Jay-Z, Hector El Father, Snoop Dogg and The Beatles

Jay-Z, aka Hova– as in Jehova – ends his brief "retirement" with Kingdom Come. The return record features guest cameos by and production credits to the usual suspects: The Neptunes, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Beyonce, Ne-Yo and – wait for it – Chris Martin of the British alt rock pop band Coldplay. The first single, Show me what you got, affirms what few doubt: that the man intimates call Shawn Corey Carter is still one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry, let alone the genre of hip hop.

Hector El Father, previously known as El Bambino, brings out the Bad Boy. The Puerto Rican reaggaeton producer, born Héctor Delgado Román, is finally on his own after a long stint as the bigger half of the duo Héctor y Tito and this first solo album showcases the same slick production that has inspired comparisons to Dr. Dre and Diddy.

Snoop Dogg drops his eighth solo album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, returning to his West Coast roots and delivering a seductive mix of pop and hardcore, bass thumping anthems. Joining the Long Beach native on this outing are – take a deep breath – George Clinton, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, Timbaland, The Game, Akon, Ice Cube, Damian Marley, D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder and R. Kelly. It's a real-life pop album in honor of the Crips.

Back from the vaults: The Beatles, the quintessential rock icons, return with Love, the soundtrack to the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show of the same name. The just-in-time-for-the-holidays album features 130 pieces of released and unreleased Beatles material "mashed" into a 26 track medley. Highlights include "Within You Without You" inside "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Blackbird" laid over "Yesterday."