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

If Teflon Don was a buffet-style feast with deluxe entrées laid out for the listeners, God Forgives, I Don't is a full-course dinner that starts with a plate of bruschetta and ends with a zeppole.

Life Is Good is arguably Nas's best album since Stillmatic.

With Self Made 2, MMG takes another step toward truly becoming untouchable.

Rugby Thompson, an album that not only strips him of an unfair "weed rapper" label, but is also probably the best rap album to come out of New York this year.

The rapper coolly exceeds expectations in his artistic self-awareness and this go-round shines like his diamond-studded Fozzy Bear chain.

With Live from the Underground, through deeply authentic takes on his own life and surroundings, the 2011 XXL Freshman has found a way to create some of the most resonating, least selfish rap music around.

It works just fine and follows the blueprint of most major label projects today. The thing is that, in doing so, Curren$y loses some of the magic that makes him a true original.

In his most recent solo endeavor, Control System, Soul craftily proves that he is indeed a potent weapon on a team full of heavy artillery.

The compilation is short--12 tracks--but if fans are looking for relentless lyrics in their R.A.P. Music, this ATL MC remains a Killer on the mic.

Strange Clouds is a sophomore album that straddles genre lines but does so with an authenticity that many rappers testing the pop waters lack.

Pluto may be far from the sun, but Future shines brightest when he aligns with the stars.

He puts out so much that there's no filter, and even bright flashes are clouded by curious moments.

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.

OF Tape, Vol. 2 works within itself, and adds another project to the growing catalog of the collective.

The multi-talented artist has indeed gotten better, steadily working towards perfecting his crafts.

It's a pretty fun album to listen to--just don't listen too closely.

Even with so many features, Tyga rarely lets the album get away from him, remaining in the driver's seat even when next to young stars and legends.

While the songs with Rae's contemporaries bang, the joints starring his artists--JD Era, Ceazar-N-Reason, Camoflauge, Big B, Tommy Nova and R&B singer Altrina Renee--are hard to sit through

With Rich Forever, Ross continues to cement his position as one of hip-hop's best artists.

Ultimately, lyrical dexterity and a versatile delivery prove to be ScHoolboy's biggest assets.

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.

Overall, the album has a good balance of solo tracks and features.

This joint LP produces sub-par lyrics, multiple cartoon beats and a whole lot of, "What the hell did they just say?"

The Dreamer/The Believer may be Com's most digestible LP to date.

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

Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to its potential, and the result is lackluster, with bland efforts both lyrically and production-wise.

Although the music is undeniably the most exciting part of the tape, A$AP does little to get in the way, oftentimes, enhancing the beats with his Bone Thugs-N-Harmony inspired flows.