(FORTUNE Magazine) – Wu-Tang Clan The W Loud Records

Lately it seems the shelf life of a rap artist's career is shorter than that of a carton of 2%. But Wu-Tang has always flouted the rules of the hip-hop game. The W is a menacing, Lexus-thumping witches' brew of baroque strings, haunting piano licks, and lyrics clever enough to whip Oscar Wilde into a jealous hissy fit.

Sade Lovers Rock Epic

There must be thousands of teenagers who were conceived to Sade's high-thread-count 1985 hit "Smooth Operator." On her first disk in eight years, the seductress hasn't lost any of her quiet-storm sensuality. If there's a baby boom nine months from now, we'll know why.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Sony Classical

Movies that leave you begging for more are few and far between. Fortunately, in the case of Ang Lee's stunning martial-arts romance, you can return home to Yo-Yo Ma's weeping cello solos. As his bow slowly bends across the strings, listen to the heart-ripping sound of unrequited love.

At the Drive-In Relationship of Command Grand Royal

If you're itching for the adrenalized fury of Rage Against the Machine--but without the messy Marxist moralizing--here's the musical calamine lotion the doctor ordered. These shrieking punks kick out the jams with the brute force of Bruce Lee on a kung fu bender.

The Funk Box Various Artists Hip-O

Dig out the wide-brimmed pimp hats and vamp-collared polyester shirts-- it's time to shake your moneymaker to this four-disk Aretha-to-Zapp compendium of all things superfly. And while you're getting down with the Ohio Players, the Bar-Kays, and Gil Scott-Heron, check out The Funk Box's red-suede cover...awww yeahhh.