Going into 2010, I knew very little of Declaime or Georgia Anne Muldrow. As July draws to a close, they are both defining the year in music for me. They put out a great album together, and Muldrow released a stellar solo album on which Declaime was featured. With this release, the journey through smart psychedelic hip hop funk continues.

First, a call to action: please watch Nirit Peled’s Say My Name. I caught the 2008 documentary during the film portion of 2009’s SXSW and it was definitely the highlight of the week. Women Make Movies are in the process of getting it out on DVD after the film completes its festival circuit. Save it to your Netflix queue. Lobby your local rental store or library to obtain a copy. Make it a priority to see it.

This is the eighth studio album from Philadelphia legends The Roots. I’ve been looking forward to this album for a while, if only because I was a little let down with The Rising Down. Not that the album was bad, but it didn’t stick with me like The Tipping Point or The Game Theory.

Madlib has done so much hip hop production, it’s easy to forget that he’s just as serious a jazz musician.

This is his second jazz album of the year, along with the Young Jazz Rebels album. Here, we take a journey to the fusion jazz of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, paying tribute to artists like Derf Reklaw, Roy Ayers, John Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders.

On his fifth full-length album, anticon. mainstay Dosh brings us a world of music that has no real use for genre or classification. His typical composition method is based on looping multiple instruments, and his association with his label mates align him with hip hop and electronic music. He also just went on tour with indie-rock violinist Andrew Bird, who also makes an appearance on this album. I imagine others would want to put some sort of post-rock label on him, due to the mostly instrumental nature of the album and the loose song structure and ever-present drums.

Ten years after their initial collaboration as Reflection Eternal, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek have once again joined forces to produce some fun and accessible hip hop that will also make you think.

So I avoided Flying Lotus for a while, in large part because I didn’t like the name. It was only through working with artists that I liked that I was forced to acknowledge his beat-making ability. While I’m still not crazy about the name (it sounds too much like a hardcore punk act I wouldn’t listen to), I’ve come around on the music. Cosmogramma is definitely worth the listen.

Sage Francis has had a pretty interesting career so far, with a background that ties him to anticon. and spoken word/slam poetry circles. With the release of the Non-Prophets record, it seemed for a hot minute like he might go a more traditional hip hop route, but that didn’t last at all. It wasn’t that long after that he was collaborating with the likes of Will Oldham to create a unique indie-folk/hip hop hybrid.

B. Dolan has been plugging away for a few years as a spoken word artist and social activist. When I found out he was friends with Sage Francis and would be touring with him in support of their new albums, this made sense.

I have a long history with Murs, so let me put this album into context for you. I first came across Murs when he released his debut album for Definitive Jux, as did most of us outside of the L.A. area. I liked the album, although it was a little inconsistent, with too many songs and producers. In 2004, Murs got together with producer 9th Wonder, and they dropped 3:16. This album made me sit up and pay attention. It was short but complete. It took on many different moods and subject matters with a great combination of emotional attachment and smart, thoughtful lyrics.