Paid in Full [Universal] [Soundtrack] [PA]

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Engineer: Carlisle Young; Alan Spiers; Geoff Allen; Ollie Cotton; Won Allen; Jay Denes; Shane Woodley
Producer: Zukhan Bey; Megahertz Music Group; DJ Scott La Rock; Craig Lawson; Doug E. Fresh; Eric B.; Geroid Roberson; Shim; Frankie Beverly; Ollie Cotton; Dennis Ball; Gene Griffin; Dame Dash; E Bass; Ron Feemster; Howie Tee; Hugh Padgham; Just Blaze; KRS-One; Kanye West; King James; Lesette Wilson; M.A.J.; Meli'sa Morgan; Phil Collins; Rakim; The Heatmakerz
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Contains an untitled hidden track following "Goodbye Love". Personnel: Phil Collins (vocals, Fender Rhodes piano, vocoder, drums, drum machine); Daryl Stuermer (guitar); Lakshminarayana Shankar (violin); LaSonya Gunter (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Eric "Ebo" Butler; Carlisle Young; Geoff Allen; Doug Wilson; Get Fresh Crew; Duro; Jay Denes; Jean-Marie Horvat; M. Aj; Patrick Viala. Audio Remixer: Marley Marl. Recording information: Baseline Studios, New York, NY; Mob Style Studios, Harlem, New York, NY; Phoenix Recording Studio; Quad Studios, New York, NY. Photographer: Walik Goshorn. Arrangers: Ricky D; Doug E. Fresh; Gene Griffin; Howie Tee; Robert Aries. Paid in Full, a double-disc Roc-a-Fella album (half old-school mixtape, half Roc sampler) released in conjunction with the film of the same name, could have been a remarkable release. Instead, it's a fumbled effort, one that's a major blemish on Roc-a-Fella's otherwise stellar resum� as of 2002. The first disc is an old-school mixtape with a great track listing: Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full," Slick Rick's "The Show," BDP's "The Bridge Is Over," Special Ed's "I Got It Made," and some pleasant surprises like Meli'sa Morgan's "Fool's Paradise," Maze's "Before I Let Go," Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," and Guy's "Goodbye Love." It's really hard to go wrong with songs like that, but this first disc ends up being downright unlistenable because of the "world famous" Brucie B, who, for one, can't mix worth a damn and, for two, never shuts up. He shouts out to seemingly half of New York over the course of the mix, and he interrupts -- mid-song, and mid-hook even -- to shout proclamations like "Everybody sing!" "Here we go!" and "If you in your house, if you in your car, wherever you are, tell me the name of this record!" Even worse, he actually sings along to the hook of "Before I Let Go" -- and not well! It's really remarkable that Roc-a-Fella head honcho Dame Dash actually deemed this worthy of release. What was he thinking? The second disc, which is a various-artists sample of the extended Roc family circa 2002, isn't too much better. Again, what could have been a fantastic listening experience ends up sounding questionable. The pool of talent here is unprecedented: rappers Jay-Z, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, M.O.P., Twista, and some lesser-knowns, as well as hot-shot producers Kayne West and Just Blaze. And there are some promising ideas here, chief among them a disc-opening interpolation of Queen's "Champions" and also a remake of Tru's "Bout It, Bout It" that features Master P. But little comes together like it should, and what could be a hit-filled sampler ends up being a jarring mishmash of off-putting vainglory. Granted, some of the beats are on point, especially those of "Champions" and "I'm Ready," but rarely can the MCs bring the necessary heat. In the end, Paid in Full is for Roc diehards only, and even they may want to pass on this one. ~ Jason Birchmeier When the subject of old school rap music comes up, there's always one guy who claims to have hung out in all the South Bronx parks back in the day, break dancing to the sounds of TR-808's powered by electricity from a lamppost. Everyone else listens with hushed reverence, wishing they could have experienced a little of the old school magic that spawned the hip-hop revolution. The soundtrack to the film PAID IN FULL attempts to recapture that magic by recreating the sounds and atmosphere of a seminal '80s rap jam. Appropriately, the opening track features Eric B & Rakim, whose classic 1987 album PAID IN FULL inspired the soundtrack's title. The fun continues with aggressive tracks from several other groundbreaking early rappers,'80s R&B stars and new jack swing artists, including Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, KRS-One, Special Ed, Mel'isa Morgan, MAZE Featuring Frankie Beverly, and Guy. All the while, The World Famous Brucie B MC's up a storm, offering shout outs and running commentary, encouraging listeners to "come on!," and generally maintaining a butt-skakin' party atmostphere. PAID IN FULL also includes a bonus disc entitled DREAM TEAM, which is a mixed bag of contemporary East Coast hip-hop. When the subject of old school rap music comes up, there's always one guy who claims to have hung out in all the South Bronx parks back in the day, break dancing to the sounds of TR-808's powered by electricity from a lamppost. Everyone else listens with hushed reverence, wishing they could have experienced a little of the old school magic that spawned the hip-hop revolution. The soundtrack to the film PAID IN FULL attempts to recapture that magic by recreating the sounds and atmosphere of a seminal '80s rap jam. Appropriately, the opening track features Eric B & Rakim, whose classic 1987 album PAID IN FULL inspired the soundtrack's title. The fun continues with aggressive tracks from several other groundbreaking early rappers,'80s R&B stars and new jack swing artists, including Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, KRS-One, Special Ed, Mel'isa Morgan, MAZE Featuring Frankie Beverly, and Guy. All the while, The World Famous Brucie B MC's up a storm, offering shout outs and running commentary, encouraging listeners to "come on!," and generally maintaining a butt-skakin' party atmostphere. PAID IN FULL also includes a bonus disc entitled DREAM TEAM, which is a mixed bag of contemporary East Coast hip-hop.

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