Nicki Minaj 'Queen' 1 Listen Album Review
By being painfully forgettable, Nicki Minaj has wasted the perfect opportunity to soar.
Albums
tobi lou Delivers a Bright Eulogy for Childhood on ‘tobi lou and the Juice’ EP (Review)
‘tobi lou and the Juice’ is the procession for burying what we understood to be youth.
Choker's 'Honeybloom' Is an Ambitious Departure From Frank Ocean's Shadow
Choker ventures even further into left-field, experimental territory on his 'Peak' follow-up.
YG 'STAY DANGEROUS' 1 Listen Album Review
When YG speaks his truth and doesn't chase hits, 'STAY DANGEROUS' becomes an incredible portrait of the artist as a larger-than-life gangbanger. Sadly, it comes a little too late.
Mac Miller Scores a Heavenly Battle for Peace on ‘Swimming’ (Album Review)
Miller's fifth studio album is honest and immaculately arranged look at what it means to try and fail.
The Internet Are at Their Most Confident and Quietly Glamorous on ‘Hive Mind’ (Review)
On ‘Hive Mind,’ Syd, Steve, and company serve up a series of confident, funky, and seductive jabs. It's their pinnacle.
20 Years Later, the Beastie Boys’ ‘Hello Nasty’ Proves Time Is an Illusion
Check back in another 20, and we’ll likely be reporting more of the same.
Future 'BEASTMODE 2' 1 Listen Album Review
Future and Zaytoven team up for another enjoyable jump shot from half court.
Meek Mill 'Legends of the Summer' 1 Listen EP Review
'Legends of the Summer' is Meek's lively homecoming, a solid showcase of a rapper who is focused and reinvigorated.
Drake 'Scorpion' 1 Listen Album Review (B SIDE)
This is the most honest look at Drake that we've had since 'Nothing Was The Same.'
Drake 'Scorpion' 1 Listen Album Review (A SIDE)
This is the strongest collection of records we've heard from Drake in quite some time.
Teyana Taylor 'K.T.S.E.' 1 Listen Album Review
'K.T.S.E.' is an exquisite return to music for Teyana Taylor.
Westside Gunn's 'Supreme Blientele' is Grimy Opulence (Review)
The Griselda Records founder's personality is as golden as his ear for beats.
JAY-Z & Beyoncé 'EVERYTHING IS LOVE' 1 Listen Album Review
With all due respect to Hov, Beyoncé is a beast.
Jay Rock 'Redemption' 1 Listen Album Review
'Redemption' is a satisfying reintroduction to TDE's flagship artist.
Kanye West & Kid Cudi 'KIDS SEE GHOSTS' 1 Listen Album Review
'KIDS SEE GHOSTS' sounds like music moving forward.
Meyhem Lauren & DJ Muggs Collide on "Heavenly But Still Cold" 'Frozen Angels' EP
Meyhem and Muggs seamlessly reignite the core tenets that make hip-hop the most evocative genre of music.
Jorja Smith's 'Lost & Found' Is Your Soundtrack to the Loneliest Summer Nights (Review)
Smith's 'Lost & Found' is not perfect, but its imperfections are captivating.
Tierra Whack’s ‘Whack World’ is a Wonderfully Surreal, Must-See Destination (Review)
Every street corner in Tierra Whack’s world leads to a left turn.
Kanye West 'ye' 1 Listen Album Review
Kanye West's 'ye' album is a beautiful mess, as pleasant as it is puzzling.
Black Thought’s ‘Streams of Thought Vol. 1’ is All Bars But Little Staying Power
Black Thought's consistency is admirable, but in form, it makes the music a bit complacent.
A$AP Rocky 'TESTING' 1 Listen Album Review
"It takes more than a vision to create visionary art."
The Internet's Patrick Paige II Spills His Soul on Debut Album ‘Letters of Irrelevance’
Paige II reminds us that sometimes the worst pain can bring out the best art.
Junglepussy Delivers a Lush, Declarative, & Self-Loving Album with ‘JP3’ (Review)
‘JP3’ is grand because Junglepussy makes it so.
How Logic’s ‘Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever’ Mixtape Was His Legacy Blueprint, Five Years Later
“This the type of shit I used to prophesize.”
Leon Bridges' 'Good Thing' Explores Every Nook and Cranny of Love (Review)
With 'Good Thing,' Leon Bridges is moving soul forward with a bellied shout.
Slim Jxmmi (of Rae Sremmurd) 'Jxmtro' 1 Listen Album Review
Slim Jxmmi is like Bruh-man from the fifth floor; you can’t ignore him once he enters.
Swae Lee (of Rae Sremmurd) 'Swaecation' 1 Listen Album Review
These aren’t Rae Sremmurd songs with Slim Jxmmi cut off.
'Book of Ryan' Is Royce da 5'9" As We've Never Heard Him Before (Review)
In his quest for the crown, Royce has found himself.
Post Malone 'beerbongs & bentleys' 1 Listen Album Review
"The Post Malone who appears on 'beerbongs & bentleys' is someone I’m struggling to remember."
‘tobi lou and the Loop’ is the Soundtrack to Your Self-Care Routine (Review)
“Fuck it, I’m gorgeous.”
Janelle Monáe is the Sexually Free American Dream on ‘Dirty Computer’ (Review)
'Dirty Computer' is Monáe's definitive, crazy, could-be classic, album.
J. Cole 'KOD' 1 Listen Album Review
The man who made “No Role Modelz” made his most earnest attempt at being one.
25 Best Hip-Hop and R&B Albums of 2018 (So Far), Ranked
This is as perfect a list as you'll ever see.
Tom Misch Charts Growth and Memory on Effortless Debut Album ‘Geography’ (Review)
Misch’s Dilla and early boom bap influences are on full display.
Cardi B 'Invasion of Privacy' 1 Listen Album Review
'Invasion of Privacy' is fun, funny, and fulfilling.
Saba Battles Mortality on Sophomore Album ‘Care For Me’—His Finest Work to Date (Review)
‘Care For Me’ addresses the harrowing reality that nothing is promised and proves Saba as an artist meant to endure.
The Weeknd 'My Dear Melancholy,' 1 Listen EP Review
The Weeknd sheds his pop-star brightness for a return to the late night.
Trouble Moves Closer to Finding His Voice on Mike Will-Produced Debut 'Edgewood' (Review)
"'Edgewood' proves that finding your voice is not a direct route but a journey of trial and error."
'PRhyme 2' Is a Familiar Buffet of Bars & Beats (Review)
"'PRhyme 2' is yet another dazzling bit of jump roping between title matches, sometimes flashy but always familiar."
Sango Soundtracks the Pursuit of Wholeness on ‘In the Comfort Of’
‘In the Comfort Of’ is enveloped in prayer, hardship, overcoming, and gorgeous swaths of sound.
Logic’s ‘Bobby Tarantino II’ Is Part Alter Ego, Part Identity Crisis
The Def Jam MC continues his never-ending identity search on 'Bobby Tarantino II'
Lil Yachty 'Lil Boat 2' 1-Listen Album Review
Yachty has ditched the pop sheen of his debut and doubled down on disaffected and rattling trap.