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.

Like most of Snoop Dogg's albums this is a mixed bag, not only regarding the song quality but also the types of songs he has created. There are your standard hip hop tracks, trap, new jack swing, hyphy, latin influenced songs, pop-rap, doo-wop. It makes it a lot to digest over the first couple of listens. I think all of the spoken intros to a number of songs, particularly at the beginning of the album, slow it down. Who wants to listen to them as they replay the tracks? Put them as separate interludes, Snoop. My picks are the Slick Rick collaboration, 'So Misinformed', sampling the lyrics of 'Get Up, Stand Up'. It's been good to see Slick Rick have a bit of a comeback of late. 'One Blood, One Cuzz' continues the conscious trend of the opening songs and features likeable production, rapping and a catchy hook. As I earlier alluded to though, it has one minute of talking before the song kicks off... 'New Booty' is funky and changes up throughout the song never allowing itself to get uninteresting. 'First Place' is brag rap over a relaxing soulful beat and hook. 'Wintertime in June' is hard not to enjoy due to it featuring some fresh Nate Dogg vocals. Finally, 'I've Been Looking for You' samples Roy Ayers Ubiquity's 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' and features a lot of similar features to 'First Place'. Just a nice smooth track. The low points largely begin from 'Turn Me On'. It's an upbeat pop-rap track that sounds a lot like so much of what we've heard before. 'Blue Face Hunnids' is a lot less poppy but is a bore. One look at Wiz on the tracklist tells you there will be a weed song and 'Take Me Away' is it. The production tries to give it this dreamy vibe but it just bores me. I don't like Russ on the hook either. 'Rise to the Top' features Swizz on the hook that is usually a recipe for disaster. It's another lacklustre moment. I like new jack swing but 'Do You Like I Do' doesn't quite work. The lyrics that Snoop has been running with since his come up of bitches not being shit but hoes and tricks has run its course. 'Little Square UBitchU' features some Latin flavour and doesn't work. 'Ventalation' features some younger rappers. The hook is annoying and the beat average. Snoop deserves to big himself up after everything he has done since the early '90s. Few have had his longevity. The album has grown on me since my early listens and I've found a few favourites but there's nothing brilliant and there are too many unlikeable moments. 2.5-3 / 5 Best Tracks: So Misinformed, One Blood, One Cuzz, New Booty, First Place, Wintertime in June, I've Been Looking for You

While listening to this, like many others who have reviewed the album, aspects of it definitely feel like an imitation of Kanye's 808s. So given I didn't even enjoy that much, and this is a step down from that, it is no surprise that I don't like this album. The largest flaw with this is Cudi's voice. Vocally I don't find him interesting to listen to at all, he is just pretty damn boring to be honest and comes off as quite whiny. Some of the beats are likewise, uninteresting. However, some of the production leaves me thinking that I would rather this as an instrumental album, as it has some interesting themes and samples amongst it, and it wouldn't make bad background music. Even the best tracks below are nowhere near great and after a few listens I can't find one song that I think I would search for to play again. If you really enjoyed '808's and Heartbreaks' give this a try, but otherwise it's definitely not an essential hip hop release. Cool album art though. Best Tracks: Soundtrack 2 My Life, Heart of a Lion, Day 'n' Nite, Sky Might Fall, Cudi Zone, Hyyerr