Not long ago the most streamed artist in the world, it seems that Khalid’s fall from pop dominance has been incredibly sudden. Criticisms of his work being too stagnant and derivative had followed him for his whole career, but a couple tracks on his last project Free Spirit seemed to finally start breaking out of … Continue reading Khalid – Scenic Drive
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Isaiah Rashad – The House Is Burning
Regardless of the mountain of complaints seemingly levied against the label every day for taking their sweet time to get releases out to the world, the artists of Top Dawg Entertainment almost always seem to go above and beyond expectations when it comes to the public’s interest – one of the lesser-known names in Isaiah … Continue reading Isaiah Rashad – The House Is Burning
J. Cole – The Off-Season
After teasing a (potentially final?) album entitled The Fall-Off since the day his last project dropped back in 2018, global superstar J. Cole has elected to drop something entirely different in his triumphant return to racking up gargantuan stream counts. Dropping a couple teasers last year and getting himself into hot water with Noname over … Continue reading J. Cole – The Off-Season
Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win
A massive benefactor of one of the biggest movements in hip-hop right now, 19-year-old Lil Tjay is just one of the many fresh young artists coming out of the burgeoning New York scene. While many of his contemporaries are well-versed in the dark and grimy drill sound unique to the city, Tjay’s more nasal tone … Continue reading Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win
Lil Durk – The Voice
For all the very young rappers we’re currently seeing achieving widespread levels of success riding this melodic, somber new wave of hip-hop music, it’s always surprising when you remember that Lil Durk is essentially a seasoned veteran compared to most of them. 28 years old and steadily growing his audience for years, The Voice is … Continue reading Lil Durk – The Voice
Gorillaz – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
If there’s one single benefit to the world that the Trump presidency has provided, it’s the fact that it has seemingly reignited Damon Albarn’s creative muscles in a major way. On virtual band Gorillaz’ third album in four years since taking an extended break for the better part of the decade, they once again take … Continue reading Gorillaz – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
Ty Dolla $ign – Featuring Ty Dolla $ign
One of the music industry’s most consistently versatile figures returns, and this time it’s with a self-aware and feature-heavy odyssey of an album. Two years after linking up with Jeremih for a great project full of confident R&B come-ons and continuing to contribute his vocals to numerous albums by diverse musical superstars, Ty Dolla $ign … Continue reading Ty Dolla $ign – Featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Selena Gomez – Rare
Selena Gomez has described her first album since 2015 as a “diary,” and if you wanted to know exactly what’s been going through her mind during the many struggles she’s had since then, it’s essentially all here in crystal-clear detail. After some highly-publicized health struggles – both physical and mental – and a lengthy breakup … Continue reading Selena Gomez – Rare
6lack – East Atlanta Love Letter
Lowkey alt-R&B crooner 6lack (yes, pronounced “black”) unleashes his sophomore project East Atlanta Love Letter after the success of his Grammy-nominated debut Free 6lack. Not changing up the formula that worked out for him in the past, 6lack still represents yet another of the scores of alt-R&B artists that rose to popularity in the wake … Continue reading 6lack – East Atlanta Love Letter
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 