Justified (2002) – Justin Timberlake
I always knew Justin Timberlake was a great pop star. With the exception of a few choice cuts from his debut, I found most of it cheesy and embarrassing in its one-liners and boyish charm. And some of it still is, but its greatest weakness turns out to be its greatest strength. It was right under my nose the entire time, his boyish charm is in fact, pretty charming. Initial assessments can be wrong, but as it turns out, my opinion has flipped almost entirely. It’s not flawless, but it’s still his most consistent. As with great pop albums, the singles are essential, but the rest is a must for non-casual Timberlake fans. In fact, when you take a step back, the first nine songs make up a pretty impressive streak. As far as debuts go, this is great stuff. But it’s not all Timberlake; it’s the wonderful production by The Neptunes, a little bit of Timbaland, but it’s mainly The Neptunes. They’ve done well with Clipse, and Timberlake is no exception. As always with their work, they can bump good hip hop beats as well as make lush R&B and soul jams. Timberlake’s at the forefront of this record, but The Neptunes are the geniuses behind the curtain, and the mesh together seamlessly. I’ll still rep FutureSex/LoveSounds as Timberlake’s best, but that’s mainly because of the hits. If consistency is what you desire, Justin’s got that covered here. A-
(Key Tracks: Cry Me a River, Señorita, Rock Your Body)
Summertime ’06 (2015) – Vince Staples
As a listener who first heard Vince on Earl’s debut mixtape, I’m happy he’s doing well for himself now. But I still have to critique, even when I’m rooting for him. Overall, this is a shaky, but unique debut. Well, not too unique; like good kid m.A.A.d. city, it’s a concept album, but looser in its narrative. Like good kid m.A.A.d. city, it follows a youth treading through the drug-infested hoods of southern California. Fortunately, there aren’t too many albums like this, so it’s still a welcome treat when rappers pursue ambitious projects like this. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t hold together all the way through like good kid m.A.A.d. city. Side A is solid the entire way through. “Lift Me Up” and “Norf Norf” is a wicked one-two punch start to the album, with “Señorita” making your ears perk up once again towards the end. Also notice how the three best songs are on this side, and keep you interested even when the lesser cuts aren’t cutting it for you, which they do for me. Side B is shakier; it keeps with the narrative, but the songs aren’t as hooky or bumpin’. But even when they aren’t that great, these beats are a breath of fresh air in our trap-saturated rap market. Maybe a double album wasn’t the safest move for our young Long Beach native, but it sure as hell was a bold one, especially for a debut, and that’s reason to be excited enough. He’s a gifted young man, and he’s not going anywhere with smarts like his. I can already tell you he’ll outlast Young Thug and Future. A-
(Key Tracks: Lift Me Up, Norf Norf, Señorita)
Acid Rap (2013) – Chance the Rapper
I admit, it grew on me heavily. A lot since Coloring Book actually. And I can also see why the general hip hop populace will prefer this one to his recent stroke of genius. This is a hip hop mixtape with album-like cohesion and flow, one you’ll smoke to on a Sunday afternoon because there’s literally nothing else better to do. At the same time, there is actually nothing better to do. This is pure unadulterated fun, unburdened by responsibilities. Think of it as a better produced The Chronic, but without the lazy production, violence, and misogyny. Alright, I’ll come out and say it; it’s better than The Chronic. There’s also a slight sentiment to this one; now that he’s a grown-up major player with a kid, this is a snapshot into a simpler time when he was just a teenager. It’s also something he may not revisit, which makes this one all the more special. So bump this while you can. You’ll grow up just like him in no time. A-
(Key Tracks: Juice, Favorite Song, Cocoa Butter Kisses)
