The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain
Most people won't ride around bumping Lonely Island like a Lil Wayne album, but that doesn't mean it can't have a place in your collection.
Gorillaz - The Fall [Physical Release]
While not the album's purpose, The Fall is a great Apple commercial at the very least.
After the last three years, Lil Wayne can do whatever the fuck he wants. "Can" and "should," however, are two very different things.
The club-ready production might be an atypical backdrop for Thicke, but if you know where to look for it, Sex Threapy is still all about Robin and his favorite things
What Rihanna seems to be evolving into still doesn't have the spectacle of Lady Gaga, the glamor of Beyonce or the passion of Alicia Keys so her role in the Pop landscape is becoming unclear.
Chubb Rock & Wordsmith - Bridging The Gap
This an unexpected collaboration but a potentially interesting one. Altogether, the Baltimore/Brooklyn duo doesn't quite reach the brass ring of what they're hypothetically capable of, but the album is good enough as a side project.
dead prez & DJ Green Lantern - Pulse Of The People
Pulse of the People is good, but good in the way that Proust novels and environmental documentaries are; they're easy to appreciate intellectually but difficult to digest casually
Golden Arms returns with the strongest album since his debut, supported by great costars, and questioned by pure crossover attempts and remixes.
If you're having trouble remembering what the south sounded like back when you still got mixtapes from a trunk instead of ZShare, you won't find much better than this
Even if there are a handful of tracks that should've been shaved off, there's nothing outright bad on The Last Kiss and a lot that's good.
Jones's cockiness still outpaces his performance to a degree, but anyone who stops by Pray IV Reign will get exactly what they paid for and you can't be mad at that
Worth checking out for fans, Hidden Files isn't a disappointment, but if anything, it'll mostly just make you want to dust off The Infamous or Hell on Earth.
Cappadonna - Slang Prostitution
The man responsible for the lethal verse on "Winter Warz" still has razor sharp lyrics, but suffers from generosity with the microphone, and producers that defy the ability to update the recipe with the trademark Wu ingredients
Anthony Hamilton - The Point Of It All
Being "The Next Al Green" would be quite the achievement, but becoming the new standard would be better. Hamilton surely has more to offer us down the road, but in the meantime, The Point of it All will be a suitable placeholder
Disregarding The Renaissance when you don't hear "Scenario 2008" will only make you feel silly when you finally learn to appreciate it in 2018.
Judging by his recent history, 88-Keys has put off his outside production work in favor of his own career and if this is what he'll do with his time instead, it's a reasonable trade.
Cryme Tyme: Monday Night's Alright For Fightin'
Hip Hop's representation in the the WWE speaks on stereotyping, and John Cena's rap abilities.
Given Rock's legal issues, Heltah Skeltah could be on the way to another long vacation. Hopefully for them, a follow-up won't take another decade, but at least their music is consistent even if their release schedule is not.
Has Asher Roth paid the dues and done the research to be here? HipHopDX gets the skinny from the Philly emcee.
His approach is a bit heavy handed, but Tech N9ne is demanding to be taken seriously. Killer is definitely worth checking out.