shoes without shoestrings

I don't know why I still get so excited for each Hov release. The man is still undoubtedly my favorite rapper but each new release misses out on that feeling that this is an epic event record.
Even with Hov's rhymes getting increasingly boring I still eagerly await new LPs. Even though there will not be anymore moments of sure joy and amazement that came the first time I heard "The Black Album" or "The Blueprint".
The man can still provide noteworthy lines here and there, but each song just feels like a retread of what he has been doing since "Kingdom Come" (save "American Gangster"). Once upon a time Hov was turning phrase like no one else, now he just seems to be content to rhyme about his bank account and to the aid of bolstering his ego.
On the production side, there are some serious high points here and some laughable low points. Kanye's beats further move from what you expect Kanye beats to sound like. For the most part they are minimalist and might have been better served tossing to Big Sean or something. Even Timbo doesn't disappoint the whole time "Venus vs. Mars", a slow burning track that echoes vintage Tim.
The Pharrell track is straight garbage. The man must be cultivating his recent beats with ear muffs on because they lack any semblance of the originality early Neptunes work had.
An artist with as much talent as Hov deserves more dissection and I will be jumping back into this record a few more times.
For now, I am just going to be disappointed and cue up "Ain't No Love".