Foxy Brown aka 'Brooklyn's Don Diva' is back after a seven year musical hiatus and eight months in the slammer. The rapper picks up where she left off on her new album, which hits stores today, except this time Foxy has some street cred. The emcee relies heavily on her Trinidadian roots and delivers an album that sounds like a reggae-hip-hop mashup. The danceable track 'When the Lights Go Out' saves the rapper from falling in the classic hip-hop trap, which is when an artist releases a LP without a single radio-friendly hit.

On the other end of the spectrum, R&B group Cherish return with their sophomore release, 'The Truth.' The singing sisters croon about heartache, cute guys and being 'framed out' over hot beats. The Atlanta-bred foursome get a little help from a fellow A-town artist when Yung Joc joins them on their successful single 'Killa.'

Other notable releases include Lil Scrappy's 'Prince of the South.'

Often compared to Lauryn Hill, London-bred songstress Estelle sounds, well, mostly like Estelle as opposed to the '90s great hope-turned-recluse on her sophomore set, 'Shine.' The singer's flawless, soulful voice works wonders when combined with John Legend's smooth vocals on 'You Are' and she stands tall when put beside hip hop star Kanye West on the single 'American Boy.' The album features fantastic production by Legend, West, Mark Ronson, Wyclef Jean, Will.I.Am and Cee-Lo, but at no point do the variegated talents take away from Estelle's natural sound.

Representing for the teens, Lil Mama makes a lot of noise on her debut album, 'VYP: Voice of the Young People.' The 18-year-old created a buzz with her 2007 hit single 'Lip Gloss,' which helped the rapper burst into the industry. It wasn't long before the energetic teen was requested to make guest appearances on pop rocker Avril Lavigne's 'Girlfriend' and Sean Kingston's 'Beautiful Girls' remix. Unlike the early careers of former rap divas Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim, Lil Mama avoids overly adult topics and sticks with party anthems, catchy hooks and danceable tracks. What's next for the young emcee? Lil Mama will release the video for her new go-go-style single 'What It Is,' produced by Danja.

Other notable releases include Lyfe Jennings' 'Lyfe Change,' The Roots' 'Rising Down,' and Santogold's self-titled debut.

In this new era of astounding young talent 15-year-old Tiffany Evans is one of the youngsters with a huge amount of legitimate talent. In 2003, Evans made history as the only performer in 'Star Search' history to receive perfect five scores on all of her appearances.

Finally, the teen gets a chance to share her fresh voice with the world on her self-titled album, which hits stores today. Evans croons about young love and growing pains on her debut, which features guest appearances by Ciara on the previously released single 'Promise Ring' and Bow Wow on Evans' new single, 'I'm Grown.'

Mariah Carey sits on the list of artists that don't have to work too hard to impress. While the R&B diva's latest release, E=MC2, is not an album based on the mass-energy equivalence, it does follow a formula that seems to work for the singer. Carey, commonly labeled as one of the world's best vocalist, hits all the right notes, teams up with Jermaine Dupri, who supplies her with simple, but pefect hip-hop, bassy beats, and there you have it: a sure-fire hit album.

The singer gets even more formulaic and kicks off the album with a collaboration with T-Pain, who's been on almost every radio hit released in the past two years, and a signature high note. But Carey knows her fans, and her fans love her sexy cooing, dramatic ballads and catchy, sing-alongs -- a la 'Touch My Body' -- so in the end E=MC2 equals classic Mariah Carey.

Every now and again R&B singer Ray J pops back on the scene with a sexy track, forcing us to sing along to the infectious beat. This time around the crooner works his magic with 'Sexy Can I.' With simple, but naughty lyrics like "It's a Kodak moment, let me go and get my camera ," the singer plays on his penchant for making home videos with lady friends.

Ray J taps into his sensitive side on the album's title track 'All I Feel' as he cries out "now the pain is all i feel" on one of the less sexually-charged songs on the singer's fourth project. Never one to shy away from making the "I'm sexy" statement, Ray J covers all the R&B basics on his latest project. 'All I Feel' is in stores today.

Other notable releases include Elephant Man's 'Let's Get Physical.'

Diddy's latest formulation, the R&B group Day 26, made it through Bad Boy boot camp and have a finished album to show for it. The 'Making the Band' boys' debut features a bevy of hitmaking producers in an effort to prove that it is possible to throw five strangers together and have a harmonious outcome. The question is: Will the quintet's first album live up to the buzz created every week for two months on MTV?

Other notable releases include Gnarls Barkley's sophomore effort 'Odd Couple' and Kelly Rowland's digital re-release Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe.

Every now and then you discover a song that's so infectious it can drive an artist from relative obscurity to fame. Flo Rida's 'Low' fits the bill. The Florida-based rapper's debut, 'Mail On Sunday' -- in stores today -- features all the usual suspects, including Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Will.i.am and Timbaland, to name a few.

At the other end of the spectrum is Sheek Louch's 'Silverback Gorilla,' which also hits stores today. Unlike newcomer Flo Rida, Sheek's days on the microphone date back to 1995 as one-third of the LOX. The Yonkers, New York, emcee continues to rep D-block while delivering a more commercial sound with the album's first single, 'Good Love.'

Here's a little something for the real hip-hop heads. Legendary rapper Rakim's latest release, 'The Archive: Live, Lost & Found,' features a little bit of everything from one of rap's pioneers. The new album includes live performances, unreleased rare material and classics, such as 'Paid In Full,' 'Microphone Fiend,' 'Move the Crowd' and 'I Ain't No Joke.'

"We stuck in a time of drought/ Nothing to rhyme about/Ghetto or crime on the grind pulling iron out/Industry crying out/Major labels buying out/ Who put the fire out?/Real hip-hop is dying out," Rakim spits on the first single "It's Nothing."

Real hip-hop -- as we once knew it -- may be dying out, but we've always got the classics and Rakim's our Beethoven.

With a bevy of new releases this week, it's safe to say there's a little something for everyone. Pop/R&B diva Janet Jackson returns with her new album, 'Discipline,' which features the bass-heavy first single, 'Feedback.' Jackson teamed with producers and songwriters Rodney Jerkins, The-Dream, Ne-Yo and longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri on this, her tenth studio effort. Usually, it only takes one of the aforementioned talents to create a No. 1 album, but all eyes are fixed on this outing since the singer's last effort didn't live up to its sky-high expectations.

Due to her faithful fanbase, Erykah Badu's new album, 'New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)' is set to be a sure-fire hit among soul sisters and brothers. The songstress delivers her usual 'Baduizm' over beats produced by Madlib, 9th Wonder and Bilal, among others, on her fifth album, due in stores today. Badu fans can rest assured that the singer's new project is close to her heart. "It's the album I've wanted to make all of my life," the spiritual talent told The BoomBox.

Other notable releases include Webbie's 'Savage Life 2,' Shawty Lo's 'Units in the City,' and Cheri Dennis' 'In and Out of Love.'

Jim Jones' latest mixtape/album, 'Harlem's American Gangster,' is a pretty blatant stab at Jay-Z's conceptual album of the somewhat same name. And to throw a little extra salt on the open wound, Jones commissioned Jigga's former business partner and friend, Dame Dash, to host the project, which hit stores today.

Dash appears throughout the album in skits that uplift his hometown of Harlem, New York, while taking jabs at Jigga. "How n----s run around calling themselves 'American Gangsters.' Well first and foremost, a real bona fide official Harlem n---- would never betray his friends," Dash proclaims in the album's intro.

Jones may not have the critical acclaim of his foe Jay-Z, but the gritty rapper knows the streets and manages to deliver credible hip-hop. "Some people do soundtracks to the movies about Harlem, we do soundtracks to the streets of Harlem, which made us who we are today,"Jones said.

Veteran hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan pulled out the mighty sword and managed to release yet another dark, gritty, noteworthy album, despite recent squabbles. '8 Diagrams,' the group's first release since 2001's 'Iron Flag,' hits stores today and features all eight members' skills over RZA's elaborate beats. Unfortunately, like any family -- which is to say, dysfunctional -- members of the Wu have recently expressed discontent, causing fans to wonder if the release was really a collaborative effort.

"RZA is trying to create too much of a orchestra ... He's trying to do too much of this guitar s---, like he got a guitar on his f---ing back," Raekwon told radio personality Miss Info in a recent interview. "And our whole s--- is that we don't want that and the fans don't know us for that." Let's hope the Wu can squash their internal beef in time for a tour.

Other notable releases include Birdman's '5 Star Stunna,' Bow Wow and Omarion's 'Face Off,' Beanie Sigel's 'The Solution' and 'Umbrella' songwriter The Dream's 'Love Hate.'

Styles P wants to 'Blow Your Mind' with his new album, 'Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentlemen),' which drops today. With production from Swizz Beatz, Pete Rock, the Alchemist, Akon and Hi-Tek, the New York emcee's third solo effort attempts to cover all bases with radio-friendly joints like the first single, 'Blow Your Mind,' and the tougher track, 'Gangster, Gangster,' featuring Lox members Jadakiss and Sheek Louch.

"I tried to describe myself , every part of me, the best way I could," Styles told AOL Music. Styles added that 'Super Gangster' is sure to supply his fans with "genuine lyrics, 100% hip hop, [from a] Real MC."

In other New Releases news, Wyclef Jean's 'Carnival Vol. 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant,' Ghostface Killah's 'The Big Doe Rehab' and Too Short's 'Get Off the Stage' hits the shelves today.

Artist: Mary J. Blige
Album: 'Growing Pains'
Why You Should Watch: Find out how the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul manages to keep it real, and why she decided to call her December 18-due album 'Growing Pains.'