The '3 Strikes Soundtrack' provides a diverse onslaught of hip hop, R&B, and gangsta rap. But the diversity does not halt there: artists range from Tha Eastsidaz, Snoop Dogg, No Limit's C-Murder & Silkk The Shocker, Canada's rap guru Choclair, the Likwit crew, King T, Xzibit, Sauce Money, Total and more. Production credits are splintered among DJ Pooh, Canada's Kardinal Offishall, Battlecat (Dogghouse Productions), Big Jaz (from Jay-z's "Jigga What, Jigga Who"), Funk Daddy and J-Dub. Most of these producers should be commended because they built some great beats. In fact, eight of the twelve tracks on this album were above average and good listening. Unfortunately, several songs felt empty, they had a pretty dope beat, not enough lyrics to fill the voids.

Sauce Money's "Chart Climbin", has catchy chorus that is complemented by an ascending keyboard flow. I was pretty impressed by Big Jaz's production on this song. Solo & Kam's "Where I Come From" had the funkiest beat as laid down by DJ Pooh. The chorus definitely made this song great, the scratching that accompanies the first two lines of the verse will have you waiting to hear. Choclair's smash Canadian hit "Let's Ride" provides Americans with one of their first tastes of this single. It's catchy, but Chocs definitely got better tracks. Tha Eastsidaz's "G'd Up" is also featured on this album. It's a fairly catchy LBC tune sporting dope verses by Snoop Dogg. Silkk The Shocker's "Where Dey At" has a funkier beat than No Limit production would normally create. The line "...And for the rumors, I wanna cut em short right now. Me and Mya, we just friends..." definitely caught my attention. It's interesting because on Silkk's last album he put a single called "Somebody Like Me" featuring Mya. When the video was released, the duo looked like more than just friends. I guess No Limit artists are just really good actors (sarcasm)!

Getting back on point, '3 Strikes Soundtrack' was impressive. The production, style, flow, feel and artists were exceptionally diverse. Unfortunately, several songs grabbed my attention quickly, but fizzled just as fast. They sported a great little hook, which got old fast. Nonetheless, this album is decent and above average. It's a nice little blend of rap and R&B packed down into 12 tracks.

www.brockwayent.com

(Originally posted on HipHopCanada.com)

This review was written March 24, 2000