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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 with SYRE: The Electric Album, […]
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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 can absorb in one smoke […]
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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 his first official LP to […]
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Review: Jay Park’s “Ask Bout Me” EP Is Eclectic But Doesn’t Meet His Potential
Since leaving the South Korean boy band 2 PM in 2010, Jay Park has reinvented himself as a music industry entrepreneur. He founded his own Hip Hop label in South Korea and in 2017, made history when he became the first Asian-American artist to sign to Roc Nation. His catalog has something for everyone, drawing […]
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Review: Guin Records Showcases Potential On The Cluttered “Uncharted”
DJ Khaled would say otherwise, but collaboration albums are hard to get right. It’s not easy to get assorted personalities in the studio to create a cohesive album that also allows individuals to shine. Maybe that’s one reason the Hip Hop practice is an endangered species. Up-and-coming label Guin Records took its roster of hungry […]
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Review: Tre Capital’s “Hero” Reveals Much Room For Growth
Tre Capital’s mission isn’t just to be the best rapper among his competition. He takes more pride in his artistic development and humanist approach to all of his career endeavors. As his Hero project’s title and Star Wars Jedi-resembling cover suggest, the Los Angeles lyricist is simultaneously asserting himself as a hero while questioning the […]
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Review: Young Buck’s “10 Plugs” Has Zero Surprises
G-Unit’s original southern representative Young Buck has been the most active of the original foursome over the past decade, releasing (among other things) his “10” series of mixtapes. His recent eighth entry in the series 10 Plugs is a curious blend of excellent production, consistency, but — ultimately — forgettable music. One of the main […]
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Review: Buddy’s “Harlan & Alondra” Proves His Debut Was Worth The Wait
Buddy has been waiting to shine for a long time. The Compton MC caught the ear of Pharrell about a decade ago, but he’s just now fully stepping into the limelight with his debut album, Harlan & Alondra. The album, which was named for the intersecting streets of his childhood home, proves to be well worth […]
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Review: YG’s “STAY DANGEROUS” Never Establishes Its Identity
After years of branding himself as the premier West Coast gangsta attraction, YG has been faced with a career crossroads. It’s a First Rap World problem if you will — he simply needs to expand his fanbase. His debut studio album was a near-production masterpiece and its follow-up revealed his thuggery could evolve to a […]
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Review: Travis Scott Ascends Even Higher Past His Imitators With “Astroworld”
In the near two years since Travis Scott dropped his platinum-selling sophomore LP Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, there have been countless acts who have attempted to emulate his sound that has engrossed millions. After a series of delays — and a forgettable collaborative effort — eager fans were finally gifted with the long-awaited […]