*Click here to go back to the beginning of the countdown* Always one to take his time between albums, Pharoahe Monch has returned with possibly his best album since 1999’s Internal Affairs. He’s touching on various important social issues, most notably mental health awareness, and also flexing his lyrical muscles to remind us why he’s…
Category: Album Reviews
My #14 Favourite Album of 2014: Logic – Under Pressure
*Click here to go back to the beginning of the countdown* Logic’s debut album has drawn a lot of attention this year, as it was one of the better major-label hip-hop albums of 2014. I reviewed this album for CulturedVultures.com when it came out, and my thoughts are still the same. Logic is definitely talented…
My #15 Favourite Album of 2014: J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive
*Click here to go back to the beginning of the countdown* Earlier this week J. Cole released his third official studio album, and it may be his best one yet. With seemingly no label pressure to put pop-radio hits on the album, J. Cole seems to be in full control and sounds more confident. …
My #16 Favourite Album of 2014: Bishop Nehru & MF DOOM – NehruvianDOOM
Underground legend MF DOOM’s latest project is a collaboration with young, up-and-coming emcee, Bishop Nehru. DOOM is one of my favourite artists, but for this album he barely raps and mostly handles the production. Most of the rapping is handled by Bishop Nehru, as this is probably the biggest project of his young career. It’s…
My #17 Favourite Album of 2014: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Pinata
This album has that gangster feel to it like Scarface (the movie) or Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (the rap album). Freddie Gibbs raps about his experience living the street life before being a full-time rapper, and Madlib’s production gives the story a real cinematic feel. When you think of a gangster-rap album, you think…
My #18 Favourite Album of 2014: The Roots – …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
The Roots have continued on their experimental path, making another concept album with more characters in the plot than 2011’s Undun. This time around, The Roots have a more negative theme, as it’s more of a satire with the basic idea that people looking to help themselves can’t help each other. After Undun, it’s tough…
My #19 Favourite Album of 2014: Joell Ortiz – House Slippers
After spending the past couple years putting in work with Slaughterhouse, Joell has returned with a follow-up to his 2011 solo album, Free Agent. While Joell likes to go off with his braggadocios freestyle raps with Slaughterhouse or on his mixtapes, he tends to use his solo albums to be a little more introspective, and…
My #20 Favourite Album of 2014: Ab-Soul – These Days…
This album threw some fans off, as it sounds very different from Ab-Soul’s previous album, 2012’s Control System. Just when you thought Ab-Soul established his style, he went and switched things up on this album. There are still glimpses of his old style, with his focus on wordplay and thought-provoking lyrics, but These Days sees…
Mixtape Review: Nova Major – Whatever It…[TAKES]
With a little time to kill before the next concert review, it’s time to review another mixtape! Nova Major is a new artist from the Toronto area signed to Track House Entertainment, here with his debut mixtape, Whatever It…[TAKES]. You can download and/or stream the mixtape for free here, or check out the songs (with lower…
Artist Profile + Album Review: 50 Cent – Animal Ambition
“Damn, homie, in high school you was the man, homie…. The f*** happened to you??” –Wanksta That quote pretty much sums up how I’ve felt about 50 Cent. I’ve gone from thinking he was the coolest rapper when I was twelve years old, to the lamest rapper when I was around seventeen, and now I…
Artist Profile + Album Review: Army of the Pharaohs – In Death Reborn
Tomorrow is the official release date for Army of the Pharaohs’ fourth album, In Death Reborn. They have been dominating the underground hip-hop scene for over a decade and seem to grow their fan base with every release. I first got into them in 2007 when a friend showed me their newest album at the…
Mixtape Review: Big Bad Baragon – Another Man’s Treasure: Sextape Vol. 1
This review is a little different from what I usually do. I usually like to write my reviews in paragraphs about the project as a whole, but for this one I collaborated with fellow blogger Wayne Maye and we went through the mixtape track-for-track in conversation format. It was my first time listening to Newburgh,…
SYpherSights 