FOUR STARS: (Singing) Just put it in your mouth.....sorry. I dont know what I was expecting when I tuned into The Lonely Ones but I know I came away with a great experience. Aceyalone put in solid work here and the sound is both melodic and fun. Well worth a listen! Best cuts: The Lonely Ones and Workin.

THREE STARS: Normally I have such high expectations for anything AZ drops so some of the material on this LP are not up to par with his previous efforst but this is still a banger well worth a listen.

FOUR STARS: Foul mouthed grimey East Coast all the way. This is authentic DJ Premier and Blaq Poet both at their best. Every track is gritty and hard and brings you right back to the days when the East Coast dominated the hip hop landscape. Best cuts: Rap Addiction

FOUR STARS: Cunninlynguists delivers each outing and their latest southern laced LP is no exception. Strange Journey, Vol 1 is a blend of true hip hop meets dirty south along the lines of a Goodie Mob (Khujo Goodie adds a nice feature). The skits are sarcastic at times derogatory. Best Tracks include: Don't Leave and Georgia Remix.

THREE AND A HALF STARS: Dj Drama's Gangsta Grillz series happens to be the benchmark of southern mixtapes. This is the follow-up in a series Drama dropped in 09 and the best mix thus far.

THREE AND A HALF STARS: Guess who's back? After being gone for a while Eminem returns with Relapse. Call it a dark LP, an ode to drug abuse LP, or a "I will Kill you for looking at me the wrong way" LP. Relapse is a mixed bag at best but still a notch higher than his last LP. Best cuts: Beautiful, Crack A Bottle, and Same Song and Dance.

THREE AND A HALF STARS: Fantastic production by Black Milk marks the vibe of A Pipe Dream and A Promise. Finale hails from Detroit, Michigan home to a variety of top notch producers and rappers which have blessed 2008 and 2009 with solid LP's. Best Cuts: Heat, Pay Attention and One Man Show.

FOUR STARS: Guru brought me back with this effort. Good music. On showcase here is the New York sound and Gurus old school lyricsm. Best Cuts: Lost And Found and Read Between Tha Linez.

FOUR STARS: Unlike your typical experimental music, K'os is able to blend the sounds of old school rap and new wave hip hop intentionally. Most artist would be reluctant to travel uncharted paths but K'os embraces them with a fervor. 'Yes!', is a new take on an old theme and one of the best LP's of the year. Best cuts: "Natalie Portman", "Zambony', and Mr Telephone Man.

FOUR STARS: The topics are varried and give you more food for thought than your typical hip hop album. K'Naan blends several styles together in this crossover LP with nice success. Best cuts: Wavin Flag and I Come Prepared

NOT YET RELEASED: This album will be reviewed at time of release.

THREE AND A HALF STARS: Marco Polo and Torae team up for a solid LP in Double Barrel.

FIVE STARS: Panacea drop a remix LP that features fantastic verses and incredible mixes of their classic works.

THREE STARS: Rakims best work is his 1992 double CD release "The Book Of Life & The 18th Letter". Some of these cuts were fine but overall this LP was a let down but still its fun to hear new works from the greatest MC of all time.

FOUR STARS: Hardcore Rap is an aquired taste that the likes of Brotha Lynch Hung, Tommy Wright III, and of course Tech N9ne can deliever so well. Lets face it Tech N9ne is not for everyone and his "Sickology 101", may not be as grand an ambition as his last LP "Killer"", but Tech still drops a fire album. Best cut: Red Nose

FOUR STARS: Ugly Ducklings lattest effort is filled with energy and just alot of fun. I enjoyed the melodic delivery of this hip hop group and their witty tracks are both positive and uplifting. Audacity is worth a listen and given the chance view their creative and light hearted music videos as well. Best cuts: Lonely Ones and It Never Mattered