After a month into the new year of an empty release schedule, we’ve finally got a few new releases to chew on. Hitting retail this week comes the mildly anticipated new rock album from Lil Wayne titled Rebirth, but it’s in the underground where our sights are truly set. Producer Statik Selektah releases his new joint 100 Proof this week, while DJ Green Lantern and Styles P team up for their first official album The Green Ghost Project - two albums that should get some serious burn in your iTunes. And on the international tip, Nigerian soulstress Nneka drops her new one Concrete Jungle, an album that rounds out this week’s releases on a worldwide note. Hit the jump to get a closer look at this week’s releases.
Lil Wayne - Rebirth (Universal Motown/Cash Money)
We cannot believe that this album is still coming out, especially since it leaked almost two full months ago thanks to a shipping snafu care of Amazon.com. But nonetheless, Weezy F. Baby is using his final week before heading off to jail for a year to solidify his reign as rap’s weirdest personality with the release of his rock-rap hybrid album Rebirth, featuring guest appearances from Eminem, Shanell, Nicki Minaj, Kevin Rudolf and more. The album really isn’t good at all, but hey – if you like Weezy, go crazy.
Statik Selektah - 100 Proof
Super-producer Statik Selektah is a beat-making machine, standing alone as one of the few producers that truly has a sound of his own. On his newest album 100 Proof, Selektah flips through his rolodex and enlists the help of emcees like Bun B, Wale, Lil’ Fame, Kool G Rap, Talib Kweli, Styles P., Souls of Mischief and a host of others, all of whom take turns flowing over soul-washed, crisp beats from SS. This one is for the true hip-hop heads that like their hip-hop with extra emphasis on the soundscape.
Nneka - Concrete Jungle (Epic Records)
If you haven’t yet heard of Nigerian singer-songwriter Nneka, it’s time to wake up and pay attention. Getting her kicks in the music industry as opener for Sean Paul in 2004, Nneka has grown into her own over the past few years, recently catching the attention of American hip-hop heads with the release of her excellent J. Period-mixed mixtape The Madness (Onye-Ala) that saw her collaborating with Damien Marley, Zion I, Talib Kwlie, Jay Electronica, M-1, General Steele and more. Her new album Concrete Jungle is 12 tracks written and co-written by Nneka, and it’s not to be slept on. Do yourself a favor and check this girl out.
DJ Green Lantern & Styles P - The Green Ghost Project
DJ Green Lantern and Lox member Styles P team up for their first official full-length outing, appropriately titled The Green Ghost Project. Though it plays more like a mixtape album than an actual retail release, the full-length plays with enough head-knocking beats and rhymes to make your neck snap. And if the Ghost and Green aren’t enough to satiate your appetite for good music (you’d have to be tasteless not to love this music without a guest appearance), the album features guest appearances from Raekwon, Tre Williams, Sheek Louch, Noreaga, M.O.P. and a whole lot more. Get familiar.
