In all honesty, it's not the sentiment that bothers this reviewer. Rather, it's the insertion of the sentiment into what should have ostensibly been a light-hearted romp, a fun return to their days of old.

I fully respect his artistic and creative choices and his right to be his own man and not be defined by his years as a seminal underground rapper. I respect his choices, but I still pine for a Camu Tao we don't hear on this album and that we won't hear ever again. In the end I feel that his potential still went untapped.

The third album from T-Pain, Thr33 Ringz, finds him once again attempting to master the triple threats--rapping, singing and producing. That it turns out to be incredibly formulaic and slavishly apes his sophomore effort ("Epiphany") proves only to be a minor deterrent, since almost everything here is upscaled.

There's nothing boring about the tracks on Ego Trippin' though, from the hard hitting Neptunes produced "Sets Up" to the soft-spoken Polow Da Don produced "Why Did You Leave Me."

This is the most satisfying P.E. album in over fifteen years, both a throwback to their glory years and a hopeful sign of more great years to come.

Rick Ross' Rather You Than Me is fun to listen to.

This album [is] unabashedly fun and very easy to listen to.

I Heard it Today makes me a less reluctant Lif fan since I've come to terms with his vocal style, but I still yearn for the collaborative efforts of Perceptionist days gone by which had incredible rhymes and incredible beats all at the same time.

He tends to repeat himself and his punchlines lack punch--but Seen It All is an album you can listen to start to finish and not hate yourself for buying it.

While the pull of the charts is hard to resist, the tracks with Primo and Just Blaze show he knows where his heart truly is, while the rest of the album tries and either fails or succeeds at pulling him away from the grime, grease and grit of the street corner.

Whether it is a product of being stuck in mixtape territory for so long or having to work on a limited budget, The Nacerima Dream is neither dream nor nightmare.

It certainly doesn't reach the catchy levels of Ross' biggest hits on most songs, but sounds good enough to have been decent album tracks.

“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.

Jeezy has a competent flow, good breath control, plenty of hot beats and all-star guests, and yet this album really is a sequel to "101" in all but name because it picks up where the last one left off without even trying to differentiate between the two.

Overall, Wretch 32 gives us a fresh take on a common story.

This is a decent mixtape that you'll happily spin for up to a fortnight, I reckon. But it's a hook. It's a sample to get you addicted.

[A] fun, rambunctious, guilty pleasure of an album.

She does so many things right it's hard to point out any one in particular.

It's lines like [in "Flicker" that] keep me coming back to Atmosphere's music, and make Southsiders another solid entry into the Atmosphere catalogue, warts and all.

The cons of “The Inspired Soundtrack” is that some tracks, much like movie scenes, could’ve simply been left on the cutting room floor since they don’t belong. However, their inclusion highlights the more quality songs on the album, the ones that coincide with the movie’s themes, ones which still are fought against in the present day.

This is just a lot of well produced but unenjoyable noise.

She can often sound like the guest rapper on her own songs, which is why she doesn’t really need the collaborations that some emcees rely upon. But there’s no denying the clear star power on display throughout “Scarlet”, an album that is her most direct, and shows that a pissed-off rapper that has something to get off of their chest, often results in their best work.

The Pinkprint is let down by some basic conceptual flaws, lackadaisical decision-making and even placing too much faith in bonus tracks to appease the masses

Thanks in large part to the beats and the guest appearances, and in small part to Jeezy's frank delivery and raspy voice, it leans more toward the former [enjoyable] than the latter [obnoxious], leading me to give this album a cautious thumbs up.

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.

The songs feel more like eight variations on the same concept than eight distinct tracks. That's neither surprising nor unforgivable given the experimental bent of the band, but you can't help but notice the sameness when you listen to the album.

Fish Outta Water is a bright, colorful album that does an excellent job of incorporating different styles into a cohesive whole.

The Infamous Mobb Deep is an enjoyable journey for long time fans of the group, but for newcomers it's a hefty two hour plus tome that can't be taken in one sitting.