1) Migos - Culture II [3/5]
The first Culture was one of my favorite albums of 2017, so there were incredibly high expectations for this one, including from me. Admittedly, I did not expect this to be better than or even as good as the first, but I at least wanted it to be more than decent. This album could have been one of the best of this year if Migos and Quality Control didn't make a decision as questionable as making it double the length of the first. The tracklist includes 24 songs and clocks in at 1 hour and 45 minutes, making this album long enough to be a feature film. As a Migos fan, I didn't think they could carry 24 tracks, and I was right. There are some songs that I'll mention that I think could go toe to toe with some of Culture's bangers, but the album took a huge nosedive in the second half. Sometimes, you can have too much of a good thing.
Singles
MotorSport - feat. Nicki Minaj x Cardi B [ehhhh]
Stir Fry [liked]
Supastars [ehhhh]
Favorite Tracks
Narcos
Walk It Talk It - feat. Drake
White Sand - feat. Travis Scott x Ty Dolla $ign x Big Sean
Least Favorite Track
Gang Gang
2) Rich Brian - Amen [2/5]
Rich Brian had come a long way from his meme status and has made some seriously great music since "Dat $tick." The preceding singles such as "Gospel" with XXXTentacion and Keith Ape, "Glow Like Dat," and "Crisis" with 21 Savage heightened my expectations for his full-length debut. It saddened me that 2 of the 3 singles I mentioned didn't even make the tracklist. While Rich Brian showcases some great talent when it comes to production, his rapping was slightly above average at best. He stuck with the same deep, monotone flow throughout the album, and the features from Joji and Offset did not impress me. This was definitely one of the biggest disappointments of 2018.
Singles
Glow Like Dat [liked]
See Me [liked]
Chaos [ehhhh]
Favorite Tracks
Occupied
Cold
Tresspass
Least Favorite Track
Kitty
3) Various Artists - Black Panther The Album Music From And Inspired By [5/5]
The soundtrack for one of the biggest movies of 2018 was curated by none other than Kendrick Lamar and his label Top Dawg Entertainment. My expectations for the soundtrack were very low because 1) it's a movie soundtrack where even the biggest artists will phone it in, and 2) the singles were not great. However, this soundtrack was easily my favorite listen so far. The African tribal instruments meshed with the 808s and trap percussion so well. If there was anything I could complain about, it would be that there were many Kendrick Lamar verses, hooks, or even background vocals that went uncredited. I can positively say there isn't a bad song on here.
Singles
Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA - All the Stars [ehhhh]
Jay Rock feat. Kendrick Lamar x Future x James Blake - King's Dead [liked]
Kendrick Lamar feat. The Weeknd - Pray for Me [disliked]
Favorite Tracks
ScHoolboy Q feat. 2 Chainz x Saudi - X
Khalid feat. Swae Lee - The Ways
SOB X RBE - Paramedic!
Least Favorite Track
Zacari feat. Babes Wodumo - Redemption
4) 6ix9ine - Day69 [2/5]
6ix9ine is one of the most controversial figures in hip-hop right now. I'm not really a fan of him regardless of whether he's a pedophile or not. This is also a blog that separates the artist from the art, and as someone who liked Gummo, I decided to give this a chance. The production is very crisp and clean, but also very formulaic. You can tell from a mile away that 6ix9ine really likes his blicky and letting someone's nuts hang. He also does not vary his flow other than shouting at the top of his lungs. To add to all of that, there was at least one "SCUUUUUUUUM GAAAAAANG" too many. This project is basically the same song 12 times.
Singles
Gummo [liked]
Keke - feat. Fetty Wap x A Boogie Wit da Hoodie [liked]
Kooda [disliked]
Favorite Tracks
Rondo - feat. Tory Lanez x Young Thug
Doowee
Mooky
Least Favorite Track
Billy
5) Lil Yachty - Lil Boat 2 [4/5]
I didn't know why I chose to listen to the project, especially considering that this is the follow-up his atrocious 2017 album Teenage Emotions. The tracklist and features intrigued me enough to give it a listen and I was pleasantly surprised. Lil Boat 2 may sound like the opposite of its predecessor in terms of sound, but this album shows that Yachty's rapping has clearly improved. The production on here is stellar, showcasing loud, bassy trap beats. There are barely any cringe-worthy lyrics to be found, while they were everywhere on Teenage Emotions. The featured artists made a great contribution and damn near carried this project. However, I do think that Yachty needs to work on his hooks as they bring down the quality of quite a few tracks. I'll go as far as to say that this was one of my favorite listens this year.
Singles
N/A
Favorite Tracks
Count Me In
She Ready - feat. PnB Rock
Baby Daddy - feat. Lil Pump x Offset
66 - feat. Trippie Redd
Least Favorite Track
FWM
6) Logic - Bobby Tarantino II [4/5]
Logic's previous effort, Everybody, was probably the most disappointing album of 2017. I was almost ready to give up on Logic as each studio album he puts out gets worse every time. However, the first Tarantino mixtape is one of my favorite projects from him, so I was moderately excited. It turned out to be a solid return to form. Logic shows his self-awareness through the Rick & Morty intro "Grandpa's Spaceship" and clearly knows his fans prefer his mixtapes to his albums. 6ix's production throughout sounds fresh and clean. If there were any flaws with this mixtape, it would be that Logic sometimes takes too much influence from his contemporaries. A prime example of this would be Logic sounding very close to Travis Scott on "Wizard of Oz." However, this was a very enjoyable project, and made for one of my favorite listens this year.
Singles
Overnight [liked]
Everyday - with Marshmello [disliked]
44 More [liked]
Favorite Tracks
Contra
Midnight
Warm It Up
Least Favorite Track
Everyday
7) XXXTentacion - ? [2/5]
XXXTentacion is the most controversial artist maybe in all of music. However, you cannot deny that he has some talent. That talent still has yet to deliver a good album. While this was a much better project than 17, it feels like an even bigger mess. The album is 18 tracks long but somehow manages to be just 37 minutes. Once again, we have a bunch of half-baked ideas that are horribly executed because they have little substance to them. While his singing has improved, his sad punk-influenced songs are still awful. It features more rap, which is what drew me to XXXTentacion in the first place, but it doesn't feel the same as his pre-17 sound. This was one of the most inconsistent albums I've heard this year.
Singles
SAD! [liked]
Changes [disliked]
Hope [disliked]
Favorite Tracks
Moonlight
Infinity (888) - feat. Joey Bada$$
going down!
Least Favorite Track
Schizophrenia
8) Rich The Kid - The World Is Yours [4/5]
I got what I expected from Rich The Kid here, and even though it wasn't much, this album was still fun. What really brought the album down was Rich The Kid himself. He refuses to switch his flow, which I would tolerate if his voice had more energy. His ear for beats and amazing networking skills mostly make up for Rich's shortcomings as a rapper. There really isn't too much to talk about. It's just a bunch of bangers ready for parties. I just happened to enjoy it.
Singles
New Freezer - feat. Kendrick Lamar [liked]
Plug Walk [liked]
Early Morning Trappin - feat. Trippie Redd [liked]
Favorite Tracks
Lost It - feat. Quavo x Offset
End of Discussion - feat. Lil Wayne
Gargoyle - feat. Swae Lee x Offset
Least Favorite Track
Dead Friends
9) Lil Xan - Total Xanarchy [1/5]
No. I don't want to experience this piece of shit album ever again. I have tolerated and liked many different SoundCloud rappers. Lil Xan is easily the worst. His lazy lyrics make Lil Pump look amazing in comparison. His voice sounds like a creaking door. The production on here is just okay, which makes it very easy to point out the flaws in Lil Xan's personality and lyrics. I'm still baffled at how he managed to feature 2 Chainz, Rae Sremmurd, and YG on here. It's gonna be hard to top this as the worst album of the year. I would rather listen to only 6ix9ine and Bhad Bhabie for a month if it meant that this album would no longer exist.
Singles
Wake Up [ehhhh]
The Man - feat. $teven Cannon [disliked]
Betrayed [liked]
Slingshot [disliked]
Far [disliked]
Betrayed Remix - feat. Yo Gotti x Rich The Kid [ehhhh]
"Favorite" Tracks
Tick Tock - feat. 2 Chainz
Moonlight - feat. Charli XCX
Shine Hard - feat. Rae Sremmurd
Least Favorite Track
Everything that isn't a feature
10) Famous Dex - Dex Meets Dexter [2/5]
Famous Dex is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I know that he delivers the same flow on every track and that a good 70% of his lyrical content is ad-libs, but he's so energetic that I cannot help but enjoy it. Needless to say, this album was disappointing. Dex made it very clear that he cannot carry an album by himself because there aren't enough features to keep this interesting. Adding on to that, the features outside of A$AP Rocky weren't great. The production is at least interesting and while it doesn't sound good, I like that Famous Dex is experimenting with different melodies. This project could have been better.
Singles
Japan [liked]
Light - feat. Drax Project [disliked]
Pick It Up - feat. A$AP Rocky [liked]
Favorite Tracks
DMD
Prove It
Hemi
Least Favorite Track
Light
11) Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy [4/5]
This album was much better than expected. I thought Cardi B's singles after "Bodak Yellow" were average at best, but I knew she had potential. This project was perfect in terms of length with 13 songs and a runtime of 48 minutes. Her features like Chance The Rapper, Migos, and SZA give great contributions to the album. The beats were solid and Cardi also delivered some great quotables. Cardi B proves that she's not just a fad and that she is here to stay.
Singles
Bodak Yellow [liked]
Be Careful [ehhhh]
Bartier Cardi - feat. 21 Savage [ehhhh]
Favorite Tracks
Drip - feat. Migos
I Like It - feat. Bad Bunny x J Balvin
Money Bag
I Do - feat. SZA
Least Favorite Track
She Bad - feat. YG
12) Smokepurpp x Murda Beatz - Bless Yo Trap [2/5]
After hearing the singles for this tape, I was excited. Smokepurpp has managed to become one of my favorite new school rappers right now, and I was looking forward to a follow-up to Deadstar. This collab effort managed to fall a bit flat. Even with its short length of 11 songs and 24 minutes, Bless Yo Trap still manages to be a drag. Murda Beatz continues to be the most average producer in hip-hop, with the only interesting aspect being his drums. Smokepurpp delivers a more melodic sound in the new tracks, which was very hit or miss on Deadstar and didn't sound great here for the most part. If it weren't for the singles, this collaborative effort would have gotten a 1.
Singles
123 [liked]
Do Not Disturb - feat. Lil Yachty x Offset [liked]
Favorite Tracks
Big Dope
Pockets
Pray - feat. A$AP Ferg
Least Favorite Track
Bumblebee
13) J. Cole - KOD [5/5]
I was surprised at how much I loved this album. Even though J. Cole can sometimes come off as preachy, he is a very talented rapper and not nearly as much of an asshole about it as someone like Hopsin or Russ. KOD includes some of Cole's best lyrics and storytelling yet as he touches on drug addiction, falling for Instagram models, financial irresponsibility, and even doing taxes. He also makes some good points on the album's closer "1985 - Intro to 'The Fall Off' " where he chooses not to diss today's trap rappers, but instead gives them some advice and warnings of what's to come if they continue down the same path. This is an album of the year contender for sure.
Singles
N/A
Favorite Tracks
KOD
Photograph
ATM
1985 - Intro to "The Fall Off"
Least Favorite Track
Friends
14) Post Malone - Beerbongs & Bentleys [3/5]
Post Malone's sophomore album is a step up from Stoney. His singing has managed to improve, and he's still as fun and charming as ever. However, this album has its faults. For starters, it's too long, clocking in at 18 tracks and 64 minutes. While I enjoy his music, there is no way Post Malone could carry an album that long, especially since it isn't anything special. The subject matter and instrumentals tend to be a bit samey. While Post Malone's voice is very pleasant to hear, even that gets old after a while. His features, for the most part, did a great job and kept things interesting. I feel like this album could be a lot better given the singles released beforehand.
Singles
Rockstar - feat. 21 Savage [liked]
Psycho - feat. Ty Dolla $ign [liked]
Candy Paint [liked]
Favorite Tracks
Spoil My Night - feat. Swae Lee
Zack and Codeine
Ball for Me - feat. Nicki Minaj
92 Explorer
Least Favorite Track
Takin' Shots
15a) Rae Sremmurd - SR3MM [3/5]
Disc one of Rae Sremmurd's triple album extravaganza would have easily been the strongest one if half the album wasn't already released as singles. In fact, I would say that this project would have been better if it were longer than just 9 songs. However, this first album was great. The production from Mike WiLL Made-It still sounds amazing, and Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi have better chemistry than ever. The features, which include Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Future, and Juicy J, did a great job for the most part. Besides half of the album being released beforehand, the only big problem was Swae Lee's rapping. He doesn't manage to switch his flow too much after the hook, and even though it can sound great, I would love more energy from him. This would easily be a 4 or even a 5 if I didn't already hear half the album.
Singles
CLOSE - feat. Travis Scott [ehhhh]
Perplexing Pegasus [liked]
Powerglide - feat. Juicy J [liked]
T'd Up [liked]
Favorite Tracks
Up In My Cocina
Buckets - feat. Future
42
Least Favorite Track
Bedtime Stories - feat. The Weeknd [NOTE: there weren't really any bad songs on here, but this one is the least good in my opinion]
15b) Swae Lee - Swaecation [2/5]
Disc two of the Rae Sremmurd triple album is Swae Lee's solo debut, Swaecation. It is easily the weakest of the three. Swae Lee has more versatility than Slim Jxmmi, but he has less lyrical substance. He was going for a summertime vibe at the beach, but it's more like background music at the pool. Even though it's just 9 songs, it still manages to drag on. The only interesting aspect of this album is Swae's voice, which can't carry a whole project by itself. In short, this was a huge disappointment.
Singles
Guatemala - feat. Slim Jxmmi [ehhhh]
Hurt to Look [disliked]
Favorite Tracks
Touchscreen Navigation
Heat of the Moment
Offshore - feat. Young Thug
Least Favorite Track
Lost Angels
15c) Slim Jxmmi - Jxmtro [4/5]
Disc three of the Rae Sremmurd triple album is Slim Jxmmi's solo debut, Jxmtro. I always thought Slim Jxmmi was the better rapper of Rae Sremmurd, so I was looking forward to this more than Swae Lee's album. I was very happy to know that he delivered. Jxmtro is definitely the strongest of the three albums. Here, we get some energetic rapping from Jxmmi, and even some emotional cuts. His features do a pretty good job, but let's not pretend that this project has flaws. Slim Jxmmi's issue is that his hooks can get a bit repetitive, and a bad or even mediocre hook could bring a song down. Aside from that, his project was very enjoyable.
Singles
Brxnks Truck [liked]
Chanel - feat. Swae Lee x Pharrell Williams [ehhhh]
Favorite Tracks
Anti-Social Smokers Club - feat. Zoe Kravitz
Cap - feat. Trouble
Changed Up
Least Favorite Track
Juggling Biddies - feat. Riff 3x
And that's it. I mainly wanted to share my thoughts on the albums released so far, and it would have taken forever to give them all individual full-length reviews. My first full-length review is coming next as well as my first "What am I listening to?" article after that.
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