You gotta love when a local ATL hit breaks national. Sorry Future, Rich Homie Quan got one. It’s hard to remember the verses here because the bridge rules the proceedings.

Just when you thought everything on the radio sounded the same, here comes Marshall Mathers to turn your dial upside down. With Rick Rubin behind the boards, Em gets to live out his Beastie Boys fantasy and bring back a taste of golden age rap to today’s young bucks.

Drake has proven he can make hits (He owns the record for most No.1s on the R&B/Hip Hop charts) but there’s something distinctively different about “Hold On, We’re Going Home”.

Hov and The Bawse have made beautiful music together before (“Free Mason”, “3 Kings”) but there’s something substantial and special about this gem from the Magna Carta Holy Grail.

Many hated this album when it dropped but plenty of us have come back around. No Yeezus is not the 5-star masterpiece than we’re accustomed to from Mr. West. He went left with this dark, jarring ride. I mean if you’re still looking for reflections of then-impending fatherhood and clear insight into his relationship with Kim K, go that way.

If you don’t like Wale for his ambition, then maybe this album isn’t for you. Ha! Armed with a gold second album, Wale shoots for the top on his third LP. You see satisfaction is for suckers and Mr. Folarin wants to be recognized one day with the great ones. Newfound fame hasn’t derailed him on his mission.

Sometimes success isn’t satisfying. J.Cole crafted his second album Born Sinner to right the wrongs of his Cole World: Sideline Story 2011 debut. No more stop-and-go single releases and pleading with Roc Nation for a release date, Jermaine’s got gold and platinum plaques on the wall which gave him the opportunity to do things his own way this time around.

Is he gonna ever fall off? Apparently not. Dropping unexpectedly like bird shit, Shawn Carter shook up the world with Samsung who allowed him to release his 12th solo album on the fourth of July to a million of their mobile customers. Pardon him Billboard, that’s already platinum in our book.

Yeah he sings. And guess what he raps even better. Aubrey “Drake” Graham is an anomaly. A Black Jew from Toronto Canada who after years of hard work has become the #1 artist in the game. Forget waiting for a naysayer’s acceptance, Drizzy keeps evolving and Nothing Was The Same is his strongest collection of tunes to date. Yup, it’s better than Take Care.