Review: B.o.B’s Alleged Final Album “NAGA” Is Aimless & Entertaining
When B.o.B. was on top of the rookie rap world with his 2010 smash “Airplanes,” no one would predict he would wound up being known as Hip Hop’s resident flat-earther. Yet, after an undeniably declining musical trajectory since his debut (not to mention the Kansas-sized whirlwind of scrutiny that accompanied…
Review: Mac Miller Embodies Defiance On Cathartic “Swimming” Album
It’s no secret that Mac Miller has been going through a tumultuous year. He’s endured a very public break-up with Ariana Grande and then got arrested for a DUI in May. On Swimming, his follow up to his overlooked The Divine Feminine, Miller tackles these issues head-on. Though the subject…
Review: Kool G Rap & 38 Spesh Gel On “Son Of G Rap” Album
Kool G Rap has been penning rhymes since most rap fans were treating their mama’s wombs like speed bags. With so many Hip Hop stripes, it can be hard to keep the same old as fresh as a new pair of draws. Rather than spit out shrimp-and-lobster stories on the…
Review: “Yung Bans, Vol. 5” Is A Solid Addition To 2018’s Trap Blitz
Some people want to be successful; others strive to be iconic. Yung Bans, the 19 year-old Atlanta rapper recently co-signed by Future’s Freebandz Gang, is clearly aiming for the latter. His latest mixtape, Yung Bans, Vol. 5, is his third installment this year in a series that launched his career…
Review: G Herbo & Southside’s “Swervo” Convincingly Warrants Future Collabos
By 2015, having already become a regional veteran, G Herbo’s travels outside of Chicago and his comfort zone felt natural and necessary, eventually leading to work with Atlanta producers like 808 Mafia’s Southside and Metro Boomin. As the story goes, the former of the two literally had to force Herbo…
Review: YFN Lucci & Yung Bleu Are Trap Casanovas With “Lucci Vandross”
YFN Lucci has had an admirably active 2018 campaign thus far which includes releasing his debut album Ray Ray From Summerhill and dropping off a couple of EP’s. Looking to let loose some anthems for the summer, Lucci teamed up with Alabama representative and member of Boosie’s Badazz Music Syndicate,…
Review: Denzel Curry’s “TA13OO” Is The Equator Between Hype & Substance
Denzel Curry isn’t your average SoundCloud rapper, and his explosive new album TA13OO is the ultimate proof. As a member of SpaceGhostPurrp’s RVIDXR KLVN, the skilled MC was at the forefront of Florida’s influential scene, which rose to prominence over the past few years via SoundCloud. While many of his…
Review: Jaden Smith’s “SYRE: The Electric Album” Lacks The Punch Of Its Predecessor
Jaden Smith proved he had seemingly endless amounts of creativity pulsing through his veins when he released SYRE last year. Beautifully complex and overflowing with ethereal melodies, the project impressed some of the most ardent Hip Hop purists. Evidently, 17 tracks wasn’t the cap for the SYRE saga. Smith returned…
Review: Wiz Khalifa’s Lengthy “Rolling Papers II” Is Worth Its Weight In K.K.
By this point, it’s clear that artists unload whopping song dumps of albums in order to take full advantage of the upside of the streaming frenzy. At 25 tracks deep, no one can fault Wiz Khalifa for padding his long announced Rolling Papers II album with more songs than fans…
Review: Trippie Redd’s “Life’s a Trip” Is A Commendable-N-Chaotic Genre Fuser
Since 2016, Trippie Redd has been a name-to-know in the colorful-dread, face-tat, SoundCloud underworld, thanks to his relentless release of EPs and mixtapes. Meticulously dropping a grand total of eight projects in two years cultivated the Ohio native a hoard of Cool Teen™ fans who have been zealously waiting for…