Most Wrathful Rock Album: Ferociously advocating the revolution

Yeah, that’s right: “rock album.” Go find a Stones-aping, guitar-slinging pack of douchebags capable of generating anything nearly as wrathful as the latest from Oakland’s beloved hip-hop duo, famous for gleefully advocating everything from petty larceny to the wholesale murder of CEOs (not to mention landlords). Pick a Bigger Weapon emerges as most other hip-hop big shots have finally caught up to DJ Pam the Funkstress and emcee Boots Riley’s long-standing rep for incendiary, revolution-minded political firebombs, and with the help of everyone from Talib Kweli to Jello Biafra, Weapon helps our antiheroes outdo themselves yet again. This disc redefines the phrase “political party,” mingling catchy club jams with Molotov cocktail assaults on seedy politicians, soul-killing nine-to-five jobs, and generally all those with, uh, “ass-breath.” We like free speech but we love free cable, Boots sneers as Rome burns. To sum it up in one song title: “BabyLet’sHaveaBabyBeforeBushDoSomethin’Crazy.” Consider naming the kid “Wrath Riley.”