Shatter the Standards

Shatter the Standards

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The Handguide to the Ladies of Hip-Hop
Presented chronologically to show the long march of ladies in rap music toward success and recognition, contains several types of projects.
Mar 31, 2025 • Tai Lawson, Jamila W., and Tabia N. Mullings
150 Best R&B Albums of the 2020s So Far
So whether you’re an old-school purist, a fan of avant-garde experimentation, or simply looking for your new favorite record, here are 150 selections of…
Feb 24, 2025
Milestones: Cooleyhighharmony by Boyz II Men
Four Philadelphia teenagers sang their way onto Motown with nothing but harmonies and nerve—and gave early-‘90s R&B the vocal group album it had stopped…
7 hrs ago • Shatter the Standards and Imani Raven
April 2026 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month
Rap ran deep in April, deep enough for its own list. Jazz, soul, indie rock, and folk claimed the remaining seats and argued over the armrests.
12 hrs ago • Shatter the Standards
Album Review: Nearly Nothing’s Enough by Farma G & Relense
On his second High Focus album, the North London MC writes council-estate depression and mythological self-portraiture with equal conviction, and…
16 hrs ago • Shatter the Standards and Tariq Belson
Most Popular
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R&B Albums That Basically Counts As Going to Therapy
Apr 21, 2025 • Brandon O'Sullivan
Album Review: The Fall-Off by J. Cole
Feb 6 • Shatter the Standards and Kamaria Jules
Album Review: Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter
Aug 28, 2025 • Charlotte Rochel
Album Review: Son of Spergy by Daniel Caesar
Oct 23, 2025 • Tai Lawson and Shatter the Standards

Recent posts

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Album Review: Sometimes Money Cost Too Much by Grafh
A veteran of shelved deals and sidewalk commerce makes the rare drug-rap album that counts the cost in children.
19 hrs ago • Shatter the Standards and Reginald Marcel
Album Review: From Takoma with Love by Oddisee & Heno.
An Ethiopian-Eritrean rapper and a Sudanese-American producer from Maryland’s DC suburbs pool two decades of diaspora into one record that names every…
19 hrs ago • Shatter the Standards and Quinn Baptiste
Redman & Method Man, Two of Def Jam’s Most Wanted
The Redman and Method Man show was tight, but the Interview...?
23 hrs ago • bmr
Wednesday Roundups #147: 25 New Projects You Should Listen to Now
Listen to new releases from Jai’Len Josey, Ebony Riley, Gareth Donkin, Blu & Exile, Le$, April + VISTA, Rosco P Coldchain & Nicholas Craven, ADÉ…
Apr 29 • Shatter the Standards
Album Review: Strictly 4 the Underground by CK The Spitta
A rapper whose simile bank was built on football pitches brings a fourth album full of Lisbon balconies, red cards, and the kind of autobiographical…
Apr 28 • Shatter the Standards and Miles Everette

Guides

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The Handguide to Muscle Shoals: Southern Soul (‘70s Edition)
The Muscle Shoals region in Alabama—centered around the city of Florence—became a powerhouse in its own right.
Apr 14 • Shatter the Standards and Brandon O'Sullivan
The Lineage of Michael Jackson (Vocal Groups)
Each guide is based on this run of albums, believed to be part of Michael Jackson’s roots. It then branches out into post-1995, drawn from that tree…
Apr 3 • Shatter the Standards, Brandon O'Sullivan, and Phil
The Handguide to Lucky Daye
David Brown left a cult at eight, got cut from American Idol at nineteen, and starved in LA at thirty. Lucky Daye is what happened after all of it…
Mar 17 • Shatter the Standards and Janelle K. Moore
There Is Only One Chaka Khan
Since the mid-seventies, Chaka Khan has been a colorful chameleon on and off the stage. She is widely known for her spontaneity and has constantly found…
Mar 16 • Blackpolitan and Raya Sinclair
The Lineage of Michael Jackson (Kids / Young Stars)
Each guide is based on this run of albums, believed to be part of Michael Jackson’s roots. It then branches out into post-1995, drawn from that tree…
Feb 27 • Shatter the Standards, Brandon O'Sullivan, and Phil

New Music Drops

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New Music Drops: April 24, 2026
As new albums and singles get constantly flooded into our radar, look no further than skimming through the release week of April 24th. We know it can be…
Apr 23 • Shatter the Standards
New Music Drops: April 17, 2026
As new albums and singles get constantly flooded into our radar, look no further than skimming through the release week of April 17th. We know it can be…
Apr 16 • Shatter the Standards
New Music Drops: April 10, 2026
As new albums and singles get constantly flooded into our radar, look no further than skimming through the release week of April 10th. We know it can be…
Apr 9 • Shatter the Standards
New Music Drops: April 3, 2026
As new albums and singles get constantly flooded into our radar, look no further than skimming through the release week of April 3rd. We know it can be…
Apr 2 • Shatter the Standards
New Music Drops: March 27, 2026
As new albums and singles get constantly flooded into our radar, look no further than skimming through the release week of March 27th. We know it can be…
Mar 26 • Shatter the Standards
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