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.

An improvement on 'Ego Trippin’' largely because Snoop doesn't try to experiment too much and actually creates a listenable hip hop album. Track for track I'd say it's pretty much half hip hop, half pop-rap, and you can tell which are which by looking at the featuring artists on the tracklist. While they aren't brilliant, I enjoy most of the harder hip hop tracks and it would be nice for Snoop to do a whole album without resorting to soft tracks. I'm not a hater of pop rap myself, but I just think Snoop sounds better on harder tracks like 'I Wanna Rock' as opposed to 'Gangsta Luv'. On most past albums from Snoop he has filled the CD to its maximum duration which has been an issue creating some filler. However, this album is only 53 minutes and I think his shortest to date. Overall I'm giving it a pass but unfortunately, while I enjoy some tracks, there is nothing too memorable or original throughout. Best Tracks: I Wanna Rock, Pronto, That’s tha Homie, Secrets.

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

If this was just Kanye vocally, or even maybe Cudi just on a hook or two it would be a lot better and I may be saying that it's a return to form for Kanye. On songs like '4th Dimension', where he is basically just rapping, he is palatable, but when he is trying to sing, he is nowhere near the mark. I mean, he ruins the beginning of 'Kids See Ghost' with his vapid, depressing, moaning voice. It's a shame because the beat is great and Kanye raps well when he gets his chance, as he does with great energy on most of this. It's a similar case with the earlier mentioned '4th Dimension'. It begins with fire and then Cudi hits... This EP is better than 'ye' as it sounds fresher in the production department and more tracks bump but I waited so long to listen to this because Cudi was attached to it and he hasn't proved me wrong. Beats: ★★★☆ Vocals/Bars (Kanye): ★★★★ Vocals/Bars (Cudi): ☆ Best Tracks: Feel the Love, 4th Dimension.