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Various Artists - Soundtrack to 3 Strikes

On the soundtrack to the film 3 Strikes - a film co-written by hip-hop producer DJ Pooh - we see the continuation of a disturbing trend. Over the past few years, many soundtracks compiled for popular movies have had little or nothing to do with their coinciding films, acting instead as springboards for record labels looking to promote new and mediocre artists.

The 3 Strikes soundtrack is yet another forgettable, unnecessary collection of lackluster tracks in this vein.

Featuring such established non-talents as C-Murder and E-40, most of the songs are simple genre exercises, gangsta party jams featuring beats imitating Dr. Dre and interchangeable raps.

There are two of the obligatory slow jams, including "Hold On Me," by Nio Renee featuring Blue, and these provide no lift to the overall dreariness.

The closing track, a slow jam called "Crave," by Total, seems like a parody of the style: ridiculous lyrics, whiny vocal calisthenics and cheesy wind chime effects all work in harmony to create a bad song.

The sole bright spot is "Let's Ride," by Choclair, a slightly more effective gansta song than the rest on the album, with an interesting piano, organ and percussion instrumental backing. The raps are no more varied or inventive than any other track here, but the song's groove nicely propels it.

Ice Cube imitator Da Howg raps on the second track, "Worldwide Renegades." The song is emblematic of the album's problems at large: unimaginative backing beats, rhythmically uninteresting raps, and silly hard-core posturing are featured here.

The talented Snoop Dogg is wasted in an appearance here with his new crew, the Eastsidaz, on a track that obviously and pathetically tries to recapture Snoop's early 1990s glory.

The song, with the stunningly unoriginal title "G'd up," relies on a loping bass groove and the lazy, drawling raps of the Eastsidaz to create a G-Funk style groove.

However, the song, like the album, comes off as rote and unenthusiastic.