"Leaked" Nas Album Cover Deluge Begins

Somehow I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of "leaked" album covers for Nas' N*gger.

And that could be a very good thing.

3) ProHipHop's Top Album for 2007 Released in 2004

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective

So my top album for 2007 is Brian Jonestown Massacre's Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective from that evil genius Anton Newcombe.

Look, it came out in 2004 but I hadn't heard it till recently and it makes me happier than any rap releases I've heard this year.  Plus, though I used to listen to complete hip hop albums, that's starting to go by the wayside.

Giving up doing reviews, one of the best choices of my blogging career, has meant that I also turn down album review copies.  I guess when something indicates that an album is worth buying, I will do so, but I'm just not feeling a lot of the art beyond specific singles, though I'm finding lots of singles I like well enough.

Good thing I'm a business writer.  I'll leave the aesthetics to people that think critics of the arts actually contribute something positive to society!

For more on the Anton Newcombe experience see DIG!.

I have to admit, though, I'm already skipping over about a quarter of the tracks on Tepid Peppermint Wonderland.  Pretty similar to my experience of The Black Album which was the last Jay-Z album I listened to in its entirety.

2) Amalgam Digital Signs Joe Budden, To Release Mood Muzik 3: The Album & Padded Room in 2008

The wait may be almost over for Joe Budden as he signs with Amalgam Digital and waits for the release of Mood Muzik 3: The Album, an albumized mixtape, on February 26th and Padded Room, technically Budden's sophomore release until this mixtape thing complicated matters, in the second quarter of 2008.

Amalgam Digital has Mood Muzik 3.5, the mixtape version of the mixtape album, for sale as individual tracks but I imagine it's readily available elsewhere for less.

Just Blaze: Saigon's Greatest Story Never Told Complete

Sit Down Stand Up deciphers the tracklist from Just Blaze's brief post regarding Saigon's debut album, The Greatest Story Never Told.

Related ProHipHop Interpretive Coverage:
Studio Meltdown: Just Blaze Hallucinates, Saigon Dies

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool: Promo, Blog, Tour Dates, Marketing

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool Coming Dec. 18th

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool drops next week.  Apparently Lupe shouts out the fan blog The Lupe Fiasco Show on the album.

Via Notes From a Different Kitchen.

Tour Dates/Marketing:
The press release has both tour dates and lots of details about the marketing.

Over at VidRap:
Lupe Fiasco f/Matthew Santos - Superstar

Official Sites:
LupeFiasco.com
Lupe Fiasco @ MySpace
Lupe Fiasco @ YouTube

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool: MTV Leak Widget

Commercial for The Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams

Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams Commercial

The Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams is due Tuesday.

Commercials for Face Off From Bow Wow & Omarion

Face Off - Bow Wow & Omarion

Bow Wow and Omarion's Face Off is due Tuesday.  The overall concept plays quite directly off John Woo's Face/Off, starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage, as you can see from the two Face Off commercials that are based on the first part of the Face/Off trailer.

Face Off Commercial #1

Face Off Commercial #2

Trailer for John Woo's Movie Face/Off

Hip Hop Album Releases for Dec. 4: 2Pac, Birdman, Drama, Eazy-E, Ghostface, Mack 10, N.W.A., Scarface, Styles P, Too Short, Westside Connection, Wyclef Jean

Too Short - Get Off The Stage

This is a big week for West Coast releases with multiple best of collections, an N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton: 20th Anniversary Edition plus Mr. Too $hort.

To receive this report separately each week, please visit Weekly Hip Hop Albums and sign up for our free weekly newsletter delivered every Monday with Tuesday's releases.

The following new releases are available from Amazon.

The Best Of 2Pac, Part 1: Thug
The Best of 2Pac, Part 2: Life
The Best of Fiend: Mr. Whomp Whomp
The Best of Mack 10: Foe Life
The Best of Westside Connection
Birdman - 5 Star Stunna
Cool Nutz - King Cool Nutz
DJ Netik - DMC Presents Champion Sounds
Drama - Gangsta Grillz: The Album
Eazy-E - Featuring Eazy E
Filero - Million Dollar Mexican
Gangsta Rap Meets Hip-Hop Legends
Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab
Jefes De Latin Hip Hop 
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton: 20th Anniversary Edition
Pittsburgh Slim - Tastemaker
Scarface - MADE
Styles P - Super Gangster: Extraordinary Gentleman
Too Short - Get Off the Stage
TVT Records - Crunk Hits Vol. 4
Wyclef Jean - Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant

For a database of upcoming and past releases with updates,
please see Hip Hop Albums @ netweed.

Nas Says: "You a N*gger Too"

The more Nas reveals about his plans for the album N*gger, the better it sounds.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Nas' Next Album Pushed Back to February

TV Spot for Too Short's Get Off The Stage

Too Short Get Off The Stage Commercial

A quick promo for Too Short's Get Off The Stage due December 4th from Jive.

Rick Ross' Trilla Pushed Back to February

Rick Ross' Trilla is delayed till February 19th.

Are there a lot more pushbacks this year or am I just paying attention for a change?

Best Of - Mack 10: Foe Life & Fiend: Mr. Whomp Whomp

The Best Of Mack 10: Foe Life

Coming from Priority Records December 4th:
The Best Of Mack 10: Foe Life
The Best Of Fiend: Mr. Whomp Whomp

The Best Of Fiend: Mr. Whomp Whomp

Press Releases:
MACK 10'S TOP HITS COLLECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR NEW CAPITOL/PRIORITY RELEASE, THE BEST OF MACK 10: FOE LIFE

CAPITOL/PRIORITY PRESENTS THE BEST OF FIEND: MR. WHOMP WHOMP

Nas' Next Album Pushed Back to February

Nas' next album, currently titled N*gger, has been pushed back to February and that's Black History Month.  Expect the first official single in January.

Hip Hop Album Releases for Nov. 27: Away Team, Black Milk, Chuck D, Common, Cunninlynguists, Large Professor, Pitbull, T.I. & Jim Jones, Whoo Kid

Cunninlynguists - Dirty Acres

To receive this report separately each week, please visit Weekly Hip Hop Albums and sign up for our free weekly newsletter delivered every Monday with Tuesday's releases.

The following new releases are available from Amazon.

Away Team - Training Day
B Real - The Gunslinger III: For a Few Dollars More
Black Milk - Sound of the City
Chuck D & The Slamjamz Artist Revue - Tribb to JB
Common - This Is Me Then: The Best Of Common
Cunninlynguists - Dirty Acres
H Town 2 Tha A Town
Large Professor - Beatz, Vol. 2
Mac Dre Presents Me-N-My Goonz
Pitbull - The Boatlift
Thizz Nation, Vol. 18: Mistah Fab N G-Stack
Thizz Nation, Vol. 19: Star Studded
Thizz Nation, Vol. 20: Starring Geezy Town Thizzness
T.I. & Jim Jones - When the North & South Collide, Pt. 3
Whoo Kid - Guess Who's Mothaf#@kin' Back
Zimbabwe Legit - House of Stone

For a database of upcoming and past releases with updates,
please see Hip Hop Albums @ netweed.

The Best of 2Pac - Part 1: Thug; Part 2: Life

The Best Of 2Pac, Part 1: Thug

The Best Of 2Pac, Part 1: Thug and The Best of 2Pac, Part 2: Life are due December 4th from Interscope Records.

The Best of 2Pac, Part 2: Life

At Hip Hop Press:
New 2PAC CDS Captures the Complexity of a Lyrical Genius