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O: Music Inspired by the Motion Picture is a bubblegum-sweet collection of tunes that explore the ins and outs of young love--lust at first sight, hooking up, and the cycle's almost inevitably heartbreaking conclusion. All of this is very fitting subject matter for an album tied into a film that reinterprets Shakespeare's
Othello for today's fickle teen set. The opening track, "O (Hatin' On You & Me)," is a languid slow jam elevated by Meko's crisp delivery; it effectively spells out the film's main story line. After that, however, it's all about Kurupt, whose three songs dominate the proceedings. His first offering, "Freak It Out," includes the always-amped Noreaga's trademark freestyle rantings over a hyped-up battle beat. Reuniting with partner Daz Dillinger, Kurupt drops some of his classic rump-shakin' G-Funk style on "Who Ride Wit Us." His final cut, "We Ridaz," featuring Roscoe, is a somber ghetto anthem that neatly mirrors the movie's theme of passion and betrayal.
--Rebecca Levine
