Ronald Grant
The main issue with Anesthesia is that throughout the listen, it seems to be having an identity crisis.
Gillie Da Kid - Welcome 2 Gilladelphia
Adhering to his hustler credo is when Gillie shines the brightest, but the Philly emcee falls short of marshalling all of his charisma over the course of the entire LP.
The Underachievers - Evermore: The Art of Duality
Building on a healthy wave of spacey, topical music, Evermore: The Art of Duality continues the Brooklyn twosomes string of thought provoking, challenging Hip Hop.
Each song drills deeper into the listener as The Internet's "Ego Death" illuminates the longing in us all.
Canibus & Bronze Nazareth - Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise
Teaming up with Bronze Nazareth seems to have reawakened Canibus, as he raps with renewed vitality over textured production.
"Empire" is a bold body of work, with Derek Minor applying message to a form that can appear nihilistic.
"Never Left" is blue-collar and honest, showing flashes of diversity while remaining distinctly New York at its core.
"Carry On Tradition" is an admirable album from a producer that has conjured his dream, and created a project worthy of praise.
Von Pea And The Other Guys – To:You
The Other Guys weave traditional boom-bap beats around Von Pea's imaginative lyrical narratives.
Slaine - The King Of Everything Else
With "King Of Everything Else," Slaine sticks to his brash delivery, solid production, and understated wordplay adding another album to his growing catalogue.
Buckshot & P-Money - BackPack Travels
Buckshot is pure Brooklyn, and with P-Money, "Backpack Travels" genuinely reflects the traditionally straightforward stylings of Brooklyn Hip Hop lore.
Sage Francis delivers some exalted moments on his long awaited LP, but falls short of transcending his ideas to portray the true depths his of emotions.
While it suffers from a lack of cohesion at times, Chuck Inglish's "Convertibles" stands as a compelling, genre-altering offering just in time for summer.
Sage The Gemini's lack of diversity hold "Remember Me" back, but it's still largely likeable as festive, West Coast party-oriented Hip Hop.
E-40 - The Block Brochure: Welcome To The Soil 4, 5 & 6
E-40 is inventive and entertaining on "The Block Brochure: Welcome To The Soil Parts 4,5 & 6." But the 45-song set often drags due to formulaic, forced songs.
Yo Gotti does a superb job of making sure he connects with his core audience, but "I Am" doesn't offer much dynamic production or rhymes for casual fans.
Fat Joe - Darkside III (Mixtape Review)
"Darkside III" is a satisfactory mixtape that will at least remind Hip Hop heads of what Fat Joe has been able to accomplish during his time in the game.
Jim Jones - Vampire Life III (Mixtape Review)
"Vampire Life III" is a rehash of what we already know about Jim Jones, albeit one that has its moments where it can get your head nodding.
"Hear Ye Him," excels at creating a sense of natural, human contradiction. But we've yet to hear the perfect equilibrium between Malice and No Malice.
Though there are moments of achievement, much of "Keynote Speaker" finds U-God sounding dated and sluggish in his rhyme schemes and word play.