Reloaded is a brilliant album but it is one that requires a certain mood.

Common's naturally smooth flowing voice is a pleasure to listen to, making even the times when he is overreaching his grasp that much more tolerable in comparison to lesser peers.

Neither artist disappoints on the LP and Quik continues to progress and go beyond the boundaries of traditional west coast hip-hop. Although I'm not sure if fans will ride down Crenshaw bumping a few of the songs on the album, I salute Quik and Kurupt for trying something new.

Overall, “Voir Dire” isn’t bad. But to speak the truth, in the spirit of the album, both men have had more superior output. Plus, The Alchemist’s beats are usually better suited for rappers with gangsta motifs, because it sounds more like shared vision then.

Pusha is more thoughtful and Malice is more cocksure. Through the alchemy of Pharrell Williams the result is their finest work to date.

Live Love A$AP is compelling but wildly uneven in execution.

It is, really and truly, an experience.

Extended Play has the comfortable feel of a mid-to-late 1990's DJ Premier P-P-P-Premier mixtape though so I'm not mad at it--I just want Statik to knock his next one out of the stratosphere.

There are those who employ cheat codes just for the hell of it. Lyrically and musically, Black Thought and Danger Mouse used theirs here to get one up on their peers in their respective mediums.

Shabazz Palaces created an album that is deep, dense, cryptic, hypnotic, and beautiful in its own freaky way.

XXX is another excellent release from the man who is one of the best rappers out there, proving that you can be lyrical and street at the same time, and that hip-hop doesn't have to be one dimensional.

With Chill, dummy, P.O.S. manages a difficult balancing act between alternative music and hip-hop, the personal and the political, and being impassioned without being self-righteous. It's a strong album that is a welcome return from the Minnesota rapper.

He's versatile enough in writing ability to cover any topic from somber to silly, he's clever enough to make what he has to say worth rewinding to catch, and he's not that bad behind the boards as a producer either

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

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.

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.

By Janelle Monae's lofty standards, this is still very good, but not quite as great as her previous offering.

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.

If there’s any album to compare this to, it would have to be The Clipse’s recently released “Let God Sort Em Out”, as both are similar and uncompromisingly raw in sound and content. But “Alfredo 2” differs in style and tone. The album’s edge? It has a narcotic swagger with flash and no polish, as well as being a very welcome and well-timed contemporary follow-up.

While “Everybody Can’t Go” is mostly good, Benny will need to push some boundaries if he’s ever going to top his classic albums.

It's [the] beats by Danger Mouse that make "Demon Days" a winner, even when the Gorillaz concept threatens to overwhelm itself with pretentious twaddle.

Once you listen, you'll never be able to look at rap's landscape the same way again.

Whilst not quite a true Renaissance for hip hop, it certainly is a rebirth for Q-Tip--and fans of A Tribe Called Quest will dine out on this album for the next nine years too.

Lyrically, Jay-Z still has his gift for wordplay and flow. For what he does not display in terms of technical emceeing ability on this album, he makes up for it by dropping clever gems filled with knowledge.

Doris may not get the party started, but it's still an inspiring album.

At times the production teeters back and forth between cohesive and monotonous, but after repeated listens, the tracks stand out apart from each other more as you unravel the heavily layered production.

Madlib produced albums tend to only get better with age, and I don't expect Pinata to be an exception.

Despite the album having a few filler tracks, Machine may just end up with the crown on the album cover if he continues the route he’s currently on.