Ja Rule's self-proclaimed return to the streets isn't that rough compared to most hardcore rap; after all,
Irv Gotti, Chink Santana, and the rest of Murder Inc. have a formula that's worked well in the past, and they're not about to desert it with artists like
Ja and
Ashanti hitting the charts every time they release a single. The first up, "Thug Lovin'," sets it off in style, with
Ja Rule turning in one of his best raps yet and guest
Bobby Brown adding flair to a pop-heavy production.
Ashanti shines on the first of her two tracks, "Mesmerize," a smooth and sexed-up duet with a polished, honey-smooth production framing
Ja Rule's gravelly hip-hop soul. Her other feature, a remix of "The Pledge" (the latter originally on
Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.), boasts great mic features from
Nas and
Ja Rule, plus a few odd, disembodied lines heard from
2Pac before the fade-out. Stepping in for
Ashanti elsewhere with solid vamps are
Charli Baltimore ("Last Temptation") and
Alexi ("Murder Me"), though
Ja does fit in a few real hardcore tracks too: "Pop N****s" and "The Warning."
The Last Temptation isn't going to surprise anyone familiar with what Murder Inc. is all about, but their trademarked balance of the rough (
Ja Rule) and smooth (
Irv Gotti) has rarely sounded better than it does here. ~ John Bush