My review of Drake’s new surprise album has gone longform, in a new thinkpiece over at Cuepoint called “How Drake Disrupted Kanye.” Read on, true believers…

How Drake Disrupted Kanye

20 year-old Brooklynite Joey Bada$$ has been hailed as the torch-bearer for the return of the “golden era” sound, despite being born at the end of the era in 1995. Nevertheless, one can only imagine that songs from Black Moon, Mos Def, and Jeru The Damaja were playing in his neighborhood growing up, as he is the product of “the last generation” that M.O.P. told us about. His mindset is in the right place, even suggesting “This kid ain’t been the same since Biggie smacked me at my christening,” on the DJ Premier produced “Paper Trail,” that trail leading directly to a classic line on Biggie’s live freestyle with 2Pac from Big Daddy Kane’s birthday party recording. Yeah, the kid knows his shit.

We’re grateful to hear a young Brooklyn voice carry on the tradition of his forefathers, especially since many New York rappers of the last decade have instead attempted to adopt Southern styles of rap, or just resigned to emulating the over-thuggery attitudes of Ruff Ryders and 50 Cent. The production on the brilliantly titled B4.Da.$$, harks back to the late 90s / early 2000s sound, so much that if we didn’t know better and you told us this album was released on Rawkus in ’99, we would have believed it.

Statik Selektah’s lush jazz samples help open and close the album with the excellent pair of tracks “Save The Children” and “Curry Chicken,” while J. Dilla & The Roots provide the backdrop on the chilled out “Like Me,” featuring BJ the Chicago Kid. However most of the production is handled by affiliates of Joey’s Pro Era crew, such as Kirk Knight, Freddie Joachim, and Chuck Strangers, a team of producers that help flesh out the album well and deliver that classic sound. Songs like smoothed out, xylophone driven “Piece Of Mind,” the dancehall tinged “Belly Of The Beast,” and the 90s aggro gangsta rap driven “No. 99″ each capture that forgotten, vintage sound. Even Joey’s one crossover attempt, “Teach Me,” with Kiesza still has a cool, “Umi Says” kind of vibe to it.

Naturally, everything about the old school wasn’t great, and some of that surfaces here. “Big Dusty” employs a hollow, repetitive hook all too reminiscent of unsold HipHopSite retail store 12″ deadstock, as Joey chants “Check my style, check, check, check it out! Check my style, check check check it out!” Other times, things drag along on tracks like “Christ Conscious”, “O.C.B.” and “Black Beetles.” None of these tracks are particularly bad, they just make this otherwise solid album longer than it needs to be.

Best news of all, Joey Bada$$ has better first week sales that Rae Sremmurd and Kid Ink, suggesting that perhaps people are tired of the redundant formulas and are finally fiending for nostalgia. B4.Da.$$ is a well put together debut with a level of authenticity that clearly knows where it came from: Brooklyn, the planet.

Being young can have both its advantages and disadvantages. On the one side, it gives the opportunity to live free, not to have a care in the world. On the other side, it can be daunting and confusing, not clearly defining oneself or their ambitions. Both seem to be the case for Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi, two emcees from Atlanta, GA by way of Tupelo, MS who comprise the duo Rae Sremmurd. As seen on their debut project SremmLiife, the two young artists spit narratives of carefree living while unintentionally expressing the feeling of being confused to where it leads to inconsistency.

After a couple of listens, what obviously stands out as one of the most positive aspects of SremmLife is its production. This can be attributed to the group being the first act from renowned producer Mike WiLL Made-It’s EarDrummers recording label, so its only fitting. It does not stray to far from the “turnt up” reservation with hard hitting, synthesized beats that would have anyone nodding their heads. Additionally, the beats fit the artists as they easily glide over them ever so effortlessly, accentuating both their voices and cadence. This is evident on the track “Safe Sex Pay Checks” and their lead single “No Flex Zone” as they croon, “They know better…” with styles like this are very catchy and infectious. From what it appears, SremmLife was greatly put together, pairing the talent of the two rappers with a well in tune executive producer to create a cohesive body of work.

Although SremmLife will have your feet tapping, it does also have its downside. Overall lyrically, it is inferior. Not only do the lyrics focus on subject matter that has been overly presented (cars, girls, getting wasted) with a very simple delivery. This is shown on the horrible Young Chop produced “My X” with lyrics like, “You should have had a check bitch/(Hold on a second) You could have had a check bitch/Should of, would of, could of/Now I’m with my next bitch/And you just another name on the check list…” This is a recurring obstacle for the group as for most of the album, the lyrics and subject matter do not sound original and comes off as regurgitations of what every emcee that is currently residing in the south. This leads to another negative aspect, the project does not seem to focus on a particular fan base or audience, or at least not the one that it was intended. It seems that they are trying to reach an older audience that can only appreciate it for the moment as oppose to the younger audience that idolizes them. Either way there seems to be no true relation between the demographics that they are targeting.

Overall, SremmLife shows that Rae Srummurd are talented in their own right, but need some fine-tuning. With this, they could possibly determine a more structured approach to the building of fan base. But with the good production that they have received thus far, it might only be a matter of time.

The best selling hip-hop album of 2014 was J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive, which as of February 2015 is just shy of Platinum. Beating out Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Iggy Azalea, and a ton more, Jermaine Cole’s surprise year-end album had no major single to propel it and was his last contractual album for Columbia. But perhaps they’re considering renewing that contract now.

What’s most impressive about this feat is that J. Cole is one of the closest things we’re going to get in regards to a Platinum selling, conscious – or at the very least, “aware” – rapper on major label, and 2014 Forest Hills Drive is an album very much made in the spirit of classic hip-hop. Cole isn’t overly righteous or infallible, as he still falls to the allure of virgin sex on the innocent “Wet Dreamz,” and crime on “A Tale Of 2 Citiez” or “’03 Adolescence.” But it’s all done with depth, in such a way that he’s remorseful for his past transgressions. Think Nas, not Young Thug.

Much of the success of 2014 Forest Hills Drive is also owed to the production. Cole did not attempt to go for 70 BPM trap-rap beats or danceable, club-style production. In fact, there’s nothing here that’s marketable for the mainstream sound, yet he outsold everyone. Instead, the sound is heavy on samples, such as on the luscious “January 28th,” which sounds like a distant cousin of some Love Movement era Tribe, or “St. Tropez,” which beautifully refuels the Esther Phillips sample used on Mobb Deep’s “Give Up The Goods (Just Step).”

Cole isn’t afraid to open up and pour his heart out, which is likely what makes him so relatable to fans. “Intro” finds him crooning over some wintery jazz, unafraid to let his voice crack, while “G.O.M.D.” even comes with a disclaimer “this is the part that the thugs skip!” before he reveals his true feelings to his girl. Later on “A Fire Squad,” he doesn’t hold his tongue when speaking on the double-standards of race in the rap industry, suggesting “Watching Iggy win the Grammy as I try to crack a smile.” This line caught fire in the music industry news circuit, so much that it’s likely it swayed Grammy voter’s opinions, as Ms. Azalea walked away with nothing.

Cole is singing a lot more on 2014 Forest Hills Drive, but he’s vastly improved since earlier projects, finding his voice and sliding comfortably into his groove. The end result is a beautifully produced, smartly rapped and well put together LP that took the industry by surprise. Speaking of Grammys, Cole might be the one gracing the stage next year.

History tells us that it is really difficult to make a decent group album. The larger the group, the more unlikely that you can make more than one great album, just ask Wu-Tang. If I was a white girl in college this is the kind of hip-hop I would be into. People used to call this backpacker music, emo-rap, I don’t know what they call it now: blog rap? What people definitely do not call this is a great album.

Yes, the members of Doomtree can still rap really well. Dessa, the group’s female member is featured on almost every hook, and her verses are some of the albums strongest. The marketing, and presentation of All Hands focuses on Dessa because that is what anyone who sees, or hears Doomtree for the first time will remember: “Oh, yeah that hip hop group with the girl in it.” Most of the members verses are solid, well above average. Some of the beats are masterful, but overall this album doesn’t have the infectious grooves to garner repeat listens. Maybe the clever lines will serve long-time fans well enough:

My name is Sims but call me David Lynch, I make em act funny/
I ain’t afraid to change lines, state, date, or face/
I’m option two when you skate or die but still survive on basslines/
At least for the next eight months/
Then I change up like it ain’t much/ – “Grey Duck”

Every track seems a bit too well polished, and formulaic in structure (see “Mini Brute”), as if Doomtree was really going for that radio crossover hit, and forgot about the sound that got them here in the first place. Mic Mictlan sounds too much like an El-P clone in his tone, and delivery on the lead single, “Grey Duck”. Although, if there are more MCs in the world sounding like EL-Producto clones maybe that is part of the Def Jux founder’s twenty year plan for world domination?

All Hands lacks the tracks with the head nod quality of some previous Doomtree efforts. With the new album opting instead for a more EDM influenced sound. There are not a ton of out-and-out misses on the album, and there are a few shining moments like “.38 Airweight”, “Grey Duck”, and “Marathon”.

Perhaps what drove Doomtree in this direction was not simply an attempt to cash in on the hot sounds, but seeing the most energetic reactions at live shows for the drop heavy tracks in their repertoire. At least the production on All Hands is not all cheesy synths, or standard golden-age soul loops, but there are plenty of tired moments. On the other side at least they are trying to meld hip-hop with the sounds of this generation. In five years (or less) this will sound dated, but it does offer a snapshot of where youth music is at right now.

This feels like the moment that the Black Eyed Peas abandoned their original female member, Kim Hill, and got Fergie to broaden their pop appeal. Well it worked for B.E.P., but they were never really that underground. Doomtree on the other hand built their following through energetic live shows highlighting their gifted wordplay, and unique beats. Are their fans ready to go full retard, or full EDM? Sure, tracks like “Bangarang” from the No Kings album dabbled in the drop, but there is hardly a tune on the new album that doesn’t sound like it is built for festival fodder, maybe the next change in musical direction will lead to greener pastures for this crew from the land of 10,000 lakes.

Lupe Fiasco expounds and expands on his fifth studio album Tetsuo & Youth. Those expecting a significant dose of anime imagery hinted at the title, prepare to be disappointed. Those looking for an innovative take on hip hop, look no further. Forget the twitter beefs, dude delivers a serious album. Yes, it sounds like it could be a Kanye album in that it is grand in scope, artful in places, and the production is top-notch. What Tetsuo & Youth lacks that a Kanye album would have is at least one radio hit. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 out of 5 is the absence of that one song you will hear on your radio for months, although, maybe it is hiding in there if the world is ready for a hit like “Body of Work”. I can hear the last track “They.Resurrect.Over.New” playing in the background of sports highlights clips, but it doesn’t feel like an anthem.

Straight from jump on the nearly nine minute long “Mural,” Lupe demonstrates gifted lyrics absent of hooks just to check that the listener is ready to absorb the experience. Over the course of the album Lupe proceeds, and continues to paint pictures halfway between stream of consciousness and conscious flow. Moving between the streets and the library with an ease that most of his contemporaries struggle to find. Tetsuo & Youth is a balanced album on all levels.

“Dots & Lines”, and “Little Death” sound like the best electro-soul-funk that Outkast never made. The tracks with Chris Brown and Big K.R.I.T. that Lupe offered as a media preview to the album late last year are missing from the release. The nearly 9 minute long concept track “Prisoners 1&2” dealing with the New Jim Crow incarceration issues signals a turn for the album from jazzy to gritty. From there we go into more trap influenced production on “Body of Work”, a darker bent to the lyrics, and production, snapped back into free form jazzland at the outro on what is possibly the best track on the album, “Little Death” featuring Nikki Jean.

The posse cut “Chopper” feels a bit out of place in the mostly jazz influenced album, although the song’s funny in a sad-but-true kind of way chorus of “Filet mignon with my food stamps/ Car Co-signed by my mama/ Medical card from Obama/ Background check for a chopper” is one of the most memorable hooks on first listen.

“Chopper” offers expert analysis of the real world effects of poverty echoed in a much more comical way on the track “Deliver”. From a look at the sad reality of delivery vs. DiGiorno Tetsuo & Youth segues into the three most inventive tracks on the album: “Madonna (and other mothers in the hood)”, “Adoration of the Magi”, and “They.Resurrect.Over.New.,” tracks which you will just have to experience for yourself.

Lupe delivers an album that demands multiple listens thanks to the depth of his lyrics, the seamless melding of guests, witty lines, laugh out loud moments, and dope production from start to finish. The vocal contributions of Guy Sebastian, Nikki Jean, and others, plus the production by S1, Vohn Beatz, and DJ Dahi are as much the star of Tetsuo & Youth as Lupe’s lines. The listener gets the feeling that each track was crafted as part of a whole, creating a great album tailored to elevate Lupe past his peers with the masterwork of his career so far in Tetsuo & Youth.

Mississippi’s Big K.R.I.T. has steadily been making a name for himself over the last few years, through a series of critically acclaimed self-made mixtape/street albums, which found him taking on the role of each rapper, singer, and producer. This led to a deal with Def Jam, with his 2013 debut for the label, Live From The Underground. While a solid album, K.R.I.T. had to adapt to the new rules of the major label system, such as going for commercial appeal and restrictions on the amount of samples he could use. In truth, his unfiltered mixtape releases were stronger.

Perhaps K.R.I.T. realized this, which made him try even harder one year later with his second LP for the label, Cadillactica. He has adjusted to life as an almost famous rap star, but rather than pander to the mainstream, he’s gone far off the grid. In fact, he’s created his own planet.

Cadillactica is the name of that planet, represented here in a brilliantly laid out concept album that finds K.R.I.T. adapting to the challenges presented by his new role as a Def Jam ambassador. The title itself – a mashup of the words “Cadillac” and “Galactica” is an obvious nod to Outkast albums like Southernplayalisticadillacmusic, ATLiens, and Aquemini. He also crowns himself royalty on “King Of The South,” much like a young T.I. once did some years ago. While putting himself in the same box as Outkast and going for Tip’s crown are both very bold moves, Cadillactica is light years ahead of what most anyone is currently doing in the region.

But K.R.I.T. realizes that these titles and designations ultimately mean nothing, as he addresses on “Mt. Olympus,” in the wake of Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse. Not one to hold his tongue, he fires off about industry double standards lamenting, “Rap battlin’ never got me out of no public housin’ / You tellin’ me I can be King of Hip-Hop / And they wouldn’t give it to Andre 3000?”

But the Outkast comparisons are just, as K.R.I.T. carries the torch for the fully realized Southern rap album, balancing out his more base hobbies with high concepts. These aren’t songs just about strippers (“Pay Attention”), speakers (“My Sub, Pt. 3 (Big Bang)”), or cars (“Do You Love Me”), as he delivers well thought out extended metaphors for each. Arguably the best of these is “Soul Food” with Raphael Saadiq, which at surface value is an ode to grits and collard greens, but in actuality is a deeper exploration of broken home life. In essence, K.R.I.T.’s got the market cornered on intelligent rap think pieces with a Southern country drawl.

And just when K.R.I.T. may be getting too heavy handed, he balances things out with 808 trunk rattlers like the title track “Cadillactica,” “King Of The South” or the incredible Best Buy bonus track “Let It Show.” Yet he doesn’t waste his breath, dropping thought-provoking rhymes over bass heavy beats.

With Cadillactica, K.R.I.T. has accomplished what just about every rapper in the world has wanted to. That is, balancing out underground and commercial sounds without sacrificing his integrity to do so. With much of Cadillactica produced by K.R.I.T. himself, he has proven to be an independent force in hip-hop, never in need of “hot” guests or producers. King of the South? Seems likely, but that designation may only be remembered in time.

It seems like ever since we lost Guru, DJ Premier has pulled back on the amount of beats he’s producing for folks. It’s hard to imagine there was a time when Preem would produce entire LP’s for people – not just Gang Starr, but also affiliated acts like Jeru The Damaja and Group Home. Of course those albums laid the blueprint for the second stage of Premier’s career as a producer, which would find him being the go-to-guy for bigger rappers when they wanted that one “underground” cut for their albums. But he never turned his back on the actual underground; one such collaboration would bring us to this moment now, teaming with Royce Da 5’9 for 1999′s “Boom” single on Jonathan Shecter’s Game Records.

PRyhme is not the first album Premier has produced for one rapper since Gang Starr’s final LP, 2002′s The Ownerz, as there was The Kolexxxion with Bumpy Knuckles in 2012. However this does feel like the first chapter in perhaps a long new volume in both the careers of Royce and Preemo, as it succeeds on many levels. The sound here is different than what we may be used to from Preem, as he has used one sample source – the music of Adrian Younge – for the entirety of the LP. This gives the album a very unified sound that is very much an amalgamation of both producers’ respective styles. While Premier has said that he would like to use Younge again on another PRhyme LP, the question remains if it would start to bleed into too familiar territory with beats built around sounds that Souls of Mischief and Ghostface already rapped over. But as arguably the greatest producer of all time, Preem can likely easily avoid that.

But Royce makes it clear that he’s not really looking to fill the void left by Gang Starr’s departure, stating “And this is for the real hip-hop niggas who will never ever ever ask me am I here to replace Guru” on “U Looz.” He always been one to pull the curtain back and speak on the uncomfortable subjects, much like his Bad Meets Evil partner, Eminem. He addresses a newfound sobriety on the title track, where he reveals “Marshall said that I’d be a problem if I get my shit right / That if is probably the biggest ‘if’ I ever live by / Which is why I’m known as an underachiever, I just skip by / I needed to be inebriated to prevent me from getting shy.”

Royce plays with language in a way that sounds better in your ear than it reads off the printed page, as songs like “You Should Know” (featuring Dwele) and “Courtesy” just feature him flexing his lyrical muscles. The bar is raised high, as he enlists plenty of like-minded individuals to compete on these Preemo tracks, and most everybody brings their A game. Jay Electronica absolutely destroys his verse on “To Me, To You,” while Killer Mike and Schoolboy Q spar with Royce for the top spot on “Underground Kings.” The evolving “Wishin’” with Common also shines, as Royce and Com adapt to Preem’s sporadic tempo changes. There’s also “Microphone Preem,” with Slaughterhouse, the title a nod to Eric B. & Rakim’s “Microphone Fiend,” from which it takes its drums (so along with the cuts, maybe Adrian isn’t the only sample source.)

The guest verses are mostly all great and help jam pack this LP with memorable moments, but it does feel like the inclusion of these guests was in part to help finish the album quickly and stay away from heavier topical songs. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if there is a downside to PRhyme, it is that it is too short. While it would be hard to take an entire album of lyrical miracles, Royce knows when to open up, it’s just too bad there isn’t a little bit more of that here. No matter, the group has already announced an expanded edition of the album with 3 to 5 new tracks, one to feature MF Doom.

That being said, Royce and Preem have put together a very solid opening salvo to what hopefully is a much longer career as a group. Both members are equally yoked in terms of their respective talents, so them linking for a project like this is simply a no-brainer. Hopefully PRyme continues far into the future, with consecutive albums digging deeper into the groove found here.

While Rick Ross builds the Maybach Music Group powerhouse by releasing new content almost daily from his stable of artists, it feels like there is definitely a lack of quality control. For Ross it’s a numbers game that finds him throwing anything and everything at the wall, in hopes that something will stick. And something usually does. Eminem has taken a different approach than Ross or many other big time rappers with label deals, by instead building his house slowly, brick-by-brick.

Shady XV celebrates the 15th anniversary of his Shady Records imprint, as a double-disc effort that is half new material and half a collection of greatest hits. The label’s storied history plays differently than Eminem’s own greatest hits collection, Curtain Call, as it revisits many of the classic singles from the rest of the roster, his lone selection only being “Lose Yourself.” This comes in the form of the original song, along with a completely different version of the song that is dope to experience, but would hardly have fit the theme of 8 Mile.

The real meat of this project is on its first disc, where a clear amount of care is taken in cultivating tracks for the set, even stronger than the previous Shady Records compilation The Re-Up. This is for two reasons, the first and most obvious that the Shady 2.0 team is a stronger stable of artists than its earlier incarnation. However the other reason is that there is a clear amount of care taken here in the construction of this album, as well as in pointing the trajectory of the artists themselves.

This is of course is thanks to Em, who still remains the brightest star on the roster and arguably is the most technically amazing rapper in the entire game. He picks up where The Marshall Mathers LP 2 left off, with ridiculously penned rhymes on each “Shady XV” (complete with Cappadonna “Winter Warz” acapella reference), “Right For Me,” and “Vegas” (with Royce as Bad Meets Evil). Aside from making the lyrical miracles cool again, he does dial back a bit for substance heavy tracks like the excellent “Guts Over Fear” with Sia, and the broken relationship anthem “Die Alone.”

There’s a clear degree of time taken to hone everyone’s skills in the right direction, as posse cuts like “Psychopath Killer – perhaps best representative of the label’s vision ever – and “Detroit Vs. Everybody,” which also invites fellow Motown outsiders Big Sean and Danny Brown, the latter who is a shoe-in for Shady Records 3.0. However Yelawolf really shines on “Till It’s Gone” as does Slaughterhouse on the DJ Premier produced “Ya’ll Ready Know,” both which show that Em’s assistance is not needed every time.

With a strong unit of artists representing the imprint, Shady Records modern philosophy seems to court success, however not at the cost of sacrificing the artist’s integrity. It will be interesting to see where they go next. Here’s to another XV.

Over the course of his last three albums or so, Rick Ross has proven that he is more than just a guy that makes nightclub drug dealer anthems like “BMF” and “Hustlin’.” But you wouldn’t know that from his singles; you’d have to dig deeper into his catalog to find his brand of more soulful selections, which he has demonstrated on albums like God Forgives, I Don’t, Teflon Don, and Mastermind, the latter released earlier this year. With Hood Billionaire, the slimmest bawse that you’ve seen thus far attempts to take a victory lap with a second LP for 2014.

The stage was set perfectly with the buzzworthy single “Movin Bass,” featuring Ross floating on top of a dope Timbaland beat, with Jay Z on the hook. But the hype train was derailed a bit when Timbaland released the original demo, outshining it with extra tag-team verses with Jay and rising Chicago female talent, Tink, as the three emcees finished each other’s lines in a dynamic display of delivery. The album’s lead single, “If They Knew,” featuring K. Michelle followed, but with little fanfare.

Ross is at his best when tapping into that laid back, smooth gangster vibe, as he does on the previously released “Keep Doin That (Rich Bitch)” (feat. R. Kelly), the DJ Toomp helmed “Quintessential,” with Snoop Dogg, and “Family Ties,” which winds the album down. This formula of utilizing classic soul samples and mellow production has been a win for Ross on his last few records, however Hood Billionaire follows his other M.O., relying heavily on the Lex Lugar / “B.M.F.” style tracks.

The best of these is the title track, produced by Lugar himself, which finds him brilliantly stuttering the female “Maybach Music” sample, chopped into such a fraction that it’s almost inaudible, subtly reminding you its there. This, meshed with a rolling piano loop sets Lugar’s lone selection apart from the host of imitations that the rest of the album is overloaded with.

With many of these more ignorant selections dominating the playlist, songs like “Elvis Presley Boulevard,” “Burn,” “Neighborhood Drug Dealer,” and “Coke Like The 80s” all begin to run together, essentially acting as different versions of the same song. Each find Ross over more abrasive, Lugar-esque production, while he repeats the hook-which is many times just the title of the song-over and over again.

Ross may have taken this approach to appease his longtime fans that enjoy standing on couches and buying bottles to his tracks, overloading the album with these types of songs after delivering albums with more substance over the last few years. In either case, Hood Billionaire undoubtedly proves that Rick Ross doesn’t take days off, as he told us on his debut single (“Everyday I’m hustlin…”). However there’s also such a thing as overkill.

Earlier this year, a Reddit user with a vivid imagination proposed that a buzzworthy Coney Island, NY rapper named Your Old Droog was actually one Nasir Jones, doing a secret underground side-project, and pitching his voice down to remain anonymous. When listening to his self-titled EP with that in mind, you might have even been able to convince yourself that this was the case.

Once the rumor mill began to spin, everyone began to see for themselves what this Your Old Droog kid was all about. Eventually his identity would be revealed as just an aspiring Russian-American New Yorker whose heart was in the right place. And his EP was dope.

As people began to instead spread word of his quality emceeing and keen taste for beats, the conversation became less about him sounding like a deeper voiced Nas, but instead of what a great new artist he is. As the year began to draw to a close, Droog expanded his EP to an LP, adding a handful of new tracks.

If you’re late to the party, Droog’s production is very reminiscent of early 90′s New York rap. Heavily sample-based and loop driven, there’s a bare bones approach taken on songs like “Bad To The Bone” and “Loosey In The Store With Pennies,” just to name a few. His flow is confident and clever, as he subtly delivers punch rhymes without being terribly obvious or overly punny. There’s no asking if you “get it?” or repeating the line slowly so you do, it’s the kind of thing you pick up on seventh listen.

And Droog’s got such a tight LP here that it will yield repeated listens. It does lack the polish and structure of modern hip-hop, but it is an incredibly refreshing change of pace. You’ve got an old friend in Droog.

I’ve done a dual review for Wu-Tang Clan’s A Better Tomorrow and Ghostface Killah’s 36 Seasons, however it is a very in-depth piece – 4500 words – which explores the history of the Wu-Tang Clan leading up to A Better Tomorrow, so this had to go over to Cuepoint, where you can read it in full. So consider this an album review slash thinkpiece on one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time.

Hoping For A Better Tomorrow: How The Wu-Tang Clan Got It Wrong

Certainly to be one of the most controversial hip-hop albums of the year, Ras Kass and Apollo Brown’s, Blasphemy, is a concept LP that is more or less a crusade against organized religion. It’s also one of the best albums of the year, and quite possibly the most concise album that Ras has ever recorded.

Ras Kass released an underground favorite with his 1996 debut, Soul On Ice, but was never able to match it with subsequent follow-ups. Both Van Gogh and Goldyn Chyld were hotly anticipated albums amongst heads, boasting production from DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Hi-Tek, and others. However a corporate takeover of Priority Records and an arrest and jailtime for a DUI found both albums shelved, derailing the career of an otherwise promising emcee. Since then, Ras has released a series of independent projects, but has always experimented with several sounds and producers.

Blasphemy teams him with the bubbling hot Detroit producer Apollo Brown, who has made a career of lending his beats to great emcees that have lacked an A-list producer to cut an entire album with. Apollo’s albums with O.C. (Trophies) and Guilty Simpson (Dice Game) ruled in 2012, while he teamed with midwest emcees Verbal Kent and Redpill to form Ugly Heroes in 2013.

Much like the Trophies project, the two artists coming together for Blasphemy is just what they both needed to achieve greatness. Ras is an incredible emcee that hasn’t always had incredible production, while Apollo Brown is still a relatively unknown producer that needs strong artists to flesh out his classically produced, sample driven beats.

Surely designed to poke the hornet’s nest, Blasphemy is a series of tracks that question the existence of God and organized religion. The album opens with the “Next Caller,” sketch, built around that viral public access video of a swearing, drunken contradictory televangelist that’s been floating around the internet for the last decade or so. They then launch into the incredible “How To Kill God,” which finds Apollo producing The Blueprint era Kanye chipmunk soul, before Ras launches into his sermon. Mormonism is just one of the targets, as he spits:

“Mormons believe prophet Joe Smith / Say Christ appeared in America 1820 and shit / Said black people is cursed / Preach polygamy and told the white man to rule the Earth / Utah still racist as can be / So mothafuck Donny and Marie”

No religion is safe, even Christianity is put to the test, as Ras pens easily his most controversial song since “Nature Of The Threat,” but suggesting “I’m not anti-Christ.” One would think he would stop there, but he takes more shots on “Deliver Us From Evil,” yet turns to prayer on “Please Don’t Let Me,” listing his vices and hoping to avoid repeating past mistakes. Yet “Animal Sacrifice” is titled as such just to raise eyebrows. The “animals” he speaks of are only competing emcees, as brands himself the “G.O.A.T. killa!”

Apollo Brown and Ras Kass are equally yoked although each have their moments to shine. “Strawberry” is what Ras dubs “Ice Cream Part 2,” as Apollo crafts a beat that mirrors the Only Built For Cuban Links classic. Soul samples are utilized perfectly on songs like “H20″ and “Roses, as Brown steals the spotlight.

Blasphemy is a packed, dense LP in its fifteen tracks, which begins to weigh a bit heavy towards the end. However that’s more due to its length than a dip in quality from either artist. The two work wonderfully together, creating the cohesive LP we’ve been waiting for from Ras, as he has finally been given the production he’s deserved. One might call it a blessing.

It wouldn’t really be fair to compare the sound of Blockhead to that of DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing every time we review one of his records. However that is the frame of reference that most people can identify with, so in the interest of turning more people on to his music, just imagine that DJ Shadow never changed his style on Endtroducing and kept making records like that for the last 19 years, and you might begin to understand the sound of Blockhead.

Now on his sixth LP, Bells & Whistles, Blockhead has long settled in to his signature sound, making his brand of sample collages look effortless. This may be his most cohesive release yet, as it sounds like one long piece of music. We get glimpses of 90s trip-hop on laid back tracks like “On The Back Of A Golden Dolphin” and the heavy opening cut “Kaput!” The songs are long and winding paths that grow and evolve, and then circle back around to their origin. Never do you feel like this dude is just randomly jamming; there’s a method to his madness.

As a longtime hip-hop producer, the classic production style resonates all over the LP, even if only in small doses. “The Everything Song”, for instance, sports a vintage filtered bassline – like you might hear Pete Rock or Buckwild do way-back-when – along with unknown old school rap vocal samples for extra flavor. Later on “Sacrificial Santa,” a five-minute, head nodding ethereal séance, we suddenly hear stabs of Shabazz The Disciple screaming “sacrificing babies on the altar!” It’s an ill juxtaposition, but it works.

Chalk that up to Blockhead’s trademark sense of humor, which has been present on all of his albums. While his music is heavy and serious, he lightens the mood from time-to-time with funny samples that don’t belong, which is what truly makes it his. That, and in the song titles. Songs like “Beach Blanket Blood Bath” and the aforementioned “On The Back Of A Golden Dolphin” have little to do with their titles, that’s just Block being Block.

The biggest caveat about delving into any Blockhead album is that it requires patience. This isn’t something you can skip to the next track or fast-forward to the drop. It’s similar to deep house in the fact that you just have to let it play and it will slowly melt into the background. Then, it becomes something you love.

On one hand, you have to hand it to Game; even after being exiled from the Aftermath camp after a lengthy battle with 50 Cent, he has still managed to make new friends and keep his name in the, uh… game. With Blood Moon: Year Of The Wolf, Game hopes to get his damn label off, Blood Money Records.

Similar to previous LP’s from Game, the Compton emcee relies heavily on guests to flaunt an attractive tracklist. Yet more so than any of his previous albums, Blood Moon really comes off as a compilation LP, as he adjusts sounds and styles to fit those of his collaborators. So on the Ty Dolla $ign helmed “On One” and the Mustard produced Too $hort nod, “Or Nah,” he adopts the ratchet L.A. sound, which is not that much of a stretch. But then on “Really” with a host of southern rappers (and a show stealing 2 Chainz), the production is tailored to fit their styles.

This can really work against Game at times, whom historically has been a decent, if not sharp, lyricist. But don’t look for that on ignorant songs like “Fuck Yo Feelings” with Lil Wayne and Chris Brown or “Married To The Game” with French Montana, both of which present some of his most dumbed down material ever. Not quite as stupid, but equally head-scratching is the otherwise well produced “The Purge,” where he mirrors the murder spree horror film of the same name, somehow linking it to vengeance, justice and his engineer’s wife dying of stomach cancer. Wait, what?

Game gets a few solo moments, and honestly that’s where he is at his best, such as on the “Nautilus” sampled “F.U.N.” He still heavily name drops on “Bigger Than Me,” putting himself in the same space as 50 Cent, Jay Z and other people that dislike him, questionably. Sadly, none of his new artists do much to stand out from the crowd.

Overloaded with guests the listener is constantly distracted by guest appearances, as Game merely hosts his album. He’s a far cry away from those early masterpieces, which even now begin to seem accidental.