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Lil Xan, Machine Gun Kelly, and Fall Out Boy are among artists appearing on the list of “The 15 Most Disappointing and/or Worst Albums of 2018.”

The time has come to crown the most disappointing and/or worst albums of 2018.  2018 has had some tremendous albums as well as some utterly terrible ones.  This list examines those that just didn’t live up to loftier expectations or just flat out sucked.  Without further ado, let’s dive into to the utterly unexceptional – The 15 Most Disappointing and/or Worst Albums of 2018.

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1. Lil Xan, Total Xanarchy

Columbia

“God damn, god damn Lil Xanny the man.” I beg to differ – understatement. Let me make something crystal clear – I was in no way, shape, or form excited about Total Xanarchy, the debut album by Lil Xan.  That said, after hearing an album that I already anticipated might be awful, it was much worse than expected.  Lil Xan is a totally polarizing individual, something that’s only confirmed on the album.  It’s devoid of substance, featuring rhymes that are incredibly simple and based merely on hip-hop clichés – “That bih don’t love me, she just want dick, aye.”  The ad-libs are the worse, ugh!

Lil Xan, Total Xanarchy | Album Review

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2. Smokepurpp & Murda Beatz, Bless Yo Trap

Alamo / Interscope

After the end of each album or EP review, I typically pick ‘gems’ – songs that are the best of the album.  For the Smokepurpp & Murda Beatz project, Bless Yo Trap, I was unable to recommend any.  Perhaps I was being mean with commenting “R U f#$%ing kidding me?” instead of trying to pick one re-listenable selection, but honestly, this was NOT a worthwhile listen. Smokepurpp just doesn’t have anything interesting, let alone transcendent to rap about, and it shows from start to finish.  I’m sure the SoundCloud crowd won’t like this commentary, but rap can do so much better than this uninspired, thrown together affair.

Smokepurpp & Murda Beatz, Bless Yo Trap | Album Review

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3. Machine Gun Kelly, BINGE

Bad Boy / Interscope 

“Fuck ‘Rap God’, I’m the ‘Rap Devil’.” UGH! Machine Gun Kelly ought to be ashamed of himself.  BINGE is a hot mess – BAD.  Clearly, Machine Gun Kelly put minimal effort into this project, giving the timing, the short length, and inept, utterly lackadaisical songwriting.  Sure, BINGE was a brilliant business move given the diss track “Rap Devil”, but it’s about as lazy a project as it comes. Personally, would I ever revisit this project? That’s a big HELL NO.

Machine Gun Kelly, BINGE | Album Review

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4. LIL PHAG, God Hates LIL PHAG

the @ pack

When an album features a song that’s titled “Iced Out Dick,” obviously, you shouldn’t take it too seriously.  Lil Phag (Elijah Daniel) and his debut LP God Hates Lil Phag definitely shouldn’t be taken seriously – take the project ‘with a grain of salt.’ Clearly, Daniel is being comedic. Does he cross the line and become too bold? Yes.  This album is no masterpiece, but it’s the sort or project that you know that you go in with that understanding. Does it deserve to be on this list? Definitely, and even Elijah Daniel might agree.  Are we seriously going to be playing “Charlie Traplin” or “DEADAHH” for years to come? No.  I was done after reviewing this bad boy.

LIL PHAG, God Hates LIL PHAG | Album Review

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5. XXXTENTACION, Skins

Bad Vibes Forever / EMPIRE

I don’t prefer to speak ill of the dead, but I don’t really blame the undercooked project that is Skins on the late XXXTENTACION.  While this brief album has a few noteworthy moments such as “Train food,” the punk-energy unleashed on “STARING AT THE SKY” and “One Minute” (featuring Kanye West), SKINS is more of an unfinished collection, mostly comprised of interludes and ideas as opposed to being a well-crafted, finished album. Furthermore, it’s only 19 minutes-long… Honestly, it feels more like a financial decision than a triumph…

XXXTENTACION, SKINS | Album Review

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6. Fall Out Boy, M A N I A

Island

Face it – a lackadaisical promotional campaign did M A N I A in before it was ever released. At times, this misguided Fall Out Boy project has its moments, but we expect better from a band that’s delivered surefire gems like “Sugar, We’re Going Down” and “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race”.  M A N I A is all over the place, period.  Some songs work (“Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” or even “Church”) while others fall short (“Young and Menace” is a train wreck).

Fall Out Boy, M A N I A | Album Review 💿

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7. Russ, ZOO

Columbia

If you let Russ tell it, the world hates him.  It’s at least partially true – the rapper/singer/producer is a hip-hop ‘do-it-all,’ yet, has his fair share of skeptics.  Following the platinum-certified There’s Really a Wolf, he tries his hand at another successful project with his sophomore album, ZOO.  Unfortunately, ZOO is a boring, so-so affair.  He has some moments, but there’s very little to get excited about.  It starts out lazily and lackadaisically with “The Flute Song”, and it ends so-so with the played-out “Fuck That.” Besides the lack of any big-time hits, there’s a lack of innovative spirit, making it hard for there to be any distinction regarding this project.  Fans – rather ‘Stans’ – may eat this up, but as for everybody else, ZOO feels hella underwhelming.

Russ, ZOO | Album Review

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8. Tory Lanez, Memories Don’t Die

Mad Love / Interscope

Memories Don’t Die, the sophomore album by Canadian rapper/singer Tory Lanez arrived in March 2018 (I didn’t indulge in his second project of the year, LoVE me NOW). Perhaps to some extent, Lanez showed improvement from his forgettable 2016 debut, I Told You. Still, Memories Don’t Die fails to be memorable, save for the controversies of plagiarism concerning “Hate to Say,” notably, among the crème de la crème of the LP. Sadly, it wouldn’t be the first accusations of copycatting Lanez has committed. That’s perhaps the biggest rub with this album and Lanez’s career – we don’t know who he is artistically.  And if we’re being totally honest, can’t that falsetto be totally annoying at times? Just saying!

Tory Lanez, Memories Don’t Die | Album Review 💿

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9. Kanye West, Ye

GOOD / Def Jam 

Ye, the new Kanye West album received a favorable review from yours truly, but definitely doesn’t feel like vintage Kanye.  While he gets personally discussing his bipolar diagnosis, family matters, and his controversial year, this is still a polarizing listen that’s difficult to digest.  With Ye being ‘all over the place,’ it definitely fits the bipolar concept. That said, merely throwing bipolarity into the picture and not completely tying the album tightly together isn’t is among the flaws of the project.  A seven-track, 23-minute project leaves a lot to be desired, as it’s not a truly effective length for West to craft a complete, nuanced project. Ye has its moments, but fails to be cohesive, commercial, or anywhere nearly as memorable as his best, full-length LPs.

Kanye West, Ye | Album Review 💿

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10. Nas, Nasir

Mass Appeal / Def Jam

Based upon other reviews, I enjoyed Nasir, the long-awaited comeback album by Nas more than many.  That said, this was an underwhelming project from one of the legendary lyricists in the game. What should’ve been a match made in heaven with Kanye West producing didn’t quite pan out, save for the undeniably awesome opener, “Not for Radio.” While I enjoyed the second song, “Cops Shot the Kid,” it sounded like something that West record himself as opposed to Nas.  While Nas isn’t known for having big-time hits, there are none on this modest, seven-track effort.

Nas, NASIR | Album Review

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11. Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods

RCA

“I think the album has a wide range of sonics to it, but I guess I would describe it as modern Americana with 808s.” Phew, what was Justin Timberlake thinking? Yes, Man of the Woods, like the majority of his albums, has some worthwhile tunes, namely “Say Something” co-written and featuring Chris Stapleton.  But, the two other advance singles, “Filthy” and “Supplies” aren’t exactly surefire hits, both suffering from quirkiness and a lack of the Timberlake magic of old. While this effort is enjoyable and inoffensive, the vision is blurry – the Americana concept just doesn’t quite work, nor is it consistently in play.

Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods | Album Review

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12. Ne-Yo, Good Man

Motown

Sometimes, you overrate an album.  That happened with Good Man.  Maybe I was excited to see Ne-Yo return after a three-year hiatus.  But, the old Ne-Yo was much more accomplished than the new one.  Good Man has some good songs, don’t get me wrong, but the LP could an edit, and relies too much on clichés.  And regarding those good songs, none of them are hits the caliber of “So Sick” or “Closer” – just saying.

Ne-Yo, Good Man | Album Review 💿

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13. Drake, Scorpion

Cash Money

Scorpion is an album with multiple hits nominated for the highly coveted Grammy for Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammy Awards.  I absolutely love gems like “God’s Plan”,“Nice for What”, and “In My Feelings.” The problem with this Drake project is, there is far too many forgettable non-hits.  Scorpion is overstuffed – there’s a disc of rap and a disc of R&B essentially – but beyond the aforementioned gems, plus a couple of others, the double album is indistinct.  Basically, the “6GOD” has had better albums – his Grammy-winning 2011 effort Take Care remains his best.

Drake, Scorpion | Album Review

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14. Migos, Culture II

Quality Control Music / Motown / Capitol 

Does Migos miss the mark on Culture II? No, not completely. This “playlist,” like Chris Brown’s Heart Break on a Full Moon, has its fair share of moments, including “Narcos”, “BBO (Bad Bitches Only)”, “Walk It Talk It” and “Stir Fry”. The presentation is off though – too long (105 minutes) and too predictable (been there, done that with those triplets, boys). A shorter, more focused project would’ve played out better. Even shave off 45 minutes, and Culture II is improved.

Migos, Culture II | Album Review

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15. EDEN, vertigo

Astralwerks

I had such high hopes for vertigo, particularly after EDEN (Jonathon Ng) wowed with “start//end”.  Overall, vertigo is a relatively well-rounded, personal LP that balances acoustic and electronic sounds, and featuring expressive, emotional vocals.  The big problem is that EDEN grows a bit overindulgent – gets too much ‘in his feelings.’ The LP ends up being too long (even at 52 minutes), too slow (too many ballads), and grows boring at times.

EDEN, vertigo | Album Review

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Photo Credits: Alamo, Astralwerks, Bad Boy, Bad Vibes Forever, Capitol, Cash Money, Columbia, Def Jam, EMPIRE, Epic, GOOD, Island, Mad Love, Mass Appeal, Motown, Quality Control Music, RCA, the @ pak

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