State Property

1	Roc the Mic / Omillio Sparks 4:25
2	Sun Don't Shine / Neef 4:13
3	It's Not Right / Young Chris 4:36
4	Do You Want Me / Oschino 4:10
5	Sing My Song / Oschino 4:49
6	No Glory / Beanie Sigel 4:54
7	B***h N****S / Beanie Sigel 5:29
8	Why Must I / Beanie Sigel 4:08
9	International Hustler / Freeway 4:16
10	Hood I Know / Oschino 4:20
11	Got Nowhere... / Freeway 4:00
12	Trouble Man / Oschino 4:36
13	Don't Realize / Beanie Sigel 4:16

Barnes & Noble

Beanie Sigel's discovery is classic rap lore: A young Beans, content with hustling on the corner, spits a career-changing verse for Jay-Z, who immediately signs him to his record label. Now, two impressive releases later, the Philly MC has the streets on lockdown, with hip-hop heads fiending for his crack-rock-potent mini-novellas. And just as Jay pulled Beans from the streets and into his Roc La Familia, Beanie brings his homeboys -- Freeway, Ochino and Sparks, and Young Chris and Neef -- into the fold. But it's obvious from State Property, the soundtrack to Beanie's first film, that the Philly crew is a work in progress. Freeway, the latest heir to the Roc-a-Fella throne, makes his debut on "Roc the Mic": Over staccato beats and a funky guitar loop, he boasts: "Niggas 'gon keep hatin' and my click 'gon keep grindin'/ Keep movin', lockin' the town." Only in brief flashes, however, do the other members of the SP clique shine brightly. For instance, on "Sun Don't Shine" and "It's Not Right" the ghetto survivalist tales of various crew members nicely complement the sweetly sung, radio-friendly hooks and keyboard-driven backdrops. Still, the effort's best song is the Beanie Sigel solo joint, "No Glory," on which he serves "uncut raw" rhymes over pimped-out sonics -- a sure sign that the rest of his posse need to follow his blazing example. Brett Johnson

All Music Guide

Roc-a-Fella Records co-CEOs Jay-Z and Damon Dash executive produced this soundtrack to the feature film of the same name. The film and soundtrack chronicle the lives of a tight-knit band of Philadelphia hustlers trying to come up in the rap game/drug game. While the territory of the soundtrack is well-trodden, Roc-a-Fella heavyweight (and Philadelphia native) Beanie Sigel headlines the project, lending his bruising and dexterous lyrical styles throughout. The album also gives a good sneak peak at the Roc's on-deck project (and fellow Philadelphian), Freeway. Freeway, he of the high-pitch pimp chatter, is on the next level of intelligent hoodlumism. Sigel and Freeway certainly carry this project, appearing on nine and six tracks respectively (the album boasts a total of 13 cuts). The production here is heavy and flossed out, but not without dashes of Philly soul à la the O'Jays/Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes; the catchy feel of the Philly soul era is re-buffed and transposed to mesh with the "hard-knock life" tone of the album. The album has tremendous crossover appeal, having been released in an era in which gangsta rap had fully reached the MTV masses. The single "Roc the Mic" was proof positive of this, as it became a smash hit with rap's die-hard fans and weekend hip-hop listeners alike. ~ M.F. DiBella, All Music Guide