This sounds similar to some other Televangel/late Blue Sky Black Death stuff with similar VSTs being used, but that's not a bad thing. The let down here is the final song that has unlikeable vocals with poor lyrics. The other songs have more sporadic vocals that I don't love either but they don't ruin the instrumentation at all. Still, all of this would be better as an instrumental project. Best Tracks: I Don't Wanna Die 2 Young, Slow Motion, Ride

Did they create any bad hip hop in '94? Here we have Earthquake, from Washington, who seems to only have this album which is a shame. From what I've read that seems to be due to moving into other music business ventures and a stint in prison in '97. This is just hard boom bap from front to back (well, after a two-minute uninteresting skit to start the album) in the same vein as an artist like Onyx. And vocally, Earthquake sounds closest to Akinyele without so much inflection. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Unfadable, Go and Gettcha Gat, Watcha Step, Unfadable (Remix)

This isn't good. Claudette Ortiz isn't a good singer and there is nothing about Robby Pardlo or Ryan Toby that stands out either. The beats are very average east coast boom bap influenced. Lyrically it's not just generic love or sex tracks which is a positive, but too much of it is one paced. A fairly boring album. Best Tracks: Why, What Would You Do?, City High Anthem

I've liked some MGK in the past. I think he can flow well, and on very enjoyable songs like 'Hollywood Whore', he shows this. When he is rapping on songs like 'beauty' it's enjoyable, but that doesn't happen enough. There is too much poor emo-like singing and I have nothing positive to say about Trippie Redd. The chorus on the aforementioned song, 'beauty', is nice and it's easily the best moment. The chill whistling melody on 'struggles' works well. Aspects of other songs like 'who do I call' and 'hiding in the hills' are likeable, but most songs are a mixed bag. As an aside, can we stop this ridiculous trend of titles and tracklists being written in all uppercase or lowercase? Best Tracks: beauty, struggles

From the first listen, I thought at worst this was a decent project and seemed to be way too hated on. Maybe Kendrick stans have their knickers in a knot. Dakota West Foss from sputnikmusic, that is somehow allowed as a critic source, nitpicks and accuses Cole of ableism because he uses the word retarded and being something else that is said so much these days that it's meaningless for just stating facts. It's hilarious. I've checked out some profiles of recent ratings of this and some have just 0 bombed Cole's whole discography which explains what we're dealing with here. The production is all decent or better and while at times Cole isn't saying much, he still rides the beats well. I've never liked Cam'ron at all, so he ruins 'Ready ‘24' for me, and 'Fever', that sounds more like something Drake would make, is the worst song, but there are lots of likeable moments throughout this tape that has a number of different production styles. And say what you will about the now removed '7 Minute Drill', but the beats are exactly what I want from a diss track. Their aggressive and dark feel fit really well. If this is just some throwaways before the album, The Fall Off, it should be worth waiting for. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Crocodile Tearz, H.Y.B., Stickz N Stonez, 3001, 7 Minute Drill