It's a rowdy breakout for hip-hop anti-hero

Rick Ross' debut album, "Port of Miami" (Def Jam), is a summer blockbuster - complete with gunfights, car chases, drug dealing, Mile High Club sex, a rags-to-riches anti-hero, a grand hip-hop soundtrack and its own catch phrase: "Roussssss."

Unlike so many new rappers, Ross (who pronounces his name so it rhymes with "house" and shouts himself out as often as Mike Jones) has his own beefy-voiced burly style and a crime-riddled vision to match.

His single "Hustlin'" is a solid introduction, with its ominous, slow-rolling organ samples and spooky synth flourishes, and detailed tales of the Miami drug trade. (The remix, which features hot verses from Jay-Z and Young Jeezy, switches his product from drugs to hip-hop, boasting, "I'm the -- future, -- , what you can't see the facts?")

However, Ross isn't tied to a single style. He goes the thug-love route on "Get Away" with Mario Winans with the effectiveness of early 50 Cent. He has a pop hit in waiting with "Cross That Line" featuring Akon's soulful singing. Producers Cool and Dre offer a more light-hearted backdrop on "Blow" and "Boss." Jazze Pha crunks things up on "For Da Low."

With those kind of skills and the backing of Jay-Z, Rick Ross is set to be the year's breakout star and "Port of Miami" will stand as one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.

("Port of Miami," in stores today; Grade: A-.)

BAD BOY'S NEW GIRL. "Me & You," the debut single from 19-year-old onetime Abercrombie & Fitch model Cassie, is a sweet little slip of a pop song - a delicate aural origami smartly crafted by producer Ryan Leslie out of synthesizer plinks and whispered sweet nothings that still manages to deliver a killer hook. There's no bass line, because that would overpower Cassie's pretty, but wafer-thin, voice. Yet it's still a dance song, with a beat stitched together through hand-claps, drum pulses and electronic jitters.

It's a feat of sonic architecture that Cassie and Leslie repeat throughout her debut album "Cassie" (Bad Boy/Atlantic), with varying degrees of success. The crunk-lite of "Call U Out" is a Ciara-ish treat, while "Miss Your Touch" is a delightful sliver of fuzzed-out guitar funk.

Most of the album, though, is a tribute to Cassie's role model Janet Jackson, from the phrasing of her breathy vocals to the good-natured sass. Cassie's "Not With You" could be the stripped-down sequel to Jackson's "Someone to Call My Lover" and "About Time" would fit nicely among the cooing ballads from "Damita Jo."

Cassie brims with a Jacksonesque likability that even makes missteps such as the playful throwaway "Ditto" and the blatant "Promiscuous" rip-off "Long Way 2 Go" (the next single, natch) work. "Cassie" may not be great, but it sure is fun.

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