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Photo courtesy of Joey Langdon Certified Lover Boy – Drake (3/10)

Drake’s new album, “Certified Lover Boy,” featured the same boring style with his same, unlikeable persona, creating another disappointing project for radio stations to play on repeat for the next 3 months.

The real nail in the coffin is Drake’s odd obsession with homosexual women. His song “Girls want Girls” displays nothing short of blatant ignorance, featuring the lyric “Yeah, say that you’re a lesbian, girl, me too.”

The one thing keeping this album from a complete 0/10 is the production, which is the only enjoyable part of this album. Songs like “Champagne Poetry” have beautiful sampling and production, only to be desecrated as soon as Drake’s lyrics start.

Simply put, CLB is another album to listen to once and never again, and is an hour you won’t get back.

Donda – Kanye West (4/10)

With Kanye’s most recent project, Donda, a tribute to his mother in the form of a gospel album, Kanye attempted to blend Christian themes with the format of modern hip-hop. Emphasis on attempted. Donda came out feeling incomplete, even after months of Kanye postponing the album to add finishing touches. With a total run time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, 27 total songs, it becomes exhausting to listen to the project just a single time. The Christian themes, though honorable, feel crammed in and unintentional, creating an overall awkward and repetitive listening experience. A few tracks, like “Off The Grid,” “God Breathed,” and “Jail” have production that pushes through to carry the entire project, keeping it from being a complete failure.

Montero – Lil Nas X (8/10)

The recent hit artist, already boasting a career filled to the brim with controversy, Lil Nas X, released his full project, “Montero.” Lil Nas X discussed being hated for his skin color and sexuality, as well as his experiences with romance and the struggle to make it in music in “Montero.”  He details all of this over songs that are astoundingly well produced, coming out with an all-around high quality project. Featuring hit songs like “Montero (Call me by your Name)” and “Industry Baby,” and featuring the likes of Jack Harlow, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, and Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X flexed his musical talent and influence, and put it to good use with his latest album.

The Melodic Blue – Baby Keem (8/10)

The third album of rapper Baby Keem’s career, “The Melodic Blue” made waves after its release, maintaining a common rap style while stepping out of the boundaries, boasting a style not seen on projects this large. Many of the beats and loops the songs are over feel underproduced, and are better because of it. Baby Keem’s lyricism was on full display as well on this album, with rapping that never allowed a dull moment and maintained its integrity throughout the entire album. The Melodic Blue is a fun project, and is one of the best rap albums released in 2021 so far.

Butterflies – Max (6/10)

Butterflies was a recent release from the up and coming pop artist, Max. The single details the artist’s decision to renew his wedding vows. The song features simple, cheerful chords and sweet lyrics from Max about his wife. As cute as the song is, it feels like something that has come around all too often, and doesn’t assert itself as something to be noticed in front of other corny pop songs. Max’s career shows potential, but Butterflies is more of a drop in the bucket for pop music as a genre.