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Overall Rating and Impression: 8/10

Acid Rap is Chance’s second mixtape and gave him a nation-wide recognition. It was the number one spot of Rolling Stone’s 10 Best Mixtapes of 2013and it even landed at the No. 63 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chartafter being sold by unauthorized retailers.

This mixtape feels very fun overall but still manages to talk about a lot of problems that face Chicago and things that Chance has had to deal with in the past such as watching his friend die in the song Acid Rain. A few of the songs felt a bit like throwaways and purely for fun which I can appreciate, when it comes to throwaway tracks I feel like Chance did a great job in keeping them fun and still something you can put in rotation. I’ve definitely seen a few throwaways that are forgettable but Chance escapes that pit fall in my opinion.  There were a few songs that really shone production wise such as Good Ass Intro and Chain Smoker that I really enjoyed. There were a few songs with more simple production but I feel like the overall energy Chance brought to this mixtape masks that. It’s clear that there’s somewhat of a gospel and church influence on this tape from the sounds of church organs, choir backing vocals, and heavy religious themes on some songs that I found very interesting. Chances life seems very juxtaposed to these influences and he knows it but at the end of the day as he says in the outro, everything’s good. Overall I really enjoyed this project for the joy Chance exudes, his delivery, wordplay, and alliterations really shine on this project. I look forward to hearing more from him in the future, and checking out his other projects. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Good Ass Intro (ft. BJ The Chicago Kid, Lili K., Kiara Lanier, Peter Cottontale, Will for the O’mys, & JP Floyd for Kids These Days)
2. Juice
3. Chain Smoker
4. Favorite Song (ft. Childish Gambino)
5. Cocoa Butter Kisses (ft. Vic Mensa & Twista)
6. Smoke Again (ft. Ab-Soul)
7. Acid Rain
8. Everything’s Good (Good Ass Outro)
9. Pusha Man/Paranoia (ft. Nate Fox & Lili K.)
10. Interlude (That’s Love)
11. Everybody’s Something (ft. Saba & BJ The Chicago Kid)
12. Lost (ft. Noname Gypsy)
13. NaNa (ft. Action Bronson)

Good Ass Intro starts off the mixtape with some of the best vibes on the project. I loved the piano, it feels soulful all in all. Chance’s voice is fun and the rhyme scheme and wordplay is crazy. The alliterations are also a big piece of Chance’s style and something I love artificially. It really is a good ass intro to this tape. 

Pusha Man/Paranoia is a lot more chilled out than the intro. I liked the chorus or Pusha Man and the way that the track sis plot into two parts. There’s a very abrupt stop and complete silence as the tracks shifts into Paranoia. This half is very different in topic and talks about his city, murdering or kids, Chicago’s gun violence, and majorly about how nobody talks about it. The beat switches to a much more sad style for the breakdown and features a distorted piano or organ type synth. The line “everybody dies in the summer” is especially sad and highlights the problems Chicago faces. 

Cocoa Butter Kisses also sounds sadder than the majority of tracks and features a church organ synth. This song is reminiscent of growing up and Chance is back with crazy some world play, a fun rhyme scheme, and full of alliterations. He talks about losing innocence with cigarettes in the hook and how he misses the affection he used to get from his mother. Vic Mensa’s verse is heavy with a crossing the bar style as he goes across it with almost every bar. A key topic in this song is about being addicted to drugs and gets a little more energetic with Twistas verse which is crazy. 

Juice brings energy back into the tape with a beat composed of a janky piano paired with a guitar. This song reminds me of  the intro style wise, and is all about having the “juice” and being respected. This song is full of punchlines which made it enjoyable throughout. 

Lost tones down the energy again with an acoustic guitar, deep bass and the general sound of a ballad. Chance talks about forbidden love almost like Romeo and Juliet, except this relationship seems more to be with drugs than with another person. I loved Noname’s voice and sound on this track, I felt inspired to check her out after hearing this feature. 

Everybody’s Something has a somethings crackling instrumental and is all about self worth and how everybody is something and nobody is nothing. This track has good wordplay and a more relaxed production which is pretty simple. I liked the vibe and message of this track overall. 

Interlude (That’s Love) is the midpoint if the tape and has a church organ which further shows Chance’s influences sonically. This interlude is all about how love is better than material things or fame. I thought it made for a good interlude as it adds to the development of themes across the whole mixtape. 

Favorite Song brings back the good vibes in the first half and feels fun. It has a simple bumpy guitar and excited vocals. I liked Childish Gambino’s verse and thought these two came together for a good duo on this track. 

NaNa has a simple bass guitar line throughout the track, and has many interesting sounds in the mix and production. The hook seems lazy and fun as is the whole vibe of the song. While it’s a fun song, it places towards the bottom for me personally. 

Smoke Again features more horns as we heard in previous songs such as the intro, and has a deep pitched down voice for hook the hook. This is a feel good song about smoking, sneaking in the club, and living life. I laughed when Ab Soul tried Chance’s signature ad lib and you can hear him saying “did I get/hit that?” in the mix. 

Acid Rain is another chilled out but fun track that has slightly more complex production than most songs on the mixtape. It features a lot of wordplay, and is very introspective in talking about his life and the things around him including family, friends, and religion. 

Chain Smoker has a complex production which I enjoyed, espies ally the traveling hi hat from ear to ear. This song is about making an enjoyable song to dance to which it does perfectly. The line about being having an “introspective drugged our standpoint” perfectly sums up Chance and this album, I couldn’t have said it better myself. The bridge is fun and so is the entire track, I found this to be one of the more enjoyable songs. 

Everything’s Good (Good Ass Outro) rounds up the mixtape and starts with a phone conversation between Chance and his dad. This is a very wholesome and supportive conversation which brings the tape to a nice close. I liked fast to slow slow vocal pacing and the orchestral sounds. The outro to this song is two minutes and has parts of a few songs on the project. It’s split into a two parts and pauses at some pint and then goes to a single bass that continues the outro. This song ends with how the Intro starts which could potentially loop if you put this mixtape on repeat. I found this to be a good choice stylistically and made me want to start the mixtape over and give it another listen with a new perspective. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 9.5/10

Conceived during West’s self-imposed exile following the 2009 VMA incidentand further influenced by his deteriorating relationship with model Amber Rose, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a genre-bending masterpiece that explores the darker sides of celebrity, fame, and love. The album was widely acclaimed by both fans and critics; it received a near impossible 10/10 rating from Pitchfork Media and several of its songs (along with the record itself) appeared on numerous “best of 2010” lists, and the album won the 2012 Grammy for Best Rap Album.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of the most highly recommended albums I’ve come across so far, so I came into this album with high expectations. All of my expectations were met and completely surpassed. This album has incredible production value, an impressive lineup of hits, and great messages throughout. In addition to listening to this album, I also watched the full length film Runaway. I found this 35 minute video to be strange, artsy, incredibly bizarre and I absolutely loved it. This film provided a bit more insight into the inspiration for the album and features shorter cuts of many of the songs. I would highly recommend that everyone should watch this, I’m sure any die hard Kanye fan would praise it endlessly. My only real grasp of Kanye before hearing this album was what the media portrayed him as which is crazy as in insane. The line from the film “first rule in this world, Baby, don’t pay attention to anything you see on the news” can’t be more true. I found this album to be an incredibly enjoyable experience that provides great insights into the mind of Kanye and how he just can’t seem to present the ideas in his head to the world in a way they understand. This is definitely an album that I want to revisit in the future, and totally inspires me to check out the rest of Kanye’s discography. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Runaway
2. POWER
3. All Of The Lights
4. All Of The Lights (Interlude)
5. Dark Fantasy
6. Monster 
7. Lost In The World
8. So Appalled
9. Devil In A New Dress
10. Blame Game
11. Hell Of A Life
12. Gorgeous
13. Who Will Survive In America?

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Dark Fantasy
• POWER
• All Of The Lights 
• Runaway

Dark Fantasy starts the album with a  spoken intro by Nicki Minaj about what the listener is in for. This track then turns into something almost gospel with the hook that I adore. I love the production of this song, and the abrupt entrance of the hook as it switches from a verse. The second verse feels more intense than the first, and at this point I noticed the wind chimes that were added to the mix which just adds more production value for me. This topic is largely about being at the peak of his career and how he can’t get much higher than he is right now. The bridge is dark, adding more twists and turns to the track that seems to never end.

Gorgeous features an intense shredding and somewhat bluesy guitar, and a deep bass synth. I really enjoyed the chorus by Kid Cudi which felt more intense after every verse. The verse is somewhat distorted since the mic sounds almost as if it was done through a phone. This wasn’t an aspect I was big on. The topic of this song is social injustice towards the black community and is very critical of the government. This track feels darker, especially when Kanye talks about all the bad news on the news and how he can’t stand it. This further plays into the line about the news on his film Runaway.

POWER is a very intense song with stomping drums. It has a sample of 21st Century Schizoid Man in the chorus, and guitar back most of the track. This song is largely about being ahead of his time which I agree with. It’s crazy to think this project is from 2010. I loved the wordplay and dominant flows. The production is crazy for all the little specific moments that are to be heard on the track, my favorites coming from the piano and orchestral sounds. The outro is talking about dying at the top of his game so he can’t fall off. This is emphasized by the lurid “you got the power to let power go?” which is an interesting question to consider. 

All Of The Lights Interlude is a beautiful piano and cello interlude into All Of The Lights which feels somewhat sad. I placed this next to All Of The Lights in my personal ranking as I feel these two need to go together. 

All Of The Lights features horns which I found enjoyable and paints a vivid pictures of all the different lights you see when you’re successful and famous from cars to Vegas. This track shows typical life as a celebrity, and tells a very coherent story across the verses. Kanye covers topics from going to jail to learning from these mistakes. The third verse feels very spiraling as the sad horns kick in. This turns more triumphant as the song heads intro the chorus and finally into the outro.  

Monster feels darker and more gritty that the rest of tracks and features the same gravely vocals as in Gorgeous in the chorus. This song is very dominant and braggadocios from Kanye, Jay, and Nicki. The outro is darker still and has tribal drums that fit the track so well. 

So Appalled is another song that features intense strings and Jay Z is back on this one with another feature. It’s largely about success and fame and Pusha T has a verse where he talks about where he came from and beginnings. I liked the shaky horns in the mix and loved the verse from CyHi The Prynce that had some great wordplay especially about months. 

Devil In A New Dress gives the listener lots of religious imagery and talks about fucking a girl for the first time in the chorus and the very explicit things Kanye wants to do. The piano and guitar solo is a highlight of this track for me which eventually slows down track and leads into a Rick Ross verse that went hard. 

Runaway is the longest song on this album coming in at just over 9 minutes, and starts with a single note being pressed on the piano. It slowly progresses and the rest of the instrumental comes in while the  piano turns distorted and more synthetic in the back. This song has a sad tone and talks about how Kanye is bad at keeping relationships going. Push’s verse shows how much of a douchebag he really is and is the antithesis of Kanye’s verse as it’s not remorseful. The song however largely doesn’t glorify sex and money, and ends how it started with the lonely piano coming back in and then heavily distorted vocals and an intense cello. The vocals become less distorted at the very end as track gets more intense, overall the production on this track is incredible and really blew me away. 

Hell of a Life starts with a  funky bass and speaks on living a crazy life. The line “one day I’m gon’ marry a porn star”, made me laugh as this exactly what Kanye went on to do later in life. Something interesting about this song is that it sounds like he’s saying “one hell of a lie” which could be calling out the fake and diluted life after fame and the way it changes you. This song ends with getting divorce by the end of the night which shows just how fast paced his life is that he describes so well on this song. 

Blame Game is a long song coming in at nearly 8 minutes. It seems he’s still in the bathroom from the last track, and not sure about ending a relationship. During one of the verses there’s a switch up with distorted vocals going from ear to ear. This almost like having an angel and a devil on each shoulder arguing which is very creative well done. This song he fantastic story telling and features an outro that is the conversation Kanye said he overheard on the phone. The man is complementing his girl on everything she did sexually and when asked where she learned it the girl always replies by saying Yeezy taught her everything. This flies as far as saying “Yeezy re-upholstered my pussy” which is nothing short of comical. 

Lost in the World starts with heavily autotuned lonely vocals and no instrumental at all. A piano slowly comes in quietly, and the turns into an energetic beat. I really enjoyed the production of this song, and while it’s more lyrically simple it still manages to feel very intense. 

Who Will Survive in America? is the final song in the album and is gone straight into from Lost in the World. It sums up the album with a spoken word piece. The jungle drums from an earlier track are back at the end as “who will survive in America?” is repeated. This track feels like a satisfying conclusion to the album that leaves the reader with a question and a chance to reflect on what they just listened to. This album is definitely a vivid experience that demands to be listened to multiple times, front to back. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 6/10

Drip Season 3 is the third mixtape from Atlanta rapper Gunna, released on February 2, 2018, through YSL Records. The album features guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, Nav, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, Young Jordan and Lil Durk.

After being recommended Gunna quite a bit, I feel like I may have come in with too high of expectations for this album. I found this album and Gunna to be remarkably unremarkable overall which is disappointing. On this album I liked songs with trap beats better which was admittedly most of them, but I really didn’t like how he sounds half asleep in a lot of the tracks. I found him often hard to understand without having lyrics in front of me, but I can see how people like him since he certainly has a good vibe. I found the songs to be rather surface level and often thought about how it would be better while either high or just chilling. This isn’t something to listen to if you’re looking for lyrical depth and three dimensional story telling. At 17 tracks it feels too long for and almost as if he’s just throwing things out and hoping they stick. I felt like there was no clear aim on this project besides talking about his drip exclusively in a surprisingly humble way, although that may be because he sounds asleep and in no way in your face or over the top braggadocios. This type of music isn’t quite my style for a number of reasons, but I can definitely see wheee Gunna gets his popularity from. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Toast Up
2. At The Hotel
3. Drip or Drown (Remix)
4. Pedestrian
5. Car Sick
6. My Soul
7. Oh Okay
8. Money Don’t Change You
9. Top Off
10. King Kong
11. Spending Addiction
12. Mistress
13. No Joke
14. Drippin’
15. Helluva Price
16. Almighty
17. Lies About You

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Toast Up
• At The Hotel

Helluva Price starts the album and introduces the chilled out vibe most of the album pure off. It has wandering vocals in some part that travel from ear to ear which I liked. Off the bat I find him harder to understand which is a bit off putting. It’s hard to really feel what’s someone’s saying when you can understand them.  The production feels small and not in your face, and Gunna almost sounds half asleep here. 

Drippin’ showcases your typical trap beat, and really introduces the listener to a theme across the whole albums which is about dripping and having drip. This song is simple but not bad, like many other songs it’s catchy and easy to listen to. 

Almighty is another relaxed song about drip, expensive clothes and jewelry. It’s not your typical braggadocios in your face “I’m so rich look at me” type lyrics which I can appreciate and found interesting and strangely humbly. Hoodrich Pablo Juan is featured on this track and absolutely sounds asleep to the point it’s almost ridiculous. At this point I came to the realization that this would sound better high due to the production and lazy vocals. 

At The Hotel is one of the more energetic songs on the album and ranks near the top for me if not for any other reason that it doesn’t put me to sleep as it seems Gunna is on half the tracks. Having energy is something I wish there was more of on this project, so this track is a nice change. 

Top Off is back to being chilled out and is lyrically simple. It’s about drip like the rest of the songs and how made it out of the south/Atlanta traphouse but still goes back to it even after making it big and being successful. 

King Kong is more about Gunnas rise and getting big. There’s more energy in the instrumental than the vocals, I find this track fairly average in terms of the album, a lot of the songs sound comparable to me. 

Pedestrian is another one of the few songs that has some sort of energy to it,  and features the typical talk about designer clothes. It doesn’t shine lyrically, but the production and execution works in its favor for my personal ranking. 

Lies About You talks about how he really does spend all this money that he talks about throughout the album. I’m not sure I like the flow and pacing on this track, although it is different. He talks about taking care of people with his money, and people lying about him for the most part. Lil Durk sounds remarkably like Gunna which further feeds into my idea that’s Gunna is remarkably unremarkable in his style although he does do it well.

Mistress is a change from talking about drip and instead talks about a girl and sex in a very explicit. The lyrics are definitely over the top and far too detailed which  made me laugh, but I didn’t find it distracting so it was well executed. This song is catchy especially from the bells in instrumental. 

Car Sick features airy synths and again is about drip. In this song he talks about being car sick from drugs or drinking when he allegedly gets in his lavish and expensive cars. It’s a good collab with NAV, I felt like the two fit well on this song. 

My Soul has more subtle flexing in it which I found interesting. Overall with this album it  surprised me how not in your face it is due to his topic. This is probably because he sounds asleep, but nonetheless is interesting. I liked the traversing ad libs on the chorus which were similar to the first song on the album stylistically. 

No Joke is about being real and not being a joke. He talks more talking about designer clothes again, and at this point I started to feel like the album was lacking in aim as all the songs start to sound the same at this point. 

Oh Okay is more energetic which is always a good thing in my eyes. Gunna talks more about drip, jewelry, and designer clothes. My favorite part is the Young Thug and Lil Baby verse which was interesting since they somewhat shared the verse. 

Spending Addiction is a more humbling track and talks about taking care of his cousin and how he’s addicted to spending which is very believable based on all the other tracks and how much he talks about the expensive things he buys. 

Money Don’t Change You is another song about  staying humble. Gunna is surprisingly humble in the way he talks about things and taking care of people. He talks about how he doesn’t want to be associated with people that hated him before he made it big and now want to be friends with him because of the money and fame. 

Toast Up is my favorite song on the project and talks about success for the most part. I liked the harder bass that most songs didn’t feature, although I still found the production somewhat lackluster. I thought this track had more potential to capitalize on wise in this aspect. He talks about people hating on him when he was on the rise in his true final song of the album. 

Drip or Drown (Remix) is more of a bonus track where Gunna sounds less asleep than Lil Yachty which is a surprise. This song is about drip as you could predict by this point. I enjoyed the Lil Yachty feature but still found this track somewhat disappointing. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 8/10

Denzel Curry comes back two years after his debut album Nostalgia 64, which supplied a lot of hype from the Florida rapper. The first half is the trap flavor Denzel Curry, and the second is the Outkast influence sound of Denzel Curry. The project was later taken off of streaming services following his record deal with Loma Vista Recordsto be remastered along with N64. In late 2017, 32 Zelwas released individually with newly recorded vocals and some distinct changes.

This short 25 minute EP from Denzel Curry was very enjoyable for me for two main reasons. I really liked the style that Denzel stuck to across most of the EP, and I really liked the verse centric aspect of most tracks. Going into this EP I was expecting some fun songs that weren’t meant to be terribly deep and profound, and that’s what I got coming out of it. This is the first side of a double EP release, the second being Planet Shrooms. However, Planet Shrooms isn’t on any streaming services so I’ll need to seek that out elsewhere to review in the future. I really enjoyed the deep bass and assertive flow that were on most of the tracks, Denzel has a style that I find very attractive and fun to listen to. Unlike Taboo, this EP doesn’t quite showcase the versatility that I know Denzel can have, but it makes sense as he was less developed as an artist at this point since this EP released several years before Taboo. As I listen to more Denzel Curry, I find him quickly becoming one of my favorite artists and someone I want to keep an eye on in the future. I very much look forward to hearing his new Album ZUU on Friday. 

The full review for this EP will be up tomorrow at the link in my bio, I’m not able to put it out right away as explained on my previous review. 

Let me know what you think of 32 Zel and Denzel Curry in the comments!

Personal Ranking:

1. Ultimate (Remix)
2. Delusional Stone
3. 32 Ave Intro
4. Lord Vader Kush II
5. Envy Me
6. Chief Forever
7. Ice Age

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Delusional Stone
• 32 Ave Intro

32 Ave Intro starts off the album with a distorted and dark instrumental. On this track we get the classic Denzel flow which I love, and also a deep bass that is central across the EP. I liked the chorus that although was repetitive, was done in a way that I found fun which is also a main aspect of the EP. This project isn’t meant to have a super deep meaning, but does include a lot of fun tracks. 

Chief Forever is about smoking weed as the title would suggest and does a nice job with layered vocals which is another aspect of Denzel’s production that I really like. I enjoyed the long verse and the. beat switch into hook, but overall thought this was one of the weaker tracks on the EP. 

Envy Me has a darker style and is about people that envy his success or will soon envy it. This track features the first of many references to cartoons, anime, and video games. I like how much fun Denzel has with the tracks and incorporates things he likes in his free time which are relatable. I enjoyed the crashing symbols in the chorus and the intricate production throughout this track. 

Ultimate (Remix) is a remix to the song that blew him up and includes a Juicy J feature this time around. This song continues with the anime references, specially Dragon Ball Z. While this song was a bit overplayed when it first came out, I love the dominant flow Denzel comes with about being the best and ultimate in the rap game.

Lord Vader Kush II has a dark and ominous intro and goes right back to the hard deep bass we’re used to but this time has some twinkly synths thrown in. I found then hook to be mesmerizing although the basic, and liked the  Star Wars references in relation to weed. I enjoyed the creative aspects of this song and think it’s middle of the road ranking wise for this EP. 

Ice Age is a more chilled track, but still has that deep bass. It’s all about fucking this girl, and being cold blooded. He’s not wrong that he’s cold blooded since he talks about just wanting to fuck and smoke and not looking for anything deeper romantically than that. I liked the switch up at end goes straight into next song. 

Delusional Stone has a hard instrumental, and is one of my favorite songs on this EP. I loved production, but wished it was longer. If it was a bit longer and had a bit more it would no doubt be my number one song on this EP. Denzel talks about being tired of hoes, which is a bit of a change from the last song but makes sense as it sounds like he’s losing interest in them in the last track. I liked the singing hook from Denzel which is different from what we’ve heard on the rest of the EP and truly showcases all that he can do as an artist. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 8/10

DAYTONA is Pusha-T’s third studio album and the follow up to 2015’s King Push – Darkness Before Dawn: The Prelude. The album was released on May 25, 2018.

The album, which is meant to be his “proclamation of king,”has previously been described by Pusha as ‘amazing’ and ‘second to none.’ He has also declared it will be ‘album of the year’on several occasions.

I really enjoyed this album both for the production, and the way that Pusha delivers his flow and message across the short 21 minute album. Daytona focuses mostly on his life with drugs, and being somewhat of a kingpin among dealers. The tracks are laced with double entendres and deeper meanings, and Pusha makes sure to deliver and pace his flow in a way that makes the listener think about every word. His voice sounds demanding and dominant but not overly aggressive. I’m sure that I missed many references and hidden meanings since the lyrics are so layered and in depth, but it was an enjoyable listen nonetheless. At 21 minutes this album feels more like an EP, but still manages to feel very full. Everything seems carefully placed and very intentional in the way it’s spoken or the way it’s layered with the instrumental. I thought the production was really great and managed to do a lot without being over the top which worked well for the project. I do wish that there were more tracks to this album, but I can appreciate that none of the songs included sounded like throwaways which some projects are prone to when trying to do too much or reach a certain length. 

The full review will be out tomorrow which you can find by clicking the link in my bio, for now I’m too hungover to finish that portion since it does take anywhere from 30-60 minutes to type it all. There will be another review out later tonight, but it’ll also have the full review postponed until tomorrow. 

Have you heard Daytona from Pusha T? Let me know your thoughts on the project below, I’d love to talk to you about it

Personal Ranking: 

1. The Games We Play
2. Santería 
3. If You Know You Know
4. Come Back Baby
5. What Would Meek Do?
6. Infrared
7. Hard Piano

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• The Games We Play
• If You Know You Know

If You Know You Know kicks off the album and sets up the theme of drug dealing and street life. It features a very basic instrumental which makes the track almost all vocals for the first bit. It gets more complex instrumentally after the first verse and continues talking about trapping. This song has great word play that takes deeper listening to understand which I can appreciate. I liked this song quite a bit and thought it was very well produced and executed. 

The Games We Play is my favorite song on the album and features a rougher instrumental. The production itself makes it feel like Push is this sort of kingpin that’s above the law and can’t be stopped. He talks about his success as well as trapping in this song, but I think the production is what really shines on here. 

Hard Piano is a song about cocaine mostly that features a hard piano instrumental as you’d expect. I liked the Rick Ross feature as well as the production, but I still feel like this was easily the weakest track on the album for me. It’s not a bad song, but it isn’t the strongest in the project either. It does include great wordplay however as all the tracks do.  

Come Back Baby is another song about selling cocaine and making a lot of money. I enjoyed the almost cut and paste chorus which is a lot lighter than the verses and is just a pure sample. Despite that it still greatly fit the theme and I thought creatively it was an interesting choice to do. 

Santeria goes straight in to from Come Back Baby and is all about the murder of his friend. It felt dark and gritty, especially with the chorus being sung in Spanish. I thought this was one of the stronger songs on the album and featured many of the great aspects of what makes a good song. 

What Would Meek Do? is a collaborative track between Kanye and Push where each of them takes a verse responding to people talking shit. I liked this track and it’s more conversational tone, it offers more insight into each of the artists minds and perspectives on issues directly surrounding them. 

Infrared is gone straight into from What Would Meek Do? and is about being real and questioning who’s real. This track specifically calls out Drake for having ghost writers and takes shots at other rappers including Lil Wayne. While I didn’t think it was a bad track, this ranks near the bottom for me in terms of the album when taking all other songs into consideration. After 21 minutes of the album I was left wanting a little more, but was still satisfied with the concise message Push delivered across these 21 minutes. 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 8.5/10

Escape from New York is the long-awaited debut album of New York hip-hop group Beast Coast, released on May 24th, 2019.

Members of the group include the Flatbush Zombies, the Underachievers and several members of the Pro Era Collective.

I really enjoyed the album for its diversity of topics and styles of songs, and also for the diversity of messages and verses from each artist on each track. Songs like Far Away really showcase this as each artist has something completely different to say about their relationships and what they want from them which is the theme of the song. I really liked some songs having upwards of 8 verses from different artists on them, although some are quite short and only a few bars which is understandable. I enjoyed the diversity of voices, flows, and styles as well which came together very well for this collaborative project. There were a few songs that I thought fell a bit short, and a few songs that I wished were longer if only not because I liked them so much and wanted more. Overall I really enjoyed this project, it was a good mix of songs which showcased the versatility of the collective, and was very solid all around. It’s easy to listen to, and I think everyone should check it out and give it a shot. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Puke 
2. Distance
3. It Ain’t Easy, It Ain’t Easy
4. Problemz
5. Last Choir
6. Left Hand
7. Rubberband
8. Bones
9. Desperado
10. Far Away
11. Snow In The Stadium
12. One More Round
13. Coast/Clear

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Puke
• Distance 
• It Ain’t Easy, It Ain’t Easy

It Ain’t Easy, It Ain’t Easy kicks off the collective album, and immediately something I noticed and liked was the the piano and synths. The production on this song was great, as was the whole album. Zombie Juices comes in hard to start off the track and really gets into the confidence and flexing themes that are present across the album. Liked the Kirk Knight verse and  flow a lot on this track specifically. The outro was twisted, chopped, and distorted which I also really enjoyed stylistically. 

Left Hand is the next song on the album is all about respect and confidence. Again I really liked the Zombie Juice verse, I found him ver versatile with flows and styles on this album. Meechy Darko is the same way across the album and talks about confidence on this track. 

Problemz is a more relaxed track and about problems as the title would suggest. It also has themes about being real, working hard, staying true to your friends. While the chorus says some problems can’t be solved, the general idea is about going out and fixing your problems. 

Far Away is a track with soothing vocals and is all about different relationships each artist has. They vary greatly from pure sex and lust, to wanting an elegant woman. I liked the different perspectives brought out in this track, it had great diversity.

Snow In The Stadium is another relaxed track that speaks on changing the rap game and where the artists came from which is usually drugs and violence, some of which are still involved in their lives. A few other general themes are working hard for success, social justice and police brutality, and money and success. I liked this track, but it places in the bottom half for personal preference. 

Rubberband starts off with a jumpy distorted trap synth which I liked since it could represent the title of the track. This song is a bit darker and is about being dominant. Lines like “woke up like fuck that humble shit, I’m on my rumble shit” make this clear. Overall it’s about money and has a very in your face flow. I thought the outro was pretty funny since it’s a woman arguing with a man on the street and whoever’s recording can’t seem to stop laughing as the situation unfolds and she repeatedly yells “shut the fuck up”. 

Distance is one of my favorites on the album and is about unlocking your potential and reaching it, and avoiding the police and people trying to hold you back. I absolutely loved the instrumental and production, I really wish this track was a bit longer so I could hear more of it. 

Bones has a very hard intro that turns more chilled out, but still comes with an aggressive flow from all artists on it. I loved the stomping drums on this track, I haven’t heard anything quite like it before. I especially liked the verse from Erick The Architect, and the verse from Meechy Darko, I thought those two went the hardest in this track. 

Puke is my favorite song on the album and starts with a  piano instrumental. The themes covered are the artists origins and new lifestyle. This is another track that I really wish was longer, it had fantastic production that I thought really made this one stand out from the rest. 

Desperado talks about the various criminal acts and activities each artist has allegedly done. It also covers money and talking about the cities where they came up from. This song also places in the lower half for me, I just felt like it was slightly lacking from the verses as it was pretty chorus heavy. 

One More Round is a song about drinking and how it takes away pain and makes them feel better. It briefly opens with nature sounds and a woman laughing. This is a softer song, and is more of a ballad. It covers alcoholism and includes a Meechy Darko verse where his flow sounds almost drunk and a little wild which I enjoyed stylistically. Lines like “even though you don’t feel me, even though you don’t hear me” makes it seem like although it’s a ballad, they’re not getting the woman they want despite the confidence alcohol gives them, and at that point it’s masking pain. 

Coast/Clear was my least favorite song on the album but it’s by no means a bad track. It covers themes of riding around the city, success, and needing to make sure the coast is clear. Some verses change the perspective to having made it and now every city’s coast is clear after success. 

Last Choir feature a choir vocal intro with Meechy Darko coming through with a heavier and gravely flow. This song also has stomping drums that almost sound like gunshots. This song is melodic and I thought it was a good ending track since it really winds things down from some of the previous harder tracks. It brings the album to a close with fading choir vocals. 

• 

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Overal Rating and Impression: 10/10

good kid, m.A.A.d city is the sophomore album by Kendrick Lamar, released on October 22, 2012 through Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainmentand Interscope Records.

Subtitled “A Short Film by Kendrick Lamar,” this concept album depicts a day in the life of a 17-year-old Lamar as he rides around Comptonin his Momma’s (Paula Oliver) minivan.

At an hour and a half GKMC fits the length of a movie, and it damn well feels like one too. The stories and images Kendrick paints in your mind are incredibly vivid, and tell a seamless story throughout. I absolutely loved how the end of a track always forecast and setup what the next song is going to be about. It truly is like watching a movie where you follow a set of characters throughout and watch them develop. The dialogue pieces further place you in this world and really help you get a good look at the world Kendrick grew up in. Besides the lyrics being concise and vivid, the production was also outstanding. I especially liked the use of the bass guitar and strings across many songs. Each track feels uniquely it’s own, and like a crucial part of the story when listening to the album front to back. The bonus tracks felt fitting as well which I appreciated, I was expecting them to be more like throwaways that didn’t directly relate to the story and themes of the album. Instead, they appear to be the 15 minutes Kendrick mentions at the end of the final track where he starts the cycle over and borrows his moms van. Creatively I thought that was amazing, I really can’t think of anything I didn’t like on this album. This is a widely recommended album, and I can definitely see why. I’m very excited to dive into and review Kendrick’s discography on the future!

Personal Ranking:

1. The Recipe Feat. Dr. Dre
2. m.A.A.d city Feat. MC Eiht
3. Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst
4. Backseat Freestyle
5. Swimming Pools (Drank)
6. Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe
7. Compton Feat. Dr. Dre
8. The Art Of Peer Pressure
9. good kid
10. Black Boy Fly
11. Money Trees Feat. Jay Rock
12. Now or Never Feat. Mary J. Blige
13. Poetic Justice Feat. Drake
14. Real Feat. Anna Wise of Sonnymoon
15. Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• The Recipe
• m.A.A.d. city
• Compton

Sherane kicks off the album, and has a somewhat ominous opening. I really liked the bass guitar on this song, and I could already tell the production was about to be crazy from this track. This song is all verse no chorus which I thought worked very well for it and really highlighted how the album is going to be an in depth story. This is the first taste of his vivid story telling which is present all throughout the album. The track ends with his parents arguing and ending with the line “you killin’ my motherfucking vibe”. 

Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe going straight in from Sherane made me laugh due to the final line in it. I liked the guitar, and the theme of how fake people are for anything involving money. Kendrick talks about the state of the rap game and utilizes layered vocals. The outro is Kendrick getting in a car where he’s told to “get yo’ freestyles ready”. This progresses the story to a point where Kendrick has left his house and is getting into a car with his friends. 

Backseat Freestyle is a more fun track, and is likely meant to be so to represent careless fun with friends. I liked the bells, flow, and overall feel of this song. I thought the third verse was the best one on this song, but overall it was one of my favorites. 

The Art Of Peer Pressure begins with beautiful piano and is the point in the story where Kendrick is still in the car with his friends. This song features a deep bass transition where the song turns darker and more tense. Kendrick talks about he changes when he’s with his friends due to peer pressure, and paints a vivid picture of robbery and getaway. At the end of this song there’s a reference to Sherane which furthers the narrative. 

Money Trees is a song about how he thinks he can use money to fix his problems. He talks about his hopes and dreams and feels like he has to get money. Jay Rock talks about the problems in the hood and the sad realities that are faced daily on his feature as well. I enjoyed the production on this track very much, just as I did most of the album. This song has a funny outro which introduces Kendrick’s dads obsession with Dominoes. This dialogue adds comic relief, and also includes his mom wanting the van back. 

Poetic Justice is a slower slower song and is a ballad for Sherane most likely. This really shows the good kid in Kendrick that is referenced in the title and in the next track. At this point in the story Kendrick has left his friends after the robbery is going to see Sherane as he said he was goin to do earlier.

good kid feels like one of the more intense songs in the album, and looks at Kendrick’s life as a good kid in the crazy city. I loved the flow in this song as Kendrick continues to talks about his bad influences and the life he faces in Compton. This song had crazy production and again featured a bass guitar which I adored. 

m.A.A.d. city is all about Compton and the street life and is the antithesis of good kid. It shows how intertwined with street life people are in lines like “fuck who you know, where you from my nigga?”. There a beat switch later in the song where Kendrick uses a frantic flow to paint a picture of his life after he graduated high school which includes more peer pressure. He also introduced the idea of being “Kendrick aka Compton’s human sacrifice” which shows how the city corrupted him but he’ll make it better. Giving back to your city is also a theme on the closing track of the album. His voice spinning in last verse and pitching was interesting stylistically which I enjoyed. The outro is Kendrick meeting up with his friends again as they said they would on a previous track after the robbery. 

Swimming Pools (Drank) continues the story of him and his friends getting together. Again we see the idea of peer pressure explored as Kendrick feels like he needs to drink when he’s around his friend. I liked the strings on this track as well as general production. Sherane is back in the interlude where they both leave the party clearly drunk. The end is a dialogue of a shooting that leaves Dave’s brother, one of Kendrick’s friends, dead. 

Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst is a 12 minutes that showcases Kendrick’s amazing story telling. The first two verses are different people calling Kendrick such as Dave’s brother from last song. He talks about how he wants to get out of the hood and change after what’s happened. However this verse ends bluntly we hear gunshots showing that Dave also dies due to a shooting much like his brothers. This part gave me goosebumps.  The next verse is a woman from Kendrick’s life that is upset with him for previous things he’s talked about. She talks about how “I’ll never fade away” but literally fades out on the track which was holds a lot of meaning. Kendrick uses third verse to answer them and explain himself. The main theme of this song is about how Kendrick wants to be remembered after he’s gone. In the  outro we hear Dave going to get revenge which we know is what is the end of him from the verse on from his perspective switches. Further in the outro the message of how they need religion and to repent for their sins as they’re going to get revenge for Dave is brought up. We learn in Real that this woman talking to them in this part is actually Kendrick’s neighbor. She sees they have a gun and is upset that that’s the solution they have to all the pain they’ve been brought. 

Real is the conclusion to the main story where Kendrick is finally himself and decides not to be what people want him to be. Its noted that none of the traditional street life things are what makes him real and that “real is responsibility”. This is where it is revealed woman from previous track is his neighbor, and ends with the notion that giving back to the city is important. I liked this track and the message it had overall. 

Compton is the true final track on the album that isn’t a bonus and feels triumphant. The previous track ends with a speeding up and fast forwarding sound of a tape which lets the listener know we’re in present time now. In this song he’s now with Dre and has made it in the rap world. The outro skit is a snippet of dialogue about taking his moms van made me laugh. This repeats the cycle and brings us back to the start of the story. He says he only needs the van for 15 minutes which is possibly represented by the roughly 15 minutes in the bonus tracks. 

The Recipe is the first bonus track and is another track with Dre. I loved the production all the little details which made this song easily my favorite on the album. In this song he travels to LA, and talks about the women weed and weather that are there and is all about enjoying life. The remix to to this track is notable as well and includes lots of different features that I enjoyed, although I didn’t review that in full since it was a remix and not part of the regular album. 

Black Boy Fly is the second bonus track and is a lot darker. It’s about making it out of the hood and the ways that people in Compton are used to thinking that the only way out was the NBA or talking. He talks about how most young men are focused on drinking instead of academics, and how how most people won’t make it out. He highlights how people waste their money on lottery tickets instead of investing in themselves which I thought was a very tragic thing to highlight. However the track feels hopeful and inspiring as Kendrick wants people to succeed. 

Now or Never is the final bonus track and is about finally getting success. This song feels triumphant and happy similar to Compton. I love the chorus on this song, and how it feels like credits rolling on the movie which is fitting since it’s the final bonus track. This left me feeling satisfied and very complete as the story is wrapped up nicely. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 6.5/10

Goodbye & Good Riddance explores Juice WRLD’s current relationship and the struggles he endures. The subject matter of the album varies throughout the tracklist, from discussion of past love interests in songs like “All Girls Are the Same”and “Lucid Dreams,”to details of his overpowering drug addiction in songs like “Lean Wit Me”and “Black & White.”

The album also touches upon feelings of invincibility and delusion in songs like “Hurt Me,”where his frequent abuse of opioids and other drugs has driven him to recklessness.

I think that Juice WRLD has a unique sound that he really makes work for him on this album. He mixes heavy emo overtones into each song which is appropriate since the album is all about his heartbreak. How voice is a bit too whiny for my preference, but it fits well with the theme of being tortured inside and broken emotionally. This album largely if not entirely consists of Juice singing about his heartbreak and problems with drug abuse. While I did think most of the tracks were catchy, I wish he went more in depth with his problems since the way he talked about it seemed very flat and static. I felt somewhat exhausted listening to this album by the 10th or so track since the themes hadn’t changed and he hadn’t gone deeper with them. To me it felt like he was saying the same thing on every track just over a different instrumental. I did really enjoy the production value of a lot of the tracks, but like I said I wish it was a little more developed. I hope to hear a more refined Juice WRLD in the future as I do think he has potential and a unique way he could tell his story. For my preference it was a bit too angsty, I think there’s a more refined, clear, and concise way to get across complex emotions that he just needs to hit and figure out. Overall I thought it was an alright project, but was lacking a certain depth. I liked the skits and thought they added an interesting element, but still found it lacking. However, if he was just going for spilling his emotions and issues out over the course of an hour, he hit it right on the head. I just don’t think this specific project is for me. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Armed and Dangerous 
2. Lean Wit Me
3. Lucid Dreams
4. All Girls Are The Same
5. Black and White
6. Candles
7. Scared Of Love
8. End Of The Road
9. I’m Still
10. Wasted 
11. Long Gone
12. I’ll Be Fine
13. Hurt Me
14. Used To
15. Intro
16. Karma – Skit
17. Betrayal – Skit

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Armed And Dangerous
• Lean Wit Me

Intro is the introduction to the album which is a skit of girl telling him to stop calling her can contacting her. This kicks off and sets up what the album is about, which is his heartbreak and the drug abuse it leads to. This song has a sad orchestral background that fits very well which I enjoyed. 

All Girls Are The Same is a song about all women being the same as the title would suggest. Juice wants someone real and that has substance, which isn’t exactly reflected on other songs. On other songs he makes it clear he’s not ready for another relationship at this point. The chorus vocals sound kinda distant which I wasn’t the biggest fan of, but this track like many others is very catchy. 

Lucid Dreams is the biggest hit from this album, this song is absolutely everywhere. It’s general theme is sorrow after a breakup. It’s a little to angsty for me, and I don’t think I can add it to my playlist since I’ve heard it about a million times at this point.  

Wasted really introduces the drug abuse aspect of Juices life. He’s trying to forget girl by doing drugs and getting wasted. I didn’t really like the Uzi verse, but admittedly his voice fits well with Juice on this track and the general vibe. I did like the distorted back track for it, but all in all it was kinda repetitive for my taste. 

Armed and Dangerous is my favorite song on the album and is about money, guns, and drugs. I liked the chorus of this song, overall it was a little more poppy but still showcased emotional lyrics and sadness. 

Black and White is a track where he reflects on drugs and his new lifestyle and how it’s bad for him. My main takeaway from this track is that Juice clearly parties hard, be it for better or worse. It really shows the extent of the drugs he does which was sad to hear about. 

Lean Wit Me is another song about drug abuse. This one feature darker synths which make it really feel like his slipping into addiction and becoming trapped. I really liked this song overall and thought it was one of the better songs on the album. 

I’ll Be Fine further talks about his drug abuse and how he doesn’t care if people think he should stop doing drugs. At this point in the album I was starting to get tired of this theme and wishing he would take it deeper, I was left grasping for pieces I could be missing that make it so. To this effect I interpreted the outro as being slowed to possibly mirror the effects of the drugs, but that’s speculation. 

Used To is a song that more focuses on heartbreak, but still doesn’t take it any deeper than surface level in my opinion. It’s a very basic song lyrically, and also quite depressing. It has raw emotions which I could appreciate, but I’d like a more refined message on here. 

Candles talks more about drug abuse as is a central theme. He includes the line “don’t pray for me just give me drugs” which is awfully depressing and raw. It shows the only thing he can use to cope with his heartbreak is drugs, yet the drugs make him paranoid. I wish he talked more about the effect of the drugs on him since it feels more glorified and romantic across other tracks but in this one it talks about paranoia which is obviously a negative.

Scared of Love offers a little more insight into Juices heartbreak, specifically how he’s scared to be loved but not to give someone love which is an interesting. This is something I wished he would’ve dove into deeper as I thought it was really going to go somewhere. However I found the track ending with the same two dimensional outlook. 

Hurt Me brings the listener right back to drug abuse and is about how  drugs won’t hurt him. One thing I loved about this track was the use of distortion. While lyrical depth may be lacking, the production of these songs are done quite well. 

I’m Still is a song that is about, you guessed it, his heartbreak and drug abuse. At this point I was growing tired of this theme and felt like I was just waiting for the album to end which is disappointing. This was the 13th song about the same two things and there was still no depth to it. I’ll give it to him that it’s very raw, but it feels melodramatic to the point that I was starting to not enjoy it anymore. 

End Of The Road is a very depressing song which talks about doing drugs until he either dies or is in a coma. I thought this track was almost redeeming of the droning theme that I felt dragged along with at this point, but I was so exhausted by the album I couldn’t get back into it. I liked this track overall, but still wanted something more from it. 

Long Gone is the final track in which he is somewhat over heartbreak at this point. This was a welcome message in my eyes since it’s something different than the rest. At this point he doesn’t think he can handle another relationship again which is understandable, he’s clearly broken by his past experiences. This is very humanizing and raw and is told in an understandable way. 

Betrayal – Skit is a skit that feels somewhat out of place since it was at the end of the album, I’m not sure if this was meant to be here since it didn’t quite make since to include at the very end. It features a girl still doesn’t want to talk to him and goes as far as to taunt him about her new man. This would’ve been nice to hear earlier on as it shows more of why his heart is broken. 

Karma – Skit is the second skit which used the same instrumental as the intro. In this the woman is now trying to get him back but is turned away hence the name Karma. She broke his heart and now wants him back but he doesn’t want that at this point. This makes a somewhat satisfying end to the album as it shows he’s finally over her and can maybe start to move on. 

• 

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Overall Rating and Impression: 9/10

This seems like an album that you’re either going to love, or you’re going to hate. Stylistically this album is different from Tyler’s previous works, but still provides a very rich listening experience. The album is packed full of emotion, and paints a very vivid picture of a toxic relationship that Igor is trapped in. It’s a cycle of wanting his romantic interest that’s can’t quite have, and then trying to convince himself that he doesn’t need this person. If you love this album, it’s probably because you can relate to the story well since most people have been through something similar. I know that one of the reasons I loved this album so much was because it was so deeply relatable on a human level. I’m not afraid to say that by the end of the album I was feeling emotional and opening up old wounds and relationships I’ve tried to bury and move on from. I loved the production, and the unique sound and angle that Tyler achieved on this album. 

Personal Ranking:

1. ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
2. PUPPET
3. I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE
4. A BOY IS A GUN
5. GONE, GONE/THANK YOU
6. EARFQUAKE
7. WHAT’S GOOD
8. I THINK
9. NEW MAGIC WAND
10. IGOR’S THEME
11. RUNNING OUT OF TIME
12. EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
• EARFQUAKE
• GONE, GONE/THANK YOU

Igor’s Theme serves as the introduction to the story of Igor. It features a deep synthesizer intro and the repeated line “they gon’ feel this one. It’s very melodic and nicely sets up the album, although on the first listen through I wasn’t sure what I was in for. After finishing the album, he was definitely right since the album is so emotionally raw and human that it’s hard not to feel it. 

Earfquake is a somewhat relaxed and chilled track about complications with a lover. It features Playboi Carti who fits perfectly on this quirky track. I’m not a fan of mumbling, but his voice somehow just works on this. This song sets up the idea of a toxic and strained relationship. Overall I very much enjoyed this song.

I Think talks about the vulnerable aspect of the relationship the album follows.  I really loved the bridge, and the soft piano at the end is emotional and powerful. 

Exactly What You Run From You End Up Chasing is a brief 15 second interlude that sets up the themes for Puppet and A Boy Is A Gun which details how it’s hard to leave this toxic relationship and move on. 

Running Out Of Time is a song about “running out of time to make you love me”. Stylistically I liked the race car sounds in the back, and exploring the idea that they’re going to split up/not get together, but that’s not what he wants. 

New Magic Wand is a darker track about trying to get with someone and make them move on from past relationship. Tyler goes as far on this track as to threaten to kill their ex so they can be together. This puts the listener into the toxic headspace of Igor and what he’s willing to do to get with this person. I liked the beat switch into fourth verse that included distorted and scratchy vocals. 

A Boy Is A Gun is about chasing someone that’s bad or dangerous for him, but he can’t stop himself from pursuing them. This was setup in the interlude of Exactly What You Run From You End Up Chasing, I like the refrain and the soul vibe on this song, it’s very emotionally vivid. 

Puppet is about being completely obsessive about their love interest and making everything the best it can be for them and explores what people will do for love. The recurring idea about being a puppet on I Think appears on throughout this song. There’s a darker depressing beat switch at the end spiraling down with breathy vocals until it comes to its conclusion with the spoken vocals “but at some point you come to your senses concludes 15”. This seems to be a continuation from the earlier 15 seconds of spoken word. 

What’s Good is one of the only tracks Tyler raps on on this project, and switches from dark to light tones multiple times. This track feels gritty, especially with lines like “I don’t know what’s harder letting go or just being okay with it” which is a relatable line. This is a very raw moment on the album all in all. 

Gone, Gone/Thank You is a two part song in which his love is gone from his relationship and he seems to come to grips with it. The production sounds sad but accepting, and lines like “I know I’m fine for now” solidifies that idea. However when it switches into thank you, he’s so hurt that he says “I don’t ever want to fall in love again”. For anyone that’s gone through a breakup, this line is very relatable and something you can deeply feel as he said you’d feel it in the intro on Igor’s theme. 

I Don’t Love You Anymore is about how he is finally over crush or relationship that never quite happened, but it’s almost like he’s trying to reassure himself. The vocals are very childish and sound spiteful as if he’s not quite convinced. Trying to convince yourself you’re over someone is a hard thing to do, and Tyler perfectly brings that out on this track. 

Are We Still Friends? Is the post emotional and powerful song on the album for me. It’s about falling out of love, but still wanting to be friends and not truly let go. I adore the heavy synths and soulful guitar and vocals. It’s clear he doesn’t actually want them to leave which is relatable on a human level. I love the chorus of repeated vocals, “can’t say goodbye”, as that’s something you can feel deep down. This closing track is one of the best outros to an album I’ve heard, it left me with a feeling of satisfaction but still unresolved feelings. This album demand more than one listen to understand and feel it all. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 10/10

2014 Forest Hills Drive is the third studio album by North Carolina rapper J. Cole. It was released on December 9, 2014, by ByStorm Entertainment, Columbia Records, Dreamville Records and Roc Nation.

I wanted to stray from rating anything 10/10 since nothing is truly perfect, but for me this album had everything that I love in music. It had incredible production value and a great story and central themes that were enjoyable to follow. I especially loved the track Love Yourz due to the message it spreads which isn’t one that you hear all to often. J. Cole appears incredibly humble from perspectives on life, and the 15 minute thank you at the end is what sealed this as a 10/10 for me. This project is incredibly passionate, and the highest form of art in my eyes. Plus, I’ve never heard of anyone sampling the sound of birds and incorporating that into the beat so that particularly blew my mind on No Role Modelz specifically. I need to review J. Coles entire discography after reviewing this, it’ll be an experience to dive in to. 

Personal Ranking:

1. No Role Modelz
2. Love Yourz
3. Fire Squad
4. A Tale of 2 Citiez
5. Apparently
6. January 28th
7. 03’ Adolescence
8. G.O.M.D
9. St Tropez
10. Hello
11. Wet Dreamz
12. Intro

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist

• No Role Modelz
• Fire Squad
• Apparently

Intro serves as the into to 2014 Forest Hills Drive as the title would suggest, and mainly asks the question of “Do you wanna be happy/free?”. This question seems to be both for listener and Cole himself. I loved the piano on this track that grows from soft to intense. Right off the bat I could tell the production was going to be crazy for this album. The intro sets up the introspective message that sprawls across the album which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

January 28th kick off the album with Cole questioning if he can be successful. It’s important to note that January 28th is his birthday, and that this begins the story and the journey chronologically. 

Wet Dreamz brings the listener into Coles adolescence and losing his virginity. I like how he talks about women in a way that isn’t completely objectifying and shows how scared he is as a young man. I liked the third verse the best since it’s very humbling and brings the humorous story to a close. 

03’ Adolescence brings the listener forward still in Cole’s childhood. Ok this song he’s questing who he is and what he wants to be similar to the intro. The production on this song is crazy with strings and packed full of emotion which I loved. 

A Tale of 2 Citiez tells a story from two sides of someone getting robbed and the person robbing them. Both want the same thing and to make it out of the city. Since the idea of the album is figuring out who you are and what you want to be, I can only assume that his friend that was dealing drugs in the last song is the same person that’s robbing someone. This song has a gritty instrumental and questions “what’s the value of a thing?” It’s interesting to explore the life that Cole thought he wanted and the consequences it would have had. At the same time it’s sad to see what his friend has fallen to. 

Fire Squad is a harder track which talks about Cole on the come up, gaining success, and asserting dominance in the rap game. He criticizes white artists snatching the sound, specifically in a line about Iggy where he criticizes her for only being able to win a Grammy due to having a mainstream white audience and not quality music. The outro contradicts the rest of song where Cole now assets that there are no kings as he called himself, but that “we’re all kings of ourselves” which I think is a great message. 

St Tropez shows the part in Cole’s journey where he’s scared to leave and go to Hollywood. This song is relaxed and melodic and really paints a picture. He’s scared of the lifestyle that he’s going to face and doesn’t want to change. This song like all the rest has crazy production value, all the intricate sounds were amazing to hear. 

G.O.M.D. is a song where Cole really questions if he’s fallen into the Hollywood lifestyle. It opens with a voice saying “my nigga done went Hollywood”. It’s clear he wants to be himself and not give a fuck what people want him to be, but he still questions if he really did go Hollywood and change his personality. The orchestral production on this track was crazy, this is something I’d love to hear more of. 

No Role Modelz is my favorite song on the album and talks about how fake Hollywood is. Cole talks about how fame has gotten to him, but also how he wants real love and to go back to how his life was before. I thought the George Bush interlude was funny, and the whole song was great. Something especially crazy in this song is that Cole samples birds for the beat which blew my mind. It’s clear Cole is insanely creative in the way he makes his music. 

Hello is a sadder track which he calls a girl from life before fame and reminiscences on what he left behind. The bridge builds into the second verse which is crazy flow wise. After it builds it then slows back down and Cole reminds himself and the reader that “it’s all good” and to just let the past be. I loved the use of piano and strings on this song, it felt very emotional. 

Apparently is another reflective song about what he’s been through up to this point in his career. it showcases some impressive word play, and overall is a soothing track. This is one of my favorite songs on the album. 

Love Yourz closes off the project with the most important message on the album which is to love your own life and not idolize anything else. Other messages are staying true to yourself, how Cole didn’t let fame and success get to him in the end, and it all again has crazy production. I love the lyrics “no such thing as a life that’s better than yours”, “think being broke was better”, and “what’s money without happiness?”. This is my second favorite song on the album, but is by far the most important in my opinion for its message. 

Note To Self is what really definitively makes this album a 10/10 for me. It’s incredibly humbling to take the time to thank countless people for their help with the project. This track is 14 and a half minutes of Cole thanking people and spreading the idea of love. You can really tell how much Cole loves music from writing to producing to working with people. This album is incredible overall and one of my favorites so far.