Once they digest this one, fans will be eager for seconds.

Yes Lawd! is one of the more satisfying efforts of the year thus far.

Mac Miller’s sophomore effort is a surprising and focused album from an artist fed up with his public perception. He does enough here to prove his point.

Reflecting the Top Dawg Ent. rapper's lyrics and tone, the album is unapologetic and rugged, but sounds anything but rough.

4 Your Eyez Only is a solid, short listen that relies on J. Cole’s strength and comfort zone, perhaps a little too much at times, but the underlying concepts continue to add a layer of depth to his artistry.

Gucci sounds more comfortable, confident and icier than ever before.

The two feed off each other well, resulting in good music with a message, more often than not.

The Weeknd is a self-described pop star, and proves his worth on Starboy, an album with plenty to love.

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

Nine albums removed from anonymity, Rather You Than Me secures Rick Ross’ slot within the list Top 5 of rap soloists to emerge from the South over the last 20 years, and is among his more cohesive bodies of work to date.

Gucci Mane’s latest may be business as usual, but Drop Top Wop gives the customer exactly what they’re looking for, which is a tried-and-true art within itself, making it another quality offering in the Atlanta legend’s extensive catalog.

He and Cudi pull equal weight on Kids See Ghosts, but the album’s brightest points--the beautiful madness they seek--come from the moments when Kanye plays the background and Cudi seizes the forefront. It’s a testament to their chemistry and quite the turn from 2008.

He could have benefited from having the album broken up into seven-track EPs and released over the course of two-three months, but we’re forced to aimlessly sift our own way through D.Z.A. Lucky for us, there’s enough gold in there to go around.

Some Rap Songs packs a lot in 25 minutes, making for an unsettling listen that is also one of the most personal, gripping rap records of the year.

The Solution finds Buckshot doing a better job than in his past two at-bats to keep up with the super producer, and he does so by using his relaxed spitting as an anchor.

“One Man” in particular, which deals with the loss of his grandmother and his acceptance of her passing, really underlines what the entire work is about: dealing with the ups and downs in life and figuring out the best way to accept them and move forward. With Dark Sky Paradise, Big Sean has finally found that balan

While fans and critics argue over whether or not he’s one of the greatest MCs of his generation, let alone among the greatest of all-time, Drake continues to prove his worth as an elite talent with More Life, another blockbuster from rap’s golden child with the midas touch.

Complete with unbridled lyricism, top-notch production and conceptual brilliance to tie it all together, Everybody is a hallmark release that further solidifies Logic solid standing in hip-hop.

If anything lets Tha Carter V down, it’s the track sequencing and transitions, which can start to make the project feel like it’s dragging about halfway through. However, that should hardly dissuade Wayne’s most diehard fans, as even in its slowest moments, the album never loses its heady sense of rapture. ... The album is indeed memorable, as much for the journey that led to its release as the previously unseen layers that Weezy reveals.

With a slimmed down tracklist and looser vision, A Better Tomorrow would be a fantastic offering. But as it stands, what could be the last Wu-Tang album ever leaves much to be desired.

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

Theophilus London’s musical ability is evident throughout Vibes, a mesh-mash of genres that come together to form one of the better listenings of 2014.

Its greatest moments shine through in club hits that seeped through virally on the web and made him a nationwide phenomenon on the radio, it’s other moments aren’t as flashy.

His voice is a powerful weapon, and he still has some ideas worth mining, but he’d be better served under the direction of a producer who could focus his sound, kill a couple bad hooks and weed out the filler. We’re not expecting Dr. Dre or Bomb Squad-level results anymore, but some outside guidance could help.

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

The highs of PND 2 have replay value, and the lows--though there are certainly more of them--blend with the rest of the album as it plays in the background of a bedroom.

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

Endearing, ambitious and a tad overstuffed, Slime Language is a literal and figurative family reunion. However, like any Black family reunion, the project captivates when the young are allowed to flex in front of the father and claw their way from the periphery to the main stage.