Worldwide

Even the staunchest of hip-hop supporters has to admit that for the most part, musically, the genre has been repeating itself for years by the early 21st century — the same beats, the same sounds, the same tempos, etc. But then there are a select few who break free from these restraints — especially Lil' Brian & the Travelers, as evidenced throughout the group's 2007 release, Worldwide. Zydeco is a style that has been rarely — if at all — integrated into hip-hop, which is what Lil' Brian & the Travelers do throughout their fourth album, as they continue on in their self-described "z-funk" style. While not a straight hip-hop release — Lil' Brian often sings rather than raps — the presence of record scratching and even an appearance from the Dogg Pound's Kurupt shows there are definite links between hip-hop and z-funk. Tracks such as the album-opening title track, "Bounce," and "Funky Zydeco" make Worldwide one of the year's top surprise party albums — even a pointless remake of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" can't halt all the fun (c'mon — that's like trying to cover "Stairway to Heaven" or "Purple Haze"). Paul Simon would be proud.