Lord Willin
As the first group to be released on the Neptunes' Star Trak imprint, Virginia-based rhyme duo and brothers Malice and Pusha T have at their disposal the most clever producers in music today. And they literally exhaust this fine privilege. There are so many legitimate danceable club hits on their debut that you're pretty much forced to ignore the CD's lyrical shortcomings. The album blasts off with "Grindin'," the street-buzz single of the 2002 summer, with its heavy, old-schoolRun DMC-style drum claps. Similarly, "I'm Not You" flaunts an infectious calypso-pan loop, which makes you pay no heed to the dozens of street-drug verses. The hedonism continues on "Let's Talk About It," with the braggadocio ofJermaine Dupri, and the catchy, hook-driven "Young Boy." Overall, the beats are ridiculously good, but the emcees are quite average. Sorry, no instrumental version available at this time.--Dalton Higgins