22-year-old Philadelphian
Ms. Jade is closely associated with
Timbaland, who produced nine tracks on her debut record,
Girl Interrupted, and put it out on the Beat Club label, which is affiliated with Interscope.
Ms. Jade definitely benefits from
Timbaland's signature, laid-back beats. She also has plenty of rap's heavy-hitters making appearances, including
Jay-Z,
Missy Elliott, and
Nate Dogg. But
Ms. Jade lacks a strong voice of her own. In fact, one can barely tell the difference between her voice and many other current women rappers on the radio, such as
Eve. Perhaps the only difference in style is that
Ms. Jade doesn't get nasty à la
Lil' Kim or
Foxy Brown. But thanks to
Timbaland's skills, there are some good songs here, including "Really Don't Want My Love," where
Ms. Jade sounds at least a little bit inspired when tearing up an ex-boyfriend (though, there is a song like this on every single record by a female rapper), "Big Head," a fun, danceable tune with a silly chorus, and "Dead Wrong," where
Nate Dogg steals the spotlight as usual with his soulful vocals, which seem to make for instant radio hits. But overall,
Ms. Jade's rapping doesn't stand out. [This version is the clean version] ~ Adam Bregman