Various Artists: Soundbombing III

In 1997, a burgeoning rap label called Rawkus released Soundbombing, a seminal compilation that captured the nascent underground renaissance in its embryonic stages. Dominated by the later-legendary team of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Soundbombing radiated idealism and raw energy as it mapped out a more conscious direction for hip-hop. A sequel followed two years later, by which time Rawkus had a reputation as the most important label in underground rap. A lot has changed since then, however. Plagued by defections, bad publicity, botched deals, and a partnership with MCA that left it decimated, Rawkus is no longer the underground epicenter it once was, and recent releases reflect that. In 2000, Lyricist Lounge 2 traded in the first installment's arty bohemians for the thuggish likes of Beanie Sigel and Nate Dogg, while Soundbombing III pairs Rawkus icons Pharoahe Monch and Talib Kweli with gangstas like DJ Quik and Styles P. of The Lox. Like Lounge 2, Soundbombing III's harder-edged roster feels like an act of desperation for Rawkus, but it still works musically, if not conceptually. DJ Quik's typically misogynist verse on "Put It In The Air," for example, doesn't have much to do with Kweli's characteristically conscious turn on the same track, but sonically, Kweli's flow and Quik's airy production work well together. A veteran of all three volumes, Kweli proves to be Soundbombing III's MVP. In addition to "Put It In The Air," he stands out on the slinky, playful "Yelling Away," where he joins forces with Zap Mama and Common, and "Rhymes And Ammo," a fist-pumping up-tempo banger pairing him with The Roots. Elsewhere, Styles P. spits high-potency gangsta fatalism over a haunting Ayatollah track on "The Life," while Q-Tip returns to straightforward rap with terrific results on the dark, minimalist "What Lies Beneath." Factor in effective but safe remixes of Kool G. Rap's "My Life" and Jonell's "Round And Round," as well as solid tracks from The Beatnuts, Skillz, and RA The Rugged Man, and the result is a uniformly solid compilation. Rawkus may not be the label it once was, but Soundbombing III proves that it still has creative life left.