Ken Carson - Xperiment (R.I. Review)

Ken Carson is Playboi Carti's very lucky protege. Similar to Playboi's come up, connections are the primary appeal of Ken Carson. It's not that he's a bad rapper, it's just his context is why he's relevant. The strange thing about this album is Xperiment has a scientific level awareness, but the lyrics seem geared towards people that are border-line illiterate. It's reminiscent of Lil Uzi Vert in delivery, but he has Playboi's subtle infrastructural awareness. This album is designed to perform well and expand Playboi Carti's brand, but as a stand alone audio experience, at best it's a celebration of urban culture. Xperiment is perfect for social media's agenda to make art easy and inclusive, but it's a little uninspired.

Token - I'm Leaving Soon (R.I. Review)

Token is a rapper from Salem, Massachusetts. It's hard to explain his presentation. He's good. Immediately that's obvious. His early songs were very technically proficient but a little too clean cut to assimilate with most hip hop. He's mainly releasing music from videos which is not bad, but it gives him a different kind of audience. "Looking like a rapper" is a closed-minded critique, but there are Caucasian rappers that look more like rappers. 

Personally, I think his look adds to his relevance. My hope is that Token doesn't confuse being corrupt with being cool. Smoking, swearing, police, and dark themes aren't necessary for rap respect and concepts like "RRN" are acceptance contradictory. His music confidence is impressive, but something makes me question if he can keep his lyric persona in a social situation. Maybe he's as cool as his lyrics, but subliminally theres a different vibe than his lyrics that you can feel.

Tyla - A Pop (R.I. Review)

Tyla is a singer from South Africa that had a very successful debut with the viral song, "Water". She has returned with a new album called A Pop. From a conceptual standpoint, it is a lot more serious; K-Pop success with African/American unity. Personally, I think that her first album was more universal. A Pop sonically is more EDM and RNB. Tyla is talented, but she's still trying to find her core audience. The album is good, but like most artist's early careers, it's a little generic and experimental.

It's nice to see a musician reach success without jumping on a controversial campaign or diluting their talent. Tyla is solid, but she needs an ace, and it isn't bowing down to mainstream cultural ideas. A-Pop is a flex, but it's also a submission. Hopefully, it's successful enough to teach her who her fans are.

Drake - Ice Man (R.I. Review)

Drake is a rapper from Toronto; One of the biggest ever. Although he came up from Myspace and Degrassi, he won over the Cash Money circle and became a hipster rapper. When culture shifted he diluted his music to represent the culture. A controversial beef with Kendrick Lamar landed him here with Ice Man. Now, the cover is a reference to the Michael Jackson glove Kendrick Lamar wore during his tour prior to the beef. It's clever but polarizing because people are complicated. Drake has learned from 21 Savage to keep his music playful and a little intentionally ignorant, but it works very well on this album. Rappers get a lot of crash out commissions; (Where a label with no cultural investment in you asks you to sell something desperately unrealistic with very little concern for your career i.e. "Sugar On My Tongue"). That aside, Drake hasn't flexed his lyricism this hard since his early career. He's sincerely one of the best musicians in his genre and Ice Man is a reminder of that.

Sexxy Red - Yo Favorite Trappa Favorite Rappa (R.I. Review)

Sexxy Red is a rapper from St. Louis, Missouri. Sexxy Red has a very simple presentation: be an extremely hard female rapper. She is the female equivalent of Gucci Mane or Chief Keef. Her hood authenticity is endearing because it's so counter-cultural. Sexxy Red's delivery is conversational, loud yelling. The production is sinister. Her one problem is all of her songs are at the same lukewarm level of hype. Sexxy Red is raw, but on the other hand she's earthy and approachable.

Wesley Joseph - Forever Ends Someday (R.I. Review)

Wesley Joseph is a rapper from London who just released a polished new album with a lot of potential. The production is hip and sounds like a band. The album cover is very rock inclusive. While this is a rap album, most of it is melodic. Heritage focused aesthetics are about pride so if you don't radically choose a side, or you contain elements that logistically contradict in the ethnic utility, it's better not to seek that kind of attention. Forever Ends Someday has some very strong moments both lyrically and vocally. Contrarily, while the titles of the songs are relevant and interesting, the songs don't live up to the titles well enough to make them relevant in their own right. Wesley Joseph is good at rapping and singing, but the production is the most impressive part of his music. He's cool, self-aware, and highly focused on his audience so he could easily be the next success story.

Kanye West & Ye - Bully (R.I. Review)

Kanye West is a rapper/mogul/and artist that has become the proof that all press is not good press. The very name "Kanye West" is nearly as polarizing as "Donald Trump". However, to be fair, this album is appropriate. There are no radical agendas or controversial hot takes on this one. Songs like "Punch Drunk" and the distinction between "Kanye" and "Ye" feel like apologies to include with his public apologies for his Anti-Semitic comments. Kanye's energy of uninhibited freedom is not worth defending his flamboyant stances, but his authenticity is refreshing when he calls out a few topics people overlook. He noted the juxtaposition of celebrity worship versus the surface level popularity of the evolution theory. He questioned endless waiting for systemic change. He noted the insignificance of his peers in comparison to his "Grand Canyon" of respect in mainstream culture. Kanye's music is very current compared to other rappers his age giving him multiple logistic advantages. While we would like to say that Kanye has said some inexcusable things in the past that we do not in any way endorse, we are not enabling the erasing of such a talented human.

Nasty C - Free (Deluxe) (R.I. Review)

Nasty C is a rapper from South Africa. While this isn't close to his first release, he is still dedicated to his hustle. Nasty C has a very simple lyricism, but he conveys his ideas clearly and understandably. This album is creative, progressive, and polished. He may have more momentum in Africa, but this album would have commercial appeal in America. Nasty C is refreshingly talented and original, but his universal focus has left some of his music a little bland. Nasty C has a lot of potential, but he may need to deviate from the standard rapper persona a little to really get noticed.

Don Toliver - Octane (R.I. Review)

Don Toliver is a rapper/singer from Texas, US. "Octane" is an album that is very interesting. Don Toliver is a part of Travis Scott's Cactus Jack crew, he's a Rolling Loud veteran, and he is very proudly "a sketchy individual". Despite that, this album is more emotional than "Hurry Up Tomorrow" and "Swag 2". The production is emotional, but his melodies keep up with it. You just can't fake that kind of sincerity. The lyrics are very ordinary hip hop, but while there are no love songs, the vibe is borderline emo. Don't get it twisted, the album is very good, it just clashes with his image. He talks about his questionable background, the lyrics are at best about hookups, the imagery and videos target male audiences exclusively, but he really is very vulnerable on this album, and for some reason, it works.

Asap Rocky - Don't Be Dumb (R.I. Review)

Asap Rocky's infamously long-teased comeback is finally here. Asap Rocky is an authentic person, and unlike most rappers, his persona is branded on the scale of a mainstream artist. His name weighs as much as his music if not tremendously more so this release is in the shadow of his acting, clothing, modeling, and relationship with Rihanna. That doesn't mean it's bad, it's just a little scattered. He plays around with punk, club, and a few other genres in a way that seems a little too playful and experimental; rather than confident and intentional. The quality of the rap is consistently good. There's a surprise collaboration with Tyler, The Creator at the end that feels very satisfying and high-energy. His target audience seems to be relatively young skaters, rather than hip hop heads, or yuppies, but it successfully captures the angsty style of 2026 adolescent music. One painfully disappointing missed opportunity would be a feature from... Rihanna!

Justin Bieber - Swag 2 (R.I. Review)

Justin Bieber was a meteoric pop artist and one of the first artists to be discovered from the internet. However, with Scooter Braun's help, Justin made a persona and discography that was original and impressively optimized to the taste of the entire female gender. Justin has gone through many transformations both internally and externally, but what's been consistent is his social finesse. Swag 2 is a very excellent album if not a little too long. Justin Bieber is a source of pride to his audience and his name is synonymous to pop music. The one problem is for love songs, he doesn't seem the most sincere. Maybe it's just his media presence, but for a 44 track album, the song about eating the fruit in the Garden of Eden raises questions.

Earl Sweatshirt - Live Laugh Love (R.I. Review)

Earl Sweatshirt was one of the pioneers of indie rap culture as the prolific secret weapon of the "Odd Future" music collective. He had humble beginnings and managed to scale up hipster culture organically. However, the transition to adulthood was hard for Odd Future. Live Laugh Love is about that struggle to maintain approval from a world that is highly hypocritical and not always looking out for people that look like Earl. Making music that aligns with the lifestyle of some of his audience while trying to align with the rest of his audience is very clear in the lyrics. It's a lot of apologizing and justifying. Off-beat rap has gone from a joke to a defiant stance, but Earl's talented enough to stay diabolically on topic while mumbling his bars. It feels like the music his audience listens to in spirit, but the conclusion of whether or not he manages to please his particular supporters feels uncertain on this album.

Chance, The Rapper - Star Line (R.I. Review)

Chance, the Rapper is back with a new album. He's a fantastic rapper, but 2025 audiences don't seek intellectualism or authenticity, or at least the gate keepers don't. Chance, the Rapper is smart and puts a lot into his bars, but his brand is deprecated and bland. Why should you listen to him? He doesn't have a strong cross-over audience or strong ethnic fan base. The best thing about this album are the bars' quality themselves, but hip hop audiences are looking for other things right now. Chance, the Rapper needs an angle besides intelligence. The irony is from a technical standpoint, this is one of the best albums of this year.

Metro Boomin - A Futuristic Summa (R.I. Review)

Metro Boomin is a famous record producer known for scoring movies, countless viral collaborations, and immaculate instrumentals. The best thing about Metro Boomin is he has a duality of urban authenticity and futuristic excellence. The production on this album is nearly everything but conventional hip hop in nature. It can be enjoyed as full fledge hip hop, but it works as cultural exposure like it's several other genres. A Futuristic Summa is a fun, light-hearted, introduction to Metro Boomin and his culture.

Tyler, the Creator - Don't Tap The Glass (R.I. Review)

Tyler, the Creator is back with new music in 2025. I always feel bad reviewing his albums too early because there's so much nuance in everything he drops, and I never catch everything the first play-through. The cover of the album features red leather pants (questioning his acceptance), a Maga inspired hat with "glass" written across it (questioning his acceptance), and big hands (which question his culture's perception). Igor was the last Tyler album that tried to be universally sanctioned. "Don't Tap The Glass", "Chromakopia", and "Call Me If You Get Lost" were his attempts to assimilate with a more hip hop friendly audience. That's not a bad move in a world where many audiences are not encouraged and sometimes not even allowed to support other culture's content. The problem is Tyler's appeal is his track record of consistently breaking those barriers. There's a bar where Tyler says, "They say I can't relate to regular people, but I was never regular". It's funny, but it is extremely true. 

Lazer Dim 700 - Sins Aloud (R.I. Review)

Lazer Dim 700 is a rapper from Cordele, Georgia that became relevant from very minimalistic music videos of himself rapping around his neighborhood. Lazer is a pioneer of a new wave of minimal effort rappers. People connect with the sentiment of rebelling against quality. To be fair, people often ruin the beauty of elite content by being pretentious and mean. Lazer Dim 700 has one flow, but it stands out. It's a short matter of fact observation followed by a short pause. He's got a sense of humor and he doesn't take himself too seriously. The interesting thing about his presentation is that it resonates with suburban culture without being overly intellectual or victory competitive.

Playboi Carti - I Am Music/Music (R.I. Review)

Playboi Carti is a rapper from Atlanta Georgia. Playboi started an honorary member of Asap Mob, which meant he had a dual market and a lot of clout before he had music. From his first released song, he was different. He has a score to settle with elitist culture and it manifests itself in this extremely nuanced competitiveness in his lyrics and presentation. However, that's why he's so popular. His conquest is soothing to his marginalized audience and is consistently victorious as well. This album is as good as his former releases and the collaborations are impressive. His branding is based on effortlessness, but it kinda feels wrong to praise such lazy writing. If he wanted to, he could do a better job of earning his position as an artist but we'll see how many times he can get by with his current formula.

SZA - SOS Deluxe : LANA (R.I. Review)

SZA is an rnb singer from St. Louis, Missouri. She was a peculiar signee to Top Dawg Entertainment because before SZA, they had been a pretty hard rap label with no track record of producing artists that sound like SZA. She has a hip hop cadence in her raw song writing and rapper-featured high moments. There's something infectious about her humility and relatable subject matter. However, that same presentation makes her incomparable to other females at her level of fame. Maybe she doesn't want that. SZA is good, but there's room to be a little more. Maybe she needs a strong, memorable song or to be rebranded with more mainstream appeal but SZA has proven her ability to achieve and maintain the spotlight.

The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow (R.I. Review)

The Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd is a singer from Toronto Canada who you couldn't miss if you tried. He's more popular than most pop stars which is even more impressive when you consider how experimental his presentation is. Hurry Up Tomorrow is the halfway point between his last pop releases and his former style. He has diluted his eclectic melody writing to better assimilate with his ethnically singular connections and fan base. As a result, the songs are good, but not great. The features of Playboi Carti and Travis Scott are the high-points of the album, but it's not because they are more talented but because they keep The Weeknd in a better mentality. The Weeknd sounds a little sad, which isn't new, but his albums post-fame have been a little happier. For some reason sadness at the top is more alarming because there isn't the hope of escape using success. Abel needs to take a break and find himself before making more songs about pain.

Central Cee - Can't Rush Greatness (R.I. Review)

Central Cee is a rapper from Shepherd's Bush London. After going viral several times, Central Cee has released his most high-profile album, "Can't Rush Greatness". The album starts strong and stays consistent. The lyrics are about his authentic come-up story and harsh lifestyle; delivered just complicatedly enough to be impressive while understandable. His bars aren't very memorable because there are few pauses and his lyrics are all at the same level of cleverness. Cee has a formula that works well for him, but it would have been nice to be surprised every now and then.