This soundtrack boasts a lineup that stands as a veritable who's who of early-'90s hip-hop. Heavyweights such as
Naughty by Nature,
Salt-N-Pepa, and
Cypress Hill all check in with stellar contributions to this remarkably consistent collection. In addition, respected pioneers of the genre also lend their talents to the album, with
Eric B. & Rakim's propulsive "Juice (Know the Ledge)" and
Teddy Riley featuring
Tammy Lucas' slinky "Is It Good to You?" Other notable tracks include
Too Short's cautionary tale "So You Want to Be a Gangster?" and
EPMD's cooly confident "It's Going Down." Juice showcases a group of performers whose work can be appreciated because of their integrity and rhyming skills rather than their blatant sampling of entire hit songs or video gimmickry. In short, it represents everything that is right about hip-hop. ~ Brian Egan