Jan 8, 2020

Honestly don’t feel like T&Y has any business being mentioned in this thread. It’s better than Lasers and F&L2 obviously, but I’m not gonna give the guy who made The Cool props for doing the bare minimum. 5/10

 

Jan 6, 2020

9.5/10 - Some of the greatest songs of the decade are on here. So let's go over, track-by-track.

No Church in the Wild starts off this album. A wild journey into the psyche of two men who live so large, the Nephilim would be jealous. A perfectly simple yet grandiose beat laments one of Jay-Z's best verses since his original run. He evokes images of ancient rome, dabbles in philosophy, and compares Kanye to Jesus, a clever way to insinuate he himself is god. Meanwhile, Kanye's verse is one of his best here as well. This song would be the standout track had it been on MBDTF the year prior, that's how great it is. Throw in a classic Frank Ocean chorus, and my favorite part of the song - the beautiful bridge from The-Dream

Lift Off is perhaps my least played track on the album, but that doesn't make it a bad song. It's just underwhelming from Kanye and Jay-Z, and really feels out of place in the sequencing. Would probably be more enjoyable as a closing track or something.

N**** in Paris is the most hype track of the decade. If you're looking to rile people up, get them pumped and singing along, throw it on. Everyone knows nearly every word, down to the genius Blades of Glory sample.

Otis is the best collab Jay and Kanye have and will ever make. The clever writing, seemless flow, and beautiful production make this song unforgettable. "Uhgh, I invented swag" might be the greatest opening line of the century. Some standout lines to this day are "sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive", "photoshoot fresh, looking like wealth, I'm bout to call the paparazzi on myself", "I made jesus walks I'm never going to h---", "we driving benzes, with no benefits, not bad huh, for some immigrants". The song maintains a modern feel while keep trademarks of each artists sounds that could have been lifted out of 2003.

Gotta Have It meshes two distinct styles and artists into one coherent song, with memorable moments being each rapper interjecting lines in each others verses. The album continues thematically following black luxury and the cost it has on the black community.

New Day is a wonderful look into the concept of the sins of the father passing onto the son. Kanye uses his verse to explain the faults he's made in his life, and how to prevent his one day son from following his footsteps. Jay-Z looks into his haunting fatherless past, vowing not to repeat him. The song is raw, emotional, and a welcome addition into the personal stories of Ye and Jay. Also, me and the RZA connect.

That's My b---- is one of the weaker tracks on the album, but is by no means bad. Both rappers talk about their love interests, but the track does break up the pacing on the album.

Welcome to the Jungle is essentially a Jay-Z solo song. Once again connecting to the themes of black excellence, black struggle, and black on black crime and competition, Jay explores 'The Jungle' and the heartache living in it. Connecting the ghetto he grew up in to the jungle he still lives with.

Who Gon Stop Me asks the essential question of Watch the Throne, who can stop Jay-Z or Kanye when they are on top of their respective games? No one. Some of the hardest hitting raps, best production on the album, and best flows.

Murder to Excellence is the thesis of the album. The first part focuses on black on black crime and how it affects the black community overall. It cuts to the second part which is the excellence earned at the expense of other black men.

Made in America is Kanye's toast to himself and his team, on how far they come. Although Kanye's verse is great, Jay-Z's verse dedicated to his hardworking grandmother is very forgettable. Perhaps Made in America should have been Kanye's answer to Welcome to the Jungle with two solo verses instead. The beat, the frank ocean vocals, and everything else is great.

Why I Love You is a great song, but is once again essentially a Jay-Z solo song. It's a great closer to the album, and documents Jay's rise to fame and what he did for his people to get them where they are at. One of the best Jay-Z songs of all time, and is only hurt by a lack of Kanye.

I'm not as familiar with the bonus tracks besides H.A.M. so I'll refrain from going over them, but overall, this album is the best you could hope for from two GOATS, one at the tailend of a remarkable career, the other at the height of his powers. Even though Kanye was the better rapper at the time, Jay, as the greatest rapper of all time should, usually walked away with the better verses, but this might be the last glimpse into 'classic' or 'the old' Kanye, As part of Kanye's unbelievable 2010-2013 with the two greatest albums of all time on either end of it, the album is amazing. Unfortunately, Jay couldn't keep the momentum up into MCHG, a forgettable, but enjoyable and overlooked album. Perhaps if he saved more WTT songs the way he did Holy Grail, he would have had another classic on his hands. Either way, this album is great and a testament to both remarkable figures and their careers.

 

Jan 5, 2020

LOL at all of you guys overhyping the s--- out of WTT

 

Jan 2, 2020

its crazy to me how this was considered a flop when it dropped (though given the standard of the music he dropped afterwards that might even be fair lol). Look Ahead is such an incredible opener, T-Shirt, s--- and Move That Dope and COVERED N MONEY are still some of Future's best slaps. I think this might have been one of the first time I heard Metro's production, I remember having Karate Chop on repeat. Its a strange part of Future's discography, not as sweet and sugary as Pluto but not as dark and clinical as DS2. Stilla great album, solid 8/10.

 

Dec 31, 2019

Besky would call me uncultured for this but TPAB just never clicked with me like that. I absolutely acknowledge the message and how important it is, but it just doesn’t sound that good to me. I listen to Alright occasionally but I have no desire to revisit any other songs. People who’ve never heard an OutKast album call it revolutionary art, I call it Kendrick’s worst project. Mortal Man is cornier than anything that’s ever made it on to a Logic album. 5/10

 

Dec 31, 2019

My Krazy Life by YG gets an 8.5/10 from 12 ratings

Album 3: Kendrick Lamar - To p---- A Butterfly



Sure TPAB isn't exactly what you want to hear in the club. At times its almost too dense. But in 2015, amidst the all the self-centred booming bass and syrupy autotuned trap, the soul, hip hop, jazz and funk and tremendously complicated poetry and social commentary of TPAB stuck out like a dead president on the White House lawn. There's George Clinton and Kamasi Washington and Pharrell and Snoop and Dre and 2PAC. And in the midst of it all, like a beating heart is Kendrick Lamar, the good kid from the mAAd city who channels Lil Wayne and Andre 3000 into a furious whirlwind of dense and terrifying and heartwarming music that will be rightly remembered as one of the greatest hip hop albums, not only of the decade but of all time. 10/10 from me.

@RateThisAlbum

 

Dec 30, 2019

I woke up this morning

I had a boner

 

Dec 30, 2019

8/10! Not my favourite YG album but an undeniable classic.

 

Dec 30, 2019

Talk about an album that just totally took over a year. “My Krazy Life” came out when I was a Junior in high school. There wasn’t one party you could go to where songs from this album weren’t being played multiple times. It’s maybe a bit cluttered on the back end but hardly takes away from its greatness. 8.5/10.

 

Dec 29, 2019

One of the most cohesive albums I’ve ever heard, it’s literally impossible for me to play any song in isolation, gotta listen front to back every time. Mustard took over the world that year and YG really did bring the west coast back. 9/10

 

Dec 29, 2019

@Michael Myers excellent choice!

Even though I love Still Brazy, I've always had a soft spot for this album and still think its YGs best solo album. Mustard was on FIRE, the guests all murder their spots and YG pulls it all together in what is absolutely one of the greatest, game-changing albums of the decade and one of my personal favorites. Solid 9/10.

 

Dec 28, 2019

8/10

wouldn’t say best of my decade, but it’s close to it, just needs the replay value which barely exists for me to give a higher score