Pitchfork

Enough of this Lil' Kim bullshit already. Gritty and scary-talented New York emcee Jean Grae is back with a new LP, set to debut September 21st and kick the playa hatin' hip-hop world in its proverbial ballz. This Week, set to be issued via Babygrande Records, includes production credits from prominent names in the bidness like Midi Mafia (50 Cent) and 9th Wonder (Jay-Z), and could be the record that shoves Jean Grae from the underground into the U.S. hip-hop charts.

A double A-side single of "Goin' Crazy" and "U Don't Want It" (produced by Midi Mafia) will clear the way for This Week, and will give listeners a taste of what Jean can do on the mic by her lonesome. In the past, she's held the dubious title of "Cameo Queen," due to her penchant for upstaging the rappers on whose tracks she guested. To wit: Grae makes appearances on The Roots' recent release, The Tipping Point, though it remains to be seen whether she'll be quite able to one-up Talib Kweli on his forthcoming LP, Beautiful Struggle. October 2003's The Bootleg of the Bootleg EP was the last studio release from Ms. Grae, whom Rolling Stone once dubbed "the best kept secret" in the New York's scene. This cat might be getting out of the bag damned soon. And it's got claws. And a gat.