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Precise, brooding MCs like Dilated Peoples and Mobb Deep's Prodigy thrive on Alchemist's trademark production -- '70s funk samples and dark sweeping strings. But on this instrumental collection, the absence of words is a thorny issue.

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Crunk is all about the payoff -- blaring, riotous beats building to a chant-worthy chorus. Pastor Troy, the Atlanta rapper known for his 2002 Timbaland-assisted single "Are We Cuttin'," only has half that equation down. Intense energy: Check. Memorable hooks: Not so much. "Hard for the Money" awkwardly contorts the Donna Summer original into a tired stripper ode.

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Joell Ortiz, the latest artist signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath imprint, is well aware of his niche. On "Hip Hop," he raps, "I don't try to make you dance / I rip beats." And on this warm-up to his major-label debut, the spirited rapper breezes through four 125-bar epics -- the average song contains 48.

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Twenty years after the South Bronx/Queensbridge throwdown, KRS-One and Marley Marl have squashed their beef; but the results are cause for only quiet celebration. The fortysomething MC still has his fastball -- both the title track and "Nothin' New" showcase provocative lyrics, original flows, and uninhibited enthusiasm.

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Lil' Flip was once known for blithe concoctions like 2002's "The Way We Ball" and 2004's "Game Over (Flip)," which sampled the Pac-Man theme. Both singles were great fun, but after emerging on the wrong end of a career-threatening beef with T.I. over who was "king of the South," the Houston native has unfortunately tried to toughen up.

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Pharoahe Monch is one rapper who shouldn't stop singing. His vocals on "Push" and "So Good" are so effective that they almost threaten to overshadow his powerful rhymes.