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"

Clones (Star Trak, 2003) by The Neptunes

The greatest strength of this project is that it demonstrates The Neptunes versatility as a production team.  No two tracks sound alike and each beat brings out the strong points of each featured artist.  The weaker point of this album is that none of the instrumentals are the best that The Neptunes have to offer.  Even if the album is a fun listen (which it is), nothing comes close to "Got Your Money" or "Best U Can."

HITstory (N/A, 2012) by Hit-Boy

Considering how skilled Hit-Boy is as a producer, it was very impressive to hear him be able to rap with great ability as well.  He is first and foremost a producer, and he plays to those strengths by enlisting the help of other rappers such as Big Sean and Kid Cudi.  But Hit-Boy can definitely hold his own on the mic, my two favorite songs are ones he does by himself, "East Vs. West" and "Jay-Z Interview."

Unpredictable (J, 2005) by Jamie Foxx

I was actually a little disappointed with Unpredictable.  Considering Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for playing Ray Charles, I expected more sophistication.  The actual singing is good and the production is solid.  But the content is every cliche that Hip-Hop and contemporary R&B had fed into for the past fifteen years.  In a nut shell, Ludacris' guest verse on "Unpredictable" is the album's best moment.

Life Is… Too Short (Jive, 1990) by Too Short

In my opinion, this is Too Short's best album.  Everything about it is cool.  The album cover, the lyrics, the production.  It is also very well-rounded in terms of content.  It has his trademark pimp talk as well as his social commentary.  I really dig the way the title track was paid homage to as well on UGK's album from just a couple years ago when it was covered and updated with Short Dog himself.  Although Short was not the most talented rapper in the late 80s/early 90s, he was certainly one of the most charismatic.

What Am I Doing in New Jersey? (Atlantic, 1989) by George Carlin

This 5-track LP covers a lot of ground.  However, there are two routines that really stand out to me.  The first is the lengthy last cut that discusses various aspects of driving.  Topics include bumper stickers, people who don't use blinkers properly, cyclists on the road, and license plates.  It's long, but packs a lot of laughs so it's totally worth it.  The other cut, which really stands out, is about politics.  But George took it in another direction and instead of focusing on actual politicians, he discusses the strange culture that policies and procedures have created in American life.  My favorite George Carlin quote ever appears here when he says, "America was founded by slave owners who wanted to be free."