Twigy - Twig (Japan)
"If you are one of those people that haven't liked Twigy since his first or second solo album then this album will not make you like him again or give you any faith for a better future i'm afraid. The album's potential is pretty much washed away with too much filler material and the lack of standout tracks amongst the few good ones that are included on Twig..."
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[ about our reviews ]Munehiro - Drama 11 Stories (Japan)
"On the lyrical side don't expect any miracles when it comes to originality since all the songs showcase life in some way but on the production side the album stays fresh throughout the 45 minutes. For a debut release for a yet unknown artist who produced most of the album herself under an independent label, Drama 11 Stories could be called an excellent release..."
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[ about our reviews ]Muro - 20 Street Years (Japan)
"20 Street Years is a near classic that is only held back by some average guest appearances by some mc's that just do not quite fit in and hurt the replay value of the album. The production side on today's standards is pure excellency and will definitely make your ears sing along with the funk and ask you to repeat the songs over and over again..."
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[ about our reviews ]LMNO - P's & Q's (USA)
"While hip-hop has been on the rise in the rest of the world and going down in the North America it's always good to hear people reppin it for the culture and doing it for the right reasons. It's all positive and fresh on the P's & Q's and when the music speaks for itself it's easy to support it. All in all this is an album that stays consistent from the beginning to the end and stays away from cliches and club bangers..."
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[ about our reviews ]Mabo - De La Costa (Japan)
"For Macka-Chin this release is up to standard but for Dabo even more so after suffering from horrible production in the past few years on Def Jam. I think it's safe to say that for Dabo's fans this is his best work ever since his debut album "Platinum Tongue" in 2001 and one can only hope that Mabo will continue as a group after this album as well because for once everybody can truly enjoy the man's workwithout trying to find flaws on productions or his commercialised direction lately. As all good album's do this one will also leave you wanting for more..."
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[ about our reviews ]
Synthetic Hip-Hop
Hardcore Hip-hop
Instrumental Hip-Hop
Mainstream R&B / Club R&B
Political Hip-Hop
= Horrible
No matter how long one thinks of it, the only reason this was released was out of desperation, greed or plain stupidity. Any album that scores 1 star will usually be used either as an alternative toilet or a tool for vandalism after purchase.
= Bad
Any album that gets 2 stars from our editors is undoubtedly a bad one. Albums such as this are usually those huge disappointments that might however contain 1 or 2 songs worth a listen. We cannot ever recommend you to buy a 2 star album unless you consider yourself to be the artists biggest fan.
= Average
Half a star addition to bad means more goodies but the package still lacks originality/consistency. Most of the time these releases contain enough filler material to make you think twice about buying it, if you value your hard earned money. For the hardcore collectors only.
= Above average
3 stars is nearing the level of something good but it doesn't quite get there. Lacks the same originality/consistency but usually at least half of the songs are worth a listen. Releases like this are solid efforts that have some potential that is never fully realized during the album. Things like too many skits or other distracting features like a heavy metal song on a hip-hop album are often the problem on albums like this.
= Good
If you like this artist or the particular style described in the review then 3 and a half stars translates to something good. Not "a must have" by any means but a good addition to your collection especially if you already own a lot of the classics. Usually has something very noticeable that drags it down from great such as a too short running time, too many featuring artists or 1 - 3 songs that are really bad compared to the rest of the album. Might also suffer from the lack of any real standout tracks.
= Great
4 stars and above are all worthy of the words "culture universal recommends". Definitely worth your money, no question about it. Albums that get 4 stars are releases that can be played from the start to finish without fast forwarding, well at least on the first few times you put it on. In the long run might suffer from bad replay value because while almost every song on these releases is great, they're by no means near classic tracks. More of an entertaining experience rather than something life changing. Don't hesitate to buy if you heard or liked the artists before.
= Phenomenal
These are the must buy albums for even those people who have never heard the artist in question before. Believe us when we say it, these are near classic albums. Headbangers from the beginning to the end, all albums that score 4 and a half stars are simply groundbreaking in one way or another. Only thing keeping these releases away from classic status is the magical feeling you only get when listening to a 5 star album.
= Classic Material
5 star albums are good enough to make you start a cult and doubt your own mental health in the process. Needless to say albums like this only come around once per year or even less in today's music world. These are experiences that will forever change how you feel about the artists behind them.
Note:was not included since we do not believe there's much difference between the words horrible and wack. A bad album is not worth your money nor your time no matter what.
