"Return of the Mac" is everything that "Blood Money" should have been and wasn't.

Still all things considered and given the obscurity of the original release it's hard to knock "Ruff Drafts" for what it is, especially given the bonus disc.

It will forever tarnish everything you ever liked about him, as you will suddenly view him as an eccentric crackpot who is more interested in making "Paper Bubbles" than good music.

The beautiful mess of Mos Def makes for a bumpy listen.

Nas has made a passionate album to reawaken your love of the art and if your heart isn't thumping in your chest by the end then it's not hip-hop that's dead, it's you.

This is the first time 'Ghostface Killah' and 'inconsistent' could ever exist in the same sentence. It's still a worthy investment and a must-have for fans, but I could've waited for an even fresher catch.

Jeezy has a competent flow, good breath control, plenty of hot beats and all-star guests, and yet this album really is a sequel to "101" in all but name because it picks up where the last one left off without even trying to differentiate between the two.

This one won't dissapoint Eminem, Shady or G-Unit fans, but it also won't blow them away.

One listen is all that is needed to convince you that the Clipse have dropped one of the best rap albums of the year.

"Kingdom Come" is everything you expected.

There's little doubt that "Tha Blue Carpet Treatment" ultimately qualifies as a successful follow-up to "R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) - The Masterpiece," although there's also little doubt that Snoop is not pushing any new boundaries or exceeding already set expectations.

The Game shows lyrical improvement over his major label debut, and even though some accused him of being a "name dropper" back then and still will today, the references seem more in keeping with his "soldier of the West" philosophy and less like a filler for lack of content.

At times Sovereign exceeds at being entertaining and at other times her simplistic lyrics, heavy accent and electronic beats prove to be too much to grasp.

While it's far from the most important record in hip-hop in 2006, let alone in Diddy's career, it's one that does at least keep your interest the whole way through and is worth listening to more than once.

G-Unit fans and Lloyd Banks fans in particular will be satisfied with "Rotten Apple."

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."

Despite the presence of some must-hear rap tracks, it's hard to justify the purchase if you are paying for only about half an album.

He still comes across much of the time like a less charismatic Nelly.

Being bold and different for Lupe pays off right from the jump.

There are plenty of unexpected surprises to be found.

The only complaint one could have about this CD is that it actually may be slightly overloaded with guests, meaning the deep and dusty voice that made him the Wu's first breakout solo star occasionally gets overshadowed.

"Idlewild" seems to prove they're two seperate artists even more than the last double album did.

It's easily among the best of his work in his entire career.

She does so many things right it's hard to point out any one in particular.

He sounds positively dated.

The only downside to "Feedback" is that by the time you reach the swinging latino rhythms of the instrumental finale "Canto de Ossanha" 52 minutes of hip-hop soul just won't seem like enough.

He'll never win any of those freestyle battles but he can damn sure make a record that you'll enjoy listening to multiple times.

It might be too early to call Cut Chemist's "The Audience's Listening" a masterpiece in 2006, let alone in the pantheon of all-time great turntablist albums like "Wave Twisters," but Cut Chemist defintely proves here that branching out from Jurassic 5 to pursue a solo career was anything but a mistake.