Top Rap Releases - November 2007

Don't let the CD title mislead you, writer's block is probably the least of JR Writer's worries. Since 2004, the New York MC has been churning mixtapes at an alarming rate. Volume 5, the latest installment in the Writer's Block Series, marks JR's debut on Babygrande Records. Word has it that he inked a seven-figure contract with the indy giant.

Powered by the upbeat single "My Drink N My 2-Step," B.A.R.S. (Barry Adrien Reese Story) finds Cassidy returning to top form. The first three letters in the acronym stands for Cass' government handle. Guest appearances on B.A.R.S. include John Legend, Fabolous, Bone Thugs-N Harmony, and Timbaland.

The Away Team (Sean Boog & Khrysis) get their feet wet with Training Day. The duo is a part of the same Justus League crew that spawned Little Brother.

Dirty Acres is the fourth album from dirty-minded hip-hoppers Cunninlynguists (Deacon The Villain, Natti and Kno). The album boasts collaborations with Phonte (of Little Brother), Witchdoctor, and Big Rube.

Four long years after Freeway's much lauded debut Philadelphia Freeway, the R.O.C.-bred rapper returns with Free At Last. Wondering how Free At Last differs from his first CD? For starters, it was executive produced by two hip-hop heavyweights -- Jay-Z and 50 Cent.

Cormega, a founding member of The Firm (a group which included Nas, Foxy Brown, and AZ), is still gunning for glory. The straight-to-DVD documentary Who Am I? and its accompanying soundtrack allow fans to get an inside look into the life of 'Mega. The DVD includes 5 previously unreleased music videos.

Foxy Brown has been sounding like a broken record lately, with one legal brouhaha after another. One can only hope that the Brooklyn Don Diva will translate all that drama into some great work of art.

Like Nas' Greatest Hits, thisisme then highlights the best songs from Common's early rap years. The compilation casts its net around the first five years of Common's career. The CD comes equipped with 15 tracks from that time frame, including the classic "I Used to Love H.E.R."

10 of Nas' biggest songs and two new tracks find a home on his first Greatest Hits compilations.

Jay-Z saw the Ridley Scott flick about Frank Lucas, a Harlemite who rose from being a driver to a drug lord in the 1970s, and buried himself in the studio for two weeks. The end result is this superfly concept album.