Bradshaw's Album Reviews

Released by XO Records and Republic Records NAV's second studio album release came as a surprise for fans of the Canadian rapper. It was first announced on March 14th when Cash XO randomly posted on Instagram a link to 'Brown Boy EP', that entailed five previously unheard NAV songs. Following Cash's post, NAV instantly announced he was coming out of 'retirement' and he was releasing 'Bad Habits'. For a few months prior to the album release, NAV had vowed that as long as his best-friend Lil Uzi Vert wasn't allowed to release his album 'Eternal Atake', then he was following suit and not releasing any music either.  Bad Habits is executively produced by the founder of XO Records, The Weeknd. NAV and Starboy have linked up on a track before - 'Some Way' from NAV's self-titled mixtape.  Bad Habits is scattered with features, from Philly native Meek Mill, who can't stop winning right now, to Gunna, a frequent collab...

Released by Neighbourhood Recordings 2019 After the release of two singles, 'Black' and 'Streatham', Dave's debut studio album finally arrived on March 8th after a long-anticipated wait. Under the Editors Note's on Apple Music, the album revolves around a year-long therapy session about Dave's life.  Dave has been a standout UK rapper since he burst onto the scene with 'Thiago Silva' featuring fellow UK rapper AJ Tracey. Dave's outstanding lyricism and his ability to talk about topics well beyond his years have always had listeners ears' perked. The past few years have seen him go from an underground freestyler to being one of the most versatile rappers because of his maturity and his political insightfulness that he addresses on 'Black' - the first single released from the album.  Psychodrama is courageous and bold, and follows a similar arc to what Stormzy did with Gang Signs and Prayer in 2017.  Dave kicks off the...

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....