Albums to look for in '08- Part 2

Now that i've talked about my favorite up-and-comers for the year, its time to get into the hip-hop heavyweights. Last year was a little disappointing, with only a few albums worth your money, but '08 is definitely looking good.

Lose Sleep Anticipating:

Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne- The master of the mixtape and self-proclaimed king of hip-hop finally comes out with a new studio album. Last year, the music game really was Wayne's World as he was featured in almost every song on the radio. Now its time for him to make some real money. How good is Wayne? Dude's whole album was leaked onto the internet so he made a new cd like it was nothing. He's keepin all his songs underwraps for now so I dont know whats gonna be on it, but I guarantee it will be nasty. Tha Carter III drops February 15th.

N*R*3*D by N.E.R.D.- Pharrell and Chad's funk band is back. For some, thats a big deal. For others, who gives a F*%K? Im on the side of those celebrating because, well, im all over Pharrell's cock, no homo. I love everything he does and you can believe I'll be buying the album the day it comes out (no official date yet, sometime in the spring). The group promises to go back to its roots. This means, musically, the album will be all over the place. I'll keep you posted as songs start to drop. For now, here is N.E.R.D.'s debut album, In Search Of...


N****r by Nas- I dont feel comfortable with Nas' new album name. I know that since I'm white, I am not allowed to have an opinion on these issues, but, if I did, I would think its retarded. The N-word is not like calling a white man a cracker, as much as Nas wants it to be. I dont know any white person that gets offended by cracker, but i know A LOT of black people that get offended by the N****r. Now, onto the music. Despite his last album's failure, Nas is still the man who made Illmatic so I have faith in the man. I think Nas is gonna drop a gem with this one. It comes out in February.


The Greatest Story Never Told by Saigon- The dude who became popular when he got signed by Turtle on Entourage is a real rapper. And despite his threats to quit the business, his long awaited debut album is gonna be hot. Fire hot. He can spit it as good as anyone i've heard outside of Lupe and his cd is handled completely by Just Blaze. To get the Come on Baby remix featuring HOVA and Swizz Beats, click here. The album is projected to drop early in the year.

Unnamed Gnarles Barkley Project- Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo are set to return this Spring and they promise to improve on the success of St. Elsewhere. In interviews, Cee-Lo has stated that the album is, "pretty damn good. What else can I say?" If you ever get a chance check out the duo live in concert:



Its pretty trippy, but its tight.


Rising Down by The Roots- One of the best hip-hop groups of all time will return in April according to ?uestlove. One of the first and only groups to utilize live instruments, I really love The Roots and can't wait to see what they've got cookin. Here is a little classic Roots to tide you over.




And maybe, just maybe:


CRS- If it happens, it'll be the biggest album of the year, hands down. Lupe is a genius and lyrically the best rapper in the game, Pharrell is the best producer money can buy, and Kanye is the best overall musician in hip-hop. Put it together and create a rapper's delight (i know its corny, but im just so excited). When US Placers debuted, I was happy but I knew the song only realized about half the groups' potential. Its like having Kobe, LeBron, and D-Wade on your team. All other rappers are gonna get destroyed.