'Hot in Herre' was one the early hip hop tracks I was obsessed with as I was really starting to get into the genre in a major way. I had it on a mixtape and used to listen to it on a walkman on repeat. At this time Nelly was everywhere. 'Dilemma' was massive and on the radio constantly. I never liked it the way I did 'Hot in Herre' though. The other singles '#1', 'Air Force Ones' and 'Pimp Juice' are some of the other stronger songs, with only 'Work It' not fitting into that category. Aside from that, a number get boring with 'CG 2' being one of the main offenders. Overall it's a decent pop rap album from one of guys who made rapping and singing popular. 2.5-3 /5 Best Tracks: Hot in Herre, Pimp Juice, Air Force Ones, Dilemma, The Gank, #1

I have given this a number of spins and tries but I come away from it with little. I had to look up what 'Bicken Back Being Bool' means but that makes for a catchy memorable hook. Apart from that.. ehhh. Nothing much.. I've seen this compared to GKMC, but YG doesn't make me pay much attention at all to what he is saying like Kendrick can. This trap shit is way passed its shelf life and YG isn't captivating, nor does he bring much new to this rap game.

I've been trying some highly-rated albums in genres I don't venture near too often and after checking out a few I'm on an upward trajectory here. This is toe-tapping/headbanging music. I've listened to and enjoyed the only other Metallica album I've rated, the self-titled release, so I kind of knew what I'd be getting. Good thrash. Early thoughts are that most of the songs sound very similar though. I'm not feeling the last song much.

Given the huge R. Kelly fan that I am, I wonder why it took me so long to check this out. It's bewildering. This was the planned album that ended up being 'Chocolate Factory' after bootlegging. Some of these songs survived on the aforementioned album, some made it on future albums like 'U Saved Me', others were given to Joe, my other favourite R&B singer and a label-mate of R. Kelly, and others remained as leaks. Overall, I think this is better than the well-received 'Chocolate Factory'. The two songs he gave Joe are great. I've heard them sung by joe lots of times so it's a little unfair to compare but 'Make You My Baby' is probably on par while I prefer Joe's 'More and More'. The operatic version of 'I Believe I Can Fly', here called 'Fly', is epic but probably too much. While listening to it I ask myself how seriously he is taking it, a little like 'Trapped in the Closet. I've never loved the original 'Step in the Name of Love'. I mention in my review of CF that the remix is so superior, just like the 'Ignition (Remix)' that it makes the 'originals' feel a little pointless. Best Tracks: Spirit, Worlds Greatest, Make You My Baby, Come to Daddy, Leap of Faith

This gets absolutely hated on in some circles, even by Jay-Z fans, but it isn't much worse than some of his other albums if you ask me. I have also read that the rapping is the issue. Maybe it's a small step down, but while lyrically he isn't as strong, Jay has often just talked over beats without sounding like he is putting that much effort into it. This isn't the first or the last album where he sounds like that. Anyway, this begins okay, both 'The Prelude' and 'Oh My God' aren't bad. Jay's lyrics aren't his strongest but 'Kingdom Come' then has a nice beat and is one of the best things featured on this album. 'Show Me What You Got' is okay, using the same sample as 'We Gon' Make It' from Diddy's "Press Play' released one month earlier, and the following 'Lost One' needed an extra something in the beat from Dre as it just feels monotonous before it's finished. Then again, is it Jay's or Dre's fault? Because while 'Do U Wanna Ride' steps it up a notch in the production, Jay struggles to hold my attention. Other songs like '30 Something' suffer from the same problem. Overall, this album feels like a missed opportunity. I feel like some of these beats have the potential to be part of better songs if a rapper I like more and who was in better form had the opportunity to spit over them. Instead there is some lush production with a rapper who for a lot of it who sounds uninspired. Best Tracks: Kingdom Come, Do U Wanna Ride, Trouble, Beach Chair