"Beauty and the Beat" is a rare, valuable record that channels two markedly different types of music into a new one, a collage of sounds that hasn't been heard in a very long time.

B4.DA.$$ is a step in the right direction in New York hip-hop getting the attention and validation its long been denied.

Madlib produced albums tend to only get better with age, and I don't expect Pinata to be an exception.

The strength of "A Sufi and a Killer," though, is the remarkable consistency with which this eclectic and experimental record holds itself together. This is an album in which beats and rhymes truly serve as the yin to each other's yang.

All in all, Dizzee hasn't gone all out to make an artistic masterpiece, but it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference.

There isn't a weak track on "Father Divine," and though some of Ladd's lyrical styling can be uninspired... the album is packed with solid material.

"Kingdom Come" is everything you expected.

Every time you turn the page to another chapter of "Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang" you get a pleasant surprise.

Brown's self-awareness of his situation doesn't seem to have made him alter his intake. At least it has allowed him to make an incredible album.

Atrocity Exhibition is a party rap album, a drug rap album, an emo rap album, and a post-punk album all rolled into one.

This is not RJD2's best work, but this record contains several stunning creations and very few disappointments. Aceyalone settles for too little, allowing his natural skill to carry him in the absence of true purpose, but his voice still weaves deftly throughout most of the album.

Even if the music isn't extraordinary, Nas himself is legendary on "Untitled" - and as long as racism is relevant, so is this album.

It's also among his best work and he raps with the passion and fury of a rapper on his first LP.

With strong lyricism, impeccable production, and a consistent tracklist-only "Hydromatic" and "Poppin'" lack the rest of the LP's highlights-DJ Quik has turned in another gem sure to keep lowrider stereos and headphones alike busy throughout the summer and beyond.

Talib Kweli keeps the level of discourse high throughout Gutter Rainbows, and it should come as a surprise that some references he makes will go right over your head (props if you knew who knew Yohji Yamamoto was or what the Bhagavad Gita is).

He's versatile enough in writing ability to cover any topic from somber to silly, he's clever enough to make what he has to say worth rewinding to catch, and he's not that bad behind the boards as a producer either

It's awfully hard to name a bad track on Trill O.G. anywhere.

The Solution is an album informed by Sigel's hustles and struggles that still manages to elevate beyond them to offer a broad appeal as the self-described "fat boy on a sucker free diet" puts out the best gangster rap Philadelphia has seen since the heyday of Schoolly D--except that Sig' is on a level now D could never touch.

From the thumping energy of the Just Blaze beats and fiery rap rhetorhic of "I'm Talkin' to You" to the smoothed soulful Khao Cates beats on the "miss you girl" narrative of "Hello," Atlanta's self-proclaimed king wears many different crowns and they all seem to fit him well.

It is prime El-P, deep, heavy, funny, and banging all at the same time.

The raps are solid and the production under Fraud is not polished, but more refined this time around. All in all, “The Plugs I Met 2” is another feather in Benny’s cap.

Boots is more than just a fiery orator, he's a powerful composer who adds the funk to the mix to make his words stick. While at times his style has been hit or miss, "Pick a Bigger Weapon" finds him at his most musically consistant and enjoyable.

The range on "The New Danger" is as broad and deep as the Brooklyn Renaissance itself.

Tronic shows marked improvement in Black Milk as the total package; he doesn't excel by sacrificing his rhymes for the sake of the music, or vice versa.

It is the right combination of introspective and funky. It makes these long, endless days and weeks much more manageable. If you need something both banging and relaxing, Shabazz Palaces got you covered.

“E.L.E. 2” may be bloated and overloaded with A-list star features, but it works. Somehow managing to cater toward two generations of listener; you could have this playing on a CD in your car for weeks, skipping some tracks and then discovering new favourites down the line; yet there’s enough excellent individual moments here to populate a digital playlist too.

From the 'Intro' to the 'Outro' there's very little to not like about UGK 4 Life other than the fact it can never be done again, and any music videos released off this album won't feature Pimp doin' his thang.

It may be that the only constant on Chemical Warfare IS Alchemist's beats, but that's enough to make it work--and like the futuristic battle it implies the album is filled with hits you'll never see coming.

Big Fish Theory sees Staples evolve as a rapper and an artist, and prove himself as a singular talent in hip-hop.

Trying to cherry-pick highlights from "DAMN." is an exercise in futility: practically every track is superb, more a matter of taste than anything else. It's simpler to isolate the one bum note: "God" sounds like an Akon joint from the mid-Noughties.

The album succeeds in granting an audio interpretation to something that's showcased more prominently in a cinematic medium.

For the most part, the sound palette on “God Don’t Make Mistakes” is painted as dark and grimy which suits Conway’s visceral crime details. Though he isn’t from New York City, he’s got the grit to match it. Many of the tracks show off his penchant for detailed street life depictions with polysyllabic rhymes delivered in a veteran’s flow.

The irony of releasing three beautiful albums it that even a great album like "RTJ3" can still wind up being ranked third in descending order. As good as it is nothing here can top "Crown," "Angel Duster" or "Early" for me. By no means is this in any way a negative. It's like saying you're going to listen to your third favorite Ice Cube or third favorite Michael Jackson album--you're still going to wind up listening to some brillaint s#$t over and over again no matter what.

However challenging or confusing his rhymes can be, the songs still work with their combination of banging beats, rich lyricism, and twisted humor.

Tame and Del are like-minded rappers who have been heading in the same direction for years musically without having crossed paths. Now that they've finally linked their styles together in tandem, it's a blessing to all of their old fans and soon to be new ones.

Rapsody succeeds in crafting a love-letter to the oft-overlooked, oft-denigrated minority that is the Black female.

This is as essential as any other producer/emcee collaboration this year ("Pinata", "Run the Jewels 2") and proves that Premier (with the assistance of Adrian Younge) can still craft great albums with his well-worn formula.

“Call Me If You Get Lost” is undoubtedly a strong showing by Tyler, The Creator, to say the very least. Despite this album’s fantastic structuring and delivery, however, something that is always to be expected with this artist is that what he creates next will undoubtedly be even better.

This album succeeds in its goals despite the heartbreaking passing of Phife Dawg while it was being recorded, and even though I had accepted "The Love Movement" as their last chapter all those years ago, this is a much more fitting end.

The good news is that he’s very easy to pay attention to. It’s hard to miss a word that he says. Either because of the incredibly short length, or his great attention to detail, or the Kenny Beats production (or all of the above) “Vince Staples” is a must listen. He was wiser than his years at 22, now he’s wiser than his peers too.

There’s a timeless quality to the way Keith Elam and Christopher Martin brought out the best in each other, and even posthumously on “One of the Best Yet” you can still hear that love of making hip-hop in every track.

King Push's Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude is a damn good record, but it is not flawless.

Neither artist disappoints on the LP and Quik continues to progress and go beyond the boundaries of traditional west coast hip-hop. Although I'm not sure if fans will ride down Crenshaw bumping a few of the songs on the album, I salute Quik and Kurupt for trying something new.

Let Them Eat Chaos is another fantastic album by an incredible talent.

One can't fairly make the claim that "Pt. II" picks up right where the original left off, but this is the best Raekwon we've heard lyrically and musically in a long time, and barring a late entry this should be the best Wu-Tang related album of 2009.

It's an excellent album if you're in on the joke.

The order of the songs in the end seems carefully chosen, not unlike a play or movie where the emotional resonance from each piece is meant to build you up, bring you down, and build anticipation through each movement towards the climactic ending.

Aside from these few niggles, this is easily Nas’ best record since 2012’s “Life is Good” and let’s be honest, a pleasant surprise.

If this is the Wu-Tang of the 2010's, we need more albums like it.

While it may be a little on the long side, the quality never lets up and you'd have a hard time deciding which tracks, if any, should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Lizzo is kinky and playful too, but the most sexy thing of all is her unlimited confidence in herself. She thinks big, dreams big, and achieves it all on this album.

She’s not mired in self-pity, but she is also not blindly overconfident and thoughtless. This combination of bravado and humility makes “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” such a fantastic album. It shows an artists who is not afraid to grow, take chances, and let it all out there. All of that make it one of the better albums I’ve heard this year.

His delivery is just as smooth and his lyrics are as slyly clever as before. Shad continues to grow as an artist and has adjusted well to his newfound success. While the old prince no longer has to live at home, he shows true leadership skills in the ability to connect with listeners.

Though Bronson does try new things on his first major-label outing, he still includes his characteristic lyrical qualities along with elements from past releases. In a sense, he's re-introducing himself.

Despite the many cooks involved in this project, it maintains a sonic and lyrical cohesiveness.

This isn't an album of 1990's styles brought to 2012 - these are contemporary beats and rhymes that can hang with anything else coming out on the scene

The music is kept grounded throughout by the guitar work and some exceptional sung hooks, but the MCs' ability to craft and deliver backpacker quality lyricism is what holds the whole thing together.

The irony of the Notorious soundtrack is that it may actually be a better "Greatest Hits" album than his actual "Greatest Hits" album, even though it's not presented as such.

Simply put, it is an essential document of hip hop history, an interesting collection of sound art, and a lot of fun to listen to as well.

No one will forget after Emeritus, an album that proves Scarface deserves accolades and titles just as much as we deserve for him not to retire.

Ali is a mess of contradictions, but his latest effort proves how well those contradictions work together. Mourning In America is another amazing album by Ali, hip-hop's best street preacher.

Knxwledge really knows how to bring the best out of Brandon. “HereIAm” swells with organs that make you feel like you’re at church for Sunday service. .... “Why Lawd?” proves it’s possible to remain true to your vision and bring the haters to you instead of the other way around.

Pro Tools could be called a return to form, but since GZA never lost the form in the first place, it would be more apt to say that he's kept the peak form he already had and just honed his lyrical tongue to an even sharper and more polished edge.

Kiss of Death is the Jadakiss album that everybody's been waiting for, 'Kiss fans and critics alike.

There are songs on here so thorough and ill they'll send a chill down your spine and raise the hair on your neck.

This is Cube's strongest performance musically and lyrically in many many years, so he's not only forgiven for using such an absurd word, he's actually given me hope that it might eventually show up in the hip-hop dictionary.

This is The Roots band, jamming their way through the wealth of protest soul that rocks and rolls, and obviously a crooner like the Grammy award winning John Legend is far more important to capture that soul and make it his own.

With All the Beauty in This Whole Life, he created not just an album that represents an arranged amalgamation of his own experiences, but also a hip-hop album with so much soul that Rakim would blush.

Whatever genre you want to label Dedication as, it is a remarkable album.

However he chooses to create his albums, both Logic's talent as an emcee and his insightfulness can't be denied.

He certainly gets outshined by the original score--but that only serves to make a much better album than many anticipated from the Boss himself.

The lion's share of Cage's fans will see this newly found exposure as Chris Palko taking steps towards getting his story out to a wider audience with this personal and quite exceptional release.

Considering how tight "Strength & Loyalty" is, it's not likely anybody is going to forget Bone Thugs-N-Harmony any time soon.

I'm curious to see and hear how an album that addresses nothing but social issues would turn out, but I'm more than satisfied with this release in the meanwhile as Mike continues to pledge his allegiance to getting rich independently, or simply put, the grind.

By providing a cinematic narrative throughout, Royce proves that he is more than a one-trick-pony witty lyricist. He's introspective and not afraid of laying down confessional lyrics.

Personal, heartfelt lyrics and soulful production have been key factors in K.R.I.T. building the following that he has amassed up to this point in his career, and this time around he's coming with much of the same.

Whilst not quite a true Renaissance for hip hop, it certainly is a rebirth for Q-Tip--and fans of A Tribe Called Quest will dine out on this album for the next nine years too.

Balance is the key element that Freeway absolutely nails. Amongst these joints that sound like pure commercial hits, Freeway, drops enough dope introspective material to prove that he is well-rounded.

Because of the themes it addresses, “RTJ4” is indeed a hip-hop album chaotically reflective of the modern times and much needed for the same reason.

Shabazz Palaces created an album that is deep, dense, cryptic, hypnotic, and beautiful in its own freaky way.

Ghost continues his tradition of being the Wu's most consistant soloist.

It's not a new sound, and, at points, the tracks feel monotonous as they bleed into each other. Still, there are certainly standouts.

Usually an artist can try and re-create the album that gave him so much acclaim, or he can scrap everything and create something new and fresh, with the risk of alienating his fan base. P.O.S chose to do the latter with We Don't Even Live Here, but unlike many artists, he pulled it off without a hitch.

It manages to sound both isolating and uplifting at the same time, and really shows an artist who is honing their loneliness and boredom into creativity. It has helped me get through these long and strange months, and I highly recommend it.

Little Simz is at her best when she is coming out all guns blazing, but a little too often on this album her hyper lyricism is unnecessarily hampered by mellow beats that don’t match her fire. “Grey Area” deserves all of the accolades it has received. Little Simz is a talented rapper with a broad range. She is raps with fierceness, attitude, sensitivity, and intelligence.

Do NOT approach this as a rap album, or you will be perplexed to no end. This is cerebral, intricate and inventive electronically-based music that is certainly hip-hop in ethic and inspiration, but channelled through a uniquely British conduit, interpreted by one of the more intriguing urban poets of recent times.

On Ctrl, SZA proves that you can be confident yet insecure, sexual yet crave affection and genuine connection, and empowered and still prone to falling for bad boys and all the drama that entails. SZA is the real deal and yet another example of how some of the most interesting, complex, sophisticated art being made today is being made by R&B artists.

Jeezy manages to keep a strong unified album together without ever getting monotonous or tired.

Pusha is more thoughtful and Malice is more cocksure. Through the alchemy of Pharrell Williams the result is their finest work to date.

Through soaking in various travails, and pouring them through the microphone, he has truly grabbed us. His beats have almost taken a backseat on this journey but it is worth it just to prove that his story, his journey and his life are much more interesting that a mere drum pattern and a sample.

His bitterness about that fate may be the only black mark against this album--there's a tinge of resignation here and little effort to make himself more palatable to the masses.

Where Bjork's music is grounded in indie and experimental pop, as well as Bjork's innate quirkiness, Kelela's music is still R&B at its core. She's great singer and a fantastic talent.

It's the sound of a composer showing just what can be done with a sampler in the right hands. Hip-hop producers should take notes.

The album is listenable, exciting and succeeds in reigniting interest in hip hop and rappers that dedicate their life to become great MC's, not just hustlers.

Top Boy has elevated Kano to a bigger platform, and his music has managed to follow suit. His character in the Netflix series may play second fiddle to Dushane, but he can consider himself “Top Boy” as far as British rappers go.

There's nothing ludicrous about Ludacris giving his fans exactly what they want, and it's even less ludicrous that he will probably convert more new fans on the strength of "Release Therapy."

Years of being disregarded, underrated and criticized may have hurt Dilla's feelings but those who would regret that will feel no shame now knowing every barb thrown his way only made Dilla that much doper as a producer--to the point his posthumous albums are now better than what most living cats make today.

Shorter than its predecessor, it is also a more cohesive and even effort, making Ace and Brooklyn the focal points of this hour plus narrative told in the now trademark laid-back manner.