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The hottest masterminds in hip hop have
made the ultimate mix tape (or CD in this case). Clones
is a showcase of Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo's talents as
rap doctors for the stars (P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake). They
inject intricate synth arrangements and slammin' beats into one
stew of in your face hip-hop and soul that's catchy as it is
street. Although they are the stars of the album, it is the talent
they enlist that make the songs. Standouts include Busta Rhymes'
rambunctious delivery on "Light Your Ass On Fire,"
the bombastic "It Wasn't Us" by Ludacris, the soulful
Pharell's Frontin' with Jay-Z, the hard-hitting, sexy "It
Blows My Mind" by Snoop. The ladies have their say too as
in "Good Girl" by Vanessa Marquez and Kelis in "Popular
Thug" (featuring Nas). There's even an unlikely injection
of rock in the middle of the album by Spy Mob ("Half Steering")
and The High Speed Scene ("Fuck n Spend"). Despite
the rock and roll break, this is mainly a hip hop record and
a fine one at that. Looks like the Neptunes will be major rap
and pop playas for a long time.
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