Two years after the lukewarm reception given to his Murderers various-artists album, Murder Inc CEO and producer Irv Gotti packages another collection of his label material. The Murder Inc roster has significantly diversified, such as adding hot female rappers Charli Baltimore and Vita alongside the familiar faces of Ja Rule and Ashanti. To make it more marketable for the masses, the mood is pitched between raw rap realism and lighter R&B flavours. Conceptually, the idea is well rehearsed and it is clear Gotti has Dr Dre-size ambitions in building a hip-hop empire. Top tracks include Down 4 U, a commercial-ready assertion of ghetto love between Ja Rule and Ashanti, and the melodramatic piano play on Ganstafied. The non-singles are not quite so memorable, often weighed down by excessive thuggishness, but as a label sampler The Inc succeeds, giving the listener a taste of everything.
Updated: 09:55 Thursday, August 01, 2002
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