Hip-Hop Hour

Music that sounds better on screen than off.

After the groovy soundtrack of the original "Rush Hour", I was really looking forward to this album. In the end, it turned out like Sampras’ attempts at the French Open - almost there, but not quite good enough.

Rest assured, there are some decent numbers, but the whole album is basically marred by the complete lack of any variation of genre. I mean, this is a soundtrack, right? So, on that front, having an all hip-hop line-up was a mistake. And then you have some really daft numbers like "Area Codes" (Ludacris), which basically has a lot of number-spouting; and "Figadoh" (Benzino featuring Snoop Dogg). But, to offset them, you have the pacey "No" (Kandice Love) and the peppy "You Make Me Laugh" (Christina Milian). "Love Again" (Dru Hill) is smooth and realy the best example of what good hip-hop actually is. But the best piece of them all is "The World Is Yours" (Macy Gray and Slick Rick), which is amazingly endearing thanks to its childlike style and lyrics.

The album is at best a showcase of some of the big names of hip-hop, but who aren’t really at their best. So, if you’re really that desperate to hear this - I’d advise you to go watch the movie.

This article was first published on28 Sep 2001.