Charles Stewart has already had the sort of musical career that would put most rappers to shame but he still has a lot of gas left in the tank. Growing up in South Central, Stewart (better known as Chali 2na, a reference to the baritoned StarKist mascot) befriended fellow Los Angeleno Cut Chemist and the emcees in Rebels of Rhythm; all involved eventually united under the Jurassic 5 mantle, releasing two of the irrefutable masterpieces of turn of the century hip-hop: 1998′s self-titled EP and 2000′s Quality Control. Chali 2na is also a founding member of Ozomatli and has pursued a solo career since before the dissolution of Jurassic 5 in 2007, releasing the first Fish Market mixtape in 2004 and his “proper” first solo LP, Fish Outta Water, in 2009.

On June 8th, Chali 2na released the second installment of his Fish Market mixtape series via Decon Records. The new album features guest appearances by numerous other emcees across its twenty-two tracks including spots by former J5 cohort Akil and J-Live, who features on this track (and is an erstwhile collaborator in his own right, having worked with talent ranging from Handsome Boy Modeling School to DJ Jazzy Jeff).

On “Across the Map,” Chali and J-Live take turns rhyming over syncopated drum machine bass hits and a prickly, time-shifted, Eastern-sounding sample that is weirdly effective. Chali handles most of the verses while J-Live tackles the choruses, but it is the latter who steals the show with his one verse. Taking on the elephant in the room when it comes to underground hip-hop–i.e. the skin color of its patrons in comparison to the (perceived) mainstream rap audience–J-Live raps, “They say my music don’t appeal to ‘my people’ / despite when I write that be who I’m trying to speak to… / They actin’ like, ‘Yo, it’s mostly white folks at your show because of the way that you flow’ / They think that brothers won’t go because I don’t spit that same bullcrap like the radio–oh, hell no.”

Coming from a pair of artists who have lived comfortably on the periphery of the big budget rap world, the sentiment feels geniune, to say nothing of the fact that so much music “for the ‘hood” is consumed by suburban white teens. However, neither Chali 2na nor J-Live have ever forsaken the punchiness and impact of a track for a lyrical wink, and the best part of their vocals on “Across the Map” is how they move and shimmy their way through what is an energetic and memorable listen.

It’s Friday, shawty, and we all the way turnt up.

Ever since A-Trak released his Dirty South Dance mixtape in 2007, the album has been one of my go to records in high energy situations: to get primed for a weekend party, say, or when I need a second wind on the treadmill. Although the tracks on the album could technically fall under the rubric of the mash-up, to categorize them as such is to miss the record’s true spirit and intent. Rather than go for the hokey thrill of pairing two comically mismatched tunes (as is the motivation of most mash-up DJs) or homing in on audio minutiae (in the Girl Talk vein), A-Trak has always been more concerned with body-rocking and entertaining the crowd.

That tendency has been there since the nascent days of his career, when at the age of 15 he became the youngest person to ever win DMCs World DJ Championship–seriously, check out that link–with an age-inappropriate set and an age-inappropriate amount of confidence and charisma. He’s been busy ever since, receiving sponsorships from clothing and audio equipment companies, producing artists including Lupe Fiasco and Kid Sister, doing remix work for folks like Boyz Noize and MSTRKRFT, and being the tour DJ for a little known rapper named Kanye West.

On May 17th, Trizzy released the second volume of his mixtape, Dirty South Dance 2, via a free download on his website. As with its predecessor, the follow-up installment is filled with ass-shaking collisions of hip-hop vocals and electronic beats, such as “Trizzy Turnt Up,” which throws burbling synthesizers against vocals lifted from Roscoe Dash and Soulja Boy Tell Em’s “All the Way Turnt Up.” It may be too much for the uptight kids in their hipster jeans, but those who know how to let loose will have a blast listening to Soulja Boy compare the way girls spin on his dick to a CD-ROM.

As anyone who has had to endure one of Jimmy Fallon’s insufferable, giggle-riddled monologues can attest, The Roots are Late Night‘s saving grace. Since serving as the talk show’s official house band since the premiere episode on March 2, 2009, Philly’s most famous hip-hop outfit have proven that their finesse as a unit is not bound by genre conventions. Their talent as a musical outfit is undebatable; they tear through tunes from all across the musical spectrum on a nightly basis with little (or sometimes even no) practice time, defying expectations while emanating a sense of effortless cool.

Despite their demanding new day job, The Roots have found the time to put together their ninth studio full length. How I Got Over (whose name is a reference to the gospel tune popularized by Mahalia Jackson), will be released by Def Jam Recordings on June 22nd and features cameos by artists ranging from indie nymph Joanna Newsom to Little Brother’s Phonte Coleman. For what it’s worth, the band says their latest effort depicts “the everyman’s search for hope in this dispiriting, post-hope zeitgeist,” which is surprisingly on point as far as lyrical assessments go. If there is a central question on How I Got Over, it concerns keeping the faith in what can feel like increasingly catastrophic times.

This theme makes their reworking of Monsters of Folk‘s “Dear God” an appropriate source material selection, given its Judy Blume-ish narrative conceit. The Roots’ version, “2.0,” is sandwiched between tender renditions of Jim James’ original vocal track, revised to isolate the patter of a brushed snare drum and the somber tones of an electric piano. It provides Black Thought, the group’s lead vocalist and co-founder, with a gorgeous prologue that he follows with lines which–while prone to occasional rhyme-driven tangents–are agile and clever. “Why is the world ugly when you made it in your image? / And why is living life such a fight to the finish?” he wonders to the titular subject, his words set off against a backdrop of vocal harmonies, contrapuntal bass, and harp string loops.

“Dear God 2.0″ may be a surprising choice for a lead single, but it’s also an intelligent one. The song speaks to the ceaseless desire for growth and experimentation which has served The Roots so well over their two decades together, as well as their desire to stay true to the things they do best.

If the British collective who goes by the name of MoonRunners is a bit tricky to pin down, that’s likely by design. The group is led by Tokio and Lyra, two young men who consider themselves producers and bloggers as much as they do rappers and musicians. Also included in their coterie are a photographer named Moimojo and a director who goes by Tommy Magix, although their Myspace page asserts that anyone can be a MoonRunner. This last thought gets to the core of the group’s ethos, which is all about providing a platform for creative expression in the arts, whichever medium that process takes. In the case of their new digital single, “Feels Like Magic,” that form comes in the shape of an addictive hip-hop track whose backbone is a classic of modern dance music.

“Feels Like Magic” doesn’t need a crutch–it’s filled with catchy verses and a sportive spirit of its own–but if it did, it would have a mighty fine one in the form of Daft Punk’s “Around the World,” which forms the basis for much of the backing track. As clever a choice as “Around the World” is, the music is re-appropriated to serve MoonRunners’ vision, not the other way around. These two halves fit together with a natural congruity, never vying for the spotlight at the others’ expense, and the feeling throughout is exhilarating and new. To that end, “Feels Like Magic” is like traveling to a new place and having commonplace experiences colored by the novelty of the surroundings, where what was once familiar is now fresh and interesting.