September Preview

August had it's moments, with Bun B's Trill O.G. and Wale's More About Nothing, but for the most part, it was a pretty quiet month. We did get the "Power Remix ft. Jay-Z [prod. Swizz Beatz]" and I was very happy to see AZ make a return with his single "Nothing Move ft. June Summers". However, there really wasn't much else to talk about on the rap scene (unless you love Young Money, but don't even get me started on them). I'm also still waiting for an album that will challenge Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chio Dusty for the best hip-hop album this year. So, will September be more generous to hip-hop listeners? Here's what to look for in the last month of summer. . .

- WAKE UP!

Artist: The Roots w/John Legend

Release Date: September 21st

Hey, didn't the Roots already release an album this year? Well it seems that ?uestlove and Black Thought aren't quite satisfied with How I Got Over being their only offering this year, so why not make another album with one of the best callaborations for The Roots today? Yep, WAKE UP! (I perked up by just reading the title) will be hitting shelves later this month, and it's an album you should probably pick up. The Roots seem to be moving back to, well, their roots since they had a more laid back, jazz feel to How I Got Over. That's a good thing, and with John Legend helping out, dare I say it could be. . .legendary?

- Classic
Artist: Rah Digga
Release Date: September 14th

Surprised that this is on the list? You shouldn't be. Rah Digga, one of the better female MC's in hip-hop, was part of the successful group Flipmode Squad. Her first album was released 10 years ago, Dirty Harriet, which was met with decent critical reception. Digga is probably best known however, for her appearance on "Touch It Remix", which earned her a Best Callabo Award at the 2006 BET Hip-Hop Awards. I'm pretty confident that her newest album won't be a "classic" but it's good to see Digga back in the studio and getting something on the market finally. I wouldn't rush to buy this, but it should garner a listen if you can find it streaming somewhere.

- TM103
Artist: Young Jeezy
Release Date: September 28th

I'd be willing to bet every penny in my wallet, (which isn't much), that this album will suck. But, I'm also willing to bet that it will still sell incredibly well and that Jeezy will have his second consecutive #1 album on the Billboard 200. I liked "Lose My Mind", (Jeezy's first single), but if every song is anything close to that on TM103, Jeezy will have another forgettable set of tracks. Wait to see how this one looks before buying it, but most people will probably just buy it anyways.

As far as singles, Kanye will continue to release singles each Friday, so those would be a G.O.O.D. (get it?) thing to do. Also, if you haven't paid any attention to the news lately, T.I. and his newlywed, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, were arrested on Wednesday night for "a controlled substance". T.I. is still on a three-year probation, so this could be a major blow to when he goes to court. Keep tabs on Mr. Harris this month, because it's very possible that Clifford will be heading back to jail. For the full news story on T.I., click here.