The number generator gave me number 56, which is Room 25 by Noname. I know nothing of Noname (which isn't uncommon for me of the last 10 years of rap - except Kendrick and a few others). I don't know if it is a group or a solo artist, but I am game. Let's go...
First Track: Self
Start: OK, so I was caught off-guard. My first initial thought - other than I love the cover art - is that, Whoa, this is a female artists. Not because females can't rap, but just the percentages are low. And I mention this because this song contains a line, "And ya'll thought a bitch couldn't rap, huh? Maybe this your answer for that." This is a very smooth song - and the piano addition is amazing!
Best Attribute: Her flow. Right up there with the best of all time. For the record by flow I mean the rhythm in which she raps.
Worst Attribute: This album only has 10 - mostly short - songs. Would love to hear more.
Best Song: Ace! - This song features Smino and Saba, her cohorts in the group Ghetto Stage. Their musical chemistry is fantastic.
Worst Song: Window - This is actually a really good song, as I am just splitting hairs for consistency among my reviews. This one is worst because it just takes a while to get moving. The ending is fire, though.
Most Interesting Song: Montego Bay - This one is the most interesting because of the upright bass, which I love.
Most Interesting Quality: The jazziness, and the quality and feel of the production. And, as stated earlier, her flow!!!
Would I listen again: Hell Yeah!!! In fact, I have a weekend of listening to more Noname and Ghetto Stage ahead of me.
Who would I like to Re-Make/Re-Imagine this Album: So a little bit of a story here, My first instinct was D'Angelo (RIP), but then during the album Noname literally raps, "Somebody get D'Angelo. I think I need him on this one!" So apparently Noname thinks he would work on her songs also. So, I have three others: The first person I thought of was Doechii, who might give it an edgier feel - but I didn't want to get caught up in the fact that I have to find a female rapper to remake this album. Then I thought De La Soul because of the jazz, social-conscious rap type of feel. But in reality, to re-imagine this album, but keep some of its feel and intent, the answer for me is Nas.
Rolling Stone Ranking: 56
My Current Ranking: 2
Projected Final Ranking: 31
Top 200 Rap Albums of All-Time
1. Illmatic, Nas
2. Room 25, Noname
3. 400 Degreez, Juvenile
4. Bandana, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib
5. Enta Da Stage, Black Moon
