10 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2007...So Far

With its balanced dose of deft production and decent rhymes, Popular Demand quickly established Black Milk as a Rookie of the Year contender. Collaborations with Slum Village, Phat Kat, and Guilty Simpson cohere so well, serving as a testament to Black's own imaginative production.

Trying to keep up with the gazillion Wu-Tang affiliates often leads to disappointment, as fans soon discover that many of th W-extended family members are forgettable in comparison to The Original 9. With this in mind, Hell Razah decided to make his solo debut as memorable as possible. Renaissance Child touches on a plethora of social issues, and includes a tribute to Nat Turner.

I'll Sleep When You're Dead is metaphysics on wax. From abstract dialogues about falling through space to candid quips about selling dreams, El-P's melodramatic musings make for a unique headphone experience.

After listening to upstart Joel Ortiz's The Briick: Bodega Chronicles, you'll swear there's no bright spot in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. Ortiz raps about the grave injustices that shroud the streets and his constant quest for survival. But it's the authenticity in his rhymes that makes this album an enthralling musical ride.

Music tends to be more interesting when an the themes revolve around personal events. Evidence, one-third of Dilated Peoples, manages to cash in on this well-known technique on Weatherman LP. Topics that Ev couldn't explore on early DP albums are fully addressed here. He also uses this artistic freedom to reflect on his mom's death and his emergence from the subsequent depression.

Desire, Pharoahe Monch's poignant sophomore album (finally arriving after years of push-backs), is rich with poetic and insightful excerpts. Pharoahe underpins his politicized stance with a unique sense of lyrical equilibrium. "Slave to the label, but I own my masters," he spits on "Free."

On his fourth solo album, Houston rapper Devin the Dude evokes laughs and dialogs simultaneously by telling tales that dropped the jaws of everyone who heard it. Waiting to Inhale also gets a nudge from stellar guest verses by Snoop Dogg, Lil' Wayne, and Andre 3000.

Don't be misled by the title, this isn't the album where Prodigy throws on his limited edition G-Unit hat, grabs a few groupies and balls out like a pimp. Return of the Mac is, in fact, a back-to-basics, hardcore, 90's Mobb Deep-era album. Alchemist, who produced the entire disc, keeps the soundscape gritty and cohesive, making it easier for P to focus on his CSI-level schemes.

Sean Price's everyman charm and self-deprecating taunts return on Jesus Price Supastar. From the album title to the album closer, Price turns conventional thinking on its head.

A blend of Ice Cube's rage and Eminem's vulnerability, Ali's ability to channel aggression without being apathetic is the success recipe for Undisputed Truth. It's an emotionally raw album, sprinkled with a bevy of broiling gems.