JJ Brown, the sound architect behind the stellar Misery Loves Comedy LP, has transformed one of the most disappointing releases of ‘06 into an enjoyable listening experience.

Download: JJ Brown’s Re-Release Therapy

Just what I’m diggin’ at the moment, Ladies & Gents….

#5.

Soulful and cohesive from start to finish. (Cop this now.)

#4.

You can bump this while cleaning up your house without worrying about skipping a track. (Cop this now.)

#3.

Dope beats, dope rhymes, what more do y’all want? (Cop this on May 15th.)

#2.

Devin’s half-sung raps and southern fried grooves can get you through the worst traffic no matter where you’re headed in life. (Cop this now.)

#1.

An emotionally honest record laced with a litany of broiling gems. The undisputed best rap album of the first quarter. (Cop this on April 10th.)

Skillz ft. Freeway – Act Like You Don’t Know
Freeway has an exceptionally annoying rap voice, the type that puts you at the risk of crashing into a wall if you accidentally woke up to one of his songs. Thankfully, Skillz is here to keep things interesting.

Aesop Rock – Nike Original Run series
Aesop Rock’s Nike + Original Run track was supposedly created with runners in mind. However, this works magic outside the gym as well.

Diddy ft. Lil Wayne – “I Am” (Remix) (wma)
Sample lyrics: “Don’t hold your applause for me, ’cause I only love I more than me.”
Enough said.
(PS: I’m sure Weezy’s fans will find a perfectly logical explanation for those rhymes.)

Bonus Bites:
David Banner ft. Nyce – K.O. (remix)
Polyrhythm Addicts ft. Phonte of Little Brother – It’s My Life
Amanda Diva – 40 Emcees

I’m having a one-on-one with one of the illest MCs alive. Besides how much Diddy paid him for his ghostwriting services on Press Play, what else should I ask the Monch Man?

Diddy brags about being one of the hottest artists out, while a clearly ‘lifted’ Snoop brags about wearing Puff’s Unforgettable (not Unforgivable) cologne.

Rihanna + Jay-Z – Umbrella (mp3)

“Umbrella, ” produced by C. Tricky Stewart, is the first single from Rihanna’s third album, due out June 5th release.

You know they just had to spin those romance rumors into a collabo somewhere down the line. Hate on her all you want, Rihanna sounds a lot more mature on this.

Here’s the official tracklist for Fab’s understandably-delayed Def Jam debut, From Nothin’ to Somethin’, now slated for June 12. The folks at Black Oasis are fully cognizant of the fact that no one listens to Fabolous before the summer.

Fabolous – From Nothin’ to Somethin’ Tracklist
1. Yep, I’m Back
2. Return of the Hustle (ft. Swizz Beatz)
3. Change Up
4. “You Make Me Better” (ft. Ne-Yo the R&B singer)
5. So Fabolous
6. “Diamonds” (ft. Young Jeezy)
7. Hustler’s Poste Child (ft. Cassidy)
8. Real Player Like (ft. Lloyd)
9. Foggin’ Up the Windows (ft. R.Kelly)
10. What Should I Do (ft, Lil Mo)
11. Back to School
12. All Jokes on You
13. I Shine, You Shine (ft. Makeeba)
14. “First Time” (ft. Rhianna)
15. Paperman (ft. Neyo the Matrix)
16. Brooklyn
17. Chirp Back (ft. Blu Davinci)
18. Gangsta (ft. Junior Reid)
19. This is Family (ft. Freck Billionaire, Red Cafe, Ransom, Paul Kane, and Joe Budden)

It’s probably worth mentioning that Fab had some strong words about Track 10 when I interviewed him a while back. “It’s really where people are writing me fan letters and they look to their favorite artists for guidance. They’re writing me letters asking me what they should do about their situations, so I answered them. There’s a lot of responsibilities that come with being an artist and I wanted to show them that.”

I guess I should also point out that Track 9 has the most amazing song title ever.

I don’t know what’s more chilling, listening to George Bush talk about Obama’s hairless specs or watching MC Karl Rove dance like a convulsed duckling.

Bush on his low approval ratings:

Well, where should I start? A year ago, my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the Supreme Court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had shot someone. Ah, those were the good old days.

Bush on Obama:

People Magazine recently had a photo of the senator there on the beach in Hawaii, his sleek, hairless pecs, glistening in the surf. Show’s how biased the press is. Have you ever seen a shot like that of Denny Hastert?

Too bad Rove’s cringe-worthy PR stunt won’t stop those subpoenas from going out.