By:

Staff

Each week, we preview a handful of notable albums scheduled to hit the shelves, plus offer a full list of the current new releases.

Beanie Sigel
The Solution
Def Jam

On the new, official version of "Ignorant Shit," Jay-Z introduces his one-time partner-in-rhyme Beanie Sigel by freeing him (no doubt a reference to the Philly emcee's past run-ins with the law). However, the statement takes on a new life considering the long-awaited journey the song took to be released. Similarly, Sigel's fourth LP, The Solution, arrives amid broad anticipation. On paper, the record appears to be his most flossy and polished (an R. Kelly collaboration for the lead single "All of the Above" and production from pop veterans Dre & Vidal and the Runners). However, being a Beans record, a certain amount of expectation is understandable. How about a Sabbath sample ("Judgment Day")? Bring it on. ~Dan Nishimoto

Artist: http://www.myspace.com/beaniesigel
Label: http://www.defjam.com

Hi-Tek
Hi-Teknology 3: Underground
Babygrande

Producer Hi-Tek's third solo album steps back from the increasingly mainstream slant of his second record, 2006’s Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip, and focuses on more up-and-coming talent. Familiars like Snoop, T-Pain and Ghostface still get in on the fun and lend the title a degree of relativity. However, if the producer himself can rise up to the top with the cream of the new crop, what difference does a name make? ~Dan Nishimoto

Artist: http://www.myspace.com/hitek
Label: http://www.babygrande.com

Wu-Tang Clan
8 Diagrams
SRC/Motown/Universal

Whether or not fans believe the rumors of fractures within the Wu-Tang Clan, they will undoubtedly fever that much more 8 Diagrams, the group's fifth album and first since co-founder Ol' Dirty Bastard's death in 2004. The wait has been exacerbated by the steady decline in the rappers' collective popularity since 2000's The W. Fact is, things just ain't been the same for the Wu since their seismic shift of a debut in 1993. One might almost say the RZA's plan to use the first record to launch each member's individual career worked almost too well. That said, time away and one member short has given the Clan a chance to reassess what membership truly means. Regardless of how this album turns out, expect it to be career-defining in the way Enter the Wu-Tang and Wu-Tang Forever were. ~Dan Nishimoto

Group: http://wutang-corp.com
Label: http://loud.com
8 Diagrams mixtape stream: http://www.loud.com/feature/feature_wutangmix

*Release dates may change. E-mail brandon@prefixmag.com with corrections or additions.