kept incredibly tight, focusing on a single sound and letting nothing interfere with some of the best raps of his career. is a radically different record, with the most respected rapper in the business trying on a range of styles, collaborating with a lot of guests (from to ), and working with an army of producers ( , ). No one else in possesses enough power of personality to carry a 110-minute double album, and if can't quite manage it either, he certainly delivers some solid material in the process. The discs are split into "The Gift" and "The Curse," though there's no concept in view, just a loose collection of tracks ranging from unapologetically sexed-up party joints to theatrical epics and even taking in a feature for 's . It's clear 's in control even here, and though his raps can't compete with the concentrated burst on , there's at least as many great tracks on tap, if only listeners have enough time to find them. Good choices for highlights include ' bounce track the horn-driven blast of produced by (featuring ), and which balances the singalong of with the digital drumrolls of ~ John Bush