Like Mike [Original Soundtrack] in Bloomington, MN

So So Def
boss
Jermaine Dupri
rounds up a number of playful
pop-rap
songs for the
Like Mike
soundtrack, unsurprisingly including a number of
Lil' Bow Wow
performances. The 15-year-old rapper stars in the film so it's expected that his contributions will be significant, and indeed they are, beginning with
"Basketball,"
the album's opening song. Here
Bow Wow
,
Fabolous
, and
Dupri
drop a verse each about their passion for the game, while
Fundisha
sings the hook. A little bit later in the album come the two standout
songs, though:
the Neptunes
-produced
"Take Ya Home"
and
Just Blaze
"Playin' the Game."
Both songs feature top-notch production and incredibly catchy hooks, so much so that the former became one of
's biggest hits yet. Elsewhere on
includes so-so songs by
TQ
Mario
Solange
, three artists likely to appeal to the same listeners who like
. But the real surprise comes late in the album with
Nas
'
"Rule"
TCP
's
"Hoop It Up,"
both much more adult than the preceding songs. The previously released
song, which interpolates
Tears for Fears
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World,"
falls a bit short of being another
"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)"
for the New York rapper, but it's still quite moving. And the
song is a fast-paced
bass
song that concludes the soundtrack perfectly, embodying the heart-racing nature of basketball. ~ Jason Birchmeier