Music & Me

Japanese edition of the West Coast rapper's 2001 album includes the bonus track 'Keep It G.A.N.G.S.T.A. (amended remix featuring Lil' Mo & Missy Elliott).

Nate Dogg is the undisputed king of choruses, bridges, and hooks, which would seemingly limit his ability to successfully carry a full-length album. Nevertheless, Music & Me is his third appearance at the plate. A little Nate Dogg goes a long way, so it's no surprise that an extensive A list of guest stars holds most of the album's appeal. Pharoahe Monch's limber and loose verses make the otherwise mediocre "I Pledge Allegiance" a pleasant surprise, while surface-level lyrics kicked by rap's miniest mogul, Jermaine Dupri, help bury an already weak "Your Woman Has Just Been Sighted." Dr. Dre, Snoop, Kurupt, and the Eastsidaz are in the house, of course, and Snoop's verse on "Ditty Dum Ditty Doo" helps make it the second best song on the album. The hottest track is easily "Keep It G.A.N.G.S.T.A." The beat is bubblegum yet menacing, a perfect background for the supreme combination of Nate Dogg, ghetto chanteuse Lil' Mo, and Cali's premier MC Xzibit. --Rebecca Levine