Various Artists - Soundbombing 3

When indie rap luminaries Rawkus Records signed a deal with megacorp Vivendi Universal for all their future releases, many in the hip hop community cried foul. At first glance, the tracklisting for Rawkus’ Soundbombing 3 compilation seems to reinforce these worries: the indie MCs the label was known for are placed side by side with platinum hitmakers like Method Man, Missy Elliott and Noreaga. Yet as De La Soul once put it, “we might blow up, but we won’t go pop.” Any fears that Rawkus would be aiming for the MTV crowd are allayed once the gritty snare of “The Life” (by Pharoahe Monch and Styles P of Ruff Ryder affiliates the Lox) starts to kick. Despite Rawkus’ definite affinity for bigger-name, more mainstream artists, the discs lyrical and musical aesthetic remains strongly rooted to the label’s underground history. Like many compilations, Soundbombing 3 has it’s share of fast forward moments. Fortunately, there are more than enough highlights to sustain the album throughout. With it’s unique meld of 80s metal guitar and new-school rap beats (courtesy of Rockwilder), Mos Def’s “Freak Daddy” proves “rap rock” can be much more than some backwards-hatted fat guy and a DJ yelling about their feelings. Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip abandons his recent jazz excursions with the surprisingly hardcore return to form, “What Lies Beneath,” and fellow traditionalists The Beatnuts and The Roots shine on their respective efforts as well. What’s most interesting about this compilation is that its strongest moment comes from perhaps it’s least well-known artist. RA The Rugged Man comes through with “On The Block,” a clever twist on the back-in-the-day theme that mixes genuinely clever wordplay with boom bap production that is mercifully free of the polish that clogs so many of today’s built-for-TRL rap singles. As long as Rawkus continues to let gems like this shine through, they should have no problem maintaining quality throughout their major label partnership. [www.rawkusrecords.com]