Bradshaw's Album Reviews

Released by Grand Hustle Records, Epic Records and Cactus Jack Records 2018 After over two years of teasing, and an album rollout which consisted of giant golden Travis Scott heads located in different places in the US, Travis Scott's third studio album and possibly the most anticipated album of 2018 - ASTROWORLD is finally here.  To say the album has lived up to the hype would be an understatement, he has exceeded the expectations and produced his most complete piece of work in his discography to date.  ASTROWORLD was announced before his previous album 'Birds' had even been released, and Travis recently mentioned in an interview that he was going to continue the musical saga from his first studio album 'Rodeo'. Fans on social media predicted this would mean the old Travis that experimented with dark, gloomy beats would be back, and they were right. The album opens with "STARGAZING" a song describing the experience of psychedelic trips, w...

Released by OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records 2018 Scorpion was released on June 29 2018, and is the fifth solo studio album by Canadian rapper Drake. The double-sided album totals 25 tracks, and has a runtime of nearly an hour and a half.  Side 'A' of the album is dedicated to rap, whereas Side 'B' has more of a R&B vibe, which first allowed Drake to make a name for himself in the hip-hop industry with his second studio album - Take Care. Side A Drake starts off the rap side of the album by talking about significant experiences during his come-up in the rap game, referencing his beef with rapper Meek Mill - "I've had real Philly niggas try to write my endin'", and his run-in with Diddy at LIV nightclub in Miami - "I've had scuffles with bad boys that wasn't pretendin". The Canadian rapper never allows himself to get too far ahead, because as he raps during the song,...

Released by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and Interscope Records 2018 Redemption is the third studio album released by Jay Rock. It serves as the follow up to his sophomore album 90059 and is Jay Rock's first body of work since he was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident in early 2016. Jay Rock opens the album with an explosive song detailing his come up from life in the streets before he got signed by TDE and made it in the rap game. He drifts away from the bass heavy, violent rapping on the first song, to a very self-conscious second song, questioning his life, and simply; is it worth it? He ponders personal concerns with alcohol, money and women with bad intent.  The second verse of the song is one that can leave you in a deep trance listening to every word Jay is rapping, and realising just how crazy the world can work. He raps: "And all she saw was a Benz and thought the world about me/She think her nigga a lick and I got rapper money/And child support i...

Released by G.O.O.D Music 2018 Kids See Ghosts was first announced on Twitter by Kanye on April 18, after re-activating his twitter account following a brief hiatus. Ye and Cudi have worked together for nearly a decade now, linking up on hits such as "Welcome to Heartbreak" on Kanye's hip-hop altering album 808's & Heartbreak, and "Gorgeous" off Ye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. The opening track of the collaborative album, "Feel the Love" features fellow GOOD Music artist Pusha T, who delivers the song's only rap verse. Throughout the song, Cudi is 'feeling the love' with his hums and soothing flow, despite Kanye's best attempts to disrupt his vibe with his finest Desiigner impression, shouting audible gunshots that signify the state of mind Ye can have with his bipolar tendencies.  A surprising production credit on the album goes to Andre 3000, who co-produces the second song on the album - ...

Released by G.O.O.D Music / Def Jam 2018 Kanye West's eighth studio album is one that comes at possibly the lowest point of his career - after he recently posted pictures on Twitter of him wearing a 'MAGA' hat and his somewhat outrageous claim that 'slavery was a choice' - a remark which he addresses on numerous songs throughout the album.  The opening song on the album 'I Thought About Killing You' reveals Ye's struggles with mental health and his opioid addiction. His dark thoughts are discussed for the opening two minutes of the song, with an emotional spoken passage detailing his struggles with thoughts of suicide. As the passage goes on, Kanye's uses pitch effects on his voice to signify the bipolar conversation he is having with himself.  Kanye's recent outbursts on TMZ and Twitter have led to Ye facing the most criticism of his career, with music artists such as Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar unfollowing West on Twitter....

Released by  Slaughter Gang, Epic Records, Quality Control Music, Boominati Worldwide Released on Halloween by Atlanta-born rappers 21 Savage and Migos’ Offset, Without Warning epitomises the gory, dark theme of Halloween; partly due to producer Metro Boomin’s consistently flawless production, throwing in gunshots, demented laughing and chainsaws. 21 Savage and Metro have previously collaborated on 2016’s Savage Mode, a prequel to Without Warning as both mixtapes are similar with gloomy lyrics, and an exorcist feel. Without Warning opens with tracks that could be two of the best rap songs of 2017, ‘Ghostface Killers’ featuring Travis Scott. While the bass can be heard knocking in the background, Offset opens the track with warnings as to why he should not be messed with ‘Automatic, automatics, in the trunk, shoot the maggots, shoot the maggots with the pump’. ‘Rap Saved Me’ featuring another Migo, Quavo raises the bar above mixtape level with three high qual...