Five albums in, Wale remains one of the more mercurial talents in rap, with SHINE serving as further evidence of his abilities as an MC and a reminder of his lyrical radiance.

Satellite Flight captures Cudi’s adventure back home to the moon and does it brilliantly.

While the project has a few speed bumps, particularly the tracks with sung hooks that don’t seem to mesh much with the tense, dynamic raps Freeway delivers, Free Will is another solid entry into the consistent catalog of one of Philadelphia’s finest.

3001: A Laced Odyssey is a perfect first step in a career that is still blooming.

These days, there aren’t many rap albums that can service as a deeply digested work of art as well as music for easy listening, yet Tyler, The Creator fills both lanes well. He manages to find the happy medium on Flower Boy and translates it to his best album yet.

Cellar Door comes off as a bit of an endurance test as result. That’s a knock against it, but a small [one] for what’s a brisk and enjoyable listen.

With the themes, moods and issues displayed here, Drizzy has shared another moment of his life, and now the only thing left to prove is if his crossover powers can last him a decade from now.

While Adventures of Bobby Ray is B.o.B’s story, the feeling he conjures makes it easy to relate. It’s safe to say this genre-blending debut is a step in the right direction for the young rap star.

Ultimately, 12 Reasons to Die is a pitch-perfect pairing of Adrian Younge’s soulful production and Ghostface’s invigorated rhymes.

It's an LP that accurately reflects 8 Ball's place as one of the finest elder statesmen of southern rap.

A concept album with an equally heavy focus on musicianship and rhymes, undun fantastically transports into the tragic narrative.

Prima Donna doesn’t have one single track that carries the project and this is obviously done on purpose. It’s an effort better experienced as a whole rather than its parts.

Despite occasional bouts of underwhelming songwriting, Ephorize is a standout showcase of emphatic cuts laid over a wide variety of sound beds, perfect for pervs and prudes alike to bang.

Mastermind is a powerful album, an album with an identity, and one that has some solid songs and a handful of hits. Ross delivers just what he promised.

It’s not always focused, and it’s not always perfect, but that’s what real freedom feels like.

Rolling Papers 2 may not eclipse Wiz's most acclaimed work, but it is an admirable effort that shows growth in a creative evolution that gives hope that his best could still be ahead of him.

While his rock-solid catalog should vanquish any doubt, the Bawse looks to cement his musical gangsta on his fourth Def Jam album.

Overall, Take Care's sum is greater than its parts.

Mr. Davis is stripped-down, honest and straight to the point.

Despite the album’s loaded guest list, T.I. manages to squeeze in enough room to allow himself to shine and tells us why after nearly 15 years deep; he’s still a top-tier artist in the game.

Despite a few redundant tracks and a lack of cohesion, Honkey Kong paints a good picture of the impressive output Apathy is capable of in 2011.

The album does start to feel the weight of having 21 tracks at times, but little overstays its welcome. Even 20 years into his career, Royce maintains his reputation as one of hip-hop's premier rappers by releasing his most affecting work yet.

While Ludacris’ name may miss several Best Rapper Alive lists, he never fails to deliver on each album. If Ludaversal is a reminder that he hasn’t fallen off lyrically, the game should pay attention.

ScHoolboy’s presence on Oxymoron is poised and confident.

Thug sounds the best he’s ever sounded, despite some of the songs begin fairly far removed from his proverbial comfort zone.

As is often the case with politically charged rap, the album at times comes off preachy, but it rarely oversteps the boundary.

Musically and lyrically, PRhyme 2 holds its own next to its precursor. There's something for everyone here--Premier's production is diverse and tuneful while Royce pushes the bounds of his imagination with impressive wordplay. Win-win.

Despite the abundance of features (twelve), Snow's fourth studio album is indeed a win.