Top 10 New Rap Releases - June 2009

L.E.G.A.C.Y. is a member of the Hall Of Justus crew, which also includes Little Brother and Khrysis. His forthcoming solo-LP, Suicide Music, was produced entirely by Khrysis. The album's first single, "The Greatest," features Mela Machenko and Dasan Ahanu.

Street Date: June 16, 2009

Blaqkout is a collaborative album between one of the illest MCs and one of the greatest hip-hop producers. Blaqkout is as risque and provocative as anything Quik and Kurupt have done in the past.
Street Date: June 9, 2009

Hip hop troubadour Sage Francis is set to add to his solid catalog with the release of the Sick of Wasting mixtape on June 16th. It's the latest part of his hilarious, creative and popular Sick of... series which began in 1999. Previous series included: Sick of Waiting Tables and Sick of Waging War. The new release will be available for free on Anti.com and Francis' own record label Strange Famous. (Download the first single "Strange Fame")
Street Date: June 16, 2009

Nearly 20 years in the game and the duo of M-1 and Stic-man is still sticking it to the powers that be, as evidenced on their latest longplayer. The album features guest verses from Bun B, Styles P, and the granfather of revolutionary emceeing Chuck D.
Street Date: June 23, 2009

Sa-Ra's new album, Nuclear Evolution, is a potpourri of wit, dirty-sex, tall tales, and futuristic sounds. Musically, it's equal parts jazz, soul, pop, funk, and hip-hop. Guest artists include Erykah Badu and saxophonist Gary Bartz.
Street Date: June 23, 2009

AZ, arguably the most underrated rapper ever, is putting finishing touches on his eighth album. The album boldly titled Legendary is scheduled to arrive on June 2nd, 2009. Legendary will feature guest verses from D-Block soldier Sheek Louch and Dipset member Hell Rell. After 14 years in the rap game, AZ shows no sign of slowing down. The Brooklyn native has released two solo albums in the last three years alone, including 2008's Undeniable and 2006's The Format.
Street Date: June 3, 2009

Def Jam is touting Loso's Way as Fab's most personal and confessional album ever. It supposedly explores the perils that come with managing the transition from a street life to one of legitimacy, which is probably a way of saying that Fab's sound was always street to begin with. Regardless, introspection always makes for good music, so it should be interesting to see if Fab will do some soul-searching here. Fabolous will release a 30-minute film in conjunction with the album.
Street Date: June 30, 2009

I know what you're thinking ("Oh boy, another posthumous J Dilla album?"), but this one is actually worth checking out. Jay Stay Paid is an assortment of beats assembled by Pete Rock with help from Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey (Dilla's mom). Some of the songs feature MCs, while the rest give us a sneak peak into Dilla's creative process.
Street Date: June 2, 2009

America's favorite hip-pop group is back with its 5th full-length album, the first since 2005's Monkey Business. The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) is already off to a great start, as Black Eyed Peas set the mark for best single-week and debut download totals by a group after shifting 465,000 downloads of "Boom Boom Pow" in its first week of release. "Boom Boom Pow" is the Peas' first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1.
Street Date: June 9, 2009

Propelled by the brilliant "Life In Marvelous Times" and the sensational "Quiet Dog," The Ecstatic marks Mos Def's long-anticipated return to pure rhyming. The album finds Mighty Mos as poetic and as experimental as ever. Ecstatic is very light on features, with only Slick Rick, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Talib Kweli dropping guest vocals. It's his first full-length since 2007's True Magic.
Street Date: June 9, 2009