In an ongoing effort to provide value to readers and the very lazy, YFWB presents the “The Streets Say”: a summary of reviews and views from around the raposphere on the hottest hip-hop LPs and mixtapes. If you want your review included, hit me up.

THE STREETS SAY: 3.75 out of 5

BONUS: Smoking Section (3 out of 5)

Summary: The boys over at TSS gives us a glimpse into the Knights Of The Roundtable method they used to come up with their “3 cig” rating for Padded Room.

About.com/Hip-Hop Is Read (3.5 out of 5)

Summary: “Though Padded Room suffers from structural pitfalls of its own, Budden’s openness to describe his personal flaws is a noteworthy rarity in contemporary hip hop; the result is a thought-provoking work of musical expression. For so long, Joe Budden has been deemed the ultimate mixtape rapper, but with Padded Room, perhaps he can begin to commence the discography and career he and his fans have sought after for so long. Independent hip-hop and it’s a thing to celebrate. And support.”

The Koalition (4 out of 5)

Summary: “Padded Room sees Joe lyrically at his best throughout the album, but the soundscapes falter various times, hurting the album’s cohesiveness especially when the album ends at only thirteen tracks. Overall, the album is an above average, but somewhat disappointing effort after waiting six years for a sophomore album. “

AllHipHop (7 out of 10)

Summary: “Perhaps Budden should have called this album The Growth, like his official second Def Jam album was meant to be. Padded Room shows expansion, but doesn’t top his album-like mixtape Mood Muzik 2 and certainly demonstrates how sane he is.”

Hip Hop Kings (4 out of 5)

Summary: “It’s difficult to summarise a rating when you’re speaking about one of your favourite mainstream artists. Being neutral and non-biased isn’t tempting to say the least. The album was good, but not great. I wanted it to be a classic, and a mix of the buzz surrounding the release, and my own optimism was harder when the record was released. ”

Nappy Afro (4 out of 5)

Summary: “In some ways, Padded Room seems like Joe Budden’s true debut album. It’s mostly filled with deep thoughts, questions about life, and personally reflections that seem to frequent Joe’s music and make it more personal than a majority of rap music made today. Not to say that this album has no drawbacks. Besides all the nit picking, this album was enjoyable listen and will definitely keep the Joe Budden ‘internet solders’ happy…especially since he’s already announced that he’s already working on another album to be released by the end of the year. Jump Off!”

HIP HOP DX (3.5 out of 5)

Summary: “Despite a minor shortcoming, Joe Budden has released a candid and thought provoking piece of work. It’s something that many fans have been waiting for. Even with miscues on board, it’s still the album mainstream rappers attempt to make on paper, and the kind of writing that many independents can’t seem to keep up with.”

Hip Hop Game (4 out of 5)

Summary: “Overall, this is a great collection of work and will certainly add to his impressive catalog. Will this be the album that gets him back on Main(stream) Street? His deal with Amalgam is up and he’s already working on his next album, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

This Is Hip Hop (72 out of 100)

Summary: “The album is, indeed, a little crazy, if his goal is to sell albums (which he says is the label‘s concern, not his). The producers are largely unheralded, the only high-profile feature is The Game, and there is nothing on the course of a club track, something for the ladies, or at least anything that is somewhat radio-friendly. The songs seem like psychiatric evaluations, with Joey as the patient and the audience as a fly in the psychiatrist’s room.  The majority of drawbacks on the album come from the production. The album suffers from “Canibus Syndrome,” a common affliction of good rappers’ albums suffering from sub-par production.”

Tags: Joe Budden, Padded Room