Top 10 Hip-Hop Releases for April 2008

Touting a collective quarter million records sold between them, Living Legends are no pushovers. The L.A. crew consists of Murs, The Grouch, Luckyiam, Eligh, Scarub, Sunspot Jonz, Aesop, and Bicasso. The Gathering is a 7 song EP which serves as a precursor to the Legends' upcoming full-length album.

It's one thing to have a successful rap single. It's another thing to parlay that success to a full-blown career. Despite spawning one of the more recognizable hits of the last two years, the schoolyard anthem "Lip Gloss," Lil Mama is still trying to break out of the one-hit wonder identity. The 18-year old newcomer has been hard at work on her debut, Voice of the Young People, for several years. Hopefully, Mama's fun, fly, and frenzied style of hip-hop will make her a mainstay in the future.

Show You the World, The Grouch's first album in five years, offers concise, yet compelling rhymes. However, the production is more varied, sophisticated and polished than ever before. "I worked on this record for almost three years," says The Grouch, a founding member of Living Legends. "More, this record was an idea that sprang to mind after the birth of my daughter, Rio, in 2006. As soon as she arrived all I could do is think about wanting to show her everything that I love. I was quickly humbled when I realized I was learning as much from her as she was from me." Aww, how thoughtful.

Many know him as "that Wrap-Up guy," but Skillz has been around for two decades. In that time, he's penned hits for the likes of Jermaine Dupri, Will Smith, and Diddy. Unfortunately, his songwriting expertise has yet to translate to major success for the Virginia-bred MC. So, will Million Dollar Backpack (funny title, by the way) be the album that finally earns Skillz the recognition that has eluded him for so long? Speaking to XXLmag.com last year, Skillz boasted that he has made the album everyone wanted to make. "I just made the album that Jay-Z, Kanye [West] and Lil Wayne want to make. It's that good."

Prodigy follows up his H.N.I.C. album with a second installment. The album is executive produced by longtime P collaborator The Alchemist. Aside from Alchemist, production also comes from Sid Roams and P's Mobb Deep partner Havoc. H.N.I.C. is expected to be released in 1,400 different languages with the aid of Voxonic technology, becoming the first rap album to ever achieve that feat.

Brooklyn-bred lyricist AZ returns with more mafioso narratives on album No.9. Undeniable is light on guest appearances, but it spots collaborations with Ray-J, Jay Rush, and Styles P.

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Ant and Slug of Atmosphere are popular for two things: making good music and coining ridiculously long album titles. The full title of their new album is When Life Gives you Lemons, You Paint That Sh*t Gold, which inches out 2005's You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having by 2 words. Slug joked that their next album will be named There Are Plenty of Decaffeinated Brands on the Market That Are Just as Tasty as the Real Thing. Long titles aside, Paint It Gold will be released on three formats: a deluxe CD packaged as a 40-page gold embossed hard-cover book with a children's book and a DVD, a standard digipak CD version with lyrics and album credits, and a double vinyl LP. Have fun deciding which one to buy.

9th Wonder (of Little Brother fame) and Buckshot (of Boot Camp Clik) team up once again on Tha Formula, their follow-up to 2005's Chemistry. "I’ve always had a certain sound within Hip-Hop and 9th Wonder helps bring out my unique style," says Buckshot of Tha Formula. "We share a comfort level that allows me to be at ease when it comes to recording and that natural sound translates into great music."

II Trill is Bun B's second solo album and you can bet it won't be his last. With the death of Pimp C, Bun's UGK partner-in-rhyme, the duty of upholding the group's legacy now falls on Bun. Speaking of which, Pimp gets two tribute songs on II Trill. Collaborators on board for the album include: Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne, Chamillionaire, and R&B singer Mya.

Who would have thought a hip-hop band from Philadelphia would still have a career 15 years after they first popped up? Not only are the Roots still one of hip-hop's most relevant masterminds, they have the enviable discography to show for it. And that catalog is about to get even scarier with the arrival of Rising Down, which ?uestlove calls their best work yet. Guests include: Talib Kweli, Wale, Saigon, Mos Def, and Styles P.