Rick Ross - Mastermind (Album Review)

Release Date : March 4, 2014
Label :  Maybach Music Group / Slip-n-Slide Records / Def Jam Records

After some delays, Ross finally releases his sixth studio album, Mastermind. And it features some great production as his previous albums. On the Black Metaphor produced "Rich Is Gangsta" Ross boasts "Elevators like Frank's on Scarface/ New Presidential had that pavé/Like a G, I gave the Cartier to Wale/Then I gave Meek Mill a Range Rover/Told Warner Brothers that the game's over". He also takes a little jab at Curtis Jackson "For me to move forward from here on I need 50/ I ain't talking 50 Cent neither nigga, haha". I'm surprised Ross even mentioned 50s name since that beef was like 6 years ago. Moving along, "Mafia Music III" is a reggae tinged gangsta joint featuring Sizzla and Mavado, and produced by the underrated Bink. "War Ready" featuring Jeezy and Tracy T is a dope song too. Its good to see that they put the beef aside and finally did a collab.

Jeezy - Seen It All: The Autobiography (Album Review)

Release Date : September 2, 2014
Label : CTE World / Def Jam

When you mention trap music , Jeezys name has to come up. T.I. did bring it into the mainstream in the early 2000s, but it was Jeezys TM:101 that took trap to another level. Listen to his classic mixtape Trap Or Die and tell me a lot of these new rappers didn't follow that format. Now on his seventh album, Seen It All, Jeezy is in a different mind frame. He takes more of a mature approach this time around, but he still serves the trap with some dope boy anthems like "Me OK" produced by Drumma Boy and "1/4 Block" produced by Childish Major.

Pusha T - My Name Is My Name (Album Review)

Release Date : October 8, 2013
Label :  G.O.O.D Music/Def Jam Records

After being signed to G.O.O.D Music for about three years, we finally get Pusha T's debut album, My Name Is My Name. That seemed like forever right? But Push did put out the Wrath of Caine mixtape in January of this year, and that mixtape did have some bangers on it like Blocka and Doesn't Matter just to name a few, so its not like he wasn't putting out material and making guest appearances since then. A few weeks he proclaimed he'll have the album of the year, so will Pusha back up his claims on MNIMN? Well, lets get into it. King Push sets the tone for the album, he feels like he can't be stopped, Push raps (This is my time/this is my hour /This is my pain this is my name/ this is my power/ If it's my reign then it's my shower).

Fat Joe Da Gangsta - Represent (Album Review)

Release Date : July 27, 1993
Label : Relativity Records

I missed out on Fat Joe's D.I.T.C. stuff, so why not go back and check out the earlier material while he was Fat Joe Da Gangsta? Can you believe this album is 20 years old? You know how people always say an artists older material is their best? Well lets see! The production on Represent is very raw, it has that whole early 90's jazzy boom bap sound. He gets beats from Lord Finesse, Diamond D and The Beatnuts, just to name a few. Fat Joe is really limited on Represent, he rarely switches flows, his mic presence is average at best, and his repetitive tough talk gets annoying after a while. Fat Joe wasn't always mainstream, this is way before Lean Back, What's Luv?, All I Need, Make It Rain, Etc.

Twista - Dark Horse (Album Review)

Release Date: August 12, 2014
Label :  Get Money Gang, Caroline Records

On Twista's 9th album "Dark Horse", he tries to find the right formula to put him back in the mainstream. Some of them work, while others don't. The album starts off with the title track, "Dark Horse" featuring Tyme. While the verses was dope, the hook is terrible. Twista bounces right back though with "I Am Such a Mobsta" and "Devil’s Angel". Twista proves that he still hasn't lost a step.

French Montana - Excuse My French (Album Review)

Released : May 21, 2013
Bad Boy / Interscope Records

I heard about French Montana years ago, obviously from watching the Cocaine City DVDs when he used to interview people. I didn't start listening to his music until he released his "Mac Wit Da Cheese" Mixtape, being a Max B fan you were bound to listen to French since they had so many songs together. Then the beef they had with Jim Jones and ByrdGang was hilarious! French had the perfect set-up, he put out Shot Caller as a warm up single, then Pop That. I'm confused as to why Bad Boy didn't release the album at that time because Pop That was a hit. Its about a year later and some of the momentum has died down. I wonder why there aren't any beats from Harry Fraud or Dame Grease on here and they were part of some of French's biggest mixtape songs. He was also on Akon's Konvict Label a few years ago and signed to Mizay Ent before the Bad Boy deal.

50 Cent - Animal Ambition (Album Review)

Release Date : June 3, 2014
Label : G-Unit/Caroline/Capitol

50 hasn't released an album since 2009. Five years is a long time in the music business. During that time 50 had a lot of label drama, but he kept busy by doing movies and releasing mixtapes. On Animal Ambition, 50 is doing what he does best, and thats making street music. He definitely sounds more hungrier this time around than he did on BISD. Let's be honest here, Curtis and BISD we barely average albums. Very few gems were on those albums. But on Animal Ambition, Fif sounds more hungrier now than he did in the last few years. If you want that classic 50 feel, look no further than "Hold On", "Pilot" and "Hustler". Animal Ambition is filled with hard joints.

Troy Ave - New York City : The Album (Review)

Release Date : November 4, 2013
Label : BSB Records

On his debut album New York City, Troy Ave promises to restore the feeling that has been missing in New York Hip Hop. Troys lyrics won't blow you or anything, his rhymes are more straight to the point. On Cigar Smoke Featuring King Sev he reps his city to the fullest with lines like, We don't wear tight ass clothes/ We don't do down south beats/ That ain't New York. On the title track New York City Featuring Raekwon, N.O.R.E. & Prodigy, he calls Kendrick Lamar a "weirdo rapper" for that King Of NY line from his Control verse. The funny part is Troy really feels that way, if you seen his interviews lately then you know what I'm talking about. New York City The Album doesn't have a love songs nor does it follow the trends thats currently poppin in the mainstream.

Drake - Nothing Was the Same (Album Review)

Release Date : September 24, 2013
Label : OVO Sound, Young Money, Cash Money, Republic Records

*I'm re-posting some of the reviews that had issues with the stats. For instance, this was one of my most popular reviews but it wasn't showing up in the popular posts section, so over the weekend I'll just be re-posting stuff*. Its been close to two years since Drakes last album, Take Care. Nothing Was The Same follows the same path. Drizzy is out to up the ante this time around. Right out the gate, Whitney Houston's classic I Have Nothing gets flipped and reversed on Tuscan Leather as Drake drops three dope verses. The six minute intro has him detailing the fallout he had with Nicki (Not even talkin' to Nicki, communication is breakin' I dropped the ball on some personal shit, I need to embrace it) and these hot for the moment rappers (I'm tired of hearin' 'bout who you checkin' for now Just give it time, we'll see who's still around a decade from now).

Rae Sremmurd - Sremmlife (Album Review)

Release Date : January 6, 2015
Label : EarDrummers / Interscope Records

 Rae Sremmurd (Eardrummers backwards) are setting things by releasing the first Hip-Hop album of the year, Sremmlife. Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy popped up out of nowhere with their instant hit "No Flex Zone". To be honest I wasn't even a fan of that song at first, until I heard the remix with Pusha T and Nicki, which was dope. I thought Rae Sremmurd were teenagers, but they're actually in their early 20s. Its crazy how they have two hits already. Not only can they make catchy songs, they also have one of the hottest producers in the game right now, Mike Will Made It supplying them with dope production. One thing about Rae Sremmurd is that they can easily make club bangers. And Sremmlife is full of them.