Lil Uzi Vert - Luv Is Rage 1.5

Overview

Lil Uzi Vert is a rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Luv Is Rage 1.5 is hip hop with more serious singing than most of his music. He is a strange artist. He is very suburban friendly with a hood focus. He collabs almost exclusively with mainstream classic rap artists but all of his songs are designed with equality building complexity.
Defining Track
XO Tour LLif3 is a song about the unfulfilling side of success. The premise is the strain his indifference is putting on the women closest to him. It's a little abstract and he jumps around a bit but the vocals are pretty good.
Final Thoughts
Lil Uzi Vert is cool but his music isn't really the focal point of his hype. It's frustrating to listen to an artist so deeply submerged in the business side of his career try to approach emotion and ethics. Drake's hardest songs have more emotional range than Lil Uzi.

Rap Independent
Lil Uzi Vert - Luv Is Rage 1.5
6.7/10

6lack - Free 6lack

Overview
6lack is an rnb/trap artist from Atlanta Georgia. He is a very interesting person. He looks like the frontman of a scene band. However, he's very current. He sings a little like Bryson Tiller but his production is a lot like early Drake. He's also a pretty solid rapper. The issue with this album is it's not hard enough to be thug or skate mosh pitting, but it's not all that romance inviting to compete with rnb. It's really good kush music and it's very dark which works well for the audience he has.
Defining Track
PRBLMS is the single track. It's a good representation of his style. He raps with a very Drake inspired flow pattern. The song showcases how connected and cool he is but the song is a little scattered.
Final Thoughts
6lack is cool. He's very trend conscious. However, as an artist his music isn't really impressive. Imagine someone else trying to sell the same song with less style. If he improves over time, he could be highly successful.

Rap Independent
6lack - Free 6lack
7.8/10

Madeintyo & 24Hrs - 24Hrs in Tokyo

    

Overview
Madeintyo is a rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Although he isn't a conscious rapper, he isn't a trap artist either. It's somewhere in between kush pop and rnb-hop. It's slightly abstracted but not enough to be labeled experimental. It's also very chill-wave and ambient sounding. He sing's shamelessly close to Drake's style. The nice thing about Madeintyo is his presentation is fantastic.
Defining Track
You is about an exclusive relationship. It isn't that deep, but it's handled well.
Final Thoughts
Madeintyo handles his image better than his actual music. This Ep is too close to Drakes style without improving it in any way. Hybrid artists that humanize the hood but have subliminal depth are gaining traction but they're a little boring.

Rap Independent
Madeintyo & 24Hrs - 24Hrs in Tokyo
7/10

Rizzoo Rizzoo - Drip Flair EP

Overview
Rizzoo Rizzoo is a rapper from Houston Texas. His flow is a lot like early Big Sean. He's got good presentation like a hood/suburb hybrid artist like Playboi Carti or Rich the Kid. The problem is his music has less personality. To enjoy this mixtape, you need to be searching for conventional hip hop, because that's all you'll get out of it.
Defining Track
There's a collab with Lil Uzi Vert called Game Over. For some reason every song Lil Uzi features on is his collaborating artist's deepest song. Either the production is classier, or the concept is better; I haven't figured out why. Game Over is a flexing anthem, but it doesn't accomplish anything. The gaming concept gives freedom more leeway.
Final Thoughts
Although Rizzoo Rizzoo could pass for a mock act, he has enough of his own identity to be a serious rapper at the same time. Drip Flair is decent but his connections and persona depth are the only reasons to listen to this.

Rap Independent
Rizzoo - Rizzoo
6.5/10

Run The Jewels - Run the Jewels 3

 

Overview
Killer Mike is a rapper from Atlanta, Georgia and El-P is from Brooklyn, New York. After a massive amount of success as a duo, they've decided to go by the alias "Run The Jewels". It's a smart move because their names are a bit much to spell out separately. Run The Jewels 2 is misleading. The cover is a zombie hand pointed at a fist. Humble right? Well look closely and you'll realize the hands are severed. Are they running the jewels? Are they making a satire about it? The new album makes the hands gold. It seems a bit like a double meaning.

About the music, they make music about politics and running and gunning. They do it well, but there aren't a lot of individual songs that stand out because the message is a little repetitive. Signing on Fool's Gold with Danny Brown is a pretty easy head start. However, after producing 2 successful hip hop acts, there's no doubt that the world will be buzzing over the next Fool's Gold rapper. Speaking of Danny Brown, he's featured on the album. 

Defining Track
"Legend Has It" was the single and is very good. They bounce around in their flow pattern without switching it much but they change their inflection a lot. It's a good song, but it's not revolutionary. EarlWolf, Watch the Throne, What a Time to Be Alive; hookless tradeoff songs are cool but not all that difficult or original.
Final Thoughts
Run The Jewels are good at what they do, but they play it very safe. They adopted the name of their most successful album. They re-used the same design with gold. I think they're aware that they didn't get successful completely on talent. They can relax though, indie rap needs more artists with Run The Jewel's cultural momentum and their numbers reflect that.

Rap Independent
Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 3
8.5/10

Post Malone - Stoney

Overview
Post Malone is a rapper/singer from Syracruse, New York. His delivery is very hood. It's different from Drake's style but definitely inspired by it lyrically. The issue is, there isn't anything on the album that can compete with Take Care. He's good, but not great. At his best, he's mildly talented. The novelty of his respect for the hood is the real selling point. His demographic cross-over is refreshing.
Defining Track
White Iverson is his debut single. It's good, it's catchy, and it's a good representation of the album. It's a little downbeat to be filled with so much bragging, but that's how most of his other songs are written too.
Final Thoughts
Post Malone sounds like the real deal. He's definitely in the streets. However, it's rare that someone pushes the hood while hitting high notes. Drake pushed being cultured during his singing phase and The Weeknd targeted hipsters. Post Malone is very different. His presentation is different. He's wise enough to pay dues for the market he wants.

Rap Independent
Post Malone - Stoney
7/10

Hodgy - Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide

    

Overview
Hodgy is a rapper from the infamous O.F. camp. After falling out with Tyler, the two still support each-other and collaborate with various members of the clique. This album is a total 180 from his initial image, but by beginning in the jerk movement and ghostwriting for "Bow Wow" he's already made a couple transitions. Fireplace is interesting but it's all hype. The album art is the most innovative part of it. Hodgy is wise to keep using the hip hop style that made him popular, but he only has one flow. There are no Hodgy songs that standout musically.
Defining Track
Final Hour is about looking after hip hop. If Final Hour is the future of hip hop, it will be a very underwhelming genre. The frustrating thing is he really is a good lyricist, he's just playing it safe on lack luster instrumentals, while abandoning the shock value/racism fighting he started his career with.
Final Thoughts
Hodgy is a good rapper. At a glance, you miss him from odd future's camp however, when you put him center stage, it's apparent that he wasn't in Tyler's shadow, he was just not as interesting or talented as Frank, Earl, or Tyler. With that said, he deserves more credit for helping build the collective. When Earl was gone, he was beta.

Rap Independent
Hodgy - Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide
7.2/10

The Weeknd - Starboy

    

Overview
The Weeknd is a singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. He started with a very hipster centric persona which is the undertone of the title, "Starboy". He had some of the most masculine/misogynistic themed messages but every song was sung softly and approach-ably. In this album's presentation he is trying to fight his common reception and reform his image due to the current cultural obsession and disdain for promiscuity. The new haircut and the upbeat vibe of the singles is a nice change of pace, but it seems like an effort that was abandoned half-way through. In the video for the first single, he kills his old self. Shortly after, he releases a song about waking up to a girl he doesn't recognize. What is the difference between the old Weeknd and the new Weeknd? A new haircut, less drugs, more money, and a bit more positive? The biggest image concern was the treatment of women. However, about the music specifically; his former albums were too heavy to replay casually. He's pushing his voice less, the melodies aren't as strong as some of his other songs, but it's understandable because he's now using dance and club beats.
Defining Track
Starboy is a collab with Daft Punk. It's very catchy and is a lot lighter than his usual style. The vocals are solid as always, and it's refreshing to hear him bragging thankfully for his money and musical success rather than his dark life. He talks about girls getting loose but it's mild and he needed to remain consistent to some extent to segway successfully.
Final Thoughts
This album has some nice moments. Starboy is much better than Kiss-Land. He's very talented vocally and as a writer which is why this album feels like it could have been great but was a little too awkward to really make it there.

Rap Independent
The Weeknd - Starboy
8/10

Nipsey Hussle - Famous Lies And Unpopular Truths

Overview
Nipsey Hussle is a rapper from Los Angeles California. He's a very basic rapper. He doesn't use pop level punchlines. His voice has a breathy-rasp quality. The issue with this album is the fact that too much of it's appeal is being authentically from the hood. Artists like Gucci Mane or Chief Keef have a very extreme and sinister presentation. Nipsey is a bit too soft to sell hood music without artistry.
Defining Track
County Jail is a song about going to prison. He paints the picture of his past. For some reason, he plays up fatherhood and religion. It's just awkward to make a song about prison and spend so much of it trying to convey being a good person rather than an edgy one.
Final Thoughts
This album is exactly what's wrong with the current hip hop game. It's lazy writing, bland production; Being from the hood does not make you incapable of making compelling music. Being hood doesn't automatically deserve respect either. This album is boring, uninspired, and there are much better songs written with simpler words.

Rap Independent
Nipsey Hussle - Famous Lies And Unpopular Truths
4/10

Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition

Overview
Danny Brown is an indie rapper from Detroit Michigan. The success of "XXX" made him abandon his "Hybrid" mixtape style for a voice transitioning flow in his following releases. With that said, Atrocity Exhibition revisits some of his earlier deliveries. There's a surprising amount of guitar. It's integrated well but depending on how well the album is received, the effort may be overlooked. The nice part is that it makes the album feel very cutting edge.
Defining Track
The song "Really Doe" is a collab with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt. The line up is hard hitting, but it capsulizes a moment where conscious rap wasn't resented. All of these rappers are maintaining hype from a previous trend and haven't made many current waves in their genre. That's important because the concept of the song is people challenging how relevant they are. Earl Sweatshirt usually goes harder but he's trying to act hard (or more adult) and simplify his flow. It's as awkward as 50 cent trying to spit a tongue twister.
Final Thoughts
The title Atrocity Exhibition really takes the museum concept into an interesting, sarcastic spin off place. The energy of the album is nice. It's not looking for a massive audience like Kendrick and Asap Rocky did with their albums. It's made for the crowd that made him famous and it sounds like something they would like.

Rap Independent
Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
8.5/10

Jeff Chery - Vega

Overview
Jeff Chery is a rapper from Flatbush, New York. His style is like Kevin Gates mixed with Travis Scott or PARTYNEXTDOOR. Although, the production is nice, it's very standard hip hop. His flows vary but his lyrics are very simple. Jeff Chery is consistent, but not impressive and has very little star power.
Defining Track
What you doing is a fun song. It's got a strong trap song vibe but it isn't really about trapping. It has a shout out to Bobby Shmurda.
Final Thoughts
At its best, it's passable. It's arguably hood but it isn't innovative. It just feels very amateur. Jeff is almost singing; he's almost rapping, but there are artists like Dej Loaf, Lil Wayne, and even Fetty Wap that are a lot more effective blending the two styles.

Rap Independent
Jeff Chery - Vega
5/10

Travis Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing Mcknight

Overview
Travis Scott is an experimental hip hop artist from Houston, Texas. He's not really a singer. He psuedo-sings with heavy auto-tune. He's a decent rapper but lyrics are not the selling point of this album. The production is very good. The music overall is comparable to Kid Cudi. Travis Scott isn't bursting with personality, but he has a lot of confidence and is very convicted. Like the album title, most of the songs don't have a very coherent message.
Defining Track
Wonderful is a collab with the Weeknd. It's very good and it's interesting that he isn't completely outshined by a vocalist as seasoned as the Weeknd is. It's not really geared towards women but it's essentially a duet. It just seems like a missed opportunity.
Final Thoughts
Travis Scott is very well-connected. You'll find his music in all the right places, but it's carried by his cool persona moreso than anything musical. This album won't have serious fans, the songs won't have serious fans, but he does and will continue to.

Rap Independent
Travis Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing Mckknight
7.8/10