Locnville - Running to Midnight

Locnville have very quickly become one of the hottest properties on the local music scene, with their first album, Sun In My Pocket, containing several hits and the title track from that album being featured on the massively popular FIFA 11 video game. They prove they are no one-hit-wonders with Running to Midnight, which once again showcases their catchy, laid-back raps set against dancefloor-friendly electro beats. Production-wise, the Chaplin twins show themselves to be up with the best anywhere and the album is packed with plenty of potential club hits. Their rapping is also top-notch; catchy as bird flu and delivered with the kind of couldn't care less attitude that fits perfectly with the music, as well as their Cape Town stomping ground. With an international deal freshly inked with Sony, Locnville are a band on the move, and they show no signs of slowing down on Running to Midnight. They have youth, looks and talent to burn, and if they carry on creating music this good they could well find themselves becoming South Africa's first bona fide international pop superstars.

Rating: 9/10
Top Tracks: Kingdom Come, Stars Above You, Little Too Far, 5 Seconds Till The End 
Release Date: 1 July 2011

Theophilus London - Timez Are Weird These Days

Timez Are Weird These Days is the major label debut for Broklyn much hyped rapper Theophilus London, and it showcases an exciting new talent on the hip hop scene. London makes use of sounds spanning the last few decades, particularly the 80's, but he puts it all together in a way that comes across as fresh rather than pastiche. He is not the most gifted rapper ever to walk the earth but he makes the best of what he's got. He also  ventures into singing on several tracks, and when he does his love of 80's synth music as well as The Smiths and TV on the Radio becomes more apparent. This album is a foot-tapping, ass-wiggling blast from start to finish and will surely be one of the best rap albums of the year come December.

Rating: 8/10
Top Tracks: Last Name London, Love is Real, Stop It, Girls Girls $
Release Date: 19 July 2011 

Wiley - 100 Percent Publishing

Wiley is the godfather of the UK grime scene and has kept himself at the cutting edge of it for the past 15 years, impressive when you consider how fast the genre moves. The producer and MC continues on his winning run with 100 Percent Publishing, showcasing why he has consistently stayed ahead of the game. His production is inventive and forward thinking while keeping the rawness and huge bass sounds that grime is know for intact, and his stream-of-consciousness, machine gun fire rapping is truly impressive. This is an album that doesn't sit still or stick to one sound but still fits together cohesively as a whole, and is a winner from the first track to the last. Once again, Wiley has kept himself ahead of the chasing pack.

Rating: 8/10
Top Tracks: Numbers In Action, Boom Boom Da Na, Pink Lady, One Hit Wonder
Release Date: 19 July 2011

DJ Khaled - We The Best Forever

DJ Khaled clearly has an enviable roster of phone numbers on speed dial; whilst the Miami DJ doesn't venture behind the microphone much himself, the list of guest appearances on the album reads reads like a who's who of hip hop. Busta Rhymes, Drake, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Cee Lo Green, Akon, Jeezy, Rick Ross, The Game, Chris Brown, Mary J Blige and T-Pain all show up on We The Best Forever. Surprisingly given the cast of superstars involved, the rapping is often what lets this album down - hearing the succession of hugely talented MC's phoning in verses that focus solely on how rich they are, how many cars they have, how big their chains are and how many girls they have sex with quickly becomes incredibly boring and monotonous, not least because you know these rappers are capable of so much better. It's a pity because the production is top-notch and on the rare occasions when the guests decide to make an effort you hear what might have been. With the  amount of talent on this album it is destined to be huge, but it still feels like a missed opportunity.

Rating: 6/10
Top Tracks: I'm On One, Sleep When I'm Gone, My Life, A Million Lights
Release Date: 19 July 2011

Big Sean - Finally Famous

Finally Famous is the debut album from Detroit rapper Big Sean, and follows a trio of successful mixtapes of the same name. The album is executive produced by Kanye West and No I.D. and features guest spots from Kanye, Chris Brown, Lupe Fiasco, The-Dream, John Legend, Pharrell Williams and Wiz Khalifa, but the presence of all these heavyweights, Big Sean's talent shines through. His his flow is a laid-back sing-song reminiscent of Drake or Wiz Khalifa, and his rhymes are inventive and witty. Coupled with excellent production, mostly from heavyweight No I.D., the result is an album that is accessible and engaging. A winning start for Big Sean.

Rating: 8/10
Top Tracks: Don't Tell Me You Love Me, Wait for Me, What Goes Around, 100 Keys
Release Date: 28 June 2011

Limp Bizkit - Gold Cobra

A decade on from Limp Bizkit's heyday, when for some inexplicable reason they became huge with their neanderthal nu-metal, and they are back with a comeback album - their big attempt to regain past glories. And from the sound of the album, it may as well still be 1999. Their sound has not changed one iota and Fred Durst remains one of the worst, most irritating rappers in living memory, a man whose nasal whining and dumb lyrics make you more inclined to punch him than listen to his music. The music is still riff-metal by numbers with some hip hop beats thrown in, a sound so played out it's almost comical to listen to. So, the music's rubbish, the lyrics are rubbish and the person spitting those rhymes has one of the most grating voices in history. A typical Limp Bizkit album then.

Rating: 4/10
Top Tracks: Shotgun
Release Date: 28 June 2011

The Cool Kids - When Fish Ride Bicycles

Three years on from their hipster classic The Bake Sale EP, one-time blogosphere hero's The Cool Kids are back with their debut full length album, When Fish Ride Bicycles, and a lot rests on it. Because of the length of time between releases, the hype surrounding The Cool Kids has lost momentum and they need to regain lost ground. What is clear from the start is that the duo has progressed. Chuck Inglish's beats have developed from the minimalist early 90's vibe of previous releases to a denser sound more reminiscent of the Neptunes or Kanye West, whilst rapper Mikey Rocks has evolved into one of cleverest lyricists around. He still rhymes about cars and sneakers and how cool he is but it's how he says it that is so impressive. Together it makes for a fantastic album, one which reasserts The Cool Kids status as the hippest kids on the block.

Rating: 8/10
Top Tracks: Rush Hour Traffic, Summer Jam, Roll Call, Penny Hardaway
Release Date: 12 July 2011

Pitbull - Planet Pit

If Black Eyed Peas are the reigning kings (and queen) of party rap then Pitbull is the crown prince, delivering a string of club hits choc full of massive beats and killer hooks. Planet Pit is exactly what Pitbull fans would want it to be - a rap album made for clubs and good times. It's not subtle and as a rapper Pitbull is not in the league of a Lil Wayne or Eminem, but to be too critical of the album for this would be to miss the point completely. And the point is partying. Each of the 12 tracks is guaranteed to get a dancefloor heaving, marrying thumping beats with hooks that lodge themselves in your brain and a list of guest appearances including Ne-Yo, T-Pain, Enrique Iglesias, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, Kelly Rowland and Jamie Foxx. A surefire party starter.

Rating: 8/10
Top Tracks: Give Me Everything, Where Do We Go, Something for the DJs
Release Date: 21 June 2011

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Ishmael Butler first found fame almost two decades ago as Butterfly, the main man of seminal rap crew Digable Planets. Now, after a silence lasting 15 years, he's back with his new outfit, Shabazz Palaces. Those expecting something similar to the Digable Planets smooth jazz-rap will be in for a shock; the sounds of the two groups have nothing in common. What Butler has done on Black Up is create something totally new and fresh. The production is murky, jittery and foreboding, and the juxtaposition of this with Butler's smooth voice and intelligent raps floating over it is hugely effective. Make no mistake, this album is not an easy listen - there are no choruses, the beats don't follow patterns and sometimes seem completely random - but it is a hugely rewarding one. In a hip hop environment where most artists seem to be doing the same thing, it's refreshing to hear a group being truly creative and doing something different to everything else that is out there.

Rating: 8/10
Top Tracks: Are You Can You Were You (Felt), Recollections of the Wrath
Release Date: 28 June 2011