The PlayStation-bleepy crossbreed of hip-hop and house known as grime has become England's new chart-pop. On his debut, 22-year-old MC-producer Tinie Tempah dreams of even wider glory: "Disturbing London, baby, we about to branch out," he rhymes like a psyched-up robot over neon-lit synths on the irresistible "Pass Out." Tinie is a smart and sly hook maestro, mixing the flashy and the mundane with lyrics like "I've got so many clothes I keep some in my aunt's house." He skirts cheesiness on tracks like the trance headbanger "Miami 2 Ibiza." But the closer to hip-hop he gets, the better: On the slow-rollin' "Snap," stripped-down beats are perfect for his simple, brash enthusiasm.

Listen to "Pass Out":

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“All Along the Watchtower”

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."