 | Asterisk:Four by Various
Buy used from: $59.77 I hate to give the album of the year honors to a compilation, but Qn5 left me no choice here. Qn5 are the best out there right now and this is more than just a compilation. It's a conglomeration of gifted producers and emcees coming together to make a bangin' album. If you download one song get Sonshine.
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 | Dirty Acres by Cunninlynguists
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $4.99 In addition to producing this whole album, Kno also produced much of Asterisk 4 (above). Natti also stepped his game up for this disc. This is not on the level of their last two classics, but still a beautiful album from start to finish. There is not enough focus in music anymore on the album as a whole, so it is nice to hear a group so dedicated to it. One song: Georgia.
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 | Ultimate Victory by Chamillionaire
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $1.83 I have to admit, I slept on his first album because mostly everything from Texas is junk (yes even UGK and Geto Boys in my opinion). Cham shows us, however, that it's more about the talent of the individual, rather than the region. Chamillionaire's lyrics are on another level and his flow is amazing. Also, somehow he got Slick Rick on a guest appearance: enough said. One song: Pimp Mode.
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 | Eardrum by Talib Kweli
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $4.50 Kweli will not fall off. Lyrically and musically sound, this album was well worth the wait. Kweli proves what Mos Def can't: that talent can remain after 30. Also, the video for Hot Thing is the video of the year. One song: In the Mood.
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 | The Undisputed Truth by Brother Ali
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $8.89 Who says a white albino from Minnesota can't bless the mic? This dude has soul and rhythm. Couple that with some amazing multi-layered tracks from Ant and you have a great album. One song: Daylight.
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 | The Cool by Lupe Fiasco
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $3.84 Last year Lu had the number one album on my list, this year number six. This is not to say that The Cool is weak, it's just hard to top a classic debut, especially with only one year between albums. Standing alone, this album is very good. Deep lyrics over thought-provoking beats form a concept and story from song to song. One song: Go Go Gadget Flow.
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 | Getback by Little Brother
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $2.78 I've bought every one of their albums and have never been pleased. . . until now. Let me say it again: the album without 9th Wonder is the best Little Brother album. The production fits Phonte and Pooh better than their formed group member ever could. It's really about Phonte, man. One song: Can't Win for Losing.
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 | 8 Diagrams by Wu-Tang Clan
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $1.88 For the first time in ten years I am not disappointed with a Wu-Tang release. Of course this is no 36 Chambers or Cuban Linx, but it is the album that should have followed Wu-Tang Forver. I move to strike The W and Iron Flag from history. 8 Diagrams is officially the third album from the Wu as a whole. One song: Wolves.
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 | Finding Forever by Common
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $1.00 I call this a comeback. Kanye and Common aren't changing the world or giving us anything new, but they are giving us just a good Hip-Hop album to listen to. This will never compare to to Common's second or third album, but it is a solid release from a vet. It's also good to see him finally getting the recognition he deserves. One song: The People.
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 | Graduation by Kanye West
Buy new: $10.97 / Used from: $2.94 DISAPPOINTING. That's the only way to describe the feeling this album leaves you with. When I heard the singles Can't Tell Me Nothin' and Stronger, I projected this may be album of the year based on those songs alone. Unfortunatly, I bought the album and it ruined that hype. Of course, it's not a horrible listen, but his potential is unfulfilled. One song: Can't Tell Me Nothin'.
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 | Below the Heavens by Blu & Exile
This was a good year for music, but not a good year for debut's. Luckily this cam out and the future looks good for Hip-Hop. Blu has a good flow and lyrics and Exile lays down some beautiful tracks, although Exile is not quite versatile enough to tackle a whole album. One song:Dancing in the Rain.
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 | Gutterfly by Lifesavas
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $0.95 There were a lot of good sophomore albums this year and Gutterfly is one of them. Lifesavas have interesting production and help to bring attention to the Northwest as a relevent region for Hip-Hop. One song: Gutterfly.
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 | American Gangster by Jay-Z
Buy new: $10.97 / Used from: $4.54 The real comeback album. I didn't really get into Jay-Z until The Black Album. Maturity proved to do him good as an artist and it can be heard here. American Gangster is a good album from a mature emcee. One song: American Dreamin'.
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 | Desire by Pharoahe Monch
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $1.76 With eight years between this and his last album, this should be classic material, right? WRONG. Gone are the days of the verbal dexterity he displayed with Organized or during the Rawkus years. Desire does have some good songs, but if you're expecting to be blown away with an amazing flow, listen to Tonedeff on Asterisk 4, Pharoahe Monch no longer has it. One song: Trilogy.
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 | Vol. 2-Dream Merchant by 9th Wonder
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $6.75 Despite my smack talk about 9th earlier, I like his beats enough to buy his album. Specifically I liked his work with Murs, I just never thought he was good for Phonte. That being said, not much, production-wise stands out on this album. One song: Baking Soda.
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 | The Most Underrated by Domingo
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $2.99 Yes, he contributed to the number one album of the year, but can he do it solo? The answer is no. This is a decent listen from a veteran producer, but nothing special. I expect his album with Pack FM (coming in 2008) to be much better. We'll see. One song: F*ck You Mean.
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 | The Album by Smif-N-Wessun
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $4.13 I hate to rank this so low. They tried and they put a lot into it, which is more than you can say for most vets. Unfortunately for Tek and Steele this is 2007 and not 1995. One song: Keep it Movin' 2000.
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 | Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant by Wyclef Jean
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $1.19 If you have to market your album based on the success of an album you put out years ago that was good, but no where near perfection chances are your new album lacks everything that made the original album good in the first place. Get it. Some songs make you wonder what the f*ck Clef was thinking? If you own this album share a laugh with me and listen to Selena. One song:Heaven's in New York.
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 | Hi-Teknology 3 by Hi-Tek
Buy new: $15.99 / Used from: $0.26 See the first sentence on the review above. This came out too quick. He didn't take enough time to get the proper emcees and it suffers because of it. I'm all for putting on unknowns, but they are supposed to have talent. I hope to never hear from Chip the Rippa again or pretty much every other unsigned emcee on this album. One song: Time with Talib Kweli.
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 | Hip-Hop Lives by KRS-One & Marley Marl
Buy new: $16.99 / Used from: $3.27 Why did I buy this? I knew it would be wack. I knew that KRS lost his last shred of talent, sanity, and self-respect around the time the millenium changed. I knew Marley Marl lost his skill about ten years before that. I guess I bought it for the history which is what this washed-up pugilists were banking on. One song: download another one off of Asterisk 4.
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