The Carnegie Hall Performance (Comedy Central, 2006) by Lewis Black

This is not only my favorite Lewis Black album, but one of the few double disc albums that I can play from beginning to end.  A lot of the material ended up in his book Nothing's Sacred (which is a great read), but obviously it is interpreted differently when the material is actually heard by its creator.  In my opinion, this album is one of the funniest LPs from the 00s.  It's a smart and well-sequenced piece of commentary on the times.

Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob, 2006) by Ice Cube

Cube's seventh album was a great comeback after a 6 year hiatus from the mic.  Although the album is guilty of some filler, the highlights make the album totally worth it.  "The N***a Trap" is classic Ice Cube social commentary and "Why We Thugs" is a great single that still manages to keep a message intact.  Production-wise, the album is solid and Lil Jon proves with his three contributions that he's capable of more than just southern crunk.

Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky (Capitol, 2006) by various

For a compilation soundtrack, Rocky Balboa is pretty good.  It has a great mixture of the classic records such as "Gonna Fly Now" and "Eye of the Tiger."  However, combined in the standards are pieces of dialogue and other great instrumentals.  The Three 6 Mafia record is current, but not very good.  My personal favorite pieces are "Adrian" and "No Easy Way Out"- I still believe that's a great song used wonderfully in Rocky IV.

Second Round's On Me (Shady, 2006) by Obie Trice

"Meat cleaver, leave a gas in a bitches ass/See her dreams of being an R&B singer diva/Leave her face, cut her from the waist/Ah man what a waste, of a pretty face/And this place ain't just safe, it's just straight gangsta/It ain't just New York or L.A. that pains no more/There's Latin Coun' Kings here/Southside, four, East Side and Gansen/Nuthin but ganglands and, spray paint cans/And when that van rolls up, man they ain't glancing/That window rolls down and that tre-eight's dancing/And them shooters don't miss, homie they hate chancing/Straight for the dome and it's vacate fast and/Get the fuck outta dodge 'fore that blue Dodge flashing/Red and blue lights, no ambulance, you got flattened/And this was not supposed to be no Detroit anthem/But just so ya know, if ya see them D-Boys passing"

-Eminem, "There They Go"

One Hunid (Underground Railroad, 2006) by The Product

One Hunid is proof that Hip-Hop isn't dead.  Willie Hen and Young Malice can both really rap and they hold their own alongside the southern Hip-Hop legend.  Although this album isn't quite as powerful as Geto Boys' Resurrection; it does come close.  Alchemist provides outstanding production and lyrically these guys are great.  Scarface is obviously a talented A&R, in addition to an amazing rapper.  Keep in mind that Ludacris was the first act that he signed to the Def Jam South imprint years earlier.

Good Day to Cross a River (Comedy Central, 2006) by Greg Giraldo

This is one of my favorite albums ever.  Giraldo certainly battled with his own demons, but he has no reservations about making observations in regard to American society and culture.  Giraldo's passing was certainly tragic, and his skillful comedic abilities will be missed.  He was a Harvard law student, which should come as no surprise, considering how smart his material is.

Girth of a Nation (Warner Bros., 2006) by Ralphie May

This is my favorite set by Ralphie May.  He walks a fine line with his racial humor, but he is able to pull it off successfully (in my opinion).  The two best routines are about the pope's death and catholicism and commentary provided by movie-goers during a preview for the film Open Water.  The album gets a bit long-winded near the end, but that's only a minor complaint.  Overall, this is a great early album from one of the funniest working comics out right now.  Much respect due.

Taking the Long Way (Open Wide, 2006) by Dixie Chicks

Rick Rubin is a musical genius and this is further proof of that.  The Dixie Chicks had a lot to answer for when they made those unfavorable statements about former President Bush.  Scratch Magazine once described "Not Ready to Make Nice" as the song that made the Dixie Chicks this generation's Public Enemy.  I couldn't agree more.  But the album as a whole is fantastic too.  Great writing, production, and performance.  I'm glad they received multiple Grammys for it.

Straight Outta Lynwood (Volcano, 2006) by Weird Al Yankovic

Straight Outta Lynwood is actually one of my favorites that Weird Al has ever released.  "White and Nerdy" is hilarious and makes it clear that Al really can rap.  "Confessions Part III" and "Canadian Idiot" are also very clever parodies.  The 180 degree turn that Al takes with Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud" to "Do I Creep You Out" is great too.  The best song on the album though, I think, is "Trapped in the Drive-Thru."  It takes R. Kelly's already kind of ridiculous soap-opera of a song and makes a very funny spoof of it.

Two Drink Mike (Comedy Central, 2006) by Mike Birbiglia

This is my favorite Mike Birbiglia album.  "Hip Hop Annimosity" is very funny.  I also like his overall delivery and humor is stream of consciousness.  It allows him to cover a wide variety of subjects in a quick period of time.  Not everyone could pull that off, but Mike does.  His delivery is also bit more narrative than just straight joke telling.  I really enjoy that too.  Although his comedy style is somewhat reminiscent of Steven Wright, Birbiglia clearly has a voice of his own and that is very entertaining as well.

In Other Words (Warner Bros., 2006) by Kathleen Madigan

This is not a great album.  It's not that it isn't funny; it's just that it sounds like material and style is still being developed.  To be fair, the album does show potential for Madigan in the future.  Some of her routines, such as her jokes about Oprah are better put together and retold on her later release Gone Madigan.  In my opinion, that is a better release than this one.

The Re-Up (Shady, 2006) by various

If I'm not mistaken, this album was originally intended to be a mixtape.  I think it should have stayed that way.  I say that not because the music is bad, but because it lacks the cohesion of an album.  Eminem does a good job of introducing new Shady artists on the intro, but after that all that tracks seem to have been just thrown together with minimal consideration for sequencing.  Obie's "Pistol Pistol (Remix)" was solid as well as "You Don't Know" which help introduce Cashis to the mainstream.  However, other than Eminem's "No Apologies," there aren't really many standout songs here.  But the fact that Eminem drew the album cover makes up for a bit of it.

Kingdom Come (Roc-A-Fella, 2006) by Jay-Z

Jay-Z's comeback disc after a three-year absence is a bit of a let down.  One of the biggest things for me was that none of his collaborations with Dr. Dre resulted in classic material.  Although that shouldn't come as a surprise (Dre had mediocre results with Nas too), it was still something to get really excited for.  The content in Jay-Z's rhymes also speak to his experiences, but so few listeners have those too and so a lot of the music is not something people can relate to.  However, the album does have some very strong points: "Trouble," "30 Something, "Minority Report," and "Kingdom Come."  Four good songs can't save a set of fourteen though, especially when the artist is capable of making excellent ones.

Release Therapy (Def Jam, 2006) by Ludacris

The fifth major label release from Ludacris finds him getting a bit more serious than his previous efforts.  He still puts forth humorous punchlines and raps about pretty girls ("Money Maker" and "Girls Gone Wild"), but they seem very out of place alongside his more serious content.  "Runaway Love" with Mary J. Blige has three verses all telling fictitious stories of three girls who ran away to escape problems that they faced at home.  "Do Your Time", which features numerous rappers, is about serving time in prison.  And "Grew Up a Screw Up" finds Luda and Jeezy exploring the tough personal circumstances that they each had to overcome.  Ludacris proved that he could be just as effective when he's serious as when he's funny.  However, he didn't quite figure out how to balance it properly on this go-round.

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (Geffen, 2006) by Snoop Dogg

This is Snoop's best album since Tha Last Meal.  The opening song, "Think About It", even finds his fluid flow in top form like he was on Doggystyle classics like "Tha Shiznit" and "Gz and Hustlaz."  "Vato" with B-Real was good, but it didn't take off like it should have.  "I Wanna Fuck You" with Akon was an excellent single and the Nottz-produced "That's That Shit" featuring R. Kelly was a perfect choice to keep the momentum going.  For the most part, Dr. Dre's contributions to the project are solid.  However, with the popularity of "Stan", I thought it was very daring to sample Dido's "Thank You" for "Round Here."  The album's best song "Imagine" features Dr. Dre behind the boards and on the mic and is an interesting track which imagines where people would be if hip hop did not exist.  There is some material on this release that could've been left on the cutting room floor, but it's Snoop doing what he does best and that's always something to raise a glass of gin and juice to.

Hip Hop is Dead (Def Jam, 2006) by Nas

This is Nas' fourth classic album (following Illmatic, It Was Written, and Stillmatic).  The title makes a bold statement, but what I like about the content is that it doesn't attack current music as much as it recognizes and pays homage to what came before ("Carry on Tradition" and "Where Are They Now").  The collaboration with Jay-Z is solid [but I wish they both spit more than 1 verse].  The sample of music from The Godfather Pt. II for the beat to that song made it epic which is of course very fitting.  Other highlights on the album include "Let There Be Light," Blunt Ashes," and "Hustlers."  The final part of the album's final cut, "Hope," is Nas rhyming accappella.  It is very powerful how Nas brought hip hop back to the essence with that.  Hip Hop is Dead reaffirms that Nas is one of the most brilliant minds music has ever seen.  And his skills on the mic prove that hip hop is something worth saving.

Doctor's Advocate (Geffen, 2006) by Game

The Documentary brought back the West the same way that Ready to Die brought back the East, but Doctor's Advocate is seemingly more significant for Game himself because it proved to skeptics that he was not just successful by association on the first go-round.  The standout out track, one which I still listen to frequently six years later, is the title track.  It's an emotional song to say the least hearing Game open up and the way Busta spits with such tough love/honesty in the last verse…damn.  The song epitomizes the idea of strength in vulnerability. 

The Big Bang (Aftermath, 2006) by Busta Rhymes

A noteworthy mistake which occurs with this release is that the album's first single, "Touch It", is produced by Swizz Beatz instead of Dr. Dre.  Nothing against Mr. Dean ( "Money, Cash, Hoes" is one of the best beats ever), but Busta's signing to Aftermath warrants a more pronounced collaboration between himself and the good doctor.  Other than that promotional misstep, this is a fantastic fifty-eight minutes of music.  And "Been Through the Storm", which features Stevie Wonder, is especially outstanding.