H2O: Thicker Than Water

Mack 10 may not be the biggest hip-hop name to get a vanity label, but his Hoo-Bangin' imprint has carved out a distinct niche. You need only look at some of the song titles off the Thicker Than Water soundtrack—"Gangsta, Gangsta," "Gang Bang Shit," "Who Got Some Gangsta Shit," "Wanna Be Gangsta"—to realize that Mack 10 probably isn't too concerned with impressing the C. Delores Tuckers of the world. Shamelessly peddling regressive, lowbrow gang-banging hardcore with the vigor of a street-corner crack dealer, the double-disc Thicker Than Water is at least a disc too long and a decade too late to come off as anything but terribly familiar gangsta-rap orthodoxy. Still, within the slew of lazy rap from unpromising Hoo-Bangin' affiliates like Chilldrin Of Da Ghetto lie a few gems. The album's first track and single, Westside Connection's "Let It Reign," is pure chest-beating, morally abhorrent gangsta rap, but at least it's morally abhorrent gangsta rap done right. But the soundtrack's best track by far is West Coast vet King Tee's "I Don't Wanna Die," an eerie, deeply paranoid slice of gangsta fatalism that's as resonant as it is depressing. The rest of the album is mostly competent but unremarkable, with vets like WC, Mr. Mike, MC Eiht, Noreaga, and Mack 10 himself sharing space with lesser-known Hoo-Bangin' acts. Those who like their hip hop thuggish and no-frills should find much to like, but anyone with high expectations will likely see Thicker Than Water as further evidence of gangsta rap's artistic limitations.