Like the film itself, the original soundtrack to Bamboozled --
Spike Lee's film about an African-American writer who joins an urban sitcom written mostly by whites -- is a clever and carefully-concieved piece of work.
Mos Def, Canibus,
Charli Baltimore,
MC Serch,
DJ Scratch, Mums, and Gano Grills make up the Mau Maus, the film's angry, militant rap group; their single "Blak Iz Blak" sends up rap's political potency. On the other hand, Chuck D, the Roots,
Rage Against the Machine, and
Zack De La Rocha's "Burn Hollywood Burn" pays tribute to hip-hop's incendiary, message-driven power. Similarly,
Erykah Badu's "Hollywood,"
Stevie Wonder's "Misrepresented People," and
Prince's "2045 Radical Man" keep politics high in the soundtrack's mix.
Bruce Hornsby's "Shadowlands,"
Goodie Mob's "Just a Song," Mums' "Ploylessness," and Common &
Erykah Badu's "The Light" add further depth to
Bamboozled, which manages to be playful and thought-provoking at the same time. ~ Heather Phares