In Brief

*** Kurupt, “Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha,” ANTRA/Artemis. Thanks to a number of addictive, hard-core beats and a renewed vocal vigor, this Dogg Pound member returns to top form on his second solo album (due Tuesday). Although the Philadelphia native dwells on typical street fare, his passionate flows make up for his lack of lyrical innovation. A hidden track, “Callin’ Out Names,” disses DMX and is the talk of the underground hip-hop scene.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.