Bad Boys II in Bloomington, MN

Rare is the feat that a
hip-hop
movie
soundtrack
can be explosive and feel as if it's a solid cohesive album, rather than a showcase for various artists to use throwaway tracks as cash cows. But
Bad Boys II
breaks both of these rules by assembling a mighty lineup that could very well be unprecedented in terms of sheer commercial star power. The album wastes no time and starts off with a one-two bang courtesy of a
Neptunes
-produced track featuring
Pharrell
,
Lenny Kravitz
, and
P. Diddy
on
"Show Me Your Soul"
and
Jay-Z
delivering one of his most fiery vocals in ages with
"La La La."
And there's no sign of letting up from this point, with contributions from diva
Beyonce
Fat Joe
Nelly
50 Cent
featuring a posthumous appearance by
the Notorious B.I.G.
Biggie
's delivery is so pure and potent that it's a reminder of how significant his contribution to modern
rap
was, and how sorely he is missed. Things tend to slow down a bit from here, courtesy of laid-back grooves from
Snoop Dogg
Foxy Brown
Justin Timberlake
doing the best white-boy imitation of
D'Angelo
ever with
"Love Don't Love Me."
With
Puffy
as executive producer and an all-star lineup like this, one would expect nothing less than a superb album that delivers the goods, and even with minor filler this steps up and is more than equal to the task. ~ Rob Theakston