talks quite a bit about how his heart is cold now, street life, and how he chases money. This song is very relaxed, a lot more so than a lot of other songs on this album. 

monster takes a different approach to success and talks about how money and the fame changes people. I absolutely loved this production and the Childish Gambino feature was absolutely perfect since he sounds great on this. I really liked the clapping on the chorus as well since it emphasizes every syllable. Overall this song is easily one of my favorites on here.  

letter 2 my momma is the final emotional track where he talks all about his appreciation for his mother. He notes how his his dad was never around and really pours his heart out over this almost m trap/ballad mixed beat. He also talks about his gang involvement and how he wasn’t always the best to her, but now he regrets doing all these things and putting her through all that. Despite this his mom was always there for him which is rather sweet. 

4L is the final song on the project where we hear about his murderous lifestyle, guns, and wealth. This song features a lonely beat and also includes 21 talking about how people make up fake stories to sound hard in their songs. He assures that everything he talks about is real and that he wouldn’t make anything up just to sound or act hard. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 8.75

Imperial is the sophomore album by Denzel Curry, originally released for free on March 9, 2016 through Caroline Records& Loma Vista Recordings

Overall I really enjoyed this album and think it shows a good mix of his harder flows that you get on projects such as 32 Zel and also a few of the melodic flows that you hear on Ta13oo, despite this coming out between those two projects. You have songs like Story: No Title that feature relentless aggressive flows, songs like Good Night that are more happy go lucky and uptempo, and songs like If Tomorrow’s Not Here that show Denzel’s ability to tell a story from another persons perspective over a more slow and crawling beat. All of these have great lyricism and a unique style that make Denzel so much fun to listen to. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll end up saying it again, but Denzel is one of the most versatile artists I’ve heard so far with his ability to blend and mix styles and make it all seem so effortless and rock them all. I like this album more than 32 Zel for the differences between songs, but it’s hard to top Ta13oo for me since that really showcases Denzel at his creative and introspective maximum. But then again what I like so much about Denzel is that he can music for everyone whether it’s turn up tracks or deeper introspective songs, dance cuts, aggressive songs, he has it all. All in all I think Imperial really showcases what Denzel can do with the mic and is a very solid 10 song collection. 

Personal Ranking:

1. If Tomorrow’s Not Here (ft. Twelve’len)
2. Good Night (ft. Twelve’len & Nell)
3. Story: No Title
4. Zenith (ft. Joey Bada$$)
5. Gook
6. ULT
7. Knotty Head
8. Me Now
9. Sick & Tired
10. This Life

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Good Night (ft. Twelve’len & Nell)
• If Tomorrow’s Not Here (ft. Twelve’len)
• Story: No Title

ULT starts the album off with a darker feel with low down bass, strings, and scattered synths. On this song he talks about being the black metal terrorist which I thought was interesting since this is the persona he adopts in the third part of Ta13oo. He also talks about how ULT is a way of life on this song and how it represents something bigger. 

Gook originally threw me off due to the title, but Denzel actually elaborated in this and day that gook means odd or not with the crowd and is slang from Carol City/Florida where he’s from. He talks about being different as the title would suggest and uses a hard flow. Despite being so different he says that he still keeps it realer than most people which shows how being different isn’t a bad thing and it’s fine to be yourself. 

Sick & Tired features two skits in this somewhat of an interlude. The two skits take us through the mind of hood life from someone lower down and also from a rich thug that has more. He talks about hood struggles on this song and the outro sets up the next track by talking about “knotty headed ass niggas out here”.

Knotty Head has a bit more of a delirious sound as he talks about how he had to live a life of crime and was forced into it because of where he live. Fellow Carol City native Rick Ross jumps on the track for the final verse, and also includes a beat switch for the last 20 seconds which makes it a bit more uptempo. 

Me Now is a more emotionally song about how loving hurts him. He says that he’s transformed to the worst him on this darker track. There’s lots of biblical and religious themes throughout this songs which show a bit of inspiration in his life. 

Story: No Title is a song that focuses on the story of his life. The point of giving his story without the title is so you have to listen and not prejudge him which I thought was interesting. In this song he also tells a story of a generic kid. Denzel comes with a harder flow in this song and my favorite line has to be “How the fuck the rap game become a beauty pageant?”  I thought this was great since a lot of people constantly flaunt their designer clothes but Denzel wants to talk about something realer and less superficial.

This Life is a much more chilled out where he talks about how he’s struggling to balance his relationships and rap career. He thinks he changed recently and explores those ideas in this more introspective. He also touched on trust issues and questioning who’s lying to him. These trust issues are also talked about on other songs. 

Zenith is a collaboration with Joey Badass and is a fun and braggadocios track. It has a boom bap east coast feel and fuses Joeys style and Denzel’s style really well on the production. The title, Zenith, refers to the highest point reached by a celestial object so Denzel and Joey are saying they’re on top. This was something I definitely had to look up since zenith isn’t in my vocabulary. Overall I thought this was a very well made collaboration track. 

Good Night has the most positive vibes vibes in the album as he talks about how he wants everybody to have a good night despite all the bullshit that goes on in life. The general message is that it’s all good and you shouldn’t let anything bother you at the end of the day. Denzel comes with a very energetic flow and puts some very solid features on this song as well which elevates in a bit in my eyes. 

If Tomorrow’s Not Here is the final song where he talks about writing down his worst fears so he leaves something behind if he ends up dying before tomorrow comes. This song has a very crawling and chilling vibe which I really enjoyed the guitar. On this song Denzel raps from the perspective of a prisoner which I really liked creatively. This song feels like a really nice closer by slowing things down a bit and giving a more chilling vibe and something to think about as the album fades out. In the outro Denzel shouts out his friends in jail and people he’s lost which I thought was a nice touching moment to end the album with. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 9/10

Under Pressure is Logic’s debut studio album, his first as a signee of Def Jam Recordings.

Overall I really liked this album and thought it had a lot of standout tracks that really define Logics sound and sense of self. It’s easy to see why people don’t like his recent music as much when he used to put out albums like this that felt much more masterfully crafted and dense. Songs like Gang Related and Growing Pains III give you a first hand look into the streets of the neighborhood he grew up in and the gruesome realities he had to face. While songs like Buried Alive and Nikki really focus on his personal problems of feeling launched into the industry and being buried in it all sense it’s so new and conversely talking about his nicotine addiction as the personification of a woman which is a theme across in the form of the woman Nikki. I really enjoyed the penultimate title track which is a nine minute, 5 verse song where we really hear about all the different things that cause him to feel under pressure and suffocated by problems. I loved that each verse is dedicated to a different aspect of his life, and yet he seems to rise above it all and find his place in life and the music industry in the song Till The End. All in all I’d have to place this as my second favorite Logic album I’ve reviewed with The Incredible True Story being number one due to how tight it felt. This album feels slightly less refined but that’s to be expected as this is first big studio project. I think for what it’s worth and what it was trying to achieve it did a great job and was a very solid project. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Under Pressure
2. Gang Related
3. Till The End
4. Soul Food
5. Metropolis 
6. Growing Pains III
7. Buried Alive
8. Nikki
9. Bounce
10. Intro
11. I’m Gone
12. Never Enough

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Under Pressure 
• Gang Related 
• Soul Food

Intro starts the album off with a lone piano instrumental which strings slowly enter into. In this brief intro Logic talks about the pressures he faces as an artist, reminisces on how he used to wonder what it feels like to have success, and how it feels  now that he’s found success. The outro to this song is a spoken word piece by the same voice as the ships AI in TITS and says that she’ll be here throughout the album to give information about it.  

Soul Food is the first song that we get a first hand look into his life as a child, and has an instrumental that carries a more gritty and panicked vibe. In this he tells the story of his childhood and the struggles he and his family faced, showing early on he was under pressure. There’s a second half beat switch that makes the track much more aggressive as we hear about the music industry and the new pressures he has to face with making music. This was an interesting brief synopsis of his life that is then delved deeper into with other songs. 

I’m Gone sort of gives me TITS vibes since it’s pretty similar production wise, but of course this album came first so I suppose TITS sounds like this song. In this song he talks about finding new inspirations and not talking about basic rapper bullshit that a lot of people are already talking about, he wants to talk about his own life and experiences. The spoken word outro says that putting a single out before an album is like putting out a trailer for a movie you haven’t shot yet which is a really interesting way to think about it. In this way it really shows how this is a concept album and you can’t really get a feel for how it’s going to be by just putting out one song. 

Gang Related talks all about gang culture and desperation over a very dark and gritty instrumental. Logic describes a very vivid story ranging from his perspective as a child about what was going on, and from the perspective of his brother who was in a gang and how he saw life. This song also features an insanely fast flow in the second verse that is told from his brothers perspective. The main takeaway is that people are so entrenched in gang life that they’ll do anything to keep it up since it’s all they have at that point. 

Buried Alive is a lot slower than the previous song, and we hear about how Logic feels buried alive by all the pressure he’s under in his life. He questions if he even wants to famous since everything changes once you get fame. He feels so rushed into this new life that the weight of it all feels like he’s being buried alive. I liked the concept of this song and think it’s important in showing that fame doesn’t solve all your problems. The outro talks about all his different inspirations for the album which range from other albums to movies by Tarantino. 

Bounce is a lot more upbeat and has a 90s feel to it somewhat. He talks about how he has been making music way before the fame in this more light and fun song. It shows how he tries to stay true to himself and now have fame change him, a big theme of this album. The outro talks about different places the album was recorded. 

Growing Pains III has the same sort of creeping vibes as Gang Related but in a lot more low key way. He talks about his struggles growing up again which include a lot of peer pressure. The second verse is a bit more of a breakdown as the beat calms down and almost turns to a spoken word piece. He notes that all he really wanted was a stable home life and he tried to live this through TV shows that showed that life, but as soon as the shows over and the TV is off he’s back in a living hell of his current life. The outro says that Logic has recorded 1700 songs but only 150 have been released at the time of this album. 

Never Enough is a more chilled out song about how the the life that he’s living is never enough. I thought it’s clear to see how ambitious he is as he raps on a short single verse, but it’s also interesting how this could be a take on addiction to anything in life and how what you have is never enough. That would be an interesting juxtaposition to how he says he doesn’t want to be changed by fame, but perhaps he’s grown addicted to this lifestyle after getting a taste of success. The outro talks about how the album was created over the span of a year but it was all recorded in the span of a few weeks.

Metropolis has the same drum pattern as Sing About Me I’m Dying of Thirst by Kendrick Lamar which I found somewhat interesting. This song is also relaxed and talks a bit about the come up and a bit about his life before success. He talks about how he did it on his own and didn’t sell his soul to the music industry. There’s lots of driving and car imagery in third verse which I found pretty creative, and also includes an Interlude about Tarantino which he said was an inspiration in a previous song. The outro here talks about the original members of the Rattpack which is a group Logic is associated with. 

Nikki reveals that the Nikki he’s been occasionally talking about across the album is actually a personification of nicotine. He talks about how he’s addicted to nicotine, but also briefly talks about marijuana as well but how he went back to cigarettes. He says that he feels like he’s a slave to his addiction which is a sad thought, but I believe he no longer has that addiction. The outro talks about how all handwriting done on the album artwork is done by Big Lenbo, a member of the Rattpack. 

Under Pressure is the penultimate and title track to the album that is nine minutes long. On this song he talks about all the different pressures from his life which we’ve been hearing about throughout the album which range from peer pressure, to family issues, to addiction. The first verse focuses on peer pressure, and the second verse is about blowing up and the rap game. The third verse signals a switch and is a message from his sister that tried to call him but he’s too busy to pick up the phone. She talks about the problems she’s having with her relationship and life in general and how she just wants to talk to him about it. The fourth verse is his dad calling him as well where it originally sounds like he just wants to catch up with Logic, but he ends up asking for money. However, the call cuts out at the end because he takes so long with his message which is both comical and sad. There’s an interlude in the middle that is an actual message from his brother just wanting to catch up and talk about problems with their dad and his new girlfriend. Verse five is Logics response to everyone and he says how he’s sorry he’s been so busy and unable to catch up with them which is sad. After this verse the song ends with an actual message from his dad about missing Logics response call from being in an AA meeting and paints him in a more positive light where he says he loves his son. I thought this track was super interesting as you see the different pressure that all of his family is under when they contact him, but in turn this creates more stress on Logic in addition to everything he has going on. This song is beautifully done and is by far my favorite on the album. 

Till The End is a very upbeat, triumphant, and perfect closer. He talks about the brighter side of his life despite all the different things that cause anxiety and make him feel buried by the stress and pressure. He says that although he has a lot of problems he could have more so it’s not that bad. This song features two and half minutes of rapping and then the last two and a half minutes is more of an instrumental airs a few vocal snippets and breakdowns. This song when’s ends with Thalia, the AI, saying this is the conclusion of the Under Pressure program and thus ending the album. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 9.25/10

Man on the Moon: The End of Day is the debut studio album by Kid Cudi, released in 2009 by G.O.O.D. Musicand Universal Motown Records.

I know a lot of people get upset that I give a lot of albums high ratings, but I honestly cannot see myself putting this at anything below a 9. I loved the narrative and story of being inside Kid Cudi’s dreams and getting an inside view at his loneliness and what he feels he needs to do to escape his pain and eventually find happiness. I thought that the final track was absolutely genius with the repeated hook of “wake up” which reminds you that this album is a trip inside his dreams but now that it’s over its time to wake up, but this also plays into the song as he’s waking and baking. The nightmare tracks felt really well spaced and placed which contributed to making this album feel very whole, tight, and thorough. Typically songs are synth heavy but aren’t afraid to stray into piano, guitar, and more experimental sounds and productions which lend to the narrative and atmosphere of the album. Kid Cudi’s breathy and relaxed delivery feels pretty unique and gives him a sound unlike any other. His voice is really lulling and the bonus track Man On The Moon really exemplifies this as do other tracks that end with outright whispering. All in all I found this album very enjoyable and liked the almost night core vibes it gives off. I could see this album being a versatile listen for many different situations. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Up Up & Away
2. Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare) (ft. MGMT & Ratatat)
3. Heart Of A Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music)
4. Day ‘N’ Nite (Nightmare)
5. Soundtrack 2 My Life
6. Cudi Zone
7. Make Her Say (I Poke Her Face) (ft. Kanye West & Common)
8. My World (ft. Billy Craven)
9. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I)
10. Solo Dolo (Nightmare)
11. Alive (Nightmare) (fr. Ratatat)
12. Hyyerr (ft. Chip Tha Ripper)
13. Sky May Fall
14. Simple As…
15. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Up Up & Away
• Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare) (ft. MGMT & Ratatat)
• Heart Of A Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music)

In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem) starts the album off with a very slow and relaxed song. It begins with a slow, sweeping violin that sets up the idea that we’re in his dreams where he has everything he’s ever wanted. Common gives a spoken word introduction to the album on this intro track and explains a bit what we’re in for. 

Soundtrack 2 My Life has very gritty, high reverb guitar chords as we hear about the problems he had growing up. Depression, the death of his father, and suicidal thoughts and the question of how to escape pain are all talked about here and are general them a for the album. 

Simple As… abc, 123. Cudi talks about how keeps things simple and tries to spread positivity without it coming across as corny. I thought this was a nice track, but ranking wise I think this isn’t the most powerful song. Common continues the narrative at the end and tells us that Cudi is in peace, but a dark chapter is about to unfold and he now can’t tell his dreams from reality which hints at disassociating from reality. 

Solo Dolo (Nightmare) introduces the idea of nightmare tracks. Before we were in his peaceful dreams, but now we’ve entered a darker section which is a nightmare track. This is the first nightmare track but certainly isn’t the last. It begins with scarce and lonely piano keys which gives off an ominous and lonely feeling. He talks about escaping reality in his dreams on this song and you really get a sense of the loneliness he’s fine through since he says he is Solo Dolo, hence alone. I found this song to have a really enjoyable instrumental and masterfully produced. 

Heart Of A Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music) starts off with the idea that he will see you in hell but as the song goes on it sounds like he’s talking to himself since in the end he says he won’t be dragged down to hell. He says that he has the heart of a lion which represents courage as we hear about his internal struggles. He says that nobody can stop him from what he’s doing in this more triumphant song. He says he wants help in the first verse, but starts the second by saying he needs no help. This song has a intense chorus where it seems he found his courage to battle his demons and is a very powerful and triumphant song. 

My World is quite different than the previous song since it talks about his depression and how nobody understands him. However he does say that he’s determined to be successful and show everyone that he was able to do it and tell them I told you so. It has a more hopeful sounding chorus in an otherwise darker song. 

Day ‘N’ Nite (Nightmare) is the second nightmare song and has a thumping backing bass. In this song he talks about how he frees his mind at night when he’s alone, and also how he won’t talk about his pain here. There’s a beat switch in the third verse which distorts the instrumental and makes it more dynamic and almost like a living and breathing song which I found both impressive and engaging. 

Sky Might Fall has a synth heavy production as he talks about searching for inner peace. He says that the sky might fall but he’s not worried. It really seems he has some bipolar thoughts at this point in the album since there’s some more doom and gloom type tracks, but there’s also a sense of just not caring and not being worried. This may be a part of his depression since a big part of that is just feeling nothing, not necessarily feeling sad. 

Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I) is a much more upbeat song about convincing a girl to do shrooms of all things. This song is more of a dance cut as we hear about getting high and exploring his thoughts with this girl. This seems to be one of his ways to escape his depression and struggles. The narrative in the outro says that Cudi is now trapped in his new peaceful reality in his psychedelic state which makes this feel overall more like a nightmare style song despite saying he’s at peace, but perhaps it’s also just used to setup the next song. 

Alive (Nightmare) is the their nightmare track where he talks about how he becomes alive and is truly himself at night. This seems to build off of either doing shrooms or other drugs. If this is told as one narrative then this track would be the results of him getting high in the previous one which makes sense. I liked the sliding guitar loop in this prowling instrumental mix as well. 

Cudi Zone is a song about how he’s in his zone yet it feels a bit more frantic. He talks about staying high in this song with more hopeful strings that makes it feel like more of a feel good cut. It seems this is a continuation of the drugs he took in the last two tracks and now he’s feeling better.

Make Her Say samples and acoustic version Poker Face which was pretty interesting and clever since in the song he’s talking about a girl sucking his dick in a pretty lyrical way. He makes the girl moan somewhat when he pokes her face with his dick (poke her face/poker face, get it?) Kanye is on this song and talks about his apparent love for college girls. Common has a verse on this song as well and instead of a narrative here he raps about a girl sucking his dick as the general theme is. 

Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare is the fourth and final nightmare song which features the creeping nightmare style production that we’ve gotten used to on this type of track by this point in the album. He talks about living his life and pursuing happiness and his dreams, living life to the fullest, and says that he’ll be fine once he finally gets this happiness. It seems like he’s rejecting the substances he’s been using to cope in the past, but we also somewhat get a look into the mind of an addict. He thinks he’ll be fine once he gets his fix, but much like getting high this may be an endless pursuit where he needs more and more to be happy. That’s the only thing I can draw from this that would make it a nightmare track since otherwise it’s surprisingly happy. 

Hyyerr is a much more lowkey and has a very big, sexy orchestral production. This song is all about smoking weed and is a bit contradictory to the last song but maybe he hasn’t actually rejected substances as a means to be happy. This again shows his internal struggles where just when he thinks he’ll be fine, he snaps back to doing drugs as a mean to escape his pain. 

Up Up & Away is the final track and starts with an acoustic guitar. It’s very uptempo as we hear about how he doesn’t care about people who judge him. He says that he wakes up and smokes weed in this song, and that we’re waking up from his dream that we’ve been in the whole album. This seems like a genius conclusion to me and I was really into the creative aspect of this song and album. Common gives a conclusion to the story of the man on the moon at the end of this track as well which makes this a super solid ending. 

Man On The Moon is the first bonus track and is very relaxed and includes lots of reverb. He says that he doesn’t care what people think about him now since he knows you’ll end up loving him. 

T.G.I.F. has a very different vibe than a lot of songs since it’s a lot more in your face on the chorus. Other than that this is a pretty relaxed with deep synths throughout. 

Is There Any Love? has pretty bare instrumental as he questions if there’s any love in the world. The beat and chorus almost sounds like a sped up field holler which would be a very interesting inspiration, and would make sense in the way that he feels like a slave to his own mind and perhaps a bit to the music industry or people around him which would make him question if there’s any love.

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Overall Rating and Impression: 9.5/10

Smyle is the second commercial mixtape by Kyle. It features guest appearances from Chance the Rapper, Jesse Rutherford and Yuna. It was released through Indie-Pop on October 2, 2015.

Overall I found every single track on this album to be very enjoyable, but I also know that this style of music isn’t for everybody so I remind everyone that these reviews are just my opinion and the ratings are based off of how much I enjoyed them, not by comparing them to anything else or an objective set of standards. That’s being said, I really enjoyed the west coast, California, and totally summery sound that Kyle brings on this album. A lot of the songs are dance cuts which gives Kyle a bit more of a pop sound but he does rap on every track in a way that I really liked. I can see how some people may find his lyrics corny, but I thought a lot of his nerdy references just add to his persona and define who he is and how he’s different. I really enjoy dancing so I really enjoyed the dance/club beats with thumping bass lines that drive a lot of the songs, and the glistening popping synths really remind me of everything summer. I have also seen a lot of this album performed live at my university in 2017 and having memories of the positive and fun vibes of that concert may add to why I enjoy this album so much, so I may be biased on this review in some sort of way, but that really shouldn’t matter as my ratings are based on enjoyment. All in all I think everyone should check out this album if they haven’t already since it brings some of the best summer vibes I can think of, and made for a very enjoyable and entertaining listen throughout. There’s around ten dance cuts, and three more relaxed and chilled out songs so this is definitely something for you if you like more energetic, happy, positive, summery music. 

Personal Ranking:

1. All Alright
2. Dewwutitdoez
3. Really? Yeah!
4. Remember Me? (ft. Chance The Rapper)
5. SuperDuperHero (ft. SuperDuperBrick)
6. Endless Summer Symphony 
7. Don’t Wanna Fall In Love
8. SummetimeSoul
9. All 4 You (ft. Yun-A)
10. @FoundBae (ft. Jesse)
11. The Force
12. Deepest Part Of Me (Interlude)
13. Feels Good

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• All Alright
• Dewwutitdoez
• Really? Yeah!

The Force starts the album off with a deep bass, piano mixed song. The general message of this song is that you have the power to change your life which I thought was a nice message. While this is near the bottom for me ranking wise, this is still a very fun, star wars inspired song.

Feels Good is a lot more laid back, and I’d almost done in a ballad style. There’s a chilled out guitar loop and very shiny poppy synths in the mix throughout. It’s all about how he wants to live happily ever after with his girlfriend and wants to do what he can to make her feel good. 

SummertimeSoul feels like the ultimate summer song, yet has a rather sad but sweet vibe. It’s about how a girl left him, because she doesn’t want commitment and just wants a summertime fling. He talks about how she’ll be forgotten by the winter by whoever she’s with now due to this lack of commitment. This song has short verses, and is more of a dance track. I loved the bass guitar licks and the general funky vibe from this song. 

Don’t Wanna Fall In Love is all about a girl and how he doesn’t want to fall in love with her because he knows he’ll get hurt. I’ve seen this song performed live and I feel like I have to note that it has some amazing choreography live. This song also has kind of a sadder message but the beat is so uptempo and happy it’s easy to miss the obvious title. 

Endless Summer Symphony brings more summer vibes and is definitely a dance track due to the way the beat builds and then drops in the chorus. He talks about how life is an endless summer, and exuded good vibes throughout. 

Really? Yeah! features a more in your face instrumental as Kyle talks about how he’s really the dude and really making moves in life. He talks about how nobody can do it like him, and I really enjoyed the breakdown at the end that makes it more melodic and wavy before snapping back to the harder instrumental.

Deepest Part Of Me (Interlude) is a xylophone heavy interlude about how people seem to be looking through the deepest part of him and don’t see him for all that he is. This song has a really low key and a bit darker nightcore production. 

SuperDuperHero brings the vibe back up with a very upbeat, happy, fun and song. I loved SuperDuperBrick’s feature as we hear about how both of them can be your superhero and rescue you from whatever your situation is. 

All 4 You is more relaxed but still has a dance beat that is a staple throughout the album. It’s done in a ballad style and says that this song is all for his lover. It’s pretty chorus heavy and is a nice love song. Something interesting is that it includes the line “do you want to start the game again?” in the outro which was also in the interlude. I’m guessing that this alludes to his love life and having to start over again since he references love being a game in precious tracks and how he’s too scared to fall in love and be committed. 

Remember Me? is not a dance track which is rare, and is much sadder and emotionally vulnerable. The first verse is about his dad and how he’s never really been there for him, but then how he changed up and came back once Kyle made it. The hook from Chance is gorgeous, it’s a total teaser for a full out Chance and Kyle track could be. The second verse is about a failing relationship, but much like his dad, all of a sudden she loves him again once he made it big.

All Alright is a very positive track about how everything’s going to be fine no matter all the bad things that happen in life. He says that complaining is just a waste of time which I agree with. I think this is a good follow up to the previous track since it really shows his mindset. On the last track he didn’t complain when they showed up in his life again and didn’t call them fake or anything, he simply replied with “huh that’s weird” in a more sarcastic tone. 

Dewwutitdoez brings the vibe way back up from the more relaxed outro of All Alright. In this song there’s lots of shoutouts to Jesus, but after looking into this more he’s definitely shouting out his manager who’s name is Jesus or at least a goes by that. He talks about how he used to be broke but he never let that bother him which really continues the message of All Alright. There’s lots of punchlines in this song and I found it to be super enjoyable. 

@FoundBae ends the album with some very relaxed and chilled out vibes and is the third song done in a ballad style. In this song he seems pretty lustful especially by saying he wants to have a hundred thousand kids and then a hundred thousand more. Despite all this sex he wants to have, he still tries to be respectful though. Looking into the title, apparently there used to be a twitter account with that handle that posted attractive girls accounts that didn’t have very many followers so it mentally made it seem easier to shoot your shot I guess. This account was terminated for violating Twitters user policies, so I wasn’t really able to find much about. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 8.75/10

1999 is the debut mixtape by Bed-Stuy native and Pro Eramember Joey BADA$$, released on June 12, 2012. Upon its release, the mixtape garnered critical acclaim. Many complimented its old-school sound and characterized it as a renaissance of the golden age of hip-hop.

Overall I found this to be a very solid album and an enjoyable listen although sometimes the mixing felt a bit off and it almost sounded like parts of this record were either recorded at different times or locations which made it a little bit less of a seamless listen. However since Joey was born in 1995 and this album was made in 2012 that means that he was only 17 at the time of putting this out which is absolutely incredible since his wordplay and lyricism seem pretty well developed. I liked his more 90s centric style which also definitely stays true to the Brooklyn and New York sound specifically. There’s a handful of callbacks to Nas on this album which I enjoyed seeing him pay homage. There were definitely some tracks that shine better than others which I for me I felt like came down to the mixing that made his voice more prominent and clear instead of a bit buried as it felt on other tracks. The final ten minute, ten verse song really feels like a feat since it was thoroughly engaging and enjoyable to hear from each of the members of the Pro Era collective. It was nice to visit this record 7 years after the release date and for me to relive some memories of the only rap concert I’ve been to at my university two years back which had Joey Badass and Kyle headlining the campus festival, where a few of these songs were performed. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Don’t Front (feat. CJ Fly)
2. Righteous Minds
3. Waves
4. Third Eye Shit / Suspect (Feat. PRO ERA.)
5. World Domination
6. FromdaTomb$ (feat. Chuck Strangers)
7. Snakes (feat. T’nah Apex)
8. Daily Routine
9. Killuminati (feat. Capital STEEZ)
10. Hardknock (feat. CJ Fly)
11. Survival Tactics (feat. Capital STEEZ)
12. Funky Ho’$
13. Pennyroyal
14. Where It’$ At? (Feat. Kirk Knight)
15. Summer Knights

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Don’t Front 
• Righteous Minds 
• Waves

Summer Knights starts the album off with a relaxed vibe utilizing a keyboard and wavy synths. This really sets the tone for the album and was something that I really enjoyed. We can hear a conversation in the back of the mix that moves from ear to ear and we are also introduced to Joeys fantastic lyricism that you can expect across the whole album. 

Waves has an absolutely fantastic instrumental in this song where he talks about the hood, hopes and dreams of success, and reflects on life a bit. I found this song to easily be one of my favorite and was reminiscent of sound of late 90s hip hop a bit stylistically with the boom bap vibes. 

FromdaTomb$ is very jazzy and definitely has the 90s New York vibe. He talks a lot about how he doesn’t like school on this song that also features Chuck Strangers. His feature feels even more 90s that Joeys and also has some really wordplay and delivery that makes this song standout. This was a really great collaboration. 

Survival Tactics starts with air raid sirens which really sets up the message and tone of the song. The vocal mix feels a bit off but overall this songs a big vibe. He talks about the government and police brutality. He and people other young black men in Brooklyn need to adapt to survival tactics just to live in the city as the title suggests. 

Killuminati has a jumpy intro but the track turns much more jazzy as it progresses. On this song he talks about the Pro Era collective, his group comprised of other Brooklyn natives and friends of his. This is the first mention of Pro Era on the album I believe, but certainly not the last as we get a closing track with all of the members on it. 

Hardknock is a song about how he strives for bigger things in life. The third verse really goes on and on and feels long in the best way as Joey touches on multiple topics with great wordplay and delivery. I really enjoyed the songs with linger verses since Joey really does have something to say and I think he executes on that idea really well which is impressive for his young age at which the tape was made. 

World Domination has a fun instrumental and is a short song about taking over the world, presumably the music world with his unique music. I really wish there was more than one verse since this was such a fun song. 

Pennyroyal is a song about a girl that he missed shooting his shot with and features some good story telling. He talks about how he misses her but won’t let her know it which is rather sad and shows the facade that he has to put on to not seem weak in a way. 

Funky Ho’$ is a song primarily about women that want him to have their babies but he doesn’t trust them and wouldn’t let something like that happen. He shouts out the whole Pro Era gang in the outro which reminds me of Illmatic where Nas shouts out all of his friends in the outro of Represent. This is just another moment that made this feel like a 90s project in the best way. 

Daily Routine has a deep bass and is pretty chilled out overall. On this song he talks about how hes not like everyone else and how he put all he had into music. This is a substantial claim since it seems he really dropped everything to pursue music when he could’ve gone any direction. 

Snakes is also chilled out and a very low key song. He talks about people waiting for him to come up just to corrupt him which hints at trust issues as the title would suggest. He also talks about the government being disconnected with youth on this song, and also features a very relaxing hook. 

Don’t Front has similar vibes to FrombaTomb$ but is about a girl. It’s possible that this girl is also just a personification of marijuana, since it seems there’s a lot lots of double entendres. This song has five verses where Joey and CJ Fly take turns going back and forth and was one of my favorites on the album. 

Righteous Minds was a song with a great instrumental that I really loved and is about dignity, how life isn’t easy, and what people use to escape pain. It was really interesting hearing about this different things and I think it’s done in a very descriptive way that made it really enjoyable. 

Where It’$ At? Is the second to last song and has a pretty low key and bare production. The vocals are main focus on this song as we hear about women as Joey utizlies a nonchalant flow. 

Third Eye Shit / Suspect starts with a slow crackly instrumental. On this song we have all of the Pro Era members, and a hook that again reminds me of Represent by Nas since all the members sing it. This song is ten minutes and ten verses as each member takes a turn. The main theme is that they deserve respect, but they rap about a variety of topics overall. The bar about puffing Lye in Joey’s verse was a nice callback to Nas and Life’s A Bitch which solidified the idea that this project feels very Nas, 90s, and New York inspired. 

• 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 4/10

Harverd Dropout is Lil Pump’s debut album and the follow-up to his eponymous debut mixtape. 

Coming into this album I had very low expectations, but coming out I surprisingly feel like while this was a bad album it wasn’t unlistenable and actually has some unique and redeeming qualities. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t songs on here that are entertaining, but I don’t think it’s because they’re good but it’s in the same vain as not being able to look away from a train wreck. Pump has absolutely outrageous lyrics, but it’s clear he’s just trying to make fun music and I do think that he succeeds at that. A lot of the tracks do bump pretty hard, but I really can’t see myself returning to this unless I want a good laugh since I did audibly laugh at a lot of songs. My favorite lyric off the album might be “I don’t know that bitch, but I know her stripper name (Patricia)” because it’s so ridiculous and the Patricia ad lib is the most absurd stripper name.  This album includes the song Vroom Vroom Vroom which might be the biggest abomination that music has ever heard, but the instrumental in Stripper Name is a close second. The line “I gave lean to a newborn baby” is outright outrageous while other lines like “white rice, Fortnite, pew pew pew pew, red light” and “my house maid is really thick, my house maid is really thick, she finna go clean my house, then she finna suck my dick” and “I’m a millionaire, but I don’t know how to read, I’m a role model that these kids wanna be” really show the wit and lyricism you can expect across the album. All in all I think this album is pretty bad, but has redeeming production on most of the songs that make it a fun yet very stupid album. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Racks on Racks
2. Drug Addicts
3. ESSKEETIT
4. ION (ft. Smokepurpp)
5. Be Like Me (ft. Lil Wayne)
6. Butterfly Doors
7. Fasho Fasho (ft. Offset)
8. I Love It (ft. Kanye West)
9. Off White
10. Multi Millionaire (ft. Lil Uzi Vert)
11. Drop Out
12. Too Much Ice (ft. Quavo)
13. Nu Uh
14. Who Dat
15. Stripper Name (ft. YG & 2 Chainz)
16. Vroom Vroom Vroom

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Racks on Racks

Drop Out starts the album with a  deep bass and building synth that resets at a certain tone once it reaches it in a simple progression. This little loop is used for the whole song where he talk about how he dropped out and got rich. Not a terrible amount of substance to this song, but it’s half decent party anthem wise. 

Nu Uh is another song about how he dropped out of school and how life is good now that he’s made it. This song had a really strange beat and even weirder synths that I found pretty off putting as well. 

I Love It is admittedly catchy but god knows why Kanye decides to be on this. This is a ridiculous song about fucking hoes, and makes me think Kanye only got on this for the $ since he brings enough clout on his own. 

ION is a song about how he does a whole lotta drugs. It contains the lyric “I gave lean to a newborn baby” which is fairly disturbing, but based on a lot of things he says I doubt (and really hope) it’s not true. I kinda like the instrumental which is one of the biggest redeeming factors for a lot of the songs since they’re often very catchy, but the lyrics are utter trash. 

Fasho Fasho is a wildly simply song about money and sex. I really don’t have much to say about this song, but the Offset feature was slightly entertaining and made it stand out a bit in the sea of mediocre songs in here. 

Racks on Racks almost has a Travis Scott type beat which I really enjoyed. He talk about money, drugs, sex, and clothes- the typical recurring themes. I found this song to be very catchy and easily my favorite on the album. 

Off White is a bass synth heavy sing that is almost entirely comprised of the chorus which is “Off-White, alright”. This song is mildly annoying and really didn’t stand out much. 

Butterfly Doors is a song about his Lamborghini with butterfly doors. There was an interesting line about how he pisses on money (is interesting the right word?) in this song that was pretty catchy but terrible lyrically. The instrumental goes a bit long at the end but other than that I found this song a bit better than most on here. 

Too Much Ice is a song about jewelry and features a muddy bass. Besides the muddy bass is also features the second verse from Quavo. That verse really reminded me of how ad libs can be done well compared to Lil Pumps which are pretty dull. 

Multi Millionaire is a song about how he woke up a millionaire. Lil Uzi is on this song but his verse sounds very bad and poorly mixed. I thought there was way too much auto tune even for Uzi which is really saying something. 

Vroom Vroom Vroom is one of the only songs that made me say “what the fuck” since it is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. It’s a deep bass driven track about absolutely nothing except his car perhaps, but overall this has to be one of the worst songs I have ever heard. It’s incredibly annoying and sounds very half assed. 

Be Like Me almost sounds like it interpolates I Love It and talks about how everyone wants to be like him. He says he he’s a millionaire but doesn’t know how to read, yet claims to be a role model which makes entirely zero sense. I am deeply worried for today’s youth if their role model can’t read and gives lean to babies. I liked Lil Wayne’s verse on here and found it to be a redeeming quality for the song, as well as the catchy beat. 

Stripper Name is a song about strippers as you might be able to guess. The line “I don’t know that bitch, but I know her stripper name (Patricia)” made me laugh out loud since what the hell kind of stripper name is Patricia? Normally you’d expect something like Black Diamond or Scarlett, or anything remotely sexier than Patricia. This song has a rather annoying instrumental that made it not very enjoyable. 

Drug Addicts has an almost deranged carnival sound to it and is about doing all the drugs. This is a terrible message but I’ll be damned if it isn’t catchy. 

ESSKEETIT is one of the most fun and bouncy songs on the album with a synth and keys mix. While the lyrics are nothing special (as none of the songs are), this song is rather catchy and fun. 

Who Dat is the final song and has a more low key and creeping vibe. It has a slower flow where it sounds like he’s either dying or asleep which honestly made this feel like a pretty bad closer. I get what he was going for, but I feel like it was poorly executed. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 8.25/10

Damn is the fourth studio album by Kendrick Lamar. It was released on April 14, 2017, by Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records and Top Dawg Entertainment

Overall I think this is a very well made album with some interesting ideas, but I don’t know if it’s because I’ve come to expect more out of Kendrick or if it’s something else but I can’t help but feel like this album is sort of missing the X factor that is Kendrick Lamar. The production is a lot more low key and tending towards more experimental on some tracks, and Kendrick does come through with very good bars on all of the songs. It’s interesting how a lot of the titles juxtapose each other such as Love and Lust, Pride and Humble, and Fear and God to a certain extent. There’s a lot of biblical references in the titles and in the lyrics as Kendrick explores sort of society as a whole, how we’re all damned, and for the first three tracks taking shots at Fox News for completely missing his point on his song Alright from his 2015 work To Pimp A Butterfly. There were six tracks that really jumped out at me, and the rest really just left me wanting a bit more and didn’t give me the same awe struck feeling I’ve gotten from Kendrick’s music in the past which makes it hard to judge this album. All in all it was an enjoyable album, but I think it’s missing that level of cohesion and immersion which is what really makes Kendrick stick out to me. I like the idea that you can play the tracks in reverse order to get a different story as alluded to in the outro of the last track, but that doesn’t really change the sense of immersion and cohesion that I feel would elevate this project. This project feels more experimental for Kendrick but is still an enjoyable listen. 

Personal Ranking:

1. HUMBLE.
2. DUCKWORTH.
3. FEAR.
4. DNA.
5. PRIDE.
6. XXX. FEAT. U2.
7. LOYALTY. FEAT. RIHANNA.
8. FEEL.
9. ELEMENT.
10. GOD.
11. LOVE. FEAT. ZACARI.
12. LUST.
13. YAH.
14. BLOOD.

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• HUMBLE.
• DUCKWORTH.
• FEAR.

BLOOD. opens the album and introduces ideas of wickedness and weakness and the back and forth struggle Kendrick faces. There’s lots of juxtapositions in titles to further this topic wise. At the end of this song Kendrick gets shot by a blind woman after trying to help her and overall I thought this made for a good intro. At the end we also hear Fox News tearing his song Alright apart for being harmful and damaging to black youth which shows that they completely missed the point of that song and sets up the idea of Kendrick vs Fox News. 

DNA. has a driving bass line and feels like a response to Fox News in a way. This song celebrates black community and uncles a Fox News sample again showing they missed the point of his music. The beat switch at the end turns the beat heavy and combines it with muddy bass to make a really pounding instrumental.

YAH is very relaxed and is the final song that calls out Fox New. He actually calls out an anchor by name and says that they’re just using him for views, percentages, money. I liked how relaxed yet in your face it was to Fox News, but overall this track was a bit too slow and sleepy for me and felt like it was missing what makes Kendrick special. 

ELEMENT is more uptempo and a song where he asserts his dominance. By his own proclamation he makes everything look sexy whether it be slapping someone, or stepping out of his car. I liked the instrumental due to the interesting keys and synths. These more of less dropped and made for a more bare beat in the third verse which was also interesting. He also mentions that nobody is praying for him in this track which turns into a bit of a trope. 

FEEL. furthers the idea that nobodies praying for him in this more introspective song. He talks about self doubt a lot on this song and starts nearly every bar with “I feel like”. The chorus is about how everyone wants him to pray for them but nobodies praying for him. I thought this song was pretty creative and well executed, but again couldn’t help but feel like he’s punching below his weight on this song and album. 

LOYALTY. stood out to immediately due to the reversed audio and stuttery sample which I really liked. He talks about loyalty in relationships in this song as he and Rihanna go back and forth. They also talk about different things people are loyal to and to what extent they’re loyal. I thought this was a good collaboration and made for an overall enjoyable song. In the outro Rihanna says it’s so hard to be humble which sets up the next song PRIDE.

PRIDE. starts with the idea that loves gonna get you killed, but prides gonna be the death of everyone. This song had more experimental and shaky vocals on the chorus which was interesting, and in the verse Kendrick pitches his voice up and down. This song has pleasing guitar chords as we hear about Kendrick talk about a perfect world but also how a perfect world could never exist. He explores his prideful side in this song which is interesting as we hear about it a bit more in the next song but also about being humble which is another juxtaposition. 

HUMBLE. is by far the hardest track and is rather braggadocios on the verses but it seems like he’s reminding himself to be humble on the chorus. This song was a major hit off the album and it’s clear why. It’s a really fun and energetic song, while we get some more emotional and slower cuts on the rest of the album. 

LUST sets up the juxtaposition between the next song LOVE as we hear about typical rapper things. The instrumental sweeps from ear to ear in the intro and features string synths in the second verse which made for a very interesting production overall, complete with reversed audio snippets. This song wasn’t bad, but in the scope of the album I felt like it was a bit less in depth than a lot of the others and could’ve been more for me, but a lot of people enjoy this track as well which is good. 

LOVE.  is done in a more relaxing, slightly ballad style. He talks about how he wants to be loved. This song has a catchy chorus done by Zacari, and is one of the more melodic songs on the album. I personally liked the more energetic and upbeat songs on the album, so personally this ranks in the bottom half of songs, but it is still done well. 

XXX.  continues the political and religious themes we’ve heard across the album so far. It feels more 90s style from the record scratching sounds in the first half. The beat switch into second verse incorporates a hard flow and a start stop beat to emphasize his words. He again talks about people asking him to pray for them but how nobody prays for him. He shows a lot of animosity and anger towards police about brutality as well and says that if someone touches his family they’re getting killed. There’s another beat switch into the third verse which is a lot more smooth with the new jazzy instrumental. I think I would’ve liked the song better if there wasn’t this switch, but creatively it’s pretty interesting and a very Kendrick Lamar thing to include. 

FEAR. has a slower beat and a scarce guitar loop. The bridge is done in two parts, first in normal audio and then reversed audio which was interesting. In the first verse Kendrick speaks from the perspective of being a seven year old child and getting his ass beat as a scare tactic for behaving which is the first fear he has. In the second verse he talks about the ways he’ll probably die which is largely related to gang violence at the age of 17. This is not only his perspective but also from everyone in the hood in Compton since these struggles aren’t unique to him. In the third verse he’s 27 or his current age and his new fear is being judged, losing creativity, and committing all the sins he mentions in his other songs. He actually names 7 of the tracks during the fourth verse and heavily alludes to the rest without directly naming them which is genius. In the outro he talks about why everyone is damned, and we also get the resolution of the idea of nobody praying for Kendrick. At the end his grandmother calls him and says that she’s praying and has been praying for Kendrick in the end which is a nice conclusion. 

GOD. Is another more somewhat braggadocios song where he says what he’s accomplished must be what God feel like. He talks about his accomplishments in the first verse, but the second verse has similar themes to Mortal Man on TPAB since he reminds others they’re not Gods. This track of fairly upbeat but slightly laid back so it makes for pretty easy listening and is a catchy song. 

DUCKWORTH. is the most lyrical track where he tells the story of Anthony, the founder of Kendricks label TDE. There’s a beat switch from the intro and also an alternate beat that’s switched back and forth to through the verse. The story reaches its climax when Anthony robs a chicken restaurant, but not before he became friends with one worker who gave him free food. When he robbed it he decided not to kill this worker since he’d been giving him free food and had been chill with him. At the end it is revealed that this man is Kendrick’s dad. This was a plot twist that initially blew my mind and was my favorite moment on the album. It ends by talking about the implications of the shooting and how Kendrick wouldn’t be here and Anthony wouldn’t be as successful without Kendrick on the label if Anthony would’ve shit Kendrick’s dad. This song ends with a gun shot and reversed audio which is actually the intro track sped. I thought this was a great closer and really wrapped the album up nicely. It showed Kendrick’s genius but also reminded of why the entire album could’ve been and what I would’ve liked it to be more like.