Childish Gambino - Brando Stone & The New World (R.I. Review)

Childish Gambino is a lot of things. He's an actor, a rapper, a singer, a band? Brando Stone & The New World is a very good album. The problem is it's a lot of things at the same time. Variety can be a good thing. Billie Eilish mixes genres and cultures too, but she has more artistic integrity and a cohesive end result. This album sounds perfect to be performed at a 2024 festival and he's blazing a trail culturally with the sound of this album. It just feels more opportunistic than artistic.

Eminem - The Death Of Slim Shady (R.I. Review)

Eminem is an amazing rapper. Eminem is an amazing rapper. Eminem if you're reading this, YOU ARE AN AMAZING RAPPER! This album is good. The production fits Slim Shady's famous sound brand. Eminem is always trying to secure his legacy, which is understandable but it isn't necessary. However, as great as the music is, he's selling a lot of volatile ideas with art. Wharf talking makes sense when you need buzz, but at his fame level, it's not necessary. His presentation is comparable to recent Kanye music. What I mean is when pushing ideas few people agree with, even with fantastic music it's important to effectively make your controversial point to some extent. Eminem rhymes every syllable and uses complicated word play. That's hard to do for the trained ear but it isn't interesting or impressive after the 100th song. These songs are very good, but I wonder if Eminem listens to Eminem on a regular basis.

Vince Staples - Dark Times (R.I. Review)

Vince Staples is a rapper from Compton California. He gained prominence in the era of conscious rap alongside Odd Future. Vince eats, sleeps, and breathes his craft and as a result, he is lyrically one of the most effortlessly consistent in his lane. He's made a lot of music. He also has a lot of equality creating perspectives. That's what "Dark Times" is really about. One weakness of his style is none of his songs particularly standout. It's just good music to vibe or skate to.

Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips (R.I. Review)

Schoolboy Q is a rapper from South Los Angeles, California. Blue Lips is a much more polished release than his previous work. His flows are innovative, his concepts and messages are well-put together, and his music videos are cinematic. The problem with this album conceptually is he's hinting at an elitism argument for his culture that isn't connected to any sort of integration or approval. That makes the flex a little pointless. Rapindie appreciates it though. Schoolboy Q has a grounded outlook on culture that is highly actionable and coherent. Some artists don't seem to be as calmly in control of their destiny. Blue Lips is a good cohesive album, but it isn't a "must listen".

Lyrical Lemonade - All Is Yellow (feat. Various Artists) (R.I. Review)

Lyrical Lemonade is a music production website that focuses on modern and universal hip hop. Lyrical Lemonade has created some of the best rap music videos in recent years. This album is perfect for audiences that may be a little sensitive to hip hop music. These are really good songs, but they may be a little soft for rap aficionados. "All Is Yellow" is good, but not great considering the DJ Khaled reminiscent amount of features. There are some really interesting collaborations that Lyrical Lemonade magically put together. This is a good introduction to the culture. Lyrical Lemonade has produced some rappers' most universal moments, but this album doesn't reflect that. Aside from fantastic instrumentals and presentation, it's a little underwhelming at times. Despite that, this piece may be the start of the next generation of XXL, We The Best, etc.

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday 2 (R.I. Review)

Nicki Minaj is a rapper from Trinidad that grew to superstardom from signing to Lil Wayne's Young Money record label. From her debut, she had fiery flows and punchlines that were better than most of the male rappers on the scene at the time. In all fairness, she's better than most male rappers now too. Pink Friday 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel artistically. It's Nicki Minaj putting good bars on good beats. Some of the sampling seems a bit awkward and forced, but for 22 songs, the album is consistently good. Nicki's formula inspired all of the female rappers and they don't always give her credit. This album is a reminder that Nicki Minaj is a phenomenal rapper with an inspirational rap career.

Teezo Touchdown - How Do You Sleep At Night? (R.I. Review)

Teezo Touchdown is a rapper, singer, and producer from Texas that gained notoriety from touring with Tyler, The Creator and Travis Scott. What does he sound like? A mix... a mix of cultures, a mix of genres, and a mix of messages. Although his music is uplifting and positive, it's loosely pushed towards a radical audience. In Tyler's Camp Flog Gnaw carnival, Teezo displayed a performance talent that was eons more impressive than on his Amazon debut. His songs perform extremely well, but listening to them on their own, they don't seem to represent any specific demographic well-enough. Teezo is finding himself, but his progression is really looking promising. Teezo's charisma and sense of humor make him stand out, but as far as bars? or pipes? He's refreshingly original. I hope Teezo keeps making music because there's some genuine talent there, but with a little more focus on a demographic and a little more impressive of a soundtrack, he could really compete with the other indie rappers.

The Kid Laroi - The First Time

The Kid Laroi is a singer and rapper that first appeared on a collaboration with JuiceWrld. Since then, he was re-branded on a mainstream debut as more of a pop artist. His music is usually about heartache and "The First Time" has an emo rock feel. The Kid Laroi is struggling to find his niche in the very weird 2023 market. Collectively, everything about him adds up to a cool artist, but individually nothing about him stands out as necessarily relevant. Do 2023 females enjoy listening to heartbroken men?

Drake - For All The Dogs (R.I. Review)

Drake is one of the most accomplished rappers in the world. He rivals Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne; any of the titans of the genre culturally. He adapts to every new artist's style, he conforms to every trend within the culture, and his lasting appeal in the industry is unmatched. With all that said, "For All The Dogs" is a decent album. He has his OVO style production; which is nice to hear, but his lyrics are not emotionally vulnerable. The powerful cultural message of the drawing on the cover would have made an excellent topic: "what we teach children about humanity". Drake's lyricism is consistent, his vocals are consistent, but if we weighed these songs against the rest of his own music, these wouldn't be his best. Drake has done a wonderful job of making an album that helps hip hop culture (and we need that right now). Drake doesn't need to drop his best music to outdo a lot of the artists in the genre.

Travis Scott - Utopia (R.I. Review)

Travis Scott is a rapper/singer from Houston, Texas. Utopia is his first album since the Astroworld controversy and as a result there was a lot of pressure to really blow audiences away. Utopia is very similar to his previous releases, but the songs are very polished and showcase his sound at its most consistent. For some reason, the beats have a very dark feel while the lyrics have positive meanings. This album is much higher quality than the other rappers of 2023, and culturally it definitely fulfills a need.