1. Chance the Rapper – STAR LINE
I didn’t really like Acid Rap and so Chance has never really stuck to me. I just haven’t really tracked his rise and fall beyond giving his albums a few spins each. Despite that, I found STAR LINE to be surprisingly fun.
The atonal rapping that defines him works a lot better when it’s not the only sound in the album. “Ride”, for example, is much more likeable when it’s mixed with other music. He’s not breaking any new ground when he tries contemporary sounds like in “Drapetomania” or “Gun In Yo Purse” but the diversity is welcome and he gets a bit of fusion in fragments of the songs.
So, when he returns to his comfort zone in “Pretty”, it underscores the confessions of the track. It lets us both sit down so that he can talk to us and the maneuver is very effective.
Nevertheless, there’s not enough here for the album to stick but it’s still a pleasant surprise and I’m glad to get an album that makes it so easy to appreciate Chance.
2. Tyler, the Creator – DON’T TAP THE GLASS
I appreciate an album that does something interesting either with the form of music or with the content of the album. Tyler’s trilogy had both. DON’T TAP THE GLASS has neither. His strength used to be how strongly he felt things. Nothing of that comes through with this album
It’s certainly competent music though. There are no weak tracks and plenty of earworms like “Ring Ring Ring.” He has found a space in which he’s very comfortable and he able to mine good music out of it effortlessly. Some sweat would have been nice though.
3. Young Thug — UY SCUTI
What’s left when you take the joy out of Young Thug? More than I expected, given how defined Young Thug is by his joy and energy, but still not enough for an album. There are moments here where he gets a sincere pain in his voice such as the “Do you know how it feel to see your face on the news?” of “On The News.” More interestingly, his flow is good enough by itself to carry you along for much of the album. It’s not as compelling without his usual freedom but it still stands strong as a reason to listen to him. “Whoopty Do” reminds you how interesting he is when he feels like himself but even in his duller tracks, he’s just a very talented rapper.
However, without the fun, the album sinks a bit into the morass of similar rap. It’s padded, like so many contemporaneous albums, and so, for the first time in Young Thug’s career, easily fades into the background.
4. Kid Cudi – Free
Vetinari in The Truth by Terry Pratchett posits that people don’t want the news as much as they want the olds. They want to read “Dog Bites Man” not “Man Bites Dog.” No man bites a dog in Free. Cudi does what he has always done.
As always, sometimes it works. “Submarine” is quite a bit of fun. It’s upbeat and psychedelic and reminds me of The Beatles. “Opiate” and “Salt Water” have sticky sounds. However, “Neverland” is .exhausting, “Past Life” draws from too much rather boring rock.
Kid Cudi is the same loner stoner that he has always been, both in music and in personality. It’s a strong image and one that he always sells well but there’s nothing left to say about it.
5. Earl Sweatshirt – Live Laugh Love
Earl’s music is never far from a drone. It’s so deep underwater and so muted and so sunken that it very easily just becomes murk. Normally, there’s at least a single cut like “Chum” or “Grief” to extract it from the morass and just enough propulsion in the raps and beats to keep it moving. Live Laugh Love misses both those pieces and suffers greatly for it.
HM. SABA – C0FFEE
Saba gets some credit here for trying out a variety of sounds but none of them really work. He brings little care, personality or energy to any of the tracks and the result is entirely forgettable.
Top Five Records 