By Landon Antonetti

Once again, it’s time to prepare fans for yet another heavy month of hip-hop releases. If you’re hungry for some grilled, never fried, good for your bones, chock-full of all the essential vitamins hip-hop, take a look at what’s on the menu for this month:

Entrées

Sadat X — “Generation X” — Nov. 4

Sadat X, of the acclaimed hip-hop trio Brand Nubian, gears up for his fifth solo album. The album is completely produced by Brooklyn producer Will Tell and is sonic proof that the spirit of the ‘90s is still alive in this New York Duo.

88-Keys — “The Death of Adam” — Nov. 11

88-Keys has been around for a minute now, producing for the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Macy Gray and Consequence. “The Death of Adam” is his first solo album, co-produced by Kanye West and featuring tasty verbal delights from the likes of Phonte of Little Brother, Guilty Simpson, Redman and Bilal. “The Death of Adam” is a concept album, following Adam, a fictional character that’s not so good with the ladies. The album follows Adam through the rigorous dating process. Soon, Adam finds a woman and ultimately meets an untimely demise as a product of their passion.

Ludacris — “Theater of the Mind” — Nov. 11

Ludacris has always been ahead of the curve as far as mainstream artists go. He’s a skilled lyricist, he’s funny, he’s positive and he’s raw, not to mention he hits it out of the park when he selects beats for his projects. On his sixth solo record, Ludacris shows his age by enlisting help from some of hip-hop’s grown-up acts, including, but not limited to, DJ Premier (on two tracks) and 9th Wonder. Swizz Beatz, DJ Paul and Kanye West also add to this theatrical-concept album. Look for The Game, Lil’ Wayne, Nas, Jay-Z and Common to co-star on a few joints as well.

Q-Tip — “The Renaissance” — Nov. 18

A Tribe Called Quest’s abstract voice of rhyme, Q-Tip, returns to the game nearly a decade removed with a solo treat entitled “The Renaissance.” Q-Tip handles a majority of the production on this one, with a little help from his friends Mark Ronson and the late J Dilla. This release also marks the return of D’Angelo, whose career has been virtually nonexistent over the past few years due to supposed label complications. Although we won’t ever see another Tribe album in our lifetime, it’s great to see Tip back on his grind and teaching the kids what real hip-hop is all about.

Evidence — “The Layover EP — Nov. 25

When I met Evidence around this time last year, he was sharing the marquee with Little Brother on The Getback Tour. He told me that he was promoting his album, “The Weatherman LP,” from November of 2007 to November of 2008. Here we are in November of ‘08 and true to his promise the Dilated Peoples front man is blessing heads with brand new material. This one comes in the form of a nine-track EP. A majority of the project is supported by his own production, with a side of Khrysis and The Alchemist to wet the pallets of any hip-hop fan. Other guest shots include Wil.I.Am, Blu and Elzhi (formerly of Slum Village) coming through to rhyme alongside Venice Beach’s verbal meteorologist.

Side items

Illa J & J Dilla — “Yancey Boys” — In Stores Now

Illa J, Brother of Detroit producer J Dilla, finally let go of a project that he and his late brother were working on prior to his untimely death in 2006. Dilla handles production in its entirety, while Illa holds it down on the mic, guest starring Guilty Simpson, Frank Nitty and Affion Crockett. Any material with J Dilla always seems to be worth the listen.

Little Brother — “Separate But Equal (Drama Free Edition)” — In Stores Now

North Carolina duo Little Brother have been steadily re-releasing their classic mixedtapes over the last few months. This month, they unleash their critically acclaimed “Separate But Equal” mixed-tape on hungry listeners. This time, they’ve removed all of the annoying DJ rants and raves and kept it strictly rhymes and beats.

Landon Antonetti is a journalism junior and the production director for WRFL.