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)

Villuminati - A great opener, which could perhaps even be better with a touch more structure in the lyrics, which can be said for Cole at times. Some good rapping/rhyming though and dark production. The subject matter is fairly random with some brag rap, some homage being paid to rap legends, a "joke to show how homophobic you are", and addressing "retards" who ask him about the Illuminati. "Sometimes I brag like Hov Sometimes I'm real like Pac Sometimes I focus on the flow to show the skills I got Sometimes I focus on the dough" LAnd of the Snakes - Uses OutKast's Da Art of Storytellin Part 1' sample well. This is one of those songs that could use more structure. From saying "I came out the womb with my dick hard" to rapping about "Avoiding the snakes, AK's, and coke" in LA, back to boning chicks, it does feel a touch all over the place. Another likeable song though to begin the album. Power Trip - Although not so poppy, it feels like Cole was kind of going for a 'Work Out' V2 type of song of sorts to appeal to the radio for his first single. It's grown on me since the first listen with its double entendre about love and hip hop according to Cole. Mo Money (Interlude) - Nice beat. Reminds me of 'The Good, The Bad, The Ugly' from The Game's 'RED Album'. Partly brag rap how he has money, and partly conscious with Cole rapping "Blacks always broke cause we don't know money/Spend it before we get it and could never hold money." A very strong short song. Trouble - This is basically Cole rapping about some experiences with women, and explaining why he went back to school. "Yeah, but I got dumb as shit/Hanging 'round these rappers cause they dumb as shit." Again the lyrics aren't extremely engaging, but the chants, chorus and production are top. Runaway - One of the songs that fit the album title most accurately. An introspective song. "Could I run away from 50 mill like Save Chappelle". Once again the production is solid. She Knows - The first average song here. More poppy and the beat isn't as likeable. Cole raps about a partner knowing he is cheating. Then he says "Rest in peace to Aaliyah/Rest in peace to Left Eye/Michael Jackson I'll see ya/Just as soon as I die" toward the end of the song. I don't see the connection here. Rich Niggaz - Moves on from 'Mo Money (Interlude)' where Cole talks about cash going to people's head and changing them, along with taking shots at rappers. "But every fucking verse how much dough you got." Forbidden Fruit - Another song using a very recognisable sample from Ronnie Foster's 'Mystic Brew' that 'Electric Relaxation' made famous. "I'mma drop the album the same day as Kanye/Just to show the boys the man now like Wanyá" Chaining Day - "But hey, you know the sayin', 'Fake it 'til you make it'/Me, I did the opposite, made it then I faked it." Basically this is about money once again and materialism. The beat could do more here and Cole, while spitting some clever lyrics, touches on the same things he has already. Ain't That Some Shit (Interlude) - A few of the lyrics here remind me of Iggy Azalea which isn't a good thing. Not a bad beat. Crooked Smile - Cole shows he has a sense of humour, poking fun at his thick eyebrows and his own crooked smile which is where this song begins. It's the poppiest song here and goes well enough with Cole touching on our societies concern with looks and the self-esteem issues we face. Preach! Let Nas Down - "I used to print out Nas raps and tape 'em up on my wall/My niggas thought they was words, but it was pictures I saw." This title and song stems from Cole being told of Nas not liking 'Who Dat'. The horns make it feel like Nas' 'Stay' from last year's 'Life Is Good'. Born Sinner - Sums up the album's content with Cole again speaking of the compromises of fame. Good chorus as well. As a new school rapper Cole is one of my favourites, although the list of mainstream artists I like compared to artists I don't is quite small. He is a good technical rapper, writes some intelligent lyrics and I like most of his production as well. To compare this to Cole's debut, there are fewer average songs, however, there also aren't as many 4.5-5/5 songs that his debut has, so it's more consistent but perhaps has less brilliance. Lyrically the songs are probably more structured, with Cole staying on topic more for the one song than he did before, again though, they aren't extremely interesting with some subject matter being repeated. As expected, unlike his debut, all of this is new content, with nothing being rehashed from his mixtapes, however, with the three extremely recognisable and well-known samples, it does lose some of its originality. Otherwise, the production is fairly different, proving that Cole can have a long career as a producer. The Future? Cole can't turn himself into someone like a Ludacris and give himself a heap of charisma, which is a frequent complaint about him. He just needs to keep progressing as a producer, along with making sure he continues to write original lyrics. In saying that, with very few features for a rap album, he does a good job to keep it interesting. The third album has been a tricky one though. Nas, Jay, Kanye, Game, Lupe are a few rappers who would be seen to have a major drop in quality from their first two to their third album. The homage and references to Jay and others should also vastly reduce if not cease on a next album.

Many of these, if not all, may be better than a number of songs on his recent album. However, as with the aforementioned album, none of these wow me either. 'ROC' has a catchy chorus, but parts of the song are boring. As I mentioned on 'IV Play', The-Dream hasn't evolved a lot over of the years. Best Tracks: Dope Bitch, Thirsty Whore