album review Archives - Rolling Out

Nas returns to the spotlight armed with a new album and a shitload of controversy. The former comes in the form of a 7 song, 26-minute album titled, Nasir. The album, which was executive produced by Kanye West, is the fourth of five G.O.O.D. Music albums dropped over a five week period. The latter is…

Ne-Yo returns with a new album, Good Man, facing an ever-changing musical landscape that typically limits post age-30 R&B artists. Can the velvety crooner avoid the pitfalls that typically banish artists of his ilk to the adult contemporary category? Here is our gif album review, where we address that very topic. Ne-yo’s lead single, “Good…

Zaytoven has been on the Atlanta rap scene for over a decade now. As a producer, he’s credited with creating the signature trap sound native to the South. The hit beatmaker recently dropped his debut album, Trap Holizay. The tracklist features many industry heavy hitters. On the latest episode of “Live Album Review,” Zaytoven sits down…

On Dec. 1, Big Sean and Metro Boomin tweeted “DOUBLE OR NOTHING,” and in an era of surprise releases, the world can be shaken at any moment with a tweet and the internet certainly caught fire that night. We think of Big Sean and Metro Boomin separately and know the greatness they’re capable of. So,…

Tyler, The Creator‘s fourth album Flower Boy just missed the No. 1 spot for albums in its debut week, losing to Lana Del Rey’s release by 1K units. While a lot of people are talking about his album, not enough people are talking about the actual content of the project. Flower Boy originally leaked on July…

David Banner

‘Rolling out’ presents a live master class and album review with David Banner. Join us as we discuss his new project, “The God Box.” The R.S.V.P. list is now closed. *Limited seating available.

I decided to wait at least a week to give my opinion on A Tribe Called Quest’s new album We Got It From Here … Thank You 4 Your Service. I did this not only because I got it on Nov. 11 when everyone else did (no advance copy), but also because I felt the first album in…

Most of Logic’s “The Incredible True Story” works. The story follows refugees from earth, QuentinThomas and William Kai, traveling through space as they head for “Paradise.” The duo’s banter forms the framework of the album

After releasing his best project to date last year titled, Cadillactica, Big K.R.I.T. is ready to offer his mixtape, It’s Better This Way, in order to show his fans that it’s better to follow the uncharted path than to follow the ordinary path in music. K.R.I.T. has maintained a steady flow of producing quality music…

Hip-hop’s short attention span has been well-documented. A popular rapper typically can’t afford to take a couple of years away from the spotlight at the risk of returning to a completely shifted cultural and musical landscape.

To understand the gist of Kendrick Lamar’s new album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” you must start with the end in mind.

On “Cadillactica,” Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T.’s vision seems to be fully-formed, and it’s a remarkable album because of this.

There’s nothing here that will shed new light on Michael Jackson as an artist–you already know his genius. But there’s nothing here that sounds forced or embarrassing, either. And coming on the heels of 2010s scattershot Michael, that’s a small victory in and of itself.

An Australian with a pretty sizable following as a fashion model, Iggy raps with a faux-Southern American drawl that echoes the popular trap-rappers of the past several years; and she made some pretty glaring missteps

Sexy singer Shakira returns on her latest, self-titled album–her first since becoming a mother last year. Though she’s not quite the pop culture ingenue she was when she emerged in the late 90s/early 2000s, the booty-shaking beauty is still quite the compelling artist. So it’s a shame that so much of what makes Shakira Shakira gets lost on Shakira.

The West is beyond back, it’s thriving in a myriad of styles. In the case of the Compton-born rhymer Y.G., it’s the unapologetic gangsta-ism that made Los Angeles rap so famous a generation ago.

Young Money: Rise of an Empire is the second official studio compilation from the YMCMB roster following 2013’s Rich Gang. This set features the expected list of A list stars, both from the label and across mainstream hip-hop. Lil Wayne is the centerpiece, and while this feels like a showcase for the lesser-known talents on the Young Money team, it is noticeable that Young Money mainstay Drake is only featured once.

Rick Ross returns with Mastermind, his highly-anticipated sixth studio album and follow-up to 2012’s God Forgives, I Don’t. On his latest project, Ross continues his musical trademarks–the ones that have served him so well up to this point and helped to establish his persona. Rozay is still very much into excess, he wallows and revels in it. Wealth and consumption are at the forefront of his mind, yet again, and depending on your taste, it can sound either invigorating or woefully tiresome by the time you get mid-way through Mastermind.

The buzz around Schoolboy Q has been building for the better part of two years. The L.A. rapper’s gift for wordplay, dark sense of humor and marijuana fixation became well-known amongst hip-hop’s underground; and with the release of his 2012 indie album Habits and Contradictions, Q officially became hip-hop’s “Next Big Thing.” Also, his TDE compadre Kendrick Lamar went from underground sensation to major superstar during that time, setting up high expectations for Schoolboy Q’s major label debut, Oxymoron.

On Dead Prez’s latest effort, they tackle everything from the economic crisis to the benefits of drug-free and healthy lifestyles.