With a vicarious and melodious debut, it's clear that hip-hop's hopeful hasn't shied from his balancing act.

Diplo and Switch clearly cherish the glitches and low-tech glory of vintage Jamaican music. But they’re much better off when re-imagining as opposed to indulging in tongue-in-cheek mimicry.

It's a typically eccentric tour de force from Mos Def. But this time, he recruits producers capable of keeping pace with him.

While The E.N.D may be the farthest The Black Eyed Peas have ventured outside traditional hip hop, the final product proves the group is best at creating their own conventions.

Blaqkout is an audible feast, filled with Quik’s rich production and Kurupt’s tenacious lyricism.

When Relapse ditches Eminem the craaaazzzyyy white rapper, in favor of a maniacal narrator obsessed with graphic rape and violence (subjects much more in line with hip hop’s forgotten horror-core subgenre than anything to do with being a superstar rapper in 2009), Em works wonders with words, expanding the boundaries of the art of rap itself.

The middle-aged MCs have forged an album that reflects their belief that skills will always trump bells and whistles. Don’t mistake it for complacency--blame it on consistency. BO2 passes the smell test.

The superstar’s first album in three years is a solid, if not consistently energized tribute album to Lionel Richie.

In spite of the obstacles--both real and imagined alike--on their second full-length album, Donwill, Ilyas, and Von Pea, collectively Tanya Morgan, have crafted an expansive tour de force.

Chrisette Michele has delivered a consummate R&B album: controlled, beautiful, thoughtful, with some oomph. The cameos are sparse, the up-tempo tracks are still soulful and the perils of love are dominant.

Chester French have deftly balanced the thrills of newness with the reliability of the old--not bad a for a couple of graduates.

Rick Ross is on pace to make his best and most complete album yet. He knows it. And soon hip hop fans will too.

R.O.O.T.S. is a solidification of identity. And when you’re trying to keep yourself in the game, sometimes that’s all a sophomore album has to be.

UGK 4 Life is a fitting end for the Texas boys. It’s classic UGK--temperamental, turbulent, and trill...for life.

It’s a solid offering of tightly conceptualized tunes.

If after swallowing that Elixer, you still have the stamina for more, you will be amply rewarded by Minneapolis Sound, or as Prince spells it, MPLSoUND.

Those looking for timeless music on Pray IV Reign may find their prayers unanswered. But if you’re one of Jones’ longtime disciples, Capo’s got you covered.

The craft is meticulous, and the sound so epic, and at times, operatic, with production from Tricky Stewart (The-Dream’s silent partner in his corporation of hits), that moments on this album comprise some of the best pop music of the decade.

Songs like 'Love, Love, Love,' and 'Can't Live Without You' create the quintessential formula for a classic two-step and Wilson is sure to dazzle longtime fans with the more easygoing numbers. But sleepier tracks like 'One Time,' border on clichéd at times.

It’s Not Me, It’s You cooks up nostalgia for Allen diehards, but the elements have been shuffled and re-imagined with pulsating dance tracks that are surprisingly fitting.

Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics is proof that not only can Arie step out of her comfort zone of relationships and self-appreciation, but she can jog up a few levels as well.

The results are moderately exemplary; a project heavy in power production, but skim on memorable showmanship.

Unlike other albums maniacally programmed to target every pop niche (hello Jennifer Hudson!), Doolittle delivers one of the rarer qualities you’ll find in a contemporary album: a clear sense of who she is.

The Take Over--a post-modern sonic mash-up for Generation O--is Zion I’s best attempt at turning their underground crusade into an overground movement.

The joyful arrangement in The Point of It All enhances Hamilton's storytelling abilities, serving as a lovely mixer to his lyrical depth and sensual, rich voice.

If there’s something the gifted singer-songwriter might want to learn, though, it’s the art of writing more memorable song lyrics.

Tipping a decade long residency within the music industry, Spears’ “comeback” is more so a restoration than a reinvention.

In 2008 Kanye struggled through tragedy so great that it forced him to go left. And ironically, at his darkest hour, Kanye has created his greatest album to date.