A lesson in the classics

Ashanti vs. Janet

Stepping out of the shadows of collaborators Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti's 2002 self-titled release is good old-fashioned R&B, smooth as ice, with more hooks than a coat rack. Her number one single, "Foolish," leads a diverse array of standard fare, from bouncy tracks to meandering ballads.

If Ashanti strikes your fancy, Janet Jackson's 1989 Rhythm Nation is well worth a listen. Sleek and stylish Jackson was the model for R&B to come, like Mary J. and TLC. Jackson's 1986 Control firmly established her as more than Michael's little sis, and on Rhythm Nation she hones her skills and flexes her muscles. She takes on drug abuse, homelessness, illiteracy and hunger without once losing the groove. Tightly woven and skillfully layered by superstar co-producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Rhythm Nation is crisp, crunchy and contagious.
Jackson proves that she deserves the MTV-bestowed title of "icon." See also: Prince's funky-fresh 1984 Purple Rain.

Cee-Lo Green and Dr. Funkenstein himself

Chances are, anybody who's heard Cee-Lo's latest, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections, already has a few ideas in mind about where this Goodie Mob member got his grooves. On his solo debut, Cee-Lo digs through the record bins and comes up with an original and innovative work that blends funk, electronica and hip-hop. "Closet Freak," the first single from the album, is a breath of fresh air on urban radio.

His influences are diverse, but one in particular stands out: Dr. Funkenstein himself, George Clinton. Though his band, Parliament, is one of the most sampled artists in history—I'm looking in your direction, Dr. Dre—nobody, except perhaps fellow Atlanta natives Outkast, has successfully resurrected the spirit of the P. Funk. Cee-Lo tears the roof off the sucker.

If Cee-Lo doesn't quite quell your thirst for funk, here's where it's at: Parliament's 1976 Mothership Connection. Ten tracks of rumbling bass and jagged guitar stabs lacquered with keyboard and garnished with Clinton's trademark funk-setto. This includes some of the group's favorites like "Give Up the Funk" and "P. Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)." Make your funk the P. Funk, and they won't disappoint.

Indiana and the Rock

It's not hard to smell what the Rock is cooking—fairly average action movies. The Scorpion King stars Dwayne Johnson, aka trash-talking, smackdown-dealing, five-time wrestling champion The Rock. His character, who we first met in The Mummy Returns, is a lowly but musclebound and greased-up peasant who witnesses the destruction of his village and sets out to avenge the crime. Not altogether abysmal, The Scorpion King evokes Steven Spielberg's immortal Indiana Jones trilogy, as do the previous Mummy flicks.

Set in the 1930s and ‘40s, sharing the same pseudo-historical aura as The Scorpion King and The Mummy, the films follow historian Indiana Jones's adventures saving ancient artifacts. Indy, played by Harrison Ford, is the quintessential American cowboy and is juxtaposed with Nazis, a pagan cult and a giant rolling rock. Fully loaded with action and drama, the Indiana Jones trilogy is an amusement park ride through the lesser known parts of your history textbook.

Spider-Man and the marvelous Man of Steel

Spider-Man: the title of the new blockbuster is a surefire indicator that the result borrows heavily from blockbusters past. Enter this ultracool $100+ million ride through Marvel Comics history, starring Tobey Maguire. Visually stunning while remaining loyal to Stan Lee's classic, Spider-Man spins a web that's even more electrifying than 2000's X-Men.

If Spider-Man makes your senses tingle, head over to Blockbuster to pick up Superman—an obvious choice, but one hugely important for the cultured superhero-movie-goer. Released in 1978 and starring Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel and Gene Hackman as the malevolent Lex Luthor, Superman is the story of Kal-El, whose rocket leaves from the planet Krypton and lands in Kansas. He's adopted and raised as Clark Kent, a reporter who uses his other-worldly gifts to protect the mortal public.

Superman's powers (and special effects) may not be as flashy as those of his web-slinging counterpart, but Superman's Fortress of Solitude is a way cooler bachelor pad than Spidey's humble apartment. Like Maguire's mannerisms in Spider-Man, Reeve's are uncannily similar to the ones you encountered when you dug out your dad's old comics collection. Superman easily tops Spider-Man and other attempts to immortalize superheroes on the silver screen.

The Scorpian King Soundtrack

Only the hardest of hard rock music would befit such a heavy-hitting movie as The Scorpion King. This compilation listens like a who's-who of modern metal, with artists Godsmack, Creed, P.O.D., Nickelback, System of a Down and Ozzy Osbourne all contributing. Highlights include System of a Down's lush yet bouncy "Streamline."

The only album that encompasses everything you'll find on The Scorpion King Soundtrack is Metallica's 1991 self-titled release, nicknamed "The Black Album." Over their twenty-year career, Metallica has influenced, well, everyone with an electric guitar, and "The Black Album" is their masterpiece.

Cuts like "Enter Sandman" and "Sad But True" are battles between sledgehammer guitars and James Hetfield's scraped-along-the-asphalt vocals, while the epic "Nothing Else Matters" adds color to "The Black Album." No true rock fan should be without it.