Album: Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III (Cash Money)

With MTV, Rolling Stone and Blender magazines, and even Kanye West conceding he's the hottest rapper, and his MySpace site becoming the first to clock up a hundred million visits, no act currently has their finger as firmly on the pulse of contemporary American culture as Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter, whose long-delayed sixth album finally appears following extensive leaks last year.

Recorded with the usual array of star producers, including Kanye, Swizz Beatz, Alchemist and Cool & Dre, it employs Wayne's lubricious drawl, heavily vocoderised on the singles "Lollipop" and "Got Money", tackling familiar hip-hop targets with ease, but excelling on more individual tracks such as "Dr Carter" and "Mrs Officer". Best of all is "Tie My Hands", a furious indictment of the treatment of his beleaguered hometown: "Take away the football team, the basketball team / Now all we got is me to represent New Orleans / No governor, no help from the mayor / Just a steady beatin' heart and a wish and a prayer".

Pick of the album:'Tie My Hands', 'Mrs Officer', 'Dr Carter', 'Playing With Fire'