KANYE RETURNS WITH 'POWER'!!!!

Last week a new song from non other than the Louis Vuitton Don, Kanye West managed to pop up on internet sites every where, and the out come? Powerful. Kanye made an unofficial return to the mic when the song "Power" debuted online, creating a huge buzz for the M.I.A. MC. For those of you who follow hip hop know that Mr. West has been keeping a relatively low profile in the past few months since his infamous interruption of Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Awards last September. The track is produced by unknown Dallas-based producer The Symbolyc One, and features a sample of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by British rock group King Crimson. "Power" finds Kayne shedding in his post-808's and Heartbreak image, and getting back to his old College Dropout days. The Chicago MC uses the song as a plateau to fire off at naysayers that threw salt on his name during his hiatus, while also offering insight to why he left in the first place. The latter, Kanye raps: "I just needed time alone with my own thoughts/ Got treasures in my mind/ But couldn't open up my vaults..." The biggest target seems to be aimed at the cast of Saturday Night Live, who in the wake of Kanye's MTV Music Awards accident poked fun at the outspoken MC. "Fuck 'SNL' and the whole cast. Tell 'em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass/ More specifically they can kiss my asshole/ I'm a asshole? You niggas got jokes/ You short minded niggas' thoughts are Napoleon/ My furs is Mongolian/ My ice brought the goalies in..." If this song is a sign of things to come from Kanye's highly anticipated, forthcoming 5th album Good Ass Job, then the future looks promising. Kanye West has reportedly been in Hawaii working on his new disc with the likes of hip hops finest, which includes: Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Pharrell and RZA. The album is slated to drop some time in September.

ALICIA KEYS & SWIZZ BEATZ EXPECTING 1ST CHILD, ENGAGED

Reps for R&B superstar Alicia Keys and hip hop producer Swizz Beatz have comfirmed that they "are expecting a baby and are engaged to be married in a private ceremony later this year." This will be Key's first marriage and child, while Swizz Beatz has two sons from a previous relationship.

EMINEM'S TRACK LIST FOR RECOVERY IS LEAKED

Eminem's chart-topping single "Not Afraid" already has the music industry in a frenzy. The Detroit-rapper is ready to release his highly anticipated follow up to his comeback album Relapse, with his new body of work entitled Recovery (in stores June 22). This week the album's track list was leaked online and features collaborations from artist such as Lil' Wayne to Rihanna. Check it out:

1. Cold Wind Blows

2. Talkin 2 Myself (feat. Kobe)

3. On Fire

4. Won't Back Down (feat. Pink)

5. W.T.P.

6. Going Through Changes

7. Not Afraid

8. Seduction

9. No Love (feat. Lil' Wayne)

10. Space Bound

11. Cinderella Man

12. 25 to Life

13. So Bad

14. Almost Famous

15. Love The Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)

16. You're Never Over

DRAKE'S "THANK ME LATER" TRACK LIST REVEALED

The most anticipated hip hop album of the year, Drake's Thank Me Later track list was revealed this week. Album in stores June 15, 2010. Check out the album's line up:

1. Fireworks (feat. Alicia Keys)

2. Karaoke

3. The Resistance

4. Over

5. Show Me A Good Time

6. Up All Night (feat. Nicki Minaj)

7. Fancy (feat. T.I. and Swizz Beatz)

8. Shut It Down (feat. The Dream)

9. Unforgettable (feat. Young Jeezy)

10. Light Up (feat. Jay-Z)

11. Miss Me (feat. Lil' Wayne)

12. Cece's Interlude

13. Find Your Love

14. Thank Me Now

ALBUM REVIEW: NaS & DAMIAN MARLEY: DISTANT RELATIVES: UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC/ DEF JAM

When NaS and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley decided to make a collaborative album called Distant Relatives last year, they didn't set out to make a cookie-cutter album fused with hip-hop/reggae. The master plan was to create a body of work that inspires to teach, motivate, listen and learn a thing or two about Africa's rich history. The result is nothing short of a masterpiece, that transends a positive message, that can be heard from the streets of the inner-city to the dusty roads in Africa. NaS and Damian Marley bring vivid social commentary to life through song, and the album stands as a testament to both men and their stoired careers. The revolution begins with the energetic, heavy baseline opener "As We Enter". The jump off finds both been trading bars back and forth like a tennis match, with no one outshining the other. The chemistry between NaS and Marley is undeniable. Both of them seem to have found a way to coexist without getting in each others way as they merge their respected genres of music together. That chemistry can be found on "Friends" as Nasir and Damian tell tales of the true meaning of friendship, while exposing the fake impostors in the process: "Salty niggaz hate the smarter ones/ These are the doubters that sour about my run/ I barely made it out the slums/ My value high, cause I do more than rap about a gun/ I made money for niggaz/ Y'all never lookin out for none..." raps NaS. Topics such as this, and more can be found throughout the album. The somber, guitar-laced "Count Your Blessings" is a true gem, as Damian Marley and NaS lists the things in life that people should appreicate the most despite life's shortcomings. Marley sings: " I got love and assurance/ I got new health insurance/ I got strength and indurance/ So I count my blessings/ And gives thanks to the Master that throughout all the disaster/We're still here together after/ Better count your blessings." Distant Relatives never strays off course, and is enjoyable from the beginning to the end, which is rare in this music industry, because today's albums consist of one or two singles surrounded by an orgy of filler tracks. Lil' Wayne pops up on "My Generation" and delivers one of his best verses in a long time. Other standout tracks are the revolutionary "Strong Will Continue" and the infectious-in-your-face- "Nah Mean". What NaS and Damian Marley have done with Distant Relatives was exactly what Marvin Gaye did with his milestone What's Going On decades ago, and that was to create music that was a reflection of the times, and in doing so, they just created 2010's first real hip hop classic. I rate this 5/5

DIDDY ON XXL MAGAZINE FOR THE 1ST TIME!!!!! IN STORES THIS JUNE

MIXTAPE REVIEW: JEEZY: TRAP OR DIE 2: BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

Life is about repetition. We repeat things over and over again to improve on a certain craft or just because it's a force of habit. For Atlanta's Jeezy, repetition means both. Using the same formula that propelled him to stardom some odd years ago when he stepped on the scene with his classic mixtape Trap or Die. That same ambition and cockiness grabbed the attention of the streets and major labels as Trap or Die set the tone for his Def Jam debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 to rack a million in sells. The rest was history as they would say it, but over the past couple of years the climate of the game has changed. Jeezy had to sit back and watch his fellow Atlanta rival Gucci Mane garner mainstream exposure, and deal with the backlash of critics and fans alike question his position in the rap game. For those who thought the Snowman had fell off, Jeezy returns with the sequal to his monster mixtape with Trap or Die 2: By Any Means Necessary, just a couple months before his highly anticiapted TM103 hits stores. The controversial cover features a Malcolm X-inspired Jeezy (hince the "By Any Means Necessary" subtitle). DJ Don Cannon hosts the mixtape taking over for DJ Drama (who hosted the first TOD). "Damn my nigga you still here? They thought you fell off by now", says DJ Don Cannon on the mixtape opener "Introduction" Jeezy takes time to re-introduce himself and remind you what's his number one priority: money. "That money is like a movie/ Just something you have to see/ You just can't say you real/ It's just something you gotta be..." The ballistic "Trap Or Die Reloaded" is sure to damage speakers and break a few laws for disturbing the peace, while the Hov-influenced-hook on "Hood Politics" only purpose is to motivate while captivate you with it's steller production. Jeezy strentghs has always been his delivery and production choices. The mixtape contains a mixture of sonic gems. The soulful "Time" finds Jeezy taking listeners on a journey down memory lane, and the horn-driven "Greatest Trapper Alive" is classic Jeezy. The Snowman manages to entertain the bulk of the disc alone, with a few carefully-placed guest features. The Clipse ride shotgun on "Ill'in" as Pusha T leaves both his brother Malice and Jeezy in the dust with his ever impressive wordplay. Trick Daddy and Scarface make a cameo on "Ride Wit Me" and Plies pops up on the TM103 single "Lose My Mind". With a mixtape that's 22 tracks deep you're sure to bump into some filler tracks. The lackluster- Don Cannon produced- "D-Boyz" finds Jeezy covering no new grown, and "Insane" is a lazy effort. Jeezy topics stay basic (trappin', money, hoes, and clothes) and that's the only thing that hurts this disc from being another classic. You can't expect to top a classic, if you still talking about the same topics from the last go around. Where Jeezy lacks in growth, he makes up with charisma and top notch production. Trap or Die 2 proves that Jay Jenkins is still a force in the music industry, and we should think twice about saying he's washed up. Though not the classic as the first TOD, it still contains the key elements that make up Jeezy, and his relentlessness to stay ahead of the game by any means necessary. I rate this 4/5