madtheory's Full Review: Waist Deep [PA] by Original Soundtrack
Movie soundtracks. Once upon a time when songs composed for films were actually unique to a film, there was an actual reason to buy the soundtracks. Now that the vast majority of “original” soundtracks are comprised of either cast offs from other efforts or currently hot singles from albums that just happen to be releasing about the same time the movie comes out, there simply is no excuse to waste good hard earned cash on them. The Waist Deep Original Soundtrack is certainly no exception.
The soundtrack starts off with a couple of tracks that sound tailor-made for cinematic use, “Guttaville” by Dro and Boe Skagz, and Ice Cube’s “Child Support.” On the surface the former is nothing more than a ghetto anthem, the two average rappers describing the dire nature of life in their hometown. However, what sells it as a movie anthem is the production; you can almost imagine the credits rolling to the compelling string blend rising over syncopated Dirty South percussion. In addition, the larger-than-life synthesized string and horn arrangement on Ice Cube’s “Child Support” gives the track a similarly grandiose feel. Cube’s lyrics complement the complex sound bed with a unique blend of gangsterism, invective, and social insight that few rappers can pull off convincingly. He takes aim at the out-of-control thuggery embraced by some of his rap peers: “you got million dollar n***as killing million dollar n***as/ bustin’ out of Bentleys, wearing chinchillas/ there you go again rolling in your limo/ coming from the Grammys, shooting out the window/ what you mad about? Diamonds all in your mouth.”
As expected for the soundtrack for a movie advertised as “Bonnie and Clyde... on the flip side” (groan) the majority of the songs on the soundtrack have crime and money as central themes. Repping the dirty south are up and comers Yung Joc, and Young S. Dub, both setting their not so unique lazily rapped thug criminal posturing to music. Joc nasally drawls his way through “Do Yah Bad” spitting standard unlawful belligerence over a typical southern slow-rolling track, and the sentiment is immediately repeated by Dub in similarly forgettable fashion on “Hey.” Ironically enough, even with all the rapped felonies and misdemeanors running rampant throughout the soundtrack’s lyrics, the most unforgivable crime here is how Lil’ Eazy E so casually appropriates his father’s moniker on the forced collaboration with Bone Thugs & Harmony on “This Ain’t A Game.”
Fortunately a few veterans are called upon to salvage some of the effort by providing joints actually worth listening to. Ghostface Killa and Trife Da God have fun on the mic with “Be Easy,” trading some playful back-and-forth over lighthearted boom-bap provided by Pete Rock. Redman continues the levity with his signature punch line-driven delivery on “Gilla House Check.” Although the unchanging drum break that forms the foundation of the piece is somewhat monotonous, his patented comedic battle raps (with a healthy nod to KRS-ONE) will make the track a favorite for most. Even Nate Dogg takes a makes a noteworthy showing over the light g-funk vibe of “Dolla Dolla Bill,” flexing his slightly more dynamic than usual silky baritone to denounce the lust of money.
Presumably to accentuate the softer scenes in the movie, there are a few R&B cuts included on the Waist Deep Soundtrack. Lee Carr’s lovelorn “Act Like That” is a passable slow jam, but Black Buddafly takes the word “horrid” and completely redefines it with their performance of “Bad Girl.” The song is a shrill marriage of the paper-thin voices of the group’s inexperienced “vocalists” and cacophony of grating, repetitive keyboard layers. To further strip away any possible appeal the track might have had, NYC rapper Fabolous is brought in to mumble his way through frighteningly unremarkable sixteens.
It’s hard not to pine for the days when artists would actually view screeners of the movie before submitting a song for its soundtrack. Cuts like “Jack of Spades” and “Deep Cover” remain some of Hip-Hop’s most memorable movie cuts, while the second-hand goods showcased on the Waist Deep Original Soundtrack will be forgotten in two months or less. If you absolutely lovedWaist Deep and have to have this soundtrack as a musical memento of the flick, feel free to pick it up. If not, spend your money elsewhere.
Track Listing:
01. Guttaville – Dro feat. Boe Skagz
02. Child Support – Ice Cube
03. This Ain’t A Game – Lil’ Eazy E feat. Bone Thugs & Harmony
04. Who Want It – Sam Scarfo feat. Buju Banton
05. Do Yah Bad – Yung Joc
06. Sh*t On Me – Dro
07. Hey – Young S. Dub
08. I Get Doe – D.O.G. feat. Jim Jones
09. Bad Girl – Black Buddafly feat. Fabolous
10. Act Like That – Lee Carr
11. I’m Bout A Dolla – G Malone and Kanary D
12. Problems – Curtains
13. Be Easy – Ghostface Killa feat. Trife Da God
14. Gilla House Check – Redman
15. Dolla Dolla Bill – Nate Dogg
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Waist Deep [PA] by Original Soundtrack](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/55/fe/28/2007034668-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.