Although a few late quarter misfirings render the album’s title misleading, there is too much good here to say with a straight face that Iggy will amount to nothing more than a flash in the pan.

Despite showing moments of progression and growth throughout the EP, Ty Dolla $ign still has a long way to go in terms of constructing an album, which hopefully will be fine-tuned as he prepares for his major release later this year.

Raekwon’s passion and well-crafted rhymes show he’s still capable of creating high quality work as an MC, but F.I.L.A. is too disjointed to stand beside his best work.

MellowHigh has its thrills with some credit going to Earl’s playful verse on “Cold World,” but too often the album feels stagnant.

The Saga Continues falls hazily to the side. While the project's title indicates the "saga continues"--featuring solid rhymes from each member and sample-heavy beats from Mathematics--it's not the opus that will surpass the classics in Wu's already established legacy.

On Finally Rich he continues to execute a his niche sound, and at a high level.

The album’s biggest issue is its length. ... While the project is lengthy, it’s just good to hear Kid Cudi sound like himself.

Even without being a completely authentic offering from the Killa Beez, Legendary Weapons is a solid listen that can hold fans over and shows the Wu's weapons remain razor sharp, leaving hope for an official LP.

What makes Total Xanarchy shaky is also what makes for an honest debut. Sure, there are moments of redundancy and filler songs that could have been left on the cutting room floor. But a lot of music on this album is fresh, exciting and a sign of the changing times.

Rise Of An Empire, Young Money Entertainment’s sophomore album, is marred by its lack of star power.

French’s tendency for repetitive subject matter and lack of a distinct rhyme or reason in terms of the type of creative direction that solidifies an artist as an entity of their own leaves a bit to be desired from Jungle Rules. Those missteps aside, Jungle Rules is a quality long player with a few worthwhile peaks, in spite of its valleys.

Fetty’s attempt at putting together a full, formal project takes away from the overall prestige of his hits that have been so cherished over the past 12 months. This isn’t to say that the next album will won’t be able to more effectively balance hits and album cuts. But this one feels like the first attempt that it is.

It’s the heated Cash Money conflict that’s carrying the project, no question, but aside from some of his singles and featured verses, this is as focused and engaging as we’ve heard Wayne since Tha Carter III. S4TW2 falls short of being a great standalone project, but it’s not built for that anyway.

The album, while slightly unfocused, does have its moments, and Inglish in particular, has revealed himself to be an artist to keep an eye on going forward.

The majority of the raps are unfortunately provided by ALC and Dr. No: two artists more known for getting busy behind the boards than on the mic.

Without a doubt, 2 Chainz has the formula to make great music--but now we just need a little more substance, and we’re not talking about freebase cocaine.

Rich Gang is not especially lyrical, but that’s not really a shocker; its strengths lie more in its hooks and club appeal, and it’s fully stocked with tracks that demand to be played at ear-shattering and floor-shaking volumes.

Khalifa likely won’t sway opinion of Wiz Khalifa, whether positive or negative. For better or worse, it’s a portrait of the rapper we’ve seen for years. It does do things a little more consistently and adds a little more detail than what we’re used to seeing.

Rubba Band Business plays to Juicy J's strengths and succeeds in highlighting the best of what he has to offer.

There’s just too much ambition and not enough energy to support Event II fully. Planet Deltron used to be more fun.

Woptober includes a few snags in the form of pedestrian offerings such as “Wop,” the repetitive “Right on Time” and the underwhelming Young Dolph collaboration, “Bling Blaww Burr,” but the album finishes strong with the revealing closeout cut, “Addiction.”

Though it runs a little long, Cats & Dogs is a banging, consistent platter that ought to satisfy backpackers and hard-rocks alike.

Banks & Steelz constantly shift shapes and sounds on Anything But Words, but the experimentation doesn’t always work. However, the album never bores even in its uneven tracks.

Like Soul Food, Age Against The Machine tries to succeed in being different and innovative. At times, the results are disastrous, but the album always remains interesting.

While the tides of hip-hop may be in flux, and the release might not break any new ground, the collaborative LP is a genuine and welcomed addition to the modern hip-hop landscape.

More than it's lack of rap, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded suffers most from not fully being any one thing, as it's unable to balance multiple approaches into one package.

At times, he comes across as brilliantly unorthodox with flows, genre-crossing beats and meticulously honest lyrics but those unfamiliar with his outré style may be pushed even further away from the album’s peculiarity.

What works for Wiz is crafting similar songs to perfect the Taylor Gang aesthetic.