Sales Rank:4878 List Price: $13.98 Lowest New Price: $6.30 Lowest Used Price: $2.74 Artist(s):
Kanye West
Tracks:
Intro
We Don't Care
Graduation Day
All Falls Down
I'll Fly Away
Spaceship
Jesus Walks
Never Let Me Down
Get Em High
Workout Plan
The New Workout Plan
Slow Jamz
Breathe in Breathe Out
School Spirit Skit 1
School Spirit Skit 2
Lil Jimmy Skit
Two Words
Through the Wire
Family Business
Last Call
This debut from the most sought-after hip-hop producer not named Pharrell delivers the unthinkable: West magically sledgehammers home his opinions on taboo topics over beats that are equally daring. The envelope-ripping beats shouldn't come as a surprise given that he's supplied the soundscapes to monster singles by everyone from Alicia Keys ("You Don't Know My Name") to Talib Kweli ("Get By"). What is freakish is that in West's world, rhymes about strippers, God, college life, and guns can co-exist tidily and not undermine each other. On "Breathe In Breathe Out" he raps "I gotta apologize to Mos and Kweli/is it cool to rap about gold if I told the world I copped it from Ghana and Mali"--tongue firmly planted in cheek. On the catchy "Through the Wire," fuelled by a Chaka Khan hook, he spits some impeccable rhymes despite his jaw being wired shut after a near-fatal car accident. Maybe it was this brush with mortality that kicked his lyrics into high gear on "All Falls Down." The skits on here are just as potent, one poking fun at the overeducated underclass that makes a small fraction of the loot he does. With jaw-dropping cameos from Jay-Z, Common, Mos Def, and the Harlem Boys Choir plus the feel-good club tune of the year, "Slow Jamz" featuring Twista, College Dropout is as explosive, contradictory, and complex as rap music gets. --Dalton Higgins
Sales Rank:5391 List Price: $13.98 Lowest New Price: $10.81 Lowest Used Price: $7.96 Artist(s):
Citizen Cope
Tracks:
Intro
Contact
If There's Love
Let The Drummer Kick
Mistaken I.D.
200,000 (In Counterfeit 50 Dollar Bills)
Salvation
Hands Of The Saints
Comin' Back
Appetite (For Lightin' Dynamite)
Teresa Prelude
Teresa
Holdin' On
Mandy
Like G. Love, Citizen Cope is a musical mixologist, fusing sluggish hip-hop beats with mellow piano melodies and new-school blues with easy-listening pop. On his debut album, Cope--née Clarence Greenwood, former DJ for the rap group Basehead--sounds at times like both a younger, drawling Sting and a folksy Wyclef Jean as he sings over slow, loose, loungy instrumentals. Though his music is a patchwork of breezy styles, Cope's lyrics tackle some serious subjects. "Contact" confronts the hypocrisy of police profiling, while "200,000 (in Counterfeit 50 Dollar Bills)" details the work of a shifty middle-aged hustler. Cope tells stories about crazy women ("Mistaken ID") and lost souls with short fuses ("Appetite (for Lightin' Dynamite)"), and even fantasizes about the musician's fight with the stay pure ("Salvation"), tucking a gritty street realism between the rosy rhythms dancing through these 13 songs. --Jennifer Maerz
Sales Rank:757 List Price: $18.98 Lowest New Price: $11.28 Lowest Used Price: $8.99 Artist(s):
South Park Mexican
Tracks:
Explicit Version. Two CD set. The Last Chair Violinist is the tenth album released by SPM (South Park Mexican). Carlos Coy is SPM, a Mexican-American rapper, who is incarcerated within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Despite the nature of his crime, there are still persistent messages from online commenters and graffiti writers calling for his exoneration. The song '9 These Streets' features Lucky Luciano, Juan Gotti & Carolyn Rodriguez and 'Mexican Heaven' features Carolyn Rodriguez.
Sales Rank:4338 List Price: $13.98 Lowest New Price: $9.63 Lowest Used Price: $9.44 Artist(s):
M.I.A.
Tracks:
Ba-na-na Skit
Pull Up The People
Bucky Done Gun
Sunshowers
Fire, Fire
Dash The Curry Skit
Amazon
Bingo
Hombre
One For The Head Skit
10 Dollar
URAQT
Galang
M.I.A.'s debut record is both intensely urban and aggressively modern. The group's sole member, Maya Arul, infuses her blend of hip-hop and chunky electro with raw, tribal overtones and a healthy dose of sex appeal. There are elements of world music here, in Arul's multilingual vocal as well as the tonal shifts and instrumentation (like the drone that opens up "Hombre"). Her delivery uses a variety of yelps and tics full of street-wise confidence and bratty energy. But there's also an appealing melodic sense, like early Neneh Cherry or Miss Kitten when she's not in diva mode. M.I.A. doesn't really sound like anybody; the music is just experimental enough to wiggle out of easy comparisons. The IDM-style bleeps and beeps of "Galang," for example, give an already catchy song extra punch. The only problem with the record, a common flaw for debuts, is a sameness from track to track which robs it of the ability to surprise. Still, Arul is hugely talented and her abundant originality packs a wallop. --Matthew Cooke
Sales Rank:1747 List Price: $13.98 Lowest New Price: $6.62 Lowest Used Price: $3.59 Artist(s):
Rihanna
Tracks:
SOS - Rihanna, Rotem, J.
Kisses Don't Lie - Rihanna, Rogers, E.
Unfaithful - Rihanna, Smith, S.
We Ride - Rihanna, Riddick, M.
Dem Haters - Rihanna, Flowers, M.
Final Goodbye - Rihanna, McMaster, L.
Break It Off - Rihanna, Bennett, D.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Rihanna, Roger, E.
Selfish Girl - Rihanna, Rogers, E.
P.S. (I'm Still Not Over You) - Rihanna, Rogers, E.
A Girl Like Me - Rihanna, Rogers, E.
A Million Miles Away - Rihanna, Rogers, E.
If It's Lovin' That You Want, Pt. 2 - Rihanna, Oliver, Jean-Claude
With A Girl Like Me, the Barbadian teen-queen Rihanna is looking to transfer all claims of royalty to the summertime pop charts. If anybody's going to rule them, she pretty much proclaims by way of "SOS," a song no less irresistible, intoxicating, and all-out cool than 2005's "Pon de Replay," off her debut, she's it. That's not to say this new disc is anything like its predecessor overall. Where Music of the Sun was mostly what its title suggests--a romp through an anglo-friendly island with no sunscreen required--A Girl Like Me is more reflective and a little rueful; you get the sense it was crafted in part to show her range, with executive producer Jay-Z guiding her through it gracefully. "Unfaithful" is a noir-ish testing of the R&B waters, and it goes so well that Rihanna wastes no time skinny-dipping her way into the deep end--"Final Goodbye," "P.S. (I'm Still Not Over You)," and "A Million Miles Away" all betray juicy bits of Beyonce. Back in barefoot bikini-girl land, though--a territory that covers roughly half this disc--the party's still going strong. Rihanna gives dancehall legend Sean Paul a run for his money with the bouncing "Break It Off," and "We Ride" makes you want to roll down the windows and stick your head out the passenger side. Crank it up and keep the sunglasses handy. --Tammy La Gorce
Sales Rank:8253 List Price: $17.98 Lowest New Price: $7.00 Lowest Used Price: $5.00 Artist(s):
DJ Khaled
Tracks:
Standing On The Mountain Top
Go Hard
Out Here Grindin'
Go Ahead
I'm On
Game
We Global
She's Fine
Final Warning
F*** The Other Side
Bullet
Blood Money
Defend Dade
Explicit Version. We Global is the third album by Miami based producer DJ Khaled. Guest appearances include Rick Ross, Ace Hood, Plies, Young Jeezy, T.I., Lil Wayne, Akon, Trick Daddy, Lil Boosie, Nas, Cool & Dre, Kanye West, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, Brisco, Busta Rhymes, Flo Rida, and many more. Khaled Khaled born in New Orleans, Louisiana, is better known by his stage name DJ Khaled is a Palestinian-American DJ, record producer, and radio personality for the South Florida radio station WEDR 99 Jamz. He was also member of the Hip Hop group Terror Squad.