Search - Fast & Furious :: Fast & Furious (OST)

This album is ostensibly the soundtrack to the car-chase flick of the same name, featuring Gotti's own Murder Inc. soldier, Ja Rule. It's chock-full of samples previously utilized to better effect by Tha Alkaholiks, Dr. Dre, and Swizz Beats (who, on the misguided Limp Bizkit/DMX/Redman/Method Man combo, "Rolling," actually reworks one of his own beats). According to the liner notes, the album was "conceived and created by IRV GOTTI" (note the block caps), but it's unclear why Mr. Gotti wishes to take full responsibility for this half-baked mixture of posturing hip-hop and ineffective R&B. The most obvious clunker is the aforementioned "Rolling," which comes off as a wan retread of the Beasties' "What You Want?" Vita's right behind them with a pointless word-for-word cover of Madonna's "Justify My Love." The album's not a complete washout, though. R. Kelly steps in to save the day with the lovely "Take My Time Tonight," and Nate Dogg adds his inimitable brand of L.B. funk to Shade Sheist's "Cali Diseaz." And perhaps most notably, The Fast and the Furious offers a chance to catch Petey Pablo before he really grasps the brass ring. --Rebecca Levine