As I started listening to this, I read, "Putting aside the glossy R&B of his earlier releases in favor of a more rustic and soulful sound inspired by the likes of Stapleton and Nelson," which, as a fan of Zayn's discography so far, in particularly his first two albums, made me sigh. I just don't like the sound/genre enough to love enough of this. At times the vocals sound choppy-See 'The Time'. 'Stardust' is the best thing here. Best Tracks: Star Dust, False Starts

According to the info on the Bandcamp page, this was a 'lost' EP. It's interesting because in the same year, Ben Cenac, aka Dream 2 Science, aka Push/Pull, also released the better 'Bang the Drums' album that seems to have many similar components of songs to this that will be easily recognisable to anyone who has heard both albums. Best Tracks: My Love Turns To Liquid, Breathe Deep, Liquid, Dream 2 Science

I just finished revisiting Scarface's previous solo album, 'The Untouchable', before this, and this one feels like it has a similar sound in lots of ways that is surprising as they were released three years apart. This doesn't have the high points though. About halfway through 'O.G. to Me', it seems to be building to some kind of amazing beat switch, but it doesn't eventuate and feels underwhelming. 'Watch Ya Step' interestingly has a hook that Face would reuse the rhythm for on 'Yes, Yes, Y’all' from the Geto Boys' 'The Foundation' album. The best song to me has always been the Erick Sermon produced 'It Ain't Part II'. It falls away in the middle with songs like 'The Gangsta Shit' and the aforementioned 'O.G. to Me' overstaying their welcome to some extent. One of Face's weaker albums is still a solid 3 out of 5 though. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: It Ain't Part II, They Down with Us, Conspiracy Theory, In My Time

Face's album before this was 'The Diary' which is one of the best rap albums of all time, so this was always going to be compared unfairly. All of the production is hard, enjoyable and often with some g-funk. The highs are great and offer variety. The funkily menacing, 'Untouchable', the chill and vibey, 'Mary Jane', and the calming Pac assisted 'Smile' are all great songs in their own way. Elsewhere, the quality never drops too much, but I think there is too much of the same sound and lyrically this isn't as interesting as Scarface's best from front to back. The closing song, 'Game Over', while still good, doesn't quite live up to the names, sounding like a poor man's 'Natural Born Killaz'. I think this would be thought of more highly if 'The Diary' didn't exist. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Untouchable, Sunshine, Mary Jane, Smile

I'd first heard of K-Hill ages ago as I was getting into hip hop with his great high-energy track, 'Da Instigator'. Nothing on this matches that, but it's a consistent collection of conscious boom bap. Beats: ★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Stamps of Approval Intro, Legends, Walk in My Shoes (Remix), Lucifer (Freestyle)