In Brief

*** Various artists, “Lyricist Lounge Vol. 2,” Rawkus/Priority. This collection showcases some of hip-hop’s best lyricists doing what they do best: stringing together stunning verses of braggadocio. Proven veterans Redman, Big L and Kool G Rap score with brutal boasts, while such up-and-comers as Saukrates and Royce the 5’9” enhance their underground reputations as supreme wordsmiths. Talib Kweli and Mos Def add more thoughtful rhymes to what is otherwise a strong shot of testosterone.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.