The 44 minutes of this album could exist without Mr. Freeman, but they couldn’t exist without Metro Boomin. ... [21 Savage's] a solid RAPPER through and through and in an era of singers I’m always going to appreciate that, but if I said I could ignore the banality of “Savage Mode II” lyrically I’d be lying.

Gibbs and Alc show no signs of allowing the credits to roll.

The biggest missed opportunity lies in Nas’ inability to reach beyond the ambitious presentation found in everything surrounding the lyrics. He’s entertaining in spurts, but much like his “godly” contemporary Jay-Z, one has to wonder if what he says ever really matters on “King’s Disease” any more.

Though “Blame It On Baby” is fairly short at only 33 and a half minutes, the bop of songs like the Nils & Wheezy produced “Talk About It” and the title track from DJ Kid and friends prove you can hit skip and land on something good anywhere.

Positives of “The Goat” — it’s 47 minutes long, it’s slickly produced, and even when Polo’s voice is Tuned up it’s not to cover up him being mumble mouthed or syrup addled. Negatives — well there aren’t too many.

Putting the lyrics aside for the moment I’m willing to say there’s something here. The production goes from spartan and airy to distorted and noisy in a way that makes it feel like industrial trap rap, and his accent plays with your expectations of what the flow should be like. ... Ultimately I must still give a “meh” to the overall presentation, because like many of his U.S. counterparts, Yung Lean’s music relies more on style than substance.

It manages to sound both isolating and uplifting at the same time, and really shows an artist who is honing their loneliness and boredom into creativity. It has helped me get through these long and strange months, and I highly recommend it.

Relentlessly preachy music can be just as obnoxious as the relentlessly vapid, but even pop music can offer more substance than this. If this album was a soda, it would be light and bubbly, yet its sugar free nature would make you crave a Mexican soda in a glass bottle instead.

“Lil Boat 3” finds Yachty syncopating and stretching beyond his naturally baritone voice. He sounds more self-aware than ever, channeling his beloved infectious energy as the main driver for the album, rather than his erratic lyrical ability.

Because of the themes it addresses, “RTJ4” is indeed a hip-hop album chaotically reflective of the modern times and much needed for the same reason.

It’s a complete package (pun intended). I’ll take the Jay-Z style “Song Cry” feel of “When to Say When” as an album song any day. The MexikoDro and Shebib “From Florida With Love” is the example of why I can handle Drake being Tuned up more than most of his contemporaries. He uses it without abusing it to ridiculous absurdity.

Mozzy’s greatest strength as a writer is clear intimacy. Every time he spits a verse, I feel like he’s talking to me one-on-one with a cigar in hand and his posse surrounding him. There’s wisdom attached to his words because he’s been through it all. ... Mozzy still carries demons, but there are indeed shimmers of happiness percolating throughout some of these passages.

It is the right combination of introspective and funky. It makes these long, endless days and weeks much more manageable. If you need something both banging and relaxing, Shabazz Palaces got you covered.

Rather than trying to please the club, the ladies, the hardcore 30+ crowd, the younger fans, and everyone in between, Jadakiss has released a cohesive, satisfying album that is easily one of his best efforts. More of this, please.

If you absolutely can not stand rappers who should be called singers then you need to take a hard pass on Vert, but if you occasionally (or more often than that) enjoy the crooning, Vert is at least someone who can put it together in a way that is surprisingly decent and occasionally quite good.

“Unlocked” is a blast. It is a highly-enjoyable snapshot of an otherworldly dimension traversed by the superbly-skilled rapper Denzel Curry and the fantastic Kenny Beats. This EP delivers loads of strong bars and beats alike and is most definitely worth the listen.

Throughout “Chixtape 5” though I keep finding songs that pay tribute to hits by other people, and in each case Tory Lanez is not the rapper on the track. ... He’s just straight up crooning. He almost raps on “If You Gotta” featuring Fabolous but can’t resist the urge to sing. Unfortunately this leads F-A-B to imitate him instead of vice versa. The album’s slicker than the tile floors behind the counter at Wendy’s though.

While handling all of the production himself is a valiant effort, it’s evident that Royce had a wobbly experience with it in that it isn’t fully consistent. Even so, “The Allegory” is another solid effort from the Detroit rhyme sayer.

As for meaningful depth to his bars, humorous “press rewind” punchlines or emotionally resonant stories, I regretfully must honestly say he didn’t grab me in any of these categories. As a lyricist he was “just there” — not terrible, not brilliant, just okay. Does he show future potential on “Meet the Woo Vol. 2“? Yes. Absolutely.

Both the length and the effort he put into it justify why it took over three years for it to come out and all the bases are covered here. ... It’s hard to find anything to complain about.

He clearly cares about his output, but “Music To Be Murdered By” is, unfortunately, another mixed bag of tricks, propped up by lyrical acrobatics and underwhelming production.

Wayne, much like in his mixtape days, is finally having fun again. And when he does that, the results are captivating.

I’m confident is his best work since his return in 2017. ... Roc Marciano isn’t likely to win over those who aren’t into this style of hip hop, but it certainly feels more accessible than the DJ Muggs record “KAOS” or even the “Rosebudd’s Revenge” albums.

Mac’s sixth studio album is a surreal experience that’s filled with opaque contemplation and tragic connotations. ... Loneliness may be our greatest fear other than death. Mac was able to explicitly re-establish this idea through reflective songwriting and gentle crooning. His genius and thoughtfulness will always be remembered. “Circles” is a stark reminder of that.

Very little is going on lyrically above but Smoke’s energy is priceless. That same energy is only marginally filtered through these swift-moving tracks. The entire album is more of an elongated intro to the Cactus Jack brand.

There’s a timeless quality to the way Keith Elam and Christopher Martin brought out the best in each other, and even posthumously on “One of the Best Yet” you can still hear that love of making hip-hop in every track.

It’s a good album. ... Emo rappers often tend to release short albums with even shorter tracks, and this one is suspiciously long and incredibly overloaded with talent.

The watery wave of “Payback”, the reverberating bass of “Traffic”, the head nodding flow of “Dead Presidents”, it all works. The lyrics? They sort of work. 03 sings his way through songs like the latter track, and while he’s mostly just flossing, he occasionally takes the time to call out peers who have let him down by not being as G as he.

Skepta is more than happy to satisfy his core fanbase. It’s something Dizzee Rascal struggled to find a formula for, so “Ignorance is Bliss” succeeds in that regard. Minus the terrible “Animal Instinct”, it’s easy to recommend.

Little Simz is at her best when she is coming out all guns blazing, but a little too often on this album her hyper lyricism is unnecessarily hampered by mellow beats that don’t match her fire. “Grey Area” deserves all of the accolades it has received. Little Simz is a talented rapper with a broad range. She is raps with fierceness, attitude, sensitivity, and intelligence.

slowthai gained notoriety for being unvarnished in his lyrics over his country’s politics, but that isn’t shown much on the album except for its title. He says there’s “Nothing Great About Britain“, but the same can be said about his debut album, even with the bright spots.

Top Boy has elevated Kano to a bigger platform, and his music has managed to follow suit. His character in the Netflix series may play second fiddle to Dushane, but he can consider himself “Top Boy” as far as British rappers go.

“Hot Pink” doesn’t show an evolution of Doja Cat artistically or musically. The production from the likes of Tyson Trax, Yeti Beats and even the famed Saleem Remi is as slick as her debut, but also just as saccharine as her debut.

“Everybody’s Everything” reflects Peep’s short but impactful catalogue by deviating little from the things that made him viral — his hazy wavy style, his emotional delivery, and his apparently complete lack of control over his demons.

As with every Kanye album, there’s some magnificent production on a majority of “Jesus Is King” courtesy of Pi’erre Bourne, Timbaland and Boogz, among others. ... Kanye just seems like he’s in his own world; disregarding what’s going on around him. Other times, Ye’s writing delves into eyerolling contradictions and ego-driven intentions.

Even if you struggle with the minimal production, “The Book of Traps and Lessons” is still an important album and one worth repeated listens. We are in an age of chaos and outrage, and Tempest offers clarity and compassion. She is one of the great voices of our age, and an essential artist.

I think there’s room for “alternative hip-hop” in the mix, not everything in rap needs to be swaggering cock grabbing male posturing, and the difference between a rapper who sings and a singer who raps has diminished greatly. That doesn’t mean “Pony” is going to take the place of all-time classics like Organized Konfusion in my rotation, but it does mean that I can see a more open-minded interpretation of rap music as not necessarily destroying hip-hop music and culture. Rex Orange County has his place too.

Even at its most mundane (like on the painfully repetitive title track), “uknowhatimsayin¿” represents an artist at his most polished and enthusiastic.

There are more nuanced (and enjoyable) approaches to records focused on depression. Elzhi’s “Lead Poison” is still the one I’d recommend first but NF impresses on “The Search”. ... By stripping that away, his barrage of words – married with the booming, cinematic production (credited as NF and Tommee Profitt) – is surprisingly digestible.

An ambitious album that takes chance that mostly succeed and only occasionally miss the mark.

03 Greedo’s lack of depth and highly AutoTuned delivery along with Mustard’s highly listenable production are a Icee for a hot summer day — something cool and refreshing that quickly melts and is easily forgotten.

“Ghostface Killahs” gives you glimpses of Ghostface Killah at his best but it’s difficult to say it stands up against his last few albums. As solid as the production is, it’s not quite as good as Caiazzo’s work on “Chamber No. 9” and the highlights are often short blasts of magic that actually stick to the album’s theme.

As tracks like the apt Andre Harris produced finale “Wings” show, EarthGang can fly on their own without any comparisons. They are as much R&B as hip-hop and for them it’s an ideal match.

Easily one of the best records released in 2019, superlatives only go so far. ... “May the Lord Watch” only solidifies Little Brother’s place in the pantheon of great rap duos.

Even his non-album singles are bangers, which is what makes it more insulting that we had to wait all these years for them to be compiled together into one “package” for our perusal. Better late than never though.

Rapsody succeeds in crafting a love-letter to the oft-overlooked, oft-denigrated minority that is the Black female.

He’s not quite a great artist. He simply exists, but to those who want more of what XXXTENTACION offered without having to buy 50 posthumous releases, he’ll do.

Durk is more than just authentic though, he’s creative and compelling. He elevates drill from a regional art into a crossover territory that may earn him more haters but will definitely gain him more fans.

You can’t examine Young Thug’s music too closely or think about it too carefully if you want to enjoy it, because the casual misogyny of throwing around “Pussy” as an insult reminds you he’s not exactly progressive. If you’re looking for bass to shake the concrete and singing so modulated as to nearly be R&B, tracks like “Jumped Out the Window” and “Boy Back” featuring NAV will definitely fit the bill.

There’s a clarity in thought behind his bars that makes him stand out. He’s not content to drink cough syrup, AutoTune his vocals, and make up a bunch of nonsense that makes no damn sense but sounds catchy as hell. In fact if I was actually to pinpoint a shortcoming about Kream it would be that he makes “songs” instead of “singles” and that makes it hard for someone with a solid reputation from mixtapes to break out mainstream.

The best thing about “Save Me” may be that it’s a very small bite to digest, clocking in at just barely over 20 minutes after the conclusion of “Love Thy Enemies.”

He can clearly still spit elite bars, at more or less the same rate he could over twenty years ago. “The Lost Tapes 2” may be marketed as a sequel, but it’s a selection of largely forgettable album cuts that didn’t make Nas’ last few albums.

While there are a few tracks that take left turns, most of the album follows a similar template and sound palette, which leads to a sense of sameness for such a short album. Malibu Ken is an Aesop Rock joint, which means it is worth listening to you until you decipher every pun and metaphor. If it feels less weighty and consequential compared to his solo albums, maybe that is point.

Overall Bandana is certainly a solid album. It was one of 2019’s most anticipated releases and, while it’s not as good as “Pinata”, it’s still a worthy inclusion in any hip-hop fan’s collection.

These are two-minute tracks that largely veer all over the place – cohesion, concept, and artistry go out the window here.

Even though I said Curry raps more than his peers, I didn’t say he NEVER sings. He flips back and forth between both on tracks like the Rugah Rajh produced “Speedboat,” but the nice thing is that he’s not so heavily medicated and AutoTuned that you can’t follow along with his delivery.

It’s another solid album from an artist who like his late friend can crossover into a lot of areas (and arenas) given the chance.

His artistic ambition still lags behind profit objective and pursuit of happiness, but he also manages to be the kind of wordsmith that doesn’t have to spell everything out for you. But when he does, he gives a fairly balanced overview of the subject, see his thoughts on taxes in “Sam”. There’s still a cunning street edge to Chainz twelve years after “Supply & Demand”.

Lizzo is kinky and playful too, but the most sexy thing of all is her unlimited confidence in herself. She thinks big, dreams big, and achieves it all on this album.

Juice wants to get in touch with his feelings but then drowns them in a gallon of syrup.

This is a worthy addition to the Czarface catalogue that will find frequent rotation in your car stereo, boombox or headphones for the rest of 2019 AND beyond.

He can croon and autotune his way through some songs that are easy to ride to while faking it though--he ATL Jacob laced “Rocket Ship,” the Jacob and Jambo co-produced “Stick to the Models,” and the mellow radio friendly “Tricks On Me” from Nineteen85. Future has plenty of swagger and personality, knows all the right producers to take his style and make it sparkle, and has little problem serving his fan base exactly what they want.

The album is fun for that amount of time but doesn’t chart a new course for women in rap or rappers as a whole. Not every album needs to or should. “Fever” is our Trina for 2019. She won’t change the world but she will get you to talk about sex, baby.

This is not an album that thumps, drips, bangs, or whips. This is a young man with a lot of heavy thoughts on his mind, and to his good fortune he happens to be able to express them through rap over beats that sustain his flow. It may not be "boom it in your Jeep" music but that doesn't make it bad--just different. Earl Sweatshirt is different, and in a day where all rappers sound like the same AutoTuned singer, we need more different raps to appreciate.

The production on Dummy Boy is amazing. Tay Keith, Scott Storch, Murda Beatz and Ronny J among others lace 6 with some beats that match his "wavy" sound and style perfectly. The tracks are heavy on the bottom and have lots of room for 6 to flex his sing-song melodic flow.

She manages to not get completely steamrolled in her duets with YG and Lil Yachty and even interlocks tightly with Asian Doll on "Affiliated." The problem with the Bhad Bhabie project, of course, was never to teach her how to rap, it was negotiating an acceptable approach to appropriating the cultural codes of rap. And in that regard 15 is the expected embarrassment.

ye is an average album with some good songs, some bad songs, and some songs that will clearly be spun millions of times. The problem is that "average" has never been good enough for Kanye West nor should it be.

This is the sort of 'really good album' that can precede an all-time classic breakthrough album.

By providing a cinematic narrative throughout, Royce proves that he is more than a one-trick-pony witty lyricist. He's introspective and not afraid of laying down confessional lyrics.

There's nothing to really get mad at, but there's not much to get excited about either. Scott is just "aight."

Yes true believers these villains are definitely up to no good, but they're just the anti-heroes you've been looking for. With beats and rhymes more punishing than Frank Castle, Czarface Meets Metal Face is the hip-hop for everyone who's had it up to here with mumble mouthed singing emcees.

It's not his greatest work but it's easily one of his most ambitious, which still makes it an album worth celebrating and listening to, though perhaps in smaller doses than an hour and a half at a time.

The music alone would be enjoyable, the words read on a page with no music would still be profound, but it is in their combination that The Last Poets still continue to create magic into their 70's and beyond. Maybe a little of that magic can rub off and help some melanin-deprived people "Understand What Black Is" but if not at least it's still a pleasure to listen to.

It is a meticulously crafted album that goes down smooth and leaves you with something to think about.

After two studio albums and a handful of mixtapes she's reached a level of confidence where she can do a track like "Self Interview" and answer all the questions anybody would want to ask, all while humorously noting that "most people already skipped this song/cause it ain't about sex and killing".

Amusing, yes. Revolutionary? Not quite so much. ... Right now she's doing what sells and it's "Bodak Yellow" all day until her 15 minutes fades away.

There's too much material here to sit and listen to straight through in one sitting. Give it time though and Culture II will grow on you.

At its best--on "We Could Be Free"--"The Autobiography" adds to this reputation. At its worst, the album still sounds very good; aside from a pair of tracks that evince a teenaged boy's understanding of love, sex, and women (both of which--"Homewrecker" and "Gorgeous" -- are musically pleasant enough), there are just two more that rubbed me the wrong way. And that's mostly because they have a sound that is currently on-trend, which me feel old and out-of-touch.

This is a quiet, mellow album that works better as chill out music than work out music. ... Well worth checking out, especially if you thought Tyler was a one-trick pony.

At least a third of the tracks are songs I could do without. The other two-thirds show that whether you love or hate the modern day Marshall Mathers, he's still as relevant as he ever was.

The "Issa Album" was a full course meal while "Without Warning" ends up being more of a snack.

Rag'n'Bone Man needs to think more thoroughly about what exact story he wants to tell. Until then, Human is a heartwarming, mature pop album. Maybe it's been a wise decision to tone down the artist's hip-hop and rap background for now. But just the same, it could also have played a credible role.

Only "Friendly," another lightweight track recorded a few years back, makes Common Sense end with a question mark. ... With only one mixtape and one album J Hus has been able to enter the top ten in a competitive market, and Common Sense shows why, hitting the right notes with its expert composition and overall emotive quality.

On paper it sounds all over the place, but it somehow works. There is method to this madness and Gang Signs & Prayer owes much to how serious Stormzy considers the album format in 2017. Grime LPs are few and far between.

He's a mover and shaker who has every right to look back in pride, in personal pride. Godfather is the reaffirmation of a status.

7 Days is certainly the record to go for if you want that core Krept & Konan experience, and with strong showings from the three big names in UK rap (Stormzy, J Hus and Skepta)--it's definitely worth checking out.

Tricky isn't trying as hard to be all things like he was at the turn of the millennium, and he's not phoning it in to pay the bills like he's been doing for the past few albums. He's making music for the love of making music, and the results are pretty satisfying.

There is a fair amount of glitchy electronica, but there are also more straightforward loops. They compliment Open Mike's melodic delivery and the wistful yet angry mood of the album. Sammus and Has-lo also offer verses.

Big K.R.I.T. does a good job of separating the two personas at the end of the day. If the album was about 5 or 6 minutes shorter, it could have fit on a single disc but perhaps at the expense of the narrative. The double disc format really helps to drive home the point when the listener wants to switch from Big K.R.I.T.'s "Get Away" to Justin Scott's "Keep the Devil Off."

It showcases Rapsody's indisputable excellence as a lyricist and rapper, and it sets up the next stage of a career that will keep everyone in the industry watching closely.

Jidenna is good enough as a singer that if he did it full time I'd respect his hustle, but I like his wordplay, breath control, punchlines and swagger as a rapper enough that he'd be just fine only rapping. That he chooses to do both and do them both well shows he won't be defined by you, me, or anyone else.

While the beats are mostly good, it feels like Macklemore missed out on an opportunity to really set his solo career apart from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.

It's the depth of lyricism that continues to impress, months after release.

As for today's singing rappers, Vert fits in comfortably next to the likes of Fetty Wap and French Montana, and I have little qualms with calling him a better writer than the latter. The production is a little bit more of a mixed bag.

There's not a single track on Imperius Rex that I didn't dislike or even skip.

There are flashes of this kind of openness, honesty and personality throughout but a whole album of "Tango" type tracks would have been really special. As it is though "Still Striving" isn't a bad release.

Neva Left is unfortunately, yet predictably, another mixed bag. The good tracks are effectively updates to proven formulas, which when matched to more imposing beats, show Snoop hasn't lost his touch.

On Ctrl, SZA proves that you can be confident yet insecure, sexual yet crave affection and genuine connection, and empowered and still prone to falling for bad boys and all the drama that entails. SZA is the real deal and yet another example of how some of the most interesting, complex, sophisticated art being made today is being made by R&B artists.