With the follow-up to the immensely popular and influential Lyricist Lounge double-disc compilation, Rawkus Records, the preeminent breeding ground for underground talent, is well on its way to cashing in its chips. Here's a clue: the biggest name on the first volume was KRS-One. On 2, not only do we get Macy Gray, the newly-jigga'd Q-Tip and folks like Nate Dogg, but we're also treated to an utterly baffling appearance by Dirty Southerners JT Money & Pastor Troy.
And herein lies the fundamental problem with Lyricist Lounge 2: it's been compromised by its own success. LL1 was remarkable in showing that "unknown" MCs can rock a crowd as hard (or harder) than "stars," whereas 2 has become a sort of "state of the hip-hop union." Sure, the idea of hooking up Mos Def and Ghostface Killah on "Ms. Fat Booty 2" sounds cool, but really, doesn't the idea of a sequel to a song sound lazy?