Everything considered, it’s quite incredible that Chris Brown is still able to muster the popularity to warrant a review on this website 17 years and 12 major projects into his career – despite the quizzical outbursts he’s posting to social media about it not doing as well as he hoped. Truthfully, he might be doing … Continue reading Chris Brown – Breezy
Fivio Foreign
Fivio Foreign – B.I.B.L.E.
As more and more big-name artists search out verses from people like Fivio Foreign to add a touch of the ascendant New York drill sound to their own projects, the genre’s new de facto leader in the wake of the tragic death of Pop Smoke sees fit to drop his debut studio album. After catapulting … Continue reading Fivio Foreign – B.I.B.L.E.
King Von – What It Means To Be King
Although the trend of endless posthumous hip-hop albums has been getting increasingly concerning as they become increasingly disjointed and disrespectful, the case of late Chicago rapper King Von feels a little bit different. While for the most part labels have been capitalizing on being able to release as much music as they please from beloved … Continue reading King Von – What It Means To Be King
Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous
Now firmly back in the public consciousness after a stellar Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, legendary R&B vocalist Mary J. Blige smartly saw fit to capitalize on her momentum and drop her 14th studio album just a couple days before she was set to take the stage. Partially written in response to a divorce, Blige … Continue reading Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous
BensBeat Top 50 Songs of 2021
A sentiment I've seen crop up a couple times as year-end lists are published is that the year 2021 had such a consistent stream of great music, it was difficult to really sit with and connect to the best material like in years past before the next great thing came along. It's a strangely agreeable … Continue reading BensBeat Top 50 Songs of 2021
Roddy Ricch – LIVE LIFE FAST
After exploding overnight to kick off 2020 with a bevy of big hits, Roddy Ricch is trying to do the same again with another late-year drop two years later. While his debut was so widely celebrated that it generated a meme about having “no skips,” Ricch’s status has seemingly dimmed a bit since then after … Continue reading Roddy Ricch – LIVE LIFE FAST
Kanye West – Donda
After over a year of delays, three stadium-sized listening parties, back-and-forth online arguments about which versions of the many songs were the best, and a reignition of a longstanding feud with Drake, Kanye West’s 10th studio album finally dropped unceremoniously – or perhaps, appropriately – last Sunday morning. Long regarded as one of the most … Continue reading Kanye West – Donda
Polo G – Hall of Fame
Chicago rapper Polo G’s latest project, Hall of Fame, seems aptly titled – after his single “RAPSTAR” scored a number one debut earlier in the year and stream counts continue to rise into the hundreds of millions, it feels like a project meant to fully establish himself as one of current hip-hop’s biggest stars. The album … Continue reading Polo G – Hall of Fame
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
Nas – King’s Disease
Legendary New York City rapper Nas has returned with his first full-length album since 2012’s Life Is Good, with a brief 7-track project produced by Kanye West in the middle that many argued was actually the weakest of West’s five projects of summer 2018. On King’s Disease, he trades in West’s production for the reliable … Continue reading Nas – King’s Disease
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 