Album Mode

Démar and Adriel discuss JID's fourth studio album "God Does Like Ugly", how his music is now rappable and being able to adapt to sounds he's never done before.

Démar’s rating: 6 / 10
Adriel's rating: 7 / 10

The Love List: Glory, WRK, Gz, SK8, No Boo

Timecodes:
5:30 - His Past Albums
6:08 - Surround Sound
7:28 - JID & NewJeans
9:25 - Highest Charting Single
15:18 - Production is the Star of This Album
18:13 - JID does R&B well
21:22 - Démar compares Westside Gunn to Playboi Carti
24:00 - Did they choose the Right Singles?
31:14 - A Great Collaborator
36:28 - Adriel claims JID is underrated as a lyricist
46:46 - Demar is Unmoved
52:15 - What Does This Mean for His Career?
57:35 - The Score

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant

 ===================================

JID - God Does Like Ugly / 2025 / hip hop, rap, alternative hip hop

Démar and Adriel react to Tyler the Creator's latest album "DON'T TAP THE GLASS", discuss whether he's a mainstream artist and if this is his first flop.

Démar’s rating: 8.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 5 / 10

The Love List: Sucka Free, Ring Ring Ring, I'll Take Care of You, Don't You Worry Baby

Timecodes: 

3:54 - Tyler does big 1st week numbers 
9:19 - Not a concept album
13:20 - Past Tyler the Creator reviews
15:49 - Favourite Tyler the Creator era
17:58 - ‘Ring, Ring, Ring’ should be a single
23:43 - A lot of 80’s references sonically
27:37 - Mommanem
35:44 - Demar is in disbelief
36:46 - Will Tyler find love?
42:40 - Is Post-cancellation?
49:30 - Is this Tyler, the Creator's first flop era?
51:45 - Second time releasing on a Monday
54:27 - His spot in Hip-Hop History
56:30 - The Cover
1:03:03 - The Score

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant

 ===================================

Tyler, the Creator - DON'T TAP THE GLASS / 2025 / hip hop, rap, alternative hip hop, Dance

Démar and Adriel react to Clipse's latest album, 'Let God Sort Em Out', geriatric hip hop and the idea of artists making hip hop well into their 50s

Démar’s rating: 8.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 7.5 / 10

The Love List: E.B.I.T.D.A., Ace Trumpets, Let God Sort Em Out/Chandeliers,


Timecodes:

1:25 - Every corner of the hip-hop world that’s not part of the mainstream was waiting
3:40 - Is this album really happening?
4:59 - ‘It’s Almost Dry ‘ score
6:40 - Playboi Carti comparison
7:26 - The rollout is getting so much love
8:35 - The original Drake hater/comments about Travis Scott  
13:44 - The production
22:08 - Always has duality in their music / more human parts on the project
25:57 - 50-year-olds in hip hop
28:30 - Hip-hop is the only genre that can’t age gracefully  
28:55 - Hip-hop never got pulled away / never a normalization of how people aged in the genre
35:21 - The blog era of hip-hop is approaching their 40s
37:00 - Favourite song
46:15 -  Almost for the reaction on the timeline  
53:31 - The Score


Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant

 ===================================

Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out / 2025 / hip hop, rap

Démar and Adriel react to Justin Bieber's latest album, 'SWAG', Bieber's closeness to the black community and whether he still is that guy we thought he was in the 2010s .

Démar’s rating: 5.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 6 / 10

The Love List: ALL I CAN TAKE, DAISIES, DADZ LOVE, DEVOTION

Timecodes:

5:30 - This album is showing he’s spending time with the black community
6:29 - Past Jb review
8:29 - Interested in the rollout
8:45 - No single/single worthy
9:00 - Janet Jackson comparison
14:41 - Dijon and Mkgee
18:35 - Justin is a versatile vocalist
19:37 - Always thought Gunna was an underrated/ Bieber worst part of the song
21:05 - Sweet spot
23:55 - Technically, the bars may fit but its not working
24:30 - Not many songs like this / unique record
25:23 - Meg The Stallion comparison
27:23 - Druski
29:31 - Druski, the best comedian?
31:01 - Cosplay Bieber too much on the nose
31:56 - Iceland billboard
40:50 - The cover
44:35 - He’s not in his bad boy era he’s becoming a dad
47:47 - The score 

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant
 ===================================

Justin Bieber - Swag / 2025 / pop, new jack swing, synth pop

Démar and Adriel break down Haim's latest album 'I Quit', their closeness to black music and the idea of going 'indie rock mainstream'.

Démar’s rating: 6 / 10
Adriel's rating: 5.5 / 10

The Love List: Gone, Relationships, Spinning, Million Years

Timecodes:

1:41-  Where does one go after peaking above indie pop mainstream
2:26 - In some circles, people know them 
4:44 - MJ comparison
8:10 - First memory
12:28 - This album is kind of like to good and bad of this genre of music  
13:24 - Why do you need to reduce your sound to stomp clap 
17:13 - Love you right is better than what it is  
23:15 - Arlo Parks song
27:58 - A ton of songs that could be singles
30:00 - Almost too pop  
31:34 - Overall good songwriters
39:43 - Putting an artist in a category
40:41 - What does this mean for their career
44:56 - The Cover
47:05 - The Score

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant
 ===================================

Haim - I Quit / 2025 / indie, rock, pop, soft rock

Honestly, Nevermind was met with confusion when it first came out but its fandom has been growing over the past 3 years since it's release. Démar and Adriel do a little bit of a retrospective on the album and look into how it Honestly, Nevermind continues to age like fine wine.

Timecodes:

0:55 Original review – Demar said in the future people are going to fuck with this
2:25 Is a very much do you know ball convo
2:50 Setting the scene with the drake albums (CLB etc…)
9:18 One of Drake’s best aging albums
11:55 The one flaw with Honestly, Nevermind
14:35 Who else could do this?

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant
 ===================================

Drake - Honestly, Nevermind / 2025 / pop, club, house, rap

Démar and Adriel break down Little Simz's sixth studio album 'Lotus', how the production sounds nothing like a hip hop album and whether this is Simz's best written album.

Démar’s rating: 9 / 10
Adriel's rating: 9 / 10

The Love List: Thief, Hollow, Free, Blood, Lotus, Lonely

Timecodes:

3:08 - The view over her career because she is from the UK
4:55 - Black Thought comparison as a rapper
6:09 - 
7:39 - That’s their Dominic Fike
10:38 - Thief sets the tone for the album
11:35 - Non-Traditional Hip-Hop beats in this era on this album
12:09 - Did they get it right with the singles?
12:51 - Pharrell singing on the song – that should be the single
13:24 - Thief is more indicative of the album
14:13 - SAULT explained
15:58 - Hollow – haven’t heard some one making subs since Drake on Scorpion
19:41 - Songs that made me think of the creation of this project (rap rock mixes)
23:08 - Young’ is the actual song good
25:24 - I’m a little teapot with her whole chest
29:58 - You are learning about who she is as a person through her music
34:04 - What this means for her career
34:18 - Not an album that anyone else has made
40:59 - No Skips
42:04 - The Cover
44:00 - The Scores

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant
 ===================================

Little Simz - Lotus / 2025 / hip hop, rap, uk hip hop, uk rap

Démar and Adriel break down Miley Cyrus' ninth (!!) studio album 'Something Beautiful', how her voice allows her to make music beyond her years and how underrated she is as a songwriter.

Démar’s rating: 8 / 10
Adriel's rating: 6.5 / 10

The Love List: Prelude, End of the World, More to Lose, Easy Lover, Reborn

Timecodes:

3:23 - Hannah Montana – moved past that
8:44 - Did they get it right with the singles?
9:14 - End of the world
10:03 - Under-rated songwriter
10:49 - Reborn – 80’s revivalist track
13:19 - Sounds like and early 2000’s movie
15:04 - American Idol music
19:22 - Sex and the City reference
19:58 - Pretend your god/90’s pop
22:38 - Her voice sounds like a 50-year-old chain smoker
29:13 - This is a better vocal performance when we had in the past
30:05 - Olivia comparison
34:00 - Stove God Cooks   
37:40 - The world's burning but lets go to Greece
39:12 - Naomi Campbell
42:17 - Aesthetic overall
42:29 - Interlude 1 – Demar fav song
43:50 - Who released the best movie album
50:09 - The cover – unrated
52:00 - The Score


Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant
 ===================================

Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful / 2025 / pop, country, pop country, synth pop

Démar and Adriel break down Common's classic album 'Be', how much hip hop production has changed in the past 20 years and how intricate "real rap" was in 2005.

Démar’s rating: 8 / 10
Adriel's rating: 8.5 / 10

The Love List: Be (Intro), The Corner, GO!, The Food, They Say

Timecodes:

3:16 - Listening as an adult has a different tone
4:25 - Song bigger than the album
5:48 - Common’s longevity
6:36 - The Soulquarians are a real supergroup
8:49 - My Way Home
10:45 - His relationship with Erykah Badu (BE)
11:55 - 2005 Trivia  
18:50 - Good album to listen to on public transit  
22:57 - The last part of GO  - scratching on the single
24:42 - How much hip-hop has progressed from this sound
26:19 - This sound is a relic now    
28:30 - Same person who listens to Benny the Butcher also listens to Playboi Carti
29:30 - The type of sampling Kanye mastered
32:47 - Might be the last song on a DJ Khaled
34:26 - So many of these songs and lyrics have topics
36:34 - doesn’t seem like a topic on a Common song
37:35 - The complexity of the rapping was higher at this point  
42:36 - The way he put songs together is underrated
43:25 - his ability to observe things and rap about them    
53:30 - LL Cool J comparison
54:15 - The album colour  
56:00 - No Skips
58:06 - The Score

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant
 ===================================

Common - Be / 2005 / hip hop, rap, conscious rap, back pack rap

This week Démar and Adriel discuss Aminé's third studio album '13 Months of Sunshine', Aminé cementing himself as a summer artist and how mortal enemies Drake and Pusha T are his main influences.

Démar’s rating: 8 / 10
Adriel's rating: 8.5 / 10

The Love List: 13MOS, Feels So Good, New Flower!, Cool About It, Temptations

Timcodes:

2:42 - Previous Aminé album rating – surprised how high
5:00 - Feels like an extension of Kaytraminé
8:13 - Drake influence
10:04 - Production is the star
10:39 - Aminé is a fun Pusha T on 13 MOS  
18:25 - Free Nationals / The Internet comparison 
20:08 - What other rapper is going to hear this beat and do anything with it
21:33 - The skits add texture to this album
22:59 - Clear pride for him and his family – keeping people alive with the photos in my house 28:45 Using multiple languages to rap  - compressing multiple references
35:30 - New Flower is a revamped Mutt 
39:35 - The Cover
42:00 - May be going into the Album Mode Hall of Fame  

Follow us:

TikTok: 
Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod
Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom
Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi

Instagram:
Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/
Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/
Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/

Twitter:
Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod
Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_
Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant
 ===================================

Aminé - 13 Months of Sunshine / 2025 / tropical house, hip hop, rap, alternative hip hop