Irv Gotti Presents The Inc.
The growing legions of thug lovers and 'hood mistress devotees who droveJa RuleandAshanti's solo  offerings to the top of the Billboard charts may enjoy this album. Mr. Rule  himself lends some much needed legitimacy to the project, warbling his way  through standout cuts "Down 4 U," featuring Murder Inc. ladies Charlie  Baltimore, Vita, and Ashanti, and "Ain't It Funny," with R&B; hottie du jourJ-Lo. Most of  the tracks feature anything from two to seven mediocre rhyme talents (e.g.,  Black Child, Chink Santana, and Caddillac Tah) spitting game, making tracks like  "Ride wit' Us" or "Tha Nexx Nigguz" sound crowded and muddled. Hearing the rest  of the cast of virtually unknown emcee's holler "murder" ad nauseam is not  overly enticing either. Thankfully, the slow, lean, radio-friendly production on  "The Rain" and "No One Does It Better" makes this one bearable. This project  needs at least one more credible emcee and/or vocalist to make it work, but withNasallegedly  looking to pull out a membership in Gotti's rhyme familia, the Inc.'s future  looks bright.--Dalton Higgins