Multiple listens straight through, at the gym, at work, and in the car since it leaked last night.....
-It bangs, the production here is top-notch. It bangs all the way through for the most part.
-I wish the album would have stuck to the "Heart vs Mind" theme. It doesn't really feel like an "album" per se. It's feels like more of a collection of tracks. Because of the length the cohesion feels off sometimes, while at others it feels as though one track just segways into the next. With it being the the equivalent of a double album.....the vibe would have been different if he split the tracks, sequenced some a little differently and made it a Heart side and a Mind side.
-He raps his ass off, and there is no denying he is talented. The name dropping doesnt bother me as it may some others. He has been doing it his entire career, and its worked for him for the most part. If it aint broke don't fix it I suppose.
-Itll be up there in a lot of peoples year end lists.......Album of the Year? I dunno about that. Personally I've enjoyed the Pusha T, K Dot, Joey Badass, COTI2, and Lupe albums a lot....itll be in there near the top. Just gonna have to see what KD3 does, and whether anyone else noteworthy drops something before years end. Just my 2 cents