[MARIAH CAREY] has long dabbled in R&B; and soul, and on past albums she's enlisted the help of Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris and others from the hip-hop world. But "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Island), featuring production by Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes and others, is a whole new ball game. Carey sings in rap-inflected cadences, serves as her own breathy chorus crooner and proves she knows how to ride a bass- heavy dance track.

Like a true hip-hopper, Carey called in more than a few favors for this show, bringing out Da Brat, Trey Lorenz and Diddy to assist her on songs. Power 105's DJ Clue manned the decks. The biggest surprise of the night was Jay-Z, who showed up to sashay his way through "Heartbreaker." As Carey hit her famous high notes, Jay-Z stretched out his arms and bowed repeatedly.