Ruben Figueroa

Alright let's be real for a second. This is not Kanye's best album by far. I don't even think it cracks Top 5. Could the mixing have been a bit better? Yeah. Are the songs way too short? Hell yes. Are the lyrics a bit one note at points? Definitely. but this album makes you feel something, no matter what higher power you believe in. This album is far from perfect and it is no MBDTF, but what Kanye is lacking in technical perfection, he makes up for in pure raw emotion and a ton of it. Make of that what you will and that should give you an indication if you should give it a listen.

I love Kevin so much. Just wanted to make that clear as that might unwittingly influence my review, but I'll try to be objective. This album covers a pretty touchy subject matter, arguably a much more touchy one in 2016, and the way Kevin tackles it and weaves a pretty cohesive story about his personal experiences floors me. Being one of his first projects, production and lyrics can be a little rough and, at times, surface level, but there's so much more depth that outweighs it. Songs like Yellow, Empty, Papercut, Miserable America, and American Boyfriend to name a few explore Kevin's feelings and what it means to be gay. And I really enjoyed it. Now this a really good album, not great. But I don't care. The emotional energy I get off alone here makes it far superior to ARIZONA BABY for me. It's a diamond in the rough and you might love it or hate it. It does grow on you, but it depends what music you're into. It is not a rap album. At the end of the day, this is a solid 40 minutes that's worth a listen.

As a huge Logic fan (seen him in concerts several times and own all his albums), I was really excited for this release. I am sad to say that this is by far his worst project. The creativity that's seen in spades in The Incredible True Story, Under Pressure, and even Young Sinatra lV is nowhere to be seen here. Several songs feature Logic nauseatingly repeating the same verse over and over and over (Don't Be Afraid To Be Different being the biggest offender, though Will Smith's verse actually is pretty decent and the only thing that saves the song). This is such a weird change, considering the title track being imo one of Logic's best lyrical based songs in years. There's really no overlying theme to be found here, except that Logic's cool and likes to flex to the point it's really annoying (the interesting introspective look into his mind that the title tracks seems to promise are really nowhere to be found). It definitely feels rushed and that's such a shame. If you've heard the singles, you've pretty much heard the best songs on the album and can skip over this. I really wish Logic would start focusing on quality over quantity and go back to being one of the leading voices in this new generation of rappers that made me fall in love with him originally.