Rap Radar

Pound for pound, Beanie Sigel has one of hip-hop’s strongest catalogues. But on this go-round, the Broad Street Bully is at his weakest with his sixth solo effort, This Time. Since his days on Roc, Beans’ forte has been reality raps and he picks up where he left off on cuts like “This Time” and “That’s All I Know”. But he steps out of his comfort zone on “Expensive Taste” and “Kush Dreaming”. Things get worse with messy choruses (“Bad Boy Mack, “Bang Bang Youth,” “Dangerous”) and an uneventful State Property gathering (“The Reunion”). Beans isn’t your average cat, but on This Time, he definitely comes across like one.

On track one of Control System, Ab-Soul professed to being the underdog and secret weapon. That’s actually a fair assessment. As Top Dawg Entertainment’s most enigmatic artist, Soul announces his arrival with “Track Two” and shortly after, delivers a mean hook alongside Danny Brown on “Terrorist Threats”. He dumps a full clip on the Kendrick Lamar-featured “ILLuminate” and then surveys the damage with calm (“A Rebellion”, “Empathy”). It’s politics as usual and on “Beautiful Death”, The Black Lip Bastard turns his face at the status quo. The system was never meant to be controlled, but at least Soul makes it a noteworthy listen.

It’s a doggone shame, but over a decade ago, DMX was undisputedly hip-hop’s grand champ. But these days, he’s tarnishing his legacy with lackluster offerings like, Undisputed. The Dog still has his bite on songs like “Ya’ll Don’t Really Know” and “Already”. However, poor hooks and outdated production (“Have You Eva”, “Slippin Again”, “Cold World”) permeate the album. Even the lead single, “I Don’t Dance” is wallflower status while the vocals displayed on “I Get Scared” are horrifying. Earl took us to church on “Head Up”, but it’ll take more than a mustard seed to make us believers again. Get as us dog.

Maybach Music Group hardly slows down as far as their work ethic. Keeping the virals in full speed, here’s a black-and-white clip featuring a handfull of Rozay’s platoon.

For those who took a week off,  shame on you. Here’s a recap of the Double R’s annual end-of-year lists. Catch up below and see you next year.

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You are now watching the Throne—at the top of our list. Easily. What sounded like every rap fan’s dream on paper finally came true in early August. Jay-Z and Kanye recorded their masterpiece across the globe with producers Hit-Boy, RZA, Pete Rock, Swizz Beatz, Q-Tip, and The Neptunes. Mrs. Carter and Mr. Hudson are also featured but it’s Frank Ocean who ceases the moment, nailing the choruses of the opener “No Church In The Wild” and the moving “Made In America”. Still it’s the two superstars who take centerstage. Hovito unleashed the beast on the jolting “Welcome To The Jungle” while Ye agonized over the alarming murder stats of his Chi hometown on “Murder To Excellence”. The Roc Boys playfully trade bars back-and-forth on the hypnotic “Gotta Have It”, dub step their flow game up on “Who Gon Stop Me”, and share their moment of clarity on the prospect of raising children with “New Day”. Even the bonus cuts like the cinematic “Illest Motherfucker Alive” and triumphant “Primetime” are bonkers. You want a shot at the crown? Wait in the wing ’cause these guys are still doing their thing.

Previously: #10 Mac Miller Blue Slide Park l #9 Young Jeezy TM103: Hustlerz Ambition l #8 Wale Ambition l #7 J.Cole Cole World: The Sideline Story l #6 Kendrick Lamar Section.80 l #5 Bad Meets Evil Hell:The Sequel l  #4 MMG Self Made l #3 Common The Dreamer/The Believer l #2 Drake Take Care

Radio sure has a way of turning shit into sugar. Day in and day out, Future’s cheesy hit stayed on the FM dial. If his faux accent didn’t kill you, his rhymes did: “I need a driver/ To drive me round, how I manuever/ Muthafuckin feel like I’m in Jerusalem.” Say, what? If this where the game is heading, then I’m afraid of the Future.

Previously: #5 Kreayshawn “Gucci Gucci” l #4 J.Cole “Work Out“ l #3 Lil Wayne “How To Love“ l #2 YC x Future “Racks“

Drake season has returned. Could he do it again? Yes, he can! Back with his trusty production visionary, Noah “40″ Shebib, these Toronto kids delivered a terrific second album. Unified in their independence, the OVOXO Hit Squad shine on captivating cuts like the Weeknd-featured “Crew Love” and “The Ride”. Even the outside guests here are sewn into the fabric of their surroundings rather seamlessly. Wayne gets his swagger back on the rollicking “HYFR”, Minaj dabbles all over “Make Me Proud,” while 3 Stacks swoons all over “The Real Her”. Maintaining his coveted R&B instincts, Drizzy enlists Stevie Wonder’s touch for “Doing It Wrong”, resurrects Jon B.’s career on “Cameras” and pays homage to his fam with as much passion as Pac on “Look What You’ve Done”. Like it or not, Drake knows how to sequence his best of both worlds (rapping and singing) like no other. Show some gratitude, hip-hop heads.

Yeah it got the people going and even got a name drop from The Throne, but let’s face it: this song is just wack on wack on wack. The melody is infectious, but what thee fuck are these guys talkin’ about?! We dare you rap geniuses to transcribe these trivial lyrics. Ha! The groove got our feet moving but our ears are bleeding. Help! Money over mumble rap.

Be clear, Dwayne Carter is a certified Hall Of Famer. But sometimes, even the Great Ones don’t know their limitations. Remember Rebirth? Yup, I really hate when Wayne gets fixated on living his rock star fantasies in the studio. You can’t play guitar, homie and please leave the singing to Drizzy. “You had a lot of crooks trying to steal your heart.” Yuck! I had a lot of time for this song to grow on me. But nope. Still stinks.