If you don't know, D.M.C lost his voice in the '90s due to spasmodic dysphonia, and if you didn't know once you hit play on this, you'd be asking when is D.M.C actually going to start rapping because all of the power from his voice that he had with RUN-DMC is gone. The way he spits on the opener is quite an underwhelming way to commence the album. And his vocals on 'Just Like Me' just sound amateurish backed by Harry Chapin's 'Cat's in the Cradle' sample/lyrics. There are lots of average rap-rock songs. The highlight is 'What's Wrong' with an enjoyable sung hook, production, and feature from Outlawz member, Napoleon. The album improves towards the end where it has more of a standard hip hop sound and doesn't use so many corny samples. Beats: ★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Cold, What's Wrong, Goodbye

Not bad. The rapping is catchy and there are some different types of flows. The production is standard late '80s with some disco in the mix. One of the flaws here is that for only 30 minutes it does sound too similar from song-song which isn't uncommon for '80s electro/hip hop. The hook of 'Way Out' is a highlight. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Way Out, Blame It on the Muzick

I’ve played this multiple times, and it sets a chill atmosphere with its laidback vibe. The album flows fairly smoothly from start to finish (although the first third is the strongest), though a few of the skits linger a bit too long and songs such as 'Please Don't Smoke Cheese' don't do enough. Devin comes with his usual melodic style that adds to the creation of some enjoyable hooks. However, there isn’t anything that truly stands out or takes your breath away. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: I'm Just Gettin' Blowed, Fresh Air, Livin' This Life, Reach for It, One for the Road

"I'm not even gonna bother listening and go straight to hating it. Dude is so over" - This comment I saw on last.fm sums it up. The SJW haters said what they said about 'Vultures' due to his controversial comments so they've had to continue to stick to their narrative. I think this is a small step down from 'Vultures' but there is enough good content with the sound feeling kind of like 'Donda' mixed with 'Vultures'. I think Ty does more of his share of the lifting here than he did on 'Part 1' but Kanye is still the star. The autotune wack features don't bother me as much as they did on 'Vultures'. In an age where so many rappers just spit 16 over looped instrumentation that barely changes for four minutes, as with 'Vultures' there is enough variety, not only song to song, but also within songs. Again, like 'Vultures', it begins well with the first four songs all being banging. 'Husband' won't be for everyone, but the way it blends into 'Lifestyle' making it feel like one song that has been split into two adds to the feeling of wanting to listen to both. 'Bomb' is a straight skip and 'Sky City' is weak, but there is something to like in almost everything here. The production is stronger than people are giving this credit for and Kanye is still an engaging rapper. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Slide, Fried, Time Moving Slow, River, Dead, My Soul 1 Slide "Them SJW reviewers don't like me, tell them niggas like wise." Quotables, engaging, humorous lyrics. Dope beat and build up. A good way to start the album. 2 Time Moving Slow Catchy keys with tribal drums. 3 Field Trip Memorable hook and enjoyable final Kanye verse. 4 Fried Hard as nails. If this was on Yeezus fans would've ate it up. 5 Isabella An eight second interlude that I don't see the point of. 6 Promotion Like we always do with this time! I hate the autotune shit but it doesn't ruin the song. 7 Husband Kanye "singing" almost acapella that blends into the next song nicely. One of the least engaging moments. 8 Lifestyle Lil Wayne is actually still spitting "life's a bitch" bars in 2024? This overstays its welcome with Kanye crooning for a tad too long but the production is strong beforehand. 9 Forever This is the least interesting song that doesn't feature Kanye's kid. 90 seconds of nothing much. 10 Bomb Terrible. Stop putting your kids on songs, Kanye. 11 River One of the strongest songs. The instrumentation is dope. Does anyone find it odd that we go from Kanye's children to the opening bars of this which is "Sex. Big booty bitch I know who paid for it." This is worth getting through the first average minute with Lil Baby for what comes after it. Another contagious hook, progression and great production. 12 530 You're welcome - https://genius.com/Kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-530-lyrics. I get the point of what Kanye's mumbling ending is trying to do, but it doesn't make for great listening. 13 Dead "Fuckin' on a IG model, when I get through, I'm kickin' her out, she dead" Dark trap beat with a catchy hook but more is needed in the verses to elevate it. 14 Forever Rolling Good, and there's nothing wrong with this, but it's one of the more uninteresting songs. 15 Sky City The start of this sounds like a bad pop-punk song but it improves. The way Kanye raps on V1 reminds me of Eminem's 'Stan'. This is an uplifting track but it's very generic until the final third. 16 My Soul Blends nicely from 'Sky City' and then the end of this blends back into 'Slide' making the album loop well.

Lolita is Z-Ro's protege but he seems to have given her more freedom here as he is nowhere to be heard from. She borrows his hook for 'Out They Mind' from 'Out His Mind' but that's as close as it gets. At only 28 minutes, this is easy to listen to, (apart from some of Lolita's yelling delivery), but everything, from the high moments, features, production, and rapping, is a level below her debut. Beats: ★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★☆ Best Tracks: Out They Mind, Blu Bottoms, Personal Remix