Lil Wayne
Tha Carter III
Cash Money/Universal
3.5/5

By: Samir Siddiqui

He’s been self-proclaimed and dubbed by others as the ‘best rapper alive,’ has enjoyed over a year of being hip-hop’s go-to guest feature, and has been the most hyped-up hip-hop artist in recent memory, all without having a classic album to solidify his A-list status. Two-and-a-half years after the release of his last LP, the time has come for Lil Wayne to translate his success into a great full-fledged album, and his attempt comes in the form of Tha Carter III. But with some doubting Wayne’s ability to create excellent material on his own, the third instalment of Tha Carter series fails to land to a knock-out blow to Weezy naysayers.

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Usher
Here I Stand
LaFace Records
4/5

Written By: Samir Siddiqui

Four albums deep into an incredibly-successful career, hit-making is no longer a challenge for R&B superstar Usher, its common practice. So while the lead single for his new LP, Here I Stand, represents classic Usher, the album itself veers away from the formulaic approach of his earlier efforts. The infectious club smash “Love In This Club” is “Yeah!” revamped for 2008, with poppier synths, slower-toned vocals, and a guest verse from go-to Southern-staple Young Jeezy, and it serves as an equally effective album opener. But while the memorable Confessions featured a barrage of instant hits towards the front, and slowed towards the long back-half, Here I Stand moves along at a gradual pace that allows Usher to limit filler and maximize the quality of his best cuts.

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Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool
1st & 15th/Atlantic Records
4.5/5

Written By Samir Siddiqui

In the midst of a strong music year in 2007 for hip-hop, influential figures in the game had a difficult time detracting the critics of the genre, but there seemed to be one prevailing response to the increasing scrutiny of rap music. Hip-hop took the stand that it’s artists are merely modern-day poets, relaying the harsh realities of their surroundings in whatever matter they see fit. But the fact of the matter is that many of the artists giving hip-hop a bad name are simply not “poets”- what they represent is the over-commercialization of hip-hop that breeds artists who are looking for a quick buck, paying no mind to the possibly large consequences. But there are artists who fit the bill of a “poet,” and Lupe Fiasco is definitely one of them. Not so much for the “positive” content he delivers in his raps, but ultimately for the creativity displayed in his work, most significantly his uncanny ability to pen vivid, in-depth stories that tackle a plethora of concepts and themes.

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Ghostface Killah
The Big Doe Rehab
Def Jam Records
4/5

Written By Samir Siddiqui

The Wu-Tang Clan are years removed from their prime, both artistically and commercially, but one member of the Clan seems to forever be at his artistic best, continuously providing the rap game with the charisma and energy that only he can deliver. Ghostface Killah, who dropped not one, but two very good albums in 2006, returns just a year later after the release of More Fish to give us The Big Doe Rehab, and not surprisingly, Ghost doesn’t fail to impress.

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Jay-Z
American Gangster
Roc-A-Fella Records/Island Def Jam
4/5

Written By Samir Siddiqui

In setting out to record his latest offering, American Gangster, the goal for Jay-Z was to produce a loose concept album, influenced by scenes, as well as overall themes from the highly-anticipated film of the same name. However, the finished project is impacted by the gangster-flick not only lyrically, but almost more importantly, in the way in which it is constructed. Cinematic production, a dramatic intro and outro, the display of reoccurring themes, both vivid and clear, and well-written story-telling, all play an important part in making American Gangster a film-like experience in the form of an LP. American Gangster provides a throwback feel in more ways than one, as the album not only maintains a correlation with the 70’s backdrop of the film musically, but also has Jay returning to his lyrical roots, dropping clever gems reminiscent of his immaculate debut set Reasonable Doubt. “Pray” immediately sets a dark, suspenseful tone for the start of the album, as Jigga details the effects of illegal activity on it’s immediate surroundings, leading way for the Marvin Gaye-sample-drenched “American Dreamin’”.

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Written by Samir Siddiqui
Kanye West
Graduation
Roc-A-Fella Records/Island Def Jam
4/5

Seemingly in an endless rut over the past few years, mainstream hip-hop can
recently be characterized by a complete disregard for originality and
change, something that has plagued a genre known in the past for excellent
variety and a willingness to push lyrical and musical boundaries. But for
one of the mainstream’s most noteworthy artists, Kanye West, resorting to
played themes and chasing the sounds of top 40 radio is just not an option.
In contrast to his worthwhile production work on Common’s Finding Forever,
West had no plan to build on his past sounds for his own album, Graduation,
as he branches off from the sonic treatments of The College Dropout and Late
Registration to create a soundscape that ventures into un-chartered waters
for popular rap music. Seemingly fueled by the endless pressure to not only
provide an album on par with first two projects, but to also provide
evidence that popular hip-hop can be good hip-hop, West’s strong effort on
his new album resonates almost throughout.

For people that have heard the album, post your thoughts on Kanye’s latest work.
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Talib Kweli – Eardrum
Blacksmith Music/Warner Bros. Records
4.5/5
Review by Samir Siddiqui

Ever since the firing of CBS radio/television personality Don Imus, U.S.
media has been quick to point the finger at hip-hop for everything bad that
has happened in the country since. And while our friends over at Fox News
have little trouble belittling various hip-hop acts for so-called vulgarity
and misogyny, mainstream media has also knowingly blinded the American
people from the other side of hip-hop, which is painted by talented
wordsmiths such as Common, The Roots, Nas, and of course, veteran
rhyme-slayer Talib Kweli. Nearly three years after his heavily bootlegged,
somewhat under-appreciated LP The Beautiful Struggle, Talib Kweli comes to
hip-hop’s rescue with an album that mixes conscious content with mainstream
appeal.

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