- Changes - GRITS
- Stepped On – Pettidee
- Gotta Go Now – DJ Maj
- More – Mars ILL
- Crazy – Liquid
- Hey Now – tobyMac
- Nuisance – John Reuben
- Let It Go – M.O.C.
- Money Song – L.A. Symphony
- Preacher Man – Japhia Life
- Plain White Rapper (Kalimba Remix) – KJ-52
- Lean – Shonlock
- Rodeo – Manafest
- Mutual – Verbs
- Go On – B. Reith
"How do you like your hip-hop: underground or kinda pop?" That's the question that now-retired underground eminence SUP The Chemist posited in his sleeper masterpiece,
Still, Gotee Records did all it could, recruiting tracks from its expansive hip-hop vaults and borrowing a few from competitors, to mixed effects. Though the veterans (GRITS, DJ Maj, Mars ILL) lead the pack authoritatively, the compilation gets off to a rather subdued start, at least for a set that boasts to contain "the hottest positive hip-hop of the year." It's indeed an underwhelming listen at times, even during its attempts at lightheartedness—tobyMac's "Hey Now" is funky but two years old, and John Reuben's pop/rock ditty "Nuisance" simply doesn't belong here.
If anything, this collection is at least a good excuse to get ahold of material not available anywhere else, like Shonlock's on-point "Lean" and M.O.C.'s chaotic "Let It Go," two tracks culled from their upcoming 2007 debuts. There's also the inoffensive "Go On," from Gotee's newest white rapper B. Reith, a quirky-voiced emcee who sounds like a cross between KJ-52 and (!) Jason Mraz. But the real exclusive here is the return of hip-hop pioneer Verbs, whose soulful "Mutual" gives a sneak peek at his forthcoming
All else is just a fifty-fifty combination of winners (Pettidee's crunk anthem "Stepped On") and losers (KJ's unfunny "Plain White Rapper"), plus the occasional oddball (Manafest's rap-rock offering "Rodeo"). Oh, and once again my question is, "Where in the world is The Cross Movement for these albums?"