The only two songs with much replay value are 'Pt. 2' and 'Famous' and even then they are not touching Kanye's best work. I don't get the fuss with 'Ultralight Beam'. I don't hear what people are hearing for the rep that song has. As a whole, the album just sounds rushed and scattered. Overrated because it has Kanye's name on the sleeve.
Best Tracks: Pt. 2, Famous
The beats really aren't as bad or poppy as some other reviewers say. A number are more jazzy than poppy, and a number of others are standard boom-bap beats. The kid is an amazingly enjoyable rapper for a 13-year-old to go with it, and it's a shame, like many children in the entertainment business, that he didn't go much further with his career. There aren't any classic songs here, but it's a good cohesive album.
Best Tracks: Intro, Move On, Me & My Microphone, Gusto, Hard Times, Parkside Coalition
I don't love Jay-Z as a whole or the 'American Gangster' album, I have it at 3/5, so it wasn't surprising that I have found some improvements here from the original album. 'Sweet' and 'Success' are such tracks that I like more than the originals. Others offer a good alternative. All in all, if you liked American Gangster you should find something here that you enjoy, but recently 9th Wonder hasn't been someone you'd hold your breath for waiting for him to produce a brilliant beat.
Best Tracks: Pray (for Me), Success, No Hook, Sweet, Fallin', Black American Gangster
The first half or so is alright.. But then everything completely falls away. It becomes more poppy, the beats gets worse and it gets tedious. You basically might as well stop listening to this at 'Straight to the Bank'. After two albums and a few mixtapes, 50 sounds like he has writer's block, again mentioning Nas and Kelis' relationship as he did on Piggy Pank among other repetitious lyrics. Another sign is 'Amusement Park', which sounds like 50 was flat out trying to copy 'Candy Sho'p for another hit. Without the good beats of his first two albums, 50 can't make this a passable album.
Best Tracks: My Gun, Straight to the Bank
