Tupac - Loyal To The Game

Dozens of posthumous releases have been culled from 2Pac's archives, both by his mother, Afeni Shakur, and by more dubious sources. Eight years after the conflicted poet/thug's death comes LOYAL TO THE GAME, featuring more untapped rhymes. These recordings are the latest unearthed by Ms. Shakur, and while it might be easy to dismiss yet another new collection, two things work in the album's favor. The tapes were handed over to hip-hop icon Eminem, providing a completely unique angle on 2Pac's rhymes. More importantly, while these offerings are late in coming, that is not to say 2Pac's mother is desperately peddling the dregs of his output; the lyrics on LOYAL TO THE GAME are razor-sharp.

Eminem's trademarked heavily syncopated sound provides an almost surreal sheen to the proceedings, and Em's voice graces the strong opening track, "Soldier Like Me (AKA The Return of the Soulja)." The guests run the gamut from 2Pac contemporaries Nate Dogg and members of the fallen rapper's crew, the Outlawz, to relative newcomers Jadakiss and G-Unit, but all performances are solid and requisitely reverent to the memory of Tupac Shakur. LOYAL TO THE GAME simply combines strong remaining lyrics of a late master with newer ones, and stands as one of the best posthumous 2Pac releases.

Song Title

01. Soldier Like Me
02. The Uppercut
03. Out On Bail
04. Ghetto Gospel
05. Black Cotton
06. Loyal To The Game
07. Thugs Get Lonely Too
08. N.I.G.G.A.
09. Who Do You Love?
10. Crooked Nigga Too
11. Don't You Trust Me
12. Hennessey
13. Thug 4 Life
14. Po Nigga Blues
15. Hennessey
16. Crooked Nigga Too
17. Loyal To The Game

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Slim Thug - Already Platinum

Possessed of a potent drawl leaving no doubt that he means what he says, Houston rapper Slim Thug rose through the mix-tape underground to a major-label deal with Geffen Records. His debut boasts production work from some of the best in the game, including the Neptunes, Jazzy Pha, and Cool & Dre. With friends like these, little can go wrong, and little does on ALREADY PLATINUM, an album that backs up its boastful title with powerful raps and innovative beats.

On "I Ain't Heard of That," Slim proclaims himself the "rookie of the year" over a classic Neptunes beat, as he and cohort Bun B tell stories of their prowess in sports and pimping. Slim Thug's vocals flow steady, perfectly matching the beats--whether on the screwed-up, low-down bass of "Diamonds" or the blaxploitation-era soul of "Incredible Feelin'." "3 Kings" and "Ashy to Classy" serve as reminders that higher production values and street edge are far from mutually exclusive.

Song Title

01. The Intro
02. Like A Boss
03. 3 Kings
04. Diamonds
05. Boyz N Blue
06. I Ain't Heard Of That - (Remix)
07. Click Clock
08. Everybody Loves A Pimp
09. Already Platinum
10. Ashy To Classy
11. Interview, The
12. Playa You Don't Know
13. Miss Mary
14. Incredible Feelin'
15. This Is My Life
16. Dedicate

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Sinik - En Attendant L'album

Song Title

01. L'assassin
02. One Shot
03. Le Monde Est A Vous
04. Dis Leur De Ma Part
05. Les Mains Sur La Tete
06. S.I.N.I.K
07. Sur Le Fil Du Rasoir
08. Tard Le Soir
09. No Time
10. L'amour Du Disque
11. Urban Poesie
12. Realiste
13. 32 Mesures De Haines

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Nas - Greatest Hits

Nasir Jones has gone from Nasty Nas to Nas to Escobar and back from his watershed debut ILLMATIC through to the polemic that is 2006's HIP-HOP IS DEAD. GREATEST HITS surveys Nas's hottest album tracks during this journey. Two previously unheard tracks (the autobiographical "Surviving the Times," which describes the young MC's struggle to enter the rap game, and "Less Than an Hour," the theme from RUSH HOUR 3 featuring Cee-Lo) kick the collection off. Overall, GREATEST HITS is an evenhanded blend that brings some of Nas's most successful tracks together with his strongest lyrical performances. AZ, R. Kelly, Lauryn Hill, Puff Daddy, and Q-Tip are featured.

Song Title

01. Surviving the Times
02. Less Than an Hour
03. It Ain't Hard To Tell
04. Life's a Bitch
05. N.Y. State Of Mind
06. One Love
07. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)
08. Street Dreams (Remix)
09. Hate Me Now
10. One Mic
11. Got Ur Self a...
12. Made You Look
13. I Can
14. Bridging the Gap

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Lady Sovereign - Public Warning

Alongside Dizzy Rascal and the Streets, Lady Sovereign is among the most hyped hip-hop acts to emerge from the U.K. in the 2000s. Thankfully, neither the hype machine nor her high-profile recording deal with Def Jam blunt any of the thrilling impact or power of PUBLIC WARNING, the artist's 2006 full-length debut. In large part this is because Sovereign doesn't water down her grime roots for crossover appeal. She never lets up on her wild, hard-fast rhyme style, lessens the battery of working class Brit slang, or works with anyone but her spectacular long-time producer Medasyn.

This is not to say PUBLIC WARNING isn't accessible. The album is packed with hooks, from the carnival-Bollywood bounce of opener "9 to 5" to the giddy sing-along on the chorus of "Hoodie," the album's first single. In fact, the disc strikes a near perfect balance between delicious, pleasure-giving production and the unadulterated spirit of underground hip-hop, elevating both in the process for a set that's purely creative and individual. PUBLIC WARNING sets its own terms, and in doing so outdistances any hip-hop release of 2006.

Song Title

01. 9 to 5
02. Gatheration
03. Random
04. Public Warning
05. Love Me Or Hate Me
06. My England
07. Tango
08. Little Bit Of Shhh, A
09. Hoodie
10. Those Were The Days
11. Blah Blah
12. Fiddle With The Volume
13. Love Me Or Hate Me - (Remix)

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Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

Gnarls Barkley--a collaboration between hip-hop/soul crooner and Goodie Mob founder Cee-Lo and DJ/mash-up kingpin Danger Mouse--sounds like it came from another planet; or what inhabitants of another planet might make of the elemental sounds of 21st-century pop music. Classically soulful R&B vocals, smart hip-hop/electronica beats and samples, and infectious hit-making melodies all serve to make the basic musical template familiar enough, but even a passing listen to the first single, "Crazy" (an Al Green-meets-Outkast groover that was a pre-release smash in the U.K. via downloads alone), illustrates that these fellas are definitely traveling some alternate spaceways.

But if the warped summer jam "Who Cares" or the unsettling big-beat-cum-folkly suicide dirge "Just A Thought" isn't proof enough of the duo's extra-terrestrial originality, then check out the frenetic, almost sleazy, bubblegum-electro take on the Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone." (Um...say what?) Like the entire album itself, it's a bizarre, unexpectedly brilliant reconfiguration of what was once simply called pop music. Who knows what to call it now?

Song Title

01. Go-Go Gadget Gospel
02. Crazy
03. St. Elsewhere
04. Gone Daddy Gone
05. Smiley Faces
06. The Boogie Monster
07. Feng Shui
08. Just A Thought
09. Transformer
10. Who Cares?
11. Online
12. Necromancing
13. Storm Coming
14. The Last Time

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Fort Minor - The Rising Tied

A hip-hop/electronica outing by Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda (aka Fort Minor), THE RISING TIED features surging synth lines, tight beats, and moody string passages (arranged by Beck's father, David Campbell). In addition to Shinoda's own thoughtful and potent rhymes, this 2005 album boasts cred-boosting guest shots from Black Thought (of the Roots), Common, John Legend, and others. Far from a vanity project, the disc reveals Shinoda's behind-the-boards skills, particularly on the standout track "Believe Me," which also benefits from Eric Bobo's frenetic Latin percussion. Although THE RISING TIED will undoubtedly appeal to many Linkin Park fans, the inventive and eclectic record is likely to find enthusiastic listeners beyond the nu-metal set.

Song Title

01. Introduction
02. Remember The Name
03. Right Now
04. Petrified
05. Feel Like Home
06. Where'd You Go
07. In Stereo
08. Back Home
09. Cigarettes
10. Believe Me
11. Get Me Gone
12. High Road
13. Kenji
14. Red To Black
15. The Battle
16. Slip Out The Back

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Bob Marley - Chant Down Babylon

CHANT DOWN BABYLON, which pairs Bob Marley's music with performances from a select group of urban pop stars, is strong enough to quell even the most skeptic Marley aficionado. Stephen Marley brought heavyweights from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B for this project, all of whom seem very familiar with Marley's work and bring a level of earnestness to the proceedings that demonstrate their reverence for the reggae great.

Krayzie Bone offers a rendition of "Rebel Music" that is one of the album's high points, while Erykah Badu oozes fiery soul over "No More Trouble" as through she were standing right next to Bob in the studio. Other standouts include Aeorsmith's appearance on "Roots Rock Reggae" and Rakim's addition to "Concrete Jungle." The excellent CHANT DOWN BABYLON functions like a rare glimpse of what Marley's music may have been like if he were recording today.

Song Title

01. No More Trouble (with Erykah Badu)
02. Rebel Music (with Krayzie Bone)
03. Johnny Was (with Guru)
04. Concrete Jungle (with Rakim)
05. Rastaman Chant (with Busta Rhymes)
06. Guiltiness (with Lost Boyz)
07. Turn Your Lights Down Low (with Lauryn Hill)
08. Jammin' (with MC Lyte)
09. Kinky Reggae (with The Ghetto Youths Crew)
10. Roots, Rock, Reggae (with Steven Tyler)
11. Survival (with Chuck D)
12. Burnin' And Lootin' (with The Roots)

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