Drama
Rod Lott
Coming presumably from the deepest, darkest, dankest corner of Warner Archives’ basement, right by the leaky pipe from which hangs an opossum about to give birth, comes a true obscurity: Crime Does Not Pay: The Complete Shorts Collection (1935-1947).

Indie
Rod Lott
By all accounts, The Flaming Lips’ all-star Record Store Day release, The Flaming Lips & Heady Fwends, was not intended for general release until fans demanded otherwise. Given all the trouble of rounding up that talent for guest stints, why not go big?

Hip Hop/Rap
Ryan Querbach
Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music crew have finally dropped their long-awaited compilation album, Cruel Summer. It has its moments, but overall falls short of the high expectations that come with any Kanye project.

Country
Joshua Boydston
Few musicians ever get the chance to forge their own path, blazing musical territory previously unexplored. Stillwater singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave is one of them, helping etch out a place for the Red Dirt genre within the scope of American music.

Hip Hop/Rap
Ryan Querbach
Lupe Fiasco, trying to rebound from his disappointing third album, Lasers, has released his highly anticipated fourth album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1.

Hip Hop/Rap
Ryan Querbach
West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar finally has dropped his major-label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d City.

Soundtrack
Ryan Querbach
Legendary Wu-Tang rapper and producer RZA has released the official soundtrack for his upcoming film, The Man with the Iron Fists.

Documentary
Rod Lott
Peter Gabriel’s 1986 album, So, found the former Genesis vocalist at his commercial and critical peak. Now, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, it’s not only been reissued in a three-disc box set, but is the subject of the Classic Albums documentary series.

Hip Hop/Rap
Joshua Boydston
If Norman’s Myke Brown keeps making music as good as he does in Don’t Forget the Y, Myke with a Y is sure to be a household name.

Music
Joshua Boydston