Album Reviews8/10
Clipse’s Debut Still Rides on One Hit From 2002
A review of Clipse's 2002 debut Lord Willin', tracking its highs—Grindin' and Ma, I Don't Love Her—and its weaker middle stretch.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Tag: hip-hop
Album Reviews8/10
Haram Review: Armand Hammer and The Alchemist Mostly Deliver on Warm Samples and Strong Singing
A record that sits between hip-hop and soul, mostly succeeding, with Aubergine standing out among its tracks.
Album Reviews8/10
Armand Hammer’s BLK LBL Is a Bold Experiment That Mostly Pays Off
A review of Armand Hammer's BLK LBL, an abstract hip-hop record that mostly succeeds despite some thin filler.
Album Reviews8/10
Nas’s 2008 Album Uses Its Own Title to Argue for Protest, Legacy, and Personal Story All at Once
A record of power, protest, and pride, wherein Nas seeks to prove his neighborhood rules the city.
Album Reviews8/10
Rapsody’s Thank H.E.R. Now Names Hip-Hop’s Women Pioneers Across 20 Tracks
A tribute to Black women pioneers in hip-hop and beyond, told across twenty tracks of solemn purpose.
Album Reviews8/10
A Tribe Called Quest’s People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm Earns an 8/10
A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 debut blends hip-hop wit and jazz sensibility across fourteen tracks, a masterwork of craft and humor.
‘DINОSAUR’ Review: Tyler’s Most Personal Album Is Messy, Ambitious and Worth Hearing as One Record
Tyler, The Creator's DINОSAUR mixes fame, fatherhood, and dense hip-hop production into a sprawling, ambitious fourth studio album.
Album Reviews5.9/10
Drake’s ‘HABIBTI’ Is a Moody Course Correction Undone by Uninspired Writing
Drake's 11th album HABIBTI trades bravado for moody R&B, but uneven writing and filler drag down a cohesive, hazy soundscape. A 5.9/10.
Album Reviews7.5/10
Thank Me Later at 16: Drake’s Debut Traded Certainty for Honesty — 7.5/10
Our review of Drake's 2010 debut 'Thank Me Later,' a confessional album about fame's hidden costs, blending hip-hop with Auto-Tuned vulnerability.
Album Reviews5.3/10
Drake’s ‘For All the Dogs’ Mistakes Length for Depth
Drake's 23-track album 'For All the Dogs' is a bloated, repetitive mess with a few highlights like 'First Person Shooter' and '8am in Charlotte.'