Below, you will find a list of the most recent reviews I've done and a list of those I plan to do soon, as well as an explanation of my ratings system. Feel free to e-mail me at stevec@netnitco.net if you have any requests, corrections, comments, questions, death threats, etc.
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There are many other reviews that I have written, but it wouldn't be very space-efficent to list them all on the top page. All of my reviews are archived on seperate pages. I have the reviews sorted so you can find sorted by the artist's name. Check out the archive.
Flow: While lyrics are very important, how the emcee is
saying them is vital, as well. This includes how well he
keeps up with the beat, whether or not he has a dope voice, if there's
true energy in what he says, and how he inflects certain words and
syllables.
Weighted by a factor of 2.
Message: Lots disagree with me, but a positive message is definitely something I check for when I buy rap CD's. It makes a world of difference if someone is one the same ol' gangsta/playa B.S., or if they're trying to make a difference and uplift people through
their songs. I weighted this low, since it doesn't matter much to
many people, but I do think it's important enough to factor into the
score, even if it is by a low weight.
Weighted by a factor of 1.
Beats: What's Hip-Hop without a dope beat? Whether it be
multi-layed soundscapes or simple loops, a dope beat is completely
necessary for a dope album. Without a beat, the emcee would have
nothing to stand on.
Weighted by a factor of 4.
Originality: A record need not be original to be dope, but all the true classics have set new standards in some way or another. Albums that get high scores in this category bring something new to the table, or at least have an innovative presentation, instead of just rehashing what you've already heard zillions of times.
Weighted by a factor of 2.
Hype: Okay, the name of the category is a bit weird . . . but the other alternative titles were "danceability" and "jigginess," so I think you agree that this was the best choice. Anyway, pretty much, this is the mass appeal category. Some may argue that something need not be accessible to be dope, and I completely agree. But, props must be given to albums that can respectably appeal to large numbers. The following questions are considered in this category: if you play this record, will dancefloors fill or empty? If you play it for your Hip-Hop-ignorant girlfriend, will she like it, or tell you to turn on some Biggie? Is it something that sounds dope only when you peep all the lyrics, or can you ride to it with all the
bass up? A high score here doesn't guarantee platinum sales, but it does at least mean that it's more accessible than most albums.
Weighted by a factor of 1.
Consistency: Sometimes, you hear some REALLY bangin' cut,
and you buy the album it's on, only to find out that the rest of the
songs on it suck. That would give the album a low consistency score.
Basically, the more consistently dope an album is, the higher
the score. Does the album flow together smoothly? Are there tons
of annoying skits you have to skip around? Can you let it play all the way through, or do you have to remember which tracks the good songs are on? Do the tracks flow together well, or would they be better if they were in a different order? All these are considered in this important category.
Weighted by a factor of 3.
SCORE:
After the final score has been determined, you can check this handy guide to see how good that means the album is.
90% and above: A classic, near-flawless album. Something
that you NEED to own.
80-89%: Excellent, one of the best albums of the year. Buy this!
70-79%: Very, very dope. Probably not a classic, but something well worth picking up.
60-69%: Dope. Above-average, but not truly great. Still worth buying, if nothing better is out.
50-59%: Average, so-so, mediocre. At times, these albums are pretty nice, but are just lacking in some area or another. Certainly not wack at all, but just not dominant. Probably worth buying, but only if you have extra dough.
40-49%: Seriously lacking. Not totally wack. In fact, it has some redeeming qualities. But probably not worth your money, unless you're a big fan of the artist.still give it a listen, though.
30-39%: Poor. This is where stuff starts to seriously get wack. An album that scores in this range isn't one of the worst ever . . . but it's pretty darn bad. You MIGHT wanna buy this . . . but I wouldn't know why.
29% and below: Wick, wick, WACK! Avoid like the plague. These albums will have little or no redeeming qualities, and if you like them, you probably shouldn't be reading my reviews, anyway.