AAVV — Above the Rim

Soundtrack of the homonymous film and third work of the Death Row Records label, founded by Suge Knight. Production is created by Dr. Dre, Warren G, DJ Quik, Dat Nigga Daz, 2nd II None, Havoc, Suamana Swoop Brown, Dalvin DeGrate, Johnny Jay, Tracy Kendrick, Benny Medina, Allen Gordon, Brian Alexander Morgan, Nikke Nikole, OFTB, Darryl Pearson, Chris Puran, Sharon Riley, Carl Small, Al B Sure and DeVante Swing. The performers are Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nate Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound Gangstas, Warren G, Thug Life, Big Pimpin' Delemond, SWV, Allen Gordon Jr., Joe, Sweet Sable, H-Town, DJ Rogers, Jewell, Aaron Hall, The Lady of Rage, CPO, Paradise, Al B Sure, OFTB, Rhythm & Knowledge and B-Rezell.

The soundtrack is opened by "Anything": boom bap dance, rnb cut, slow hard pounding drum, track with discreet guests. This is the original song, and not the remix with the Wu-Tang Clan: Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man and U-God spit out a few bars and there's a homage to "C.R.E.A.M." with a break in the rhythm on the last bars of Meth. This is followed by two simple ballads sung to decent rhythms. The first hip-hop cut is the posse track "Big Pimpin'": relaxed boom bap devised by Daz Dillinger, decent slow syncopated drum machine, relaxed synths, easygoing delivery of Snoop and Dogg Pound, good Nate on the chorus. DJ Quik helps 2nd II None produce their lead track: the beat is a boom bap with cheap drum on which the guys don't play well, there's also a sung hook. It's, however, better than the following relaxed ballad performed by DJ Rogers. The seventh choice is "Regulate" by Nate Dogg & Warren G, easily the best cut of the edition, it's clearly superior to everything else that is present in here. Warren G's flawless relaxed rhythm, light and accessible slow drum, great samples: Warren G and Nate Dogg simply deliver one of the best back and forth in history. Fantastic relaxed track, one of the best of the decade.

2Pac livens up the record with his Thug Life in "Pour Out a Little Liquor", flowing briskly over an honest funky beat by Johnny J. Jewell & Aaron Hall perform a vicious ballad song on a simple rhythm with midtempo drum. The Lady of Rage spits slow hardcore style bars on a messy funky boom bap made by Dre and Daz, which features an outro of Snoop Dogg. CPO finds himself having to spit bars on a cheap and mediocre rhythm by Tony Green, who places a messy and sparse drum in track number eleven. Two ballads follow: while Paradise doesn't impress, the funky uptempo beat for that of Al B Sure is good. Track number 14 presents a generic delivery on a generic rhythm, followed by yet another pair of ballads. Jewell has a solo track in which he performs one of the most vicious lyrics of the edition, he sings well but the rhythm doesn't help her, it's a mediocre sound with a messy and chaotic drum machine. It closes a track that celebrates Dogg Pound: Daz Dillinger's funky boom bap, thumping syncopated drum, honest delivery of the group, Snoop revives the track.

Distributed by Death Row and Interscope, the album has the difficult task of following the two classics "The Chronic" and "Doggystyle", and is greeted with critical acclaim and achieves significant commercial success: second on the Billboard 200, first among hip-hop records, it's certified double platinum by the RIAA in five months. The soundtrack is praised with eyes (and ears) closed by the specialized critics, proving that Dr. Dre is untouchable at this point in his career: 18 tracks, 78 minutes of listening, the album is mainly composed of ballads and rnb choices, which cover more than half of the entire soundtrack. The Lady of Rage, Snoop Dogg and the Dogg Pound have several solid moments in this edition, however, Warren G and Nate Dogg steal the show and get the unique cut that's really worth listening to. Otherwise, the soundtrack is not recommended.

Rating: 4/10.