Every Album Ranked From Worst to Best
6) Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers 2
Release Date: July 13
Score: 2/10
This album was not a fun listen AT ALL. I don't know who actually had the desire to listen to a 90 minute Wiz Khalifa album in the year of our Lord 2018 but I did and I regretted every minute of it. This album is filled to the brim with awful hooks, generic beats, shitty lyrics, and 170 (I counted) total weed references. I'm not rooting for Wiz Khalifa to fail because between the last few albums and being dumped by Amber Rose, I actually feel bad for him. However, I think it's best if Wiz took a break for a very long time if he really wants to make more music after this (He probably does since this album actually sold very well first week...). But seriously, I could have spent 90 minutes doing anything else. I could have watched TV, I could have taken another walk outside, I could have called my grandmother to have a boring conversation with her about going to Church and tending to her garden (No disrespect because I always love my grandmother but it's hard to hold a conversation with her), or I could have done absolutely nothing, and yet I chose to give this album my time. I'm a fucking idiot.
Singles
Real Rich - feat. Gucci Mane [Tay Keith's weakest beat. He didn't even screw these ni**as up.]
Hopeless Romantic - feat. Swae Lee [Would have been the best track on Swaecation.]
Gin and Drugs - feat. Problem [One of the better tracks but seriously forgettable.]
420 Freestyle [BLAZE IT]
Something New - feat. Ty Dolla $ign [A very anti-climactic closing track.]
Best Tracks
Rolling Papers 2
Penthouse - feat. Snoop Dogg
B Ok
Worst Track
Very Special
5) Future - Beastmode 2
Release Date: July 6
Score: 6/10
Revised Score: 4/10
In 2017, Future released 3 albums, each with quite a lot to offer and plenty of good tracks. In 2018, Future has released 3 albums so far and each one can be described like this: Disappointing (Kolorblind), Good But Only For One Listen (SUPERFLY Soundtrack), and Forgettable (Beastmode 2). Future used to be one of my favorite artists and now it seems like he isn't even trying. I've enjoyed (or at least felt like replaying) a grand total of like 5 songs from Future's 3 albums this year. That's a pretty low percentage. This album is by far the worst of the three because a) it was extremely forgettable, b) it was painfully average, c) it fell out of my rotation the fastest, and d) did I mention it was forgettable? Zaytoven's production was the only interesting aspect, and I don't really remember what most of these beats sound like.
Best Tracks
Wifi Lit
Cuddle My Wrist
Doh Doh - feat. Young Scooter
Worst Track
31 Days [The one where he fucked that girl and then she peed...]
4) G Herbo x Southside - Swervo
Release Date: July 27
Score: 5/10
For the record, I don't hate this album. It's got some bangers on it. But I can't deny that this project is pretty one-dimensional and not very replayable since these songs tend to blend together a little too well. Southside isn't one of my favorite producers so I wasn't excited about a project produced entirely by him. I thought that this album was just okay.
Singles
Swervo [My favorite track. It goes the hardest.]
That's How I Grew Up - feat. 21 Savage [Pretty good song with a nice 21 Savage verse.]
Focused [Is okay.]
Who Run It [He should have put the version with Lil Uzi on. Still a great song either way.]
Best Tracks
FoReal
Catch Up - feat. Chief Keef
100 Sticks - feat. Young Thug
Honestly - feat. Juice WRLD
Worst Track
Tweakin (Head)
3) Chief Keef - Mansion Musick
Release Date: July 13
Score: 7/10
Revised Score: 6/10
It speaks volumes about a month's quality when a mixtape as decent as this one is in the better half of this list. It's not great, but it's certainly interesting, and if there's anything this month's releases were lacking, it was interesting stuff. Sosa actually uses several sounds from trap to drill to straight up piano ballads. Even on his 30th project, Chief Keef is still delivering quality and has stayed consistent. There were so many funny lyrics, banging beats, and catchy hooks throughout this project.
Singles
Part Ways [Is okay]
Best Tracks
Rawlings
Uh Uh - feat. Playboi Carti
Get This Money
Worst Track
Belieber
2) 88rising - Head In the Clouds
Release Date: July 20
Score: 8/10
Revised Score: 7/10
I know this has barely anything to do with the album, but I just wanted to say that one of my favorite albums of last year was Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 by Calvin Harris. That project was filled to the brim with summer jams and beautiful production. As someone who has been a fan of Calvin Harris ever since he blew up from that Rihanna song (We Found Love), it broke my heart when I found out that he was going to move away from that sound. I certainly didn't expect an Asian-based label compilation to be the one to fill that void but it did. This album, like Funk Wav 1, is filled to the brim with summer jams, beautiful production, catchy hooks, and some great guest appearances. 88rising has become one of my favorite labels and I feel like the talent they've been working with is immensely underrated. There is so much to enjoy about it and I certainly believe that this is the album of the summer.
Singles
Peach Jam - feat. Joji x BlocBoy JB [Was okay but felt like BlocBoy was out of place.]
Midsummer Madness - feat. Joji x Rich Brian x AUGUST 08 x Higher Brothers [Very catchy]
History - feat. Rich Brian [A very heartfelt track.]
Let It Go - feat. Higher Brothers x BlocBoy JB [Is a banger.]
Warpaint - feat. NIKI [Kinda corny but also kinda motivating.]
Best Tracks
Red Rubies - feat. Rich Brian x Yung Bans x Yung Pinch x Higher Brothers x Don Krez
Disrespectin - feat. Rich Brian x AUGUST 08 x Higher Brothers
I Want In - feat. AUGUST 08 x NIKI
Japan 88 - feat. Famous Dex x Keith Ape x Verbal
Worst Track
Plans - feat. NIKI x Vory
1) Denzel Curry - TA13OO
Release Date: July 27
Score: Strong 8/10 [Average score of all 3 parts was 8.67]
There is no question when it comes to who released the best album this month. Denzel Curry did everything right and more. I loved how this album started so light and mellow and then descended into madness as it went on. It was the perfect blend of conscious rap and hype rap. In my opinion, Denzel Curry is the perfect modern rapper and it's a shame he isn't nearly as popular as it seems.
Singles
Sumo [Such a banger.]
Clout Cobain [Denzel's best melodic track.]
Percs [It's not my favorite of the three but it's still really fucking good.]
Best Tracks
Cash Maniac
Super Saiyan Superman
Switch It Up
All of Dark [Especially Black Metal Terrorist]
Worst Track
Taboo [There's apparently a line about him being in love with an underage girl and I have no idea if it's true but if so what the actual fuck and how the actual fuck did I miss this?]
Worst Song of the Month
I've decided to add this section to my month-end write-ups because I don't usually highlight the worst song to come out. This month's pick was a little difficult but it ended up being a no brainer.
DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber x Quavo x Chance the Rapper - No Brainer
I haven't reviewed this track until now because DJ Khaled decided to release this like right after I posted my latest Single Reviews. Anyone else find it kind of weird that DJ Khaled's rollout for Father of Asahd has been almost identical to his rollout for Grateful? He started off with a track with Beyonce and Jay-Z (Shining/Top Off) and now has a track with JB, Quavo, and Chance (I'm the One/No Brainer). "I'm the One" was one of my favorite tracks from Grateful because it had such a feel-good summer vibe to it. DJ Khaled realized that people loved that song so much that he shamelessly decided to rehash it and create...this. The beat on this track is a massive downgrade and it's not even the worst part about it. Let's start with Justin Bieber. He carried this song so hard he might need to visit a chiropractor. He was legitimately the only enjoyable aspect. When I watched the music video for this song, I saw that the Biebs hasn't particularly aged well. He looks like a mechanic. Or even worse, a male pornstar playing a mechanic. It's amazing how Justin Timberlake has been in the business way longer than Bieber and has somehow aged better. Then we get Quavo's verse, which is about 30 seconds long and is pretty terrible. Just look this line:
"I blow the brains outta your mind / And I ain't talkin' 'bout physically / I'm talkin' 'bout mentally"
I'm pretty sure we know that you mean it figuratively. This is Quavo's worst lyric since "I'll eat a ni**a ass like an Almond Joy." Chano's verse wasn't much better. It even ends with such a stupid moment where he wants to see that booty applaud, but the word "booty" is censored for some arbitrary reason. This song blows and so did DJ Khaled's "performance" at the Overwatch League Grand Final.
Top 10 Songs
10) 6ix9ine feat. Nicki Minaj x Murda Beatz - FEFE
I've been seeing critics trash this song quite a lot and I can see why. 6ix9ine is an arrogant shithead who likes to spew a ton of shit and most of his music is pretty annoying. I'm not a fan of the guy myself but I actually really like this song a lot more than most of his discography. The production from Murda Beatz was nice, Nicki killed it, and 6ix9ine's melodies sounded more tolerable in comparison to "GOTTI." This is going to be 6ix9ine's first top 10 hit and I actually don't mind since it's one of the two good songs in his small discography (the other is GUMMO by the way).
9) Chance the Rapper - I Might Need Security
From my review of this single:
"He mentions Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, the death of Verne Troyer, requests investigations into police murders, and announces that he bought the Chicagoist blog. The instrumental samples 'I Might Need Security' by Jamie Foxx as the vocals that constantly sing 'fuck you' are present throughout the track. One thing that bothered me was that Chance was still getting hate online for his music or "corny" personality despite all the good he's done for his community. He touches on that in this song and even talks shit about the people who troll him online."
It is the best of Chano's 4 new singles by far because of how provocative it is.
8) Chief Keef - Rawlings
From my Mansion Musick review:
"This was probably my favorite song on the project. The production from DP Beats is amazing and I love the piano. I thought the spoken word intro from Ballout was a little weird but this song is perfect otherwise. Sosa doesn't normally do drill-rap anymore, but he brings back that style for this track and it sounds amazing."
I also thought the chanting in the background sounded incredible.
7) Lil Yachty feat. Cardi B x Offset - Who Want the Smoke?
Lil Yachty has been killing it after Teenage Emotions and continues his winning streak with this song. While his verse was a little weak, it doesn't take away from the fact that this song absolutely SLAPS. Tay Keith delivered on production, Yachty's hook was catchy, Cardi did a good job, and Offset snapped at the end.
6) Denzel Curry - Super Saiyan Superman
From my TA13OO review:
"Denzel Curry compares himself to Goku and takes his Super Saiyan form. The beat on this track goes insanely hard and Denzel hits us with some more fantastic flows. This song has one of the best hooks on the album and ends with an eerie outro. This is one of the best tracks on the entire album and the only flaw here is that it's way too short."
And it's not the only Denzel Curry song on this list.
5) 88rising feat. Rich Brian x AUGUST 08 x Higher Brothers - Disrespectin
From my Head In the Clouds review:
"This was my favorite track on this album by far. Falcons' production, especially the bass, was very hard. I also loved AUGUST 08's hook and the verses from Rich Brian and the Higher Brothers were pretty good."
4) BROCKHAMPTON - 1999 WILDFIRE
From my review of this track:
"The production on this track is very smooth and every member did a great job throughout the song. Kevin Abstract's hook is catchy, Matt Champion's first verse is short and sweet, Joba shows off some great flows on the second verse, and Bearface's singing sounded great on the fourth."
This song is my favorite of BH's 2018 singles because of the vibe it brings. It's a great summer anthem.
3) Denzel Curry - Black Metal Terrorist
From my TA13OO review:
"What an amazing way to end the album. In this song, Denzel takes on the personality of Zel, who is basically a more aggressive version of himself. Denzel Curry oozes confidence in a song where he says he's basically the GOAT and those other rappers are basic in comparison. This is one of the hardest songs on the album because FNZ and Ronny J absolutely kill it on production. I also love how the album ends on a creepy note with that outro."
And it's not the last Denzel Curry song on this list either.
2) Drake - In My Feelings
I'm well aware that this song was released in June, but I'm pretty lax when it comes to my monthly top 10 criteria. As long as I added it to my playlist during that specific month and the song was released sometime in 2018, it's eligible. I can't believe how much I slept on this song when I first heard Scorpion. I barely mentioned it in my review outside of the fact that it had "cool sample usage." This song is the sequel to "Nice For What" that I never knew I needed. This track is just so much fun to listen to and sing along with. Without fail, I will always belt out "KIKI, DO YOU LOVE ME?!" even at the mere mention of it. The only thing I don't like about this song is the challenge that came with it. I don't mind it as a dance move but I'm seriously worried about the safety of it. Like people are getting out of moving cars and dancing to it. In the original #InMyFeelingsChallenge video on Instagram, the guy didn't get out of a moving car to do it. Regardless of that, this song is amazing and it will be a very long time before I get tired of it.
1) Denzel Curry - Clout Cobain
Yes, I do believe that this is the best single from Taboo and that it's the best song I discovered this month. Here are some things I had to say about it when I reviewed this single and reviewed it again after I listened to the album:
"This song is about the lengths that people go for clout, as described by the line 'I just wanna feel myself, you want me to kill myself.'"
"The third single for this album was probably my favorite."
"...the hook on this track is so good."
It's amazing how much this song is true to real life and because it does a great job at delivering a great message AND being catchy, it's my #1 for July.
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