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Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Tyler, the Creator, Bastard
Tyler, the Creator, Bastard XL Recordings Perhaps the best thing about “Tyler, The Creator†Okonma’s Goblin is that he has mastered the art of intimacy. Throughout this nearly hour-and-a-half therapy session, he sounds as if he is speaking directly to … Continue reading
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Review: TOKiMONSTA, “Creature Dreams”
TOKiMONSTA, Creature Dreams Brainfeeder With Creature Dreams, TOKiMONSTA makes a few tweaks to her neo-trip-hop adventures, most impressively adding loud drums to “Day Job’s†guitar loop, and then closing out the track with an unexpected blast of noisy feedback. She … Continue reading
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Review: Outasight, “Figure 8”
Outasight, Figure 8 Warner Bros. Records Outasight’s Figure 8 sounds like many things: a little Drake on the career summary “Life Or Something Like It,†and a bit like Mike Posner (or at least Cee-Lo’s pop-soul hybrid) on “Maybe Next … Continue reading
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The Plug One 2010: Top 20 Albums
When I worked on my ill-fated project compiling the top 100 hip-hop albums of the 2000s, I learned a valuable lesson: Contemporary history is difficult to quantify. We often make judgments on what we think will have lasting value, but … Continue reading
Posted in Plug One 50, Reviews, Superlists
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Review: Ghostface Killah, “Apollo Kids”
Ghostface Killah, Apollo Kids Def Jam Ghostface Killah treads familiar ground on Apollo Kids, offering few if any hooks or choruses, long-winded sixteen-bar verses that could double as freestyles, and crusty soul loops as an accompaniment. Even the title pays … Continue reading
Review: Qwel & Maker, “Owl”
Qwel & Maker, Owl Galapagos4 Owl is proudly out of step with the rap race, but Qwel & Maker’s classical hip-hop values deserve a wide audience. A prickly veteran of Chicago’s indie-ground, Qwel rhymes in splendidly discursive statements, but has … Continue reading
Review: Ana Tijoux, “1977”
Ana Tijoux, 1977 Nacional Records Chilean rapera Ana Tijoux’s second album doesn’t sound like anything current. It’s antiquated, recalling 1990s jazzbo classics such as MC Solaar’s Prose Combat and Digable Planets’ Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space). Hordatoj … Continue reading
Review: Reflection Eternal, “Revolutions Per Minute”
Reflection Eternal, Revolutions Per Minute Warner Bros. It has taken a decade for Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek to resume their partnership, but Revolutions Per Minute sounds like the two never parted. In spite of his freelance assignments for G-Unit … Continue reading
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Tagged Hi-Tek, Reflection Eternal, Rhapsody, Talib Kweli, Warner Bros.
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Review: Flying Lotus, “Cosmogramma”
Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma Warp Though based in Los Angeles, Flying Lotus has the trend-absorbing drive of a European electronic producer. His 2008 breakthrough, Los Angeles, deconstructed UK dubstep and bass; but Cosmogramma turns to the future soul of his native … Continue reading
Review: Kid Cudi, “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager”
Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager Universal Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager doesn’t have anything as catchy as “Day ‘n’ Nite,†but it consistently hits the sweet spot with … Continue reading
Review: The Foreign Exchange, “Authenticity”
The Foreign Exchange, Authenticity Foreign Exchange Music Three albums deep, the Foreign Exchange has established its formula. Phonte Coleman sings yearning melodies; Nicolay produces contemporary soul with a hint of New Age and jazz-fusion. On Authenticity, Phonte continues to improve … Continue reading
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Tagged Foreign Exchange, Foreign Exchange Music, Rhapsody
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Review: Bilal, “Airtight’s Revenge”
Bilal, Airtight’s Revenge Plug Research Bilal’s first recording in nearly a decade is a remarkable evolution from his earlier incarnation as a neo-soul balladeer. By tapping into the West Coast’s blooming indie-soul circuit for Airtight’s Garage, he has created an … Continue reading
Review: Rick Ross, “Teflon Don”
Rick Ross, Teflon Don Def Jam Rick Ross is known for farcical claims – remember when he said he knew Manuel Noriega on his breakthrough hit “Hustlin’â€? For Teflon Don, he compares himself to infamous criminals Larry Hoover and Big … Continue reading
Review: Aloe Blacc, “Good Things”
Aloe Blacc, Good Things Stones Throw On his first album in four years, L.A.’s Aloe Blacc travels further from his hip-hop roots. Years ago, he was a rapper in the indie group Emanon and a sometime-vocalist; on Good Things, he’s … Continue reading
Review: Black Milk, “Album of the Year”
Black Milk, Album of the Year Fat Beats/Decon More than an audacious claim, Black Milk’s Album of the Year chronicles a period of tragedy, including his friend and Slum Village member Baatin’s passing in 2009, and adjusting to indie stardom … Continue reading
Review: Slum Village, “Villa Manifesto”
Slum Village, Villa Manifesto E1 Music “I had a vision to put us all back together,†raps T-3 on “The Reunion Pt. 2†from Slum Village’s Villa Manifesto. But much has changed since the group’s 2005 self-titled album: J Dilla … Continue reading
Review: Big Boi, “Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty”
Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty Def Jam It’s a wonder Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Leftfoot made it to stores. Four years of untangling industry red tape has taken its toll, and its missing several early … Continue reading
Review: Drake, “Thank Me Later”
Drake, Thank Me Later Universal Motown “How I did end up here with you?†asks Drake on “Show Me a Good Time.†Thank Me Later answers the question, weaving between a melodic croon delivered over muted balladry and lyrical allusions … Continue reading
Review: Rhymefest, “El Che”
Rhymefest, El Che dN|Be Entertainment Now back in the underground, Rhymefest no longer dreams of Kanye-assisted stardom. That’s a good thing, because El Che sounds less compromised than his 2006 debut, Blue Collar. It has all of the lyrical flights … Continue reading
Review: The Infesticons, “Bedford Park”
The Infesticons, Bedford Park Big Dada Bedford Park is a long overdue coda to a project poet, rapper, and musician Mike Ladd began way back in 2001. Back then, he posited Infesticons as a revolutionary force battling corporate interests and … Continue reading