I'm a big fan of R. Kelly. His ability to stay relevant and be a prominent artist for over 20 years is something to behold. He has switched it up a number of times, from his new jack swing influenced debut, his soul ballads, his feel-good music, gospel, pop rap, slow jams, throwback albums, to his hip hopera Trapped in the Closet series, the man has changed it up a lot. As he passes 45 years of age, what hasn't changed though is his voice. Check out any live performance he has done throughout the promotional lead up to this album and he is still one of the true vocal talents in R&B. He doesn't get enough credit for his vocals if you ask me. With his latest effort, Kelly is back doing what he is probably most well known for to many - writing sexually explicit R&B. In promoting this album he has often said that this is the new 12 Play, an album that I am very fond of. However, he has a habit of comparing his upcoming albums with his past projects, when in reality they aren't that much alike. There may be some similarities with the sexually explicit lyrics, but Kells was a lot more subtle in '93 than he is here. 'I Like the Crotch on You' to 'Marry the Pussy' is the progression we have seen. The beats are the main difference though. There are a couple of relatively normal R. Kelly slow jams like Genius, but there are a number of songs with trap rap influenced production as well. Due to that, it doesn't feel like his earlier music. While Kells compared it to 12 Play, in that sense it is probably more similar to Double Up, which includes a number of hip hop influenced songs and also some tongue in cheek metaphorically sexually songs as well like 'Sex Planet'. With the hip hop influence we also get some average features. 2 Chainz adds nothing to 'My Story', Future is unnecessary, and 'Show Ya Pussy' is one of the worst songs here with some trap rappers. There are some good songs present here, some of which have had to grow on me though. I wasn't feeling any of the singles much at all when I first heard them and they still aren't favourites, but I like 'My Story' and 'Cookie' more now than I did at first. One of my favourite joints here, 'Right Back', is one that is the lyrical opposite to most of the album being about his struggle, hardship and friendships coming up. 'Throw This Money on You' is also a favourite with Kelly singing extremely passionately, albeit about being at a strip club. While I like it, oddly 'Shut Up' is on the album as it leaked in 2011, being the first song he recorded after throat surgery. I don't blame the man for wanting to mix it up again, especially after stepping back in time with his last two albums, but the critical consensus is about right with this. It's a so-so album and Robert's weakest solo effort. For me it has nothing to do with his age like some have been saying. Men a lot older than Kells love gettin' some. The song quality just isn't very consistent. Here he returns to the present, but as I have said in other reviews, the man does the straight up R&B better than anyone, and when he plays around with hip hop the results aren't as noteworthy. Best Tracks: Throw This Money on You, You Deserve Better, Genius, Right Back, Best At It (Japan Bonus Track)

Once again, overall, I'm not feeling the production over a whole Kendrick album, and here it's even less so than Butterfly and Good Kid. I like the beat on DNA until the change up which is worse by far. A lot of this sounds like some heavily OutKast influenced themes but it lacks the bite of Outkast's best. The aforementioned albums had a handful of songs I could replay but this doesn't even have that. I'm not feeling it and I don't hear what people are hearing. It's his most boring album. He is a talented rapper but I wish he had a better ear for beats. Best Tracks: DNA., HUMBLE., LOVE.

Shyne may have been harsh with the, "his album is traaaaash!" comments, but I do think he had a point. The production on enough of this doesn't warrant the praise it has received which was Shyne's argument. Since I heard 'Section.80', K Dot's style hasn't grabbed me. The kid can rap, but his 'alien' style at times doesn't leave me thrilled. Furthermore, I've said it before but I'll say it again, skits slow albums down, particularly if they are attached to the start or the end of songs like they are during this album. The first two songs are okay without blowing me away, the beat of 'Backseat Freestyle' ain't my thing, and Kendrick gets annoying toward the end vocally. 'The Art of Peer Pressure' features some good storytelling, but the beat isn't great. 'Money Trees' is another improvement, but I'm over it by the six-minute mark and why oh why does Drake have to be on everything? I finally start to get into this album though from there. 'good kid' to 'Sing About Me. I'm Dying of Thirst' is easily the best portion of the album. The content of 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' is also something rarely heard in hip hop with most rappers promoting the drinking culture. The album then finishes with two songs that I haven't felt the need to listen to again. Overall, Kendrick is a great rapper, but his style doesn't always grab me, and the production on a good half of this album could be A LOT better. 3-3.5 / 5 Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ [b]Best Tracks:[/b] good kid, m.A.A.d city, Swimming Pools (Drank), Sing About Me. I'm Dying of Thirst

I listened to this after seeing Nivea on BET's Finding series that largely takes a look at some artists who were in the limelight for a short period in the mid-'00s. I remember some of these songs from back in the day when I started looking for music on the internet. Nivea said on the aforementioned show that she wasn't played on urban radio as she was considered 'too pop', like a black Britney Spears... If you listen to this you'll hear that that's all bullshit and a sad representation of the music business. This is a consistent album. Overall it's quite upbeat and hip hop influenced. Her ex-husband, The-Dream, handles much of the production in the infancy of his career and does a good job. As was common for this time period, Lil Jon provides a beat and verse for the single 'Okay'. He rarely swung and missed and didn't here either. Apparently it was made a while before the album's release and it's one of the strongest cuts. 'Quickie' is another track with a lot of influence from hip hop and the following 'Indian Dance' which perhaps in this sensitive age wouldn't be made, provides some bounce. As Lil Jon was, R. Kelly was ubiquitous during this era and provides 'Gangsta Girl' which sounds a lot like some of the stuff he was making for the 'Chocolate Factory' album. As far as the softer moments go, the title track is my least favourite here. 'I Can't Mess With You' is a winner thanks to the 'You Are Everything' sample. The chorus and some of the vocals/adlibs of 'No More', 'So Far' and 'Breathe (Let It Go)' make them other standouts. I swear the Red-Cup Version of 'Okay' sounds like something else. It provides an R&B slant on the crunk influenced single. Nivea's voice isn't powerful but sweet. She is a better vocalist than Ciara, but that's the type of singer I feel she can be compared to. Lyrically, it's quite sexual with a tonne of innuendo on a number of songs. I've enjoyed giving this a few spins. No song sounds the same and while there are some average lyrics, there are a number of catchy moments as well. 3.5-3 / 5 "No other single was released from Complicated due to a recall on the album for having a content-protector and some discs would not play, so Nivea decided to leave Jive Records not long after the album's release." - Ouch! Best Tracks: Okay, Breathe (Let It Go), I Can't Mess With You, No More, Quickie, So Far

If you have enjoyed J. Cole on the mixtapes you shouldn't be disappointed with this debut album, as he hasn't released a pop rap filled LP like other mixtape artists sometimes do with their debuts, and it's pretty much the J. Cole we know. Some tracks of note; 'Lost Ones' really gives off a 'Stan' feel, with Cole rapping from different perspectives. 'God's Gift' is my pick from the disc - Whilst lyrically it is a bit unstructured, I love the bangin' beat. The songs that surround 'God's Gift' are also among the best - 'Breakdown' and 'Rise and Shine'. The production handled predominantly by J. Cole himself is quite good. To me it feels like a mixture of a '90s soulful/chillness, with a touch of Kanye influence. Negatives are that he can become repetitive, particularly if you've heard his mixtapes, however, he gets an A for rapping which separates him from a lot of other new artists. Not a lot here will exceed expectations, and it is blotchy at times, with most of the songs with featuring artists being the main offenders (see below), but after getting into it I've found it to be a pretty consistent album, with only a few disposable tracks in the middle, and one that finishes really well. Great: Dollar and a Dream III, Sideline Story, Cole World, Rise and Shine, God's Gift, Breakdown, Cheer Up Good: Can't Get Enough (feat. Trey Songz), Lights Please, Lost Ones, Never Told, Nothing Lasts Forever, Work Out, Daddy's Little Girl Meh: In the Morning (feat. Drake), Mr. Nice Watch (feat. Jay-Z), Nobody's Perfect (feat. Missy Elliott)