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
Bow Wow songs, though:
the Neptunes-produced "Take Ya Home" and
Just Blaze-produced "Playin' the Game." Both songs feature top-notch production and incredibly catchy hooks, so much so that the former became one of
Bow Wow's biggest hits yet. Elsewhere on
Like Mike,
Dupri includes so-so songs by
TQ,
Mario, and
Solange, three artists likely to appeal to the same listeners who like
Bow Wow. But the real surprise comes late in the album with
Nas' "Rule" and
TCP's "Hoop It Up," both much more adult than the preceding songs. The previously released
Nas 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
TCP song is a fast-paced bass song that concludes the soundtrack perfectly, embodying the heart-racing nature of basketball. ~ Jason Birchmeier