Trouble (RCA, 2004) by Ray LaMontagne

Trouble is one of my desert island, top album picks.  I think the songwriting and delivery are nothing short of astonishing.  I was first unknowingly introduced to his music through a few episodes of FX's classic, Rescue Me.  I then purchased the Trouble album on clearance when Tower records was going out of business for like 5 bucks.  To this day, years later, it's still one of the best 5 dollar bills I've put down at a register.  In my opinion, the album is a classic from beginning to end and will continue to stand the test of time.

Unfinished Business (Roc-A-Fella/Jive, 2004) by Jay-Z and R. Kelly

Put simply, this is a bad album.  It clearly seems like it was an attempt to sell records along with their tour (which also flopped).  The fact that this album's material is sometimes referred to as leftover stuff from the Best of Both Worlds sessions from 2002 is bad enough.  Considering that album's best records were mediocre at the very best though, it seems foolish to release stuff from the cutting room floor from those sessions.  However, that logic still didn't stop this release from happening.

Rap Phenomenon II (N/A, 2004) by 2Pac

Personally, I put this right up there with The Don Kiluminati and Me Against the World, in terms of my favorite material from Pac.  Obviously, his raps are timeless, but, in some cases, production sounds dated.  But DJs- Vlad, Dirty Harry, and Green Lantern do a superb job of blending Pac's rhymes over more modern beats.  The numerous interludes (Sway's was especially cool) shows the unconditional admiration that Hip-Hop will forever have for Tupac Shakur- one of the genre's most memorable figures ever.

Street's Disciple (Columbia, 2004) by Nas

This double album is considered by many (myself included) as one of the weaker points in Nas' extensive catalogue.  However, because it is Nas, there are still some very strong records.  "These Are Our Heroes" and "Virgo" featuring Doug E. Fresh and Ludacris are great.  "Thief's Theme" is also a standout and wise choice for a single.  The cons unfortunately outweigh the pros on this album though as a lot of the production comes across and mediocre.  And just like every double rap album of all original material not called Life After Death, the set could easily be cut in half.  Personally, I prefer quality over quantity.

Straight from the Lab (N/A, 2004) by Eminem

The cuts here that weren't included on the bonus disc of Encore should have taken the place of some of the songs on the regular Encore disc (so what if they had leaked, I think they're still better than "Big Weenie" and "Ass Like That").  "Monkey See Monkey Do" is a song to get people amped and "Can I Bitch" is more evidence that Em is not someone that an opponent will likely beat in a battle.

Shhh...Don't Tell (Warner Bros., 2004) by Adam Sandler

I'm a big Adam Sandler fan, but I personally did not care for this album.  To me, it felt like he was trying to recapture the blue, off-color humor of his debut from over a decade earlier.  However, given where Sandler was in his career at that time of this album, he had seemingly outgrown solely shock value, cursing, and bathroom humor.  And that's pretty much all this album is .  Props to all the big names who makes appearances though and "Stan the Man" is a great tribute to Adam's father.  However, those high points can't save this release overall from being a bit of a let-down.

Damita Jo (Virgin, 2004) by Janet Jackson

This is a bad album.  I was a huge fan of the predecessor, but this album seems like it was trying too hard.  All For You is a sexually suggestive album by one of the sexiest women ever.  Its follow up, however, leaves next to nothing to the imagination and comes across as gratuitous.  The one record that's half-way descent is "Strawberry Bounce" which samples Jay-Z's "Can I Get A…"

G-Unit Radio Vol. 6: Motion Picture Shit (N/A, 2004) by DJ Whoo Kid

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1/Ready or not here we come, here comes trouble in the club11, 12, 13, pistols big as M 16's/How the fuck we sneak in with this many heaters in our jeans/Nina, 2 nina's, a peace and they don't even see us/Some shit pops off we squeeze each one they gon' think its machine guns/Vanos vo vano, bananas in our flannels/Hands around our colt handles, hold them like roman candles/Vannas vo vannas, banana fanna fo fannas/Who come back all bananas, banana clips loaded/Managers, bouncers and the club owners, the motherfuckers dont want us/To come up and rush in the club and run up in it with a bunch of/Motherfuckers from Runyan, steady poppin them onions/Ready set to go nut up, prepare to tear the whole club up/Fixin to get into some shit just itchin to choke someone up/You know we finna loc'n when we mix coke with coke and nut rum up/Yeah Yeah oh, what up, see my people throw shit up/See you talk that hoe shit now when you down and wont get up/And can't sit up your so slit up, the ambulance wont sew you up/They just throw you up in the trunk once they tag your big toe up/Heater no heater, automatic no matic/Mac or no mac it dont matter if I have or dont have it/You never know what im packin' so you just dont want no static/And open up a whole can of whoop ass you dont wanna chance to/Risk it no biscuit, mili mac a mac milli/Really homie dont be silly, homie you dont know me really/You're just gonna make yourself dizzy wonderin what the dealy/Fuck it lets just get busy D Twizzys back up in the hizzy!"

-Eminem, "10, 9, 8, 7"

Straight Outta Cashville (G-Unit, 2004) by Young Buck

Proving that current southern hip hop music was more than just crunk at the time, Nashville's Young Buck put a bit of gangsta attitude back into rap below the Mason Dixon.  "Shorty Wanna Ride," the album's second single, is one of Lil Jon's finest productions and embodies a lot of the album in its 4:21 length- the south, the hood and a somewhat rowdy (but still very skilled) approach to rhyming.  "I'm a Soldier" is a great start to the album, and 50's guest appearance helps get the momentum up and running.  Other than that, the other album's highlight is when Ludacris outshines his host on "Stomp" and delivers harsh words for T.I.

Kiss of Death (Ruff Ryders, 2004) by Jadakiss

"Uh, yea, yo/Why Halle have to let a white man pop her to get a Oscar/Why Denzel have to be crooked before he took it/Why they didn't make the CL6 wit a clutch/And if you don't smoke why the hell you reachin' for my dutch/Why rap, cause I need air time/Why be on the curb wit a “Why lie, I need a beer” sign/Why all the young niggaz is dyin'/Cause they moms at work, they pops is gone, they livin' wit iron/Why they ain't give us a cure for aids/Why my diesel have fiends in the spot on the floor for days/Why you screamin' like it's slug, it's only the hawk/Why my buzz in L.A. ain't like it is in New York/Why you forcin' you to be hard/Why ain't you a thug by choice/Why the whole world love my voice/Why try to tell 'em that it's the flow son/And you know why they made the new twenties/Cause I got all my old ones/That's why"

                                                                                      -Jadakiss, "Why"

D12 World (Shady, 2004) by D12

The album starts off with an incredible rapid-fire verse from Eminem which sets the tone and momentum for the entire project.  It isn't quite as dark as Devil's Night, and that makes for a well-rounded release.  from the humorous "My Band" to the serious "Good Die Young," D12 World finds the six Detroit emcees in top form.  Overall, Eminem outperforms the other five.  However, on "Get My Gun" and "40 Oz.," the late, great Proof reigns supreme.  Production-wise, the sounds are varied.  Among others, producers include Red Spyda, Hi-Tek, and Dr. Dre.  The album shows growth from their debut, and since the group is now seemingly disbanded- I feel that D12 proved themselves as what they set out to be: shocking and skilled emcees.

Ill At Will Vol.1 (n/a, 2004) by Redman

Due to numerous delays and setbacks, it seemed that Redman's album Red Gone Wild might not ever see the light of day.  Fortunately, Redman took it upon himself to relase something and stay on the radar while the label politics at Def Jam kept holding up his album.  His mixtape, Ill At Will Vol.1, did that and then some.  Not only does Redman rip through industry tracks like "What More Can I Say" and "Bad Intentons," but he also has original material on here as well.  Those highlights are "Da Countdown", a very, upbeat a high energy record, and "I C Dead People" which samples deceased emcees.  And last but not least, he also uses the mixtape as a platform for his Gilla House crew.  Overall, Ill at Will Vol.1 is a great example a rapper bucking the system and doing what needs to be done in order to get quality music to the people.  And isn't that what rap music is all about in the first place?  It's a beautiful thing.

Have Your Loved Ones Spayed or Neutered (Warner Bros., 2004) by Jeff Foxworthy

Jeff Foxworthy's last solo album was a great swan song.  It's his usual every man comedy routines.  The thing I've liked about Foxworthy's stuff too though is that his material grows with him, not necessarily in maturity, but in topics as far as aging, parenting, marriage, etc.  And this album highlights those topics particularly well.  "Oreo Generation" and "I'm Next in Line" are great bits about looking after children and taking care of parents.  "(On diapers)  And for as hard as it was with the kids, I can't imagine it being any easier with the seniors.  I don't want to be sitting watching football with my father-in-law… [sniffs]  Ed?  Don't you lie to me Ed!"  The only thing I would've done differently, if it me were me, is to come full-circle with "You might be a redneck" material.  I thought it was an interesting decision to close his last album with a new catch-phrase "I believe" that would set itself up for many more jokes, when, in theory, there wouldn't be anymore.

Encore (Aftermath, 2004) by Eminem

For as dumb as a lot of this album is (i.e. "Big Weenie", "Just Lose It, "Ass Like That", "Rain Man"), there are still some very solid tracks on Eminem's fourth major-label release.  "Yellow Brick Road" is a screenplay-detailed account of what led up to those controversial freestyle tapes and "Like Toy Soldiers" is his call for a truce with The Source and Murder Inc.  "Mockingbird", a song for his daughter, is one of the best songs of his career.  And the title track with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, in my opinion, surpasses "Crack a Bottle"- a collaborative song the three hip-hop icons would release five years later to much fanfare.  Despite the album's highlights, Encore failed to live up to the standard Eminem set for himself with his previous releases.  But this album's shortcomings, as well as the ones on 2009's Relapse, made Eminem's 2010 release, Recovery, one of the best revivals hip-hop has ever seen.

The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella, 2004) by Kanye West

The coolest thing about Kanye's debut is how versatile the production is.  Considering he found his niche with soul samples (i.e. Jay-Z's "This Can't Be Life" and The Blueprint), it is incredible how Mr. West crafts a collection of songs that all sound different.  And for my money, "Jesus Walks" is the best beat of the 00s.  The militant vibe, choir, and auto-tune gospel howls are all astounding.  Then, of course, there is "Through the Wire" where Kanye raps with his jaw wired shut which is positively epic.