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
Beyoncé,
Fat Joe,
Nelly, and
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 and
Foxy Brown, and
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