FredRico's TOP ALBUMS

“... ?!? Didn't see this coming, definitely, even after he started singing (there I go, talking as if I knew of him when he rapped! :p). But Nathan, how can you rate this short of classic? I mean, according to your rules, you believe the man could do a better record than this... that's just not possible! I'm with Mr. Phantastic.”

“There's not one single bad song on the album. How's this not solid, Nate?! Fat Joe surprised the hell out of me!!! Album really sounded like crafted as a whole, the production was fire (almost every song is worth listening for the beat alone) and Crack brought a raw flow and hungry lyrics!”

“... (if I start, I won't end... like I didn't want this album to.)”

“I'm givin this a 4* rating by the song Starlight listening session... 0_o what the...?!? I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW BADLY PICKED SINGLES ARE!”

“How did I miss this?!? Anyway, Statik Selektah brings great production to the table but I don't think all beats were done justice... still a very good listen!”

“You're crazy for not giving this a solid rating Nathan!!! you need vacations ;) jk man, good work! As always, nice intro, they are always dope!!! Really, the whole review structure was dope, the way you write it around the idea "Because making music is about so much more than just making music.". I loved this! Not a single bad song! My favs: 12- Life Vs. Livin' ft. Big Sean (produced by Omen), 14- Fall Out The Sky (produced by Seven, SICK piano and a hard tempo to manage), 16- The Rabbit Hole (produced by Omen, this is an amazing musical trip down the rabbit hole indeed!) I supported XV from the beginning, and he never disappoints me. The delivery, the lyrics, the subjects... favorite rapper material! This is mos def an ALBUM!”

“Cosign JORDAN HUNG! I LOVE Chrisette Michele!!! Her vocals are perfect and very expressive, I feel all songs as portrayed emotion. Very unique tunes overall, this is a breath of fresh air.”

“Now I know what you guys were talkin about... ;) Thanks to all the enthusiastic people I became a fan! :p”

“I really enjoyed the album! There are some surprisingly dope beats and Willy has a fresh delivery that makes you forget when his potential lyricism slacks. It's remarkable that there are no garbage songs in the whole album! Some could be better, but Willy's as talented as blessed with anonymous hot productions. Maybe he was too serious, I'd like to hear a more relaxed delivery from him, cuz when you go serious I expect flawless lyricism. I was impressed how strong the album started...”

“This album has a touch of magic behind it... from the singles, it seemed like it was gonna be a classic, because of all those "Inkredibles à la J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League" beats. It's not without merit that Rick Ross does the beats justice (pun intended) and we can even say that there's where he sounds best, like Juanito said. It's a shame tracks like "Face" and "Murda Miami" are there to lower the level of the album. I'm stil wondering what people found unpleasant about "Lay Back", I actually enjoyed Thicke's chorus/vocals and the overall song. The album has some classic material (Maybach Music 2, Usual Suspects, Cigar Music, Mafia Music) and it's only a matter of time until Rick Ross drops complete work of it.”

“It's a shame how everybody is gonna sleep on this album, ignorin the fact that it's a lot better than his first. Mims might not be the best out there, but he's definitely a rapper, something I couldn't tell before I heard him actually flowing on beats that sound like "real music" (Chasing Sunshine, One Last Kiss, Heal Me) with proper deliveries (On & On) and some dope lyrics (Move (If You Wanna), Rock'n Rollin). If there was no Kanye, I'd say On & On was the perfect song to present Mims as a rapper, but that has Kanye's style all over it. Mims does a nice job going rap-rock, but that's also a style that's not gonna get him recognition since it's been done already, so... If only people could take this for what it is: a complete and very enjoyable album, like Mr. Top Hat put it!”

“... 0_o I really dont get the rating Nathan, after reading the review. I was expecting above average at best! :p Still, it's ok cuz that's what I think the album is: solid! I was surprised you didn't like the R&B field of the album... I only review music, not the "realness" behind lines like “kissin and huggin, I need your lovin”, so for me it was all good! There were a lot more radio ready joints than I'd expect. And this brings to mind: why was "Cant stop me" ever chosen as a single when you have "Grind hard", "By my side", "Grind Hard", "What if", "GRIND HARD"... -.-' The Inkredibles offer probably the best production on the album (it's like Cool&Dre;+The Runners+J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League), plus great feature by Mary J., and a "Hustler's anthem" type lyrics by Jada and it's just an album track?! What's wrong with the singles choice? I hope this gets Jada the success he deserves, he's "somethin else"! Very enjoyable/recommendable album!”

“The stretched songs amazed me last album, the same with this! Only this time it was better! It's art!!! And yes, people slept on Nikki (and Fast Car)! The-Dream has some weak vocals but he makes up for it perfectly with great song creations as a whole! One of the few R&B albums where I don't find corny lyrics but rather lines that I'd think, if I had not the courage to say! ;)”

“@ missnina, plus she writes lots of her own stuff! Keri deserves all the support she's getting from producers and features cuz she's talented as a songwriter and a decent singer! The album is very enjoyable, some tracks could be better, but it's a nice start. Knock you out, Intuition and How does it feel are the best I can get from the album and the last impression I get!”

“Touching, beautiful music! Please, please people, support good music! K'naan is so talented it seems like Wyclef, Eminem, Lupe and Kanye joined forces to create an amazing musician! Production is outstanding! The result is feeling the music in your heart, way beyond your ears! Thanks for the great review Nathan, I almost slept on this! ;)”