Breaking ties with Universal Records has allowed this Atlanta hip-hop artist to enjoy the freedoms of working with an independent label. And donšt let the Christian-raised rapper's name fool you into thinking this is mild stuff, this album was first controversially titled "Saddam Hussein" and sports a Parental Advisory label. "I'm bombing on these n**gas; I'm bombing on them like Saddam," Troy says.
Making good on his desire to craft a "more playful" record, Sam Beam here touches on West African highlife ("House by the Sea") and down-home country rock ("The Devil Never Sleeps"). The hand-clap-addled single "Boy With a Coin" is due July 10.
A legend on the West Coast underground hip-hop scene and a founding member of the groundbreaking Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone has been releasing solo and group albums since 1995 under various labels. Acey's latest finds him refining his old-school sound on tracks like "Eazy," a collaboration with Jurassic 5 emcee Chali 2na.
Frontman Eugene Hutz describes his gypsy-punk octet's over the top, theatrical live performances as "astro-physic, alcoholic, orgasmic hysteria." The downtown group brings more of that flavor to their new album.

This follow up to 2005's "East Infection" is further influenced by the band's eclectic ethnic backgrounds, which includes Ukrainian, Israeli and Chinese roots.
The SoCal punk stalwarts are unleashing their fourteenth studio album, which, curiously, is the first in fourteen years featuring a title not derived from a song or lyric. If past efforts are any indication, expect an unrelenting combination of social consciousness and buzzsaw riffs.