Young Bans - Misunderstood

I listened to Young Bans #newalbum - Misunderstood. It was not an impressive debut album.  it’s It's melodic rap a lot of playing with effects in the studio with good production but  horrible lyrics.  It lacks skill, fundamentals, originality or creativity. It's 19 tracks and 56 minutes of run time but  it seems way longer than it really is because honestly it's kind of boring and lagging. The entertainment value and professionalism of it was low. It needs improvement on every level. It might get play in some club, I didn't hear a hit single or lead single but I wouldn't be shocked if it got some radio play or notification. I'd givie it a D- 

I listened to Slum Village's #newalbum- The Source.  Honestly, it's way too long and it does not have enough jams on it to justify it being 20+ tracks. The songs are alright but too many songs have the problem where something was missing; all of the critical elements of making a good song never came together at the same time . It's a hard listen, deeply underground and not a very entertaining listen. The production and focus could have been better to match the lyrical ability.  The songs I liked best were;“Get this Money”, “Lock it Down”, “scheming” , “Fall in Love”( remix), “cloud 9”. Theres not a lot of go to tracks or hits, it won't get radio play or club play. I'd give it a C-

Common - Let Love

I listened to Common #newalbum - Let Love.  The production and subject matter are adult, but the beat selection is not particularly great or jamming . The problematic part is the delivery. It doesn’t sound like he sat down and took time to write this album, it sounds like he freestyles the album. The flows, cadences and concepts are too simple and lack creativity and intricacies. The stories were predictable and lacked plot twist. None of his elite level skills are displayed. He sounds like an artist that was once ahead of his time, who's time has now caught up to. “Memories of Home”ft. Bj the Chicago Kid, “God is Love” are my favorite tracks.

It's jazzy, soulful and introspective but the bars lack rewind factor, the songs lack repeatability, or anything that would make you want to listen to the album over. Its mature, it’s responsible and he has something to say;but its not all that entertaining. I'd give it a  C-

Rich The Kid, Famous Dex & Jay Critch - Rich Forever 4

I listened to Rich The Kid, Famous Dex & Jay Critch #newmixtape - Rich Forever 4. It has pretty good beats, but nothing ground breaking.  Lyrically, it's elementary in difficulty and skills. Makes anyone believe they can or should rap. It's made for the club, it could possibly get some radio play, but there is no standout sing or sho nuff hit. It lacks creativity or originality.  I didn't have a favorite song and it lacks repeatability. I'd give it a. D

YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy

I listened to YBN Cordae's #newalbum - The Lost Boy. It was way better than I was expecting. It wasa very good whole album listening experienc. It had  good production and good flow. The lyrics were personal, and introspective, thoughtful and soulful. It's not a radio friendly or club album, despite the high profile features, but it's a reatable album. It's a listeners album.  I enjoyed "Nightmares are Real"ft Pusha T, "RNP" ft. Anderson Paak and "Bad Idea" ft. Chance Rapper. I'd give it a  B+. 

Rapsody - Eve

I listened to Rapsody's #newalbum - Eve. I have mixed feelings about it, it's a good album; it's better than most albums you will hear this year, but it's not as good as it could or should be. It's a step back from her last album it doesn't jam as hard and it's not a a complete album repeat, nor is it an album that you can listen to on random.  Eve is very much a listeners album, its deep and complex listening experience. It's repeatable, but you have to in the mood to listen or you  have to  happen to stumble upon it and decide to listen to it again; basically it's not a go to listen. It's both consistent and it's predictable; lyrically I know what she can do, she found her comfort zone and just stuck to it, she took absolutely no risk, pushed no envelopes, explored no new boundaries and exhibited no growth or development. For the most part she used one flow, one cadence and most of the beats were about the same tempo. She seems to be stagnant creatively. She needs bigger challenges and a more diverse  beat selection to get out of her comfort zone. "Cleo" is the favorite and go to track. “Ibtihaj”, “Michelle” “iman”and “Afeni” are also standout tracks. I'd give it a B.

E-40 - Practice Makes Paper

I listened to E-40's #newalbum - Practice Makes Paper. It's very hit or miss. There are some good beats, there are some good lines and lyrics, but not a lot of times when the whole package comes together at once. Sometimes the flows are off or forced, and the album is way longer than necessary. The strength of the album is listening to E-40 spit knowledge on everything from the streets, business, and even history. It's not a great listen, and it's way too long. It's a pretty good variety in both beats and subject matter. It's not really repeatable but worth a listen. If you're not an E-40 fan this is not the project that will change your mind. I liked a few songs different reasons, the ones that stood out to me were Chase the money”, “1 question”, “watch the homies” ft scarface, “Another One”, facts not fiction and “Bet you didn’t know". It could definitely be more precise and focused. I'd give it a C

KXNG - The Weeklys Volume 3

I listened to Crooked I 's #newmixtape - The weekly's 3. If you are unfamiliar he does a weekly freestyle/cover of a track each week. He's been compiling them and releasing them. He took it to another level on this one and is starting to raise his game and do things I didn’t know he was capable of lyrically. He's extremely focused and has dialed in on his storytelling, more importantly, his attention to detail in the stories. My favorite tracks " Life of Bandana", " Soul", " W2Cc" and "Family". He does a good job of picking beats to rhyme over and he's getting better with the concepts total song making. I'm hoping this improvement translates to him making an album with new original music. I'd give it A

Quality Control : Control The Streets, Volume 2

I listened to Quality Control's #newalbum - Control The Streets, Volume 2. It's a compilation album, so it doesn't flow smoothly or orderly, essentially it's songs that have been in the vault. The majority of it is radio and club-friendly but it's not really quality music at all. The album would have been better if it was more intentional instead of just random songs in the vault and things the artists have recorded recently but just not released. Most of the songs could have used better production, delivery and fuller concepts. Lyrically most of it was way below average. Most of it could play on Radio but I don't think the album will produce a bunch of hits, but the best songs are already on Radio. "Wiggle It" ft. City Girls and French Montana, "Leavem Alone" with Layton Greene and Lil Baby featuring City Girls and PnB Rock and "Baby" with Lil Baby and DaBaby were the only standouts. I'd give it a D.