Shatter the Standards

Shatter the Standards

Home
Album Reviews
BLAST
Blackpolitan
Lists
Milestones
Soulpolitan
Wednesday Roundups

Milestones

Milestones: Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J
Mama Said Knock You Out captures a determined artist refusing to stay down, and it keeps inspiring comebacks from anyone ready to find that inner fire…
 • 
Reginald Marcel
Milestones: The Minstrel Show by Little Brother
As their magnum opus, The Minstrel Show is proof that Little Brother kept faith in their audience and in their artistry, even when the industry around…
 • 
Harry Brown
Milestones: Curtis by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis opened up a new world for soul music, and for that we’re all the better—or as Mayfield might say, we’re moving on up.
 • 
Imani Raven
Milestones: Sex Machine by James Brown
The revolution he unleashed on that Apollo stage in 1970 still reverberates—a live document that remains a gold standard of funk, sending shivers down…
 • 
Reginald Marcel
Milestones: Late Registration by Kanye West
Kanye West once asked, “Can I talk my shit again?," on Late Registration, he did just that. It’s the sound of an artist registering late for class yet…
 • 
Randy
Milestones: Love to Love You Baby by Donna Summer
Donna Summer showed that a disco LP could be as thematically rich as any rock concept album, and that a Black woman’s voice could carry an entire…
 • 
Jill Wannasa
Milestones: Spirit in the Dark by Aretha Franklin
Spirit in the Dark earns its place not just as a great Aretha Franklin album, but as an American soul masterpiece that continues to testify to the unity…
 • 
Imani Raven
Milestones: Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd
The Weeknd made Beauty Behind the Madness a dark mirror of contemporary pop stardom. We’re drawn to look at our own reflections in it, warts and all…
 • 
Phil
1
Milestones: Honey by Ohio Players
The Ohio Players dropped an album that immediately had everyone talking, even before the needle hit the vinyl. In the broader history of soul and funk…
 • 
Imani Raven
Milestones: Wanted: Dead or Alive by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
Wanted: Dead or Alive is still very much alive—a gritty, brilliant slice of hip-hop history that reminds us why Kool G Rap’s name will forever be spoken…
 • 
Murffey Zavier
Milestones: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… by Raekwon
Raekwon’s masterpiece of a debut LP is a musical ghetto version of a John Woo classic.
 • 
Harry Brown
Milestones: Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 by Young Jeezy
Jeezy’s relentless focus on motivation and monetary rise has become a standard trope in rap, but it was Thug Motivation 101 that proved how potent that…
 • 
Randy
© 2025 Shatter the Standards, LLC.
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture