Check out some of the newest, hottest releases of the week!

50 Cent ft. Dr. Dre and Alicia Keys – “New Day”

Alicia Keys once again serves as hip-hop’s muse. 50 Cent has taken on her feel good anthem, “New Day,” which was produced by Dr. Dre. In 50’s version, Alicia Keys is on the hook singing, “Party people say, party people say aaaayyy, it’s a new day, it’s a new day” while Dre and 50 tackle the rhymes. Dre is first up lyrically, and his verse is a solid offering. Fifty rhymes like a rapper who has something to prove, which he does. Considering where is career is now versus the where the street dude from Southside Jamaica Queens started, people certainly forgot that he can rap. Here, he seems hungry again—like he wants his hip-hop crowd to still rock with him. “New Day” will be on Street King Immortal, his next album due out this Fall.

Listen here

Jordin Sparks – “Love Will”

“Love Will” is an original song from the Sparkle soundtrack. Inspired by 60s and 70s girl groups, Sparks addresses the ladies in the song’s opening with a spoken intro about being in love and going through drama—complete with shoowops too. The R. Kelly produced track is about the ups and downs typical of being in love. The 2012 version of the Sparkle soundtrack is available today (July 31).

Listen to “Love Will,” here.

Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t

Not surprisingly, Martin Scorcese and Quintin Tarantino are the inspiration behind Rick Ross’s GFID. Once again, playing the role of a mega Mafia Don, Ross spins tales of materialism, being the greatest and how he’s a boss. With the help of production by the usual suspects like J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Pharell Williams and lyrical collaborations with Wale, Dre, Meek Mill, Andre 3000, Jay-Z and more, Rick Ross pumps a solid product to the masses—banger beats, solid lyrics and an audio movie, like he said. Album in stores today (July 31).

Listen here.  

Q Parker – “Yes”

Ladies, let’s not pretend we haven’t been noticing the uh, benefits of Q’s intense work out sessions. Now that I got that out of my system, let’s put the superficiality aside and talk about how this boy can sang. His falsetto game is proper. For someone who is stepping into the solo game after being a member of 112, he’s doing an excellent job at making a name for himself. Parker’s “Yes” starts out with your boy singing, “Somebody bout to have a baby to this one,” and it all goes uphill toward a climax from there. “Yes” easily sounds like something 112 would have put out back in the 90s but since we’re in 2012, just be happy with Q showing and proving with this second single from his forthcoming debut album The MANual.

Listen here.

Christian Scott – Christian aTunde Adjuh

New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott is back today with another offering entitled, Christian aTunde  Adjuh. The NOLA bread musician presents a modern and experimental approach to jazz that can be described as imaginative and diverse. The album opens with “Fatima Aisha Rokero 400,” which is about the sexual assault on Sudanese women and continues on an odyssey that pays homage to other societal issues like the Trayvon Martin shooting. The music is all instrumental, but Scott doesn’t shy away from explaining what his style, which he calls “stretch music,” is all about. Basically, Scott’s sound is rooted in jazz but infuses other elements like rock, hip-hop, electronic and whatever he’s feeling at the moment. Album in stores today (July 31).

Listen here.

Starrene Rhett Rocque is a pop culture junky who often fantasizes about becoming a shotgun toting b-movie heroine, and aspires to save the world from the impending #ZombieApocolypse… In reality she’s a freelance entertainment journalist/blogger who muses about music, TV, movies and love. Follow her on Twitter: @GangStarrGirl.