M.I.A.: Kala

For you hip-hop and rap fans, this one's a gem.

M.I.A.: Kala

This is the best rap/hip-hop album of the year, bar none. For those of you not familiar with M.I.A., she's a Sri-Lankan, raised in London, whose father was a freedom fighter for the Tamil Tigers. Because of this connection, her American visa was denied, so she's spent the last several years in India, Liberia, Australia, Trinidad, and Japan. So basically, this album is a mash-up of some of the nicest beats from around the world.

I will warn you, this is not a typical rap album. M.I.A.'s vocal style is a mishmash of different languages filtered through British English. That said, it's awesome.

Here are the reviews (currently the second highest Metacritic score for 2007):
Metacritic: M.I.A.: Kala