The Ecleftic: 2 Sides to a Book (Columbia, 2000) by Wyclef Jean

After twelve years, this album certainly doesn't hold up as well as Clef's debut.  However, it still has its moments.  The two tracks that are most memorable to me are "911" with Mary J. Blige and "Diallo."  "Wish You Were Here" is also a clever ode to Pink Floyd.  Unfortunately, those few shining spots are unable to save the rest of the album.

Duets: The Final Chapter (Bad Boy, 2005) by The Notorious B.I.G.

On paper, this isn't a terrible idea.  However, in reality, it is.  Remixing a lot Biggie of verses from his two classics over "current" beats with "current" rappers contributing new verses just doesn't work.  It sounds fake and forced.  The only saving graces to the album are the songs with unreleased material.  "Whatchu Want" with Jay-Z and "Living in Pain" (produced by Just Blaze) with 2Pac, Mary J. Blige, and Nas are both descent records.  But they still come nowhere near making up for the rest of the project.

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.

Life is Good (Def Jam, 2012) by Nas

It's been four years since Nas' last solo effort, but it's clear the wait was worth it after just one listen to Life is Good.  Whereas Nas' two previous solo albums addressed heavy cultural and social themes (Hip Hop is Dead and Untitled respectively), this time Nas gets personal with the poetic brilliance and insight that first captured listeners' ears over 20 years ago.  On the epic opener, "No Introduction", he rhymes, “Hood forever, I just act like I’m civilized/Really what’s in my mind is organizing a billion Black muthafuckas/To take over JP and Morgan Goldman and Sachs/And teach the world facts and give Saudi they oil back."  And "Locomotion" is Illmatic material for this generation.  However, this album is not all about reaffirming past achievements.  On "Daughters", Nas discusses being a single father to a teenage daughter and "Bye Baby" addresses the issue of his split with R&B singer Kelis.  Clearly, there is a strength in Mr. Jones' vulnerability and that is such a refreshing thing to hear in the current rap climate, especially from someone as gifted as Nas.  The Mary J. Blige-assisted "Reach Out" has the Queen of hip hop soul singing over flawless scratching and "Accident Murderers" finds Rick Ross, the album's only guest MC, dropping a surprisingly solid verse.  The album's only misstep is the Swizz Beatz produced "Summer on Smash"- Nas' clear attempt at radio spins, but it sounds forced and it's unnecessary.  With his legendary status in hip hop, radio is not required to draw an audience for Nas.  He can do that himself.  He has proven with Life is Good, like he has many times before, that real personal hip hop is powerful stuff and can connect with people in extraordinary ways (and the excellent production courtesy of No I.D., Salaam Remi, among others, doesn't hurt either).  And this just happens to be one of the best examples of that that hip hop and Nas have offered up in a very long time.