Top 10 Hip Hop Albums Sep-08

Naz ..not only broke the rule of album titling when he decided to name his 9th CD after the most incendiary noun in the dictionary, he redefined the art of hypocrisy. Al Sharpton and his ilk condemned the album without having heard a single lyric or musical note from it. Some of Nas' peers understood his motivation, while others questioned his business acumen. As Def Jam debated whether or not to move forward with the project, a congressman from Nas' hometown of New York asked his state Comptroller to withdraw the $84 million that NY state pension fund has invested in Universal and parent company Vivendi.

It must be nice to color outside the lines all the time. That's just what the The Roots have done in their 15 years or so on the global musical radar. Sales are no longer a factor, since they've never delivered a platinum album and have only gone gold twice;they only have themselves to compete with. By maintaining an exhaustive tour schedule, they could be content with the sheer novelty of being hip-hop's best live act. Instead, the band in thland of the unseen hand that holds trouble opt to stand on their tenability with a fresh oxymoronically-titled 10th album, RisingDown.

Much like 2006's St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley's latest album title is a play on a bygone TV show. Expect more of the same envelope-pushing musicology from the duo of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse

OutKast's critically acclaimed double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was originally intended as two separate LPs. Apparently, packaging them jointly wasn't a bad idea, as that set went on to sell over 10 million units. There's no arguing that Big Boi and 3000 have been contemplating their respective solo albums for a long time. Thankfully, they two have confirmed that they're working on their respective solo projects, due later this year.

Saigon's major debut has been delayed so much that I'll have to see it to believe it still exists at this point. Despite the cloud of uncertainty hovering around Sai-Giddy's album, one thing's for sure: With Just Blaze manning the boards and Sai on the mic, anticipation for The Greatest Story Never Told remains at an all time high

With T.I. being one of hip-hop's best selling artists for the last five years, it's hard to imagine a year passing by without new material from the trapstar. While under house arrest in his Georgia mansion, Tip has been putting finishing touches on Paper Trail. The album is expect to drop sometime this summer.

Powered by the lead single "That's Gangsta," II Trill marks Bun B's return to active recording since the death of his UGK partner Pimp C. Bun says he recorded most of the songs on II Trill earlier in 2007. This time, you can expect more from Bun than the braggadocios anthems that graced his solo debut, Trill.

Bun considers II Trill a message to the hood.

Snoop's ninth album, Ego Trippin', will feature production from Pharrell, Teddy Riley and others. If "Sensual Seduction" is a sign of what's to come, then this should be a fun album.

The major sentiment surrounding Game's third project, LAX, is "wait and see." Wait and see if the L.A. rapper will match the success of his first two albums. Wait and see if Dr. Dre, who backed down from The Doctor's Advocate, will assist with production this time. Wait and see how 50 Cent will react to that. Game has said that LAX will be his last album. Wait and see if he'll be the first rapper keep to honor a retirement commitment.

The third installment in Lil' Wayne's Carter series has been in the making for more than two years now, but Wayne says it's well worth the wait. "It's one of those albums people are really waiting on," he told Billboard.com at the beginning of the year, "so I made it so that whatever is on it will stick with you forever." Don't they all say that?