Notes & Personnel Info |  | Original score composed by John Frizzell and Damon "Grease" Blackman. | | Personnel: LAC (vocals); Steven King (guitar); Luis Resto (keyboards). | | Audio Mixers: Carlisle Young; Dragan "Chach" Cacinovic; Jason Goldstein; Pascal Volberg; Eminem; Martin Moor; Martin Stebbing; Rich Keller; Steven King; Leslie Brathwaite. | | Recording information: Chicago Studios, Chicago, IL; Chung King, New York, NY; Enterprise STudios, Los Angeles, CA; Gold Mine Studios, Queens, NY; Hit Factory, New York, NY; Larrabee West, Los Angeles, CA; Quad Studios, New York, NY; Right Track Studio, New York, NY; Sony Studios, New York, NY; Soul Clap Studios, New York, NY; Sound Castle Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Sound on Sound, New York, NY; Teamwork Studios, New York, NY; The Room Lab, Hackensack, NJ; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA. | | Arranger: Bazaar Royale. | | No matter his acting abilities, DMX is a natural for the silver screen. Ever since his album debut, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, the former Earl Simmons has flaunted a flair for the dramatic, and his work ethic is one of the toughest in hip-hop. He must have been especially busy filming, since the soundtrack for Cradle 2 the Grave, his first starring turn (with Jet Li), has only three features for DMX himself. Taking up the slack, fortunately, are some of the hottest rappers circa 2003: Eminem, with a track featuring DMX as well, plus 50 Cent, Foxy Brown, Clipse, and Drag-On. The leadoff track is DMX's own "X Gon' Give It to Ya," a typically grandiose contribution that compares pretty well to the rest of his work but doesn't sound too special. Eminem's self-produced "Go to Sleep" is an extremist (even for him) murder fantasy that goes down in a hail of screams and bullets, while "My Life (Cradle 2 the Grave)" finds Foxy Brown turning curiously reflective (and more than just a bit poignant). Surprisingly, amidst the raft of big names, DMX affiliate Drag-On steals one of the best tracks, "Fireman," an off-kilter track that blows through a pair of contrasting percussion lines, borrowing from "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "Pusherman," but sounds completely original nevertheless. ~ John Bush | | CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE, which features "music from and inspired by" the action film of the same name, is a tough, well-put-together collection of aggressive East Coast hip-hop that perfectly mirrors the gritty urban setting of the movie. The disc opens with a ferocious duo of tracks featuring DMX (who stars in CRADLE TO THE GRAVE with martial arts master Jet Li). "X Gonna Give It To Ya" is classic DMX: all rough, snarling vocals, rock-hard beats, and plenty of barking. "Go To Sleep," a collaborative effort with Eminem, is a brutal, cinematic gangsta track that may shock those only familiar with the rapper's poppier side. | | There's also Foxy Brown's "My Life," which chillingly examines hip-hop's blurring of fantasy and reality when it comes to violence, and "What's It All For" by Bazaar Royale, which uses a heavy guitar sample from neo-grunge rockers CKY, recalling Public Enemy's classic early-'90s collaborations with Anthrax. Unlike many soundtrack albums, which appear to be cobbled together simply to make a few extra bucks, CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE is an extremely cohesive album and may even emerge as a more substantial work than the film itself. |
Producer: DJ Envy; Dame Grease; Elite; Eminem; Gavin Marchand; Mac G; Shatek King; Konkrete Kaos; Manny Fresh; Tony Pizarro; Sha Money XL |
Engineer: Chris Theis; Carlisle Young; Rich Balmer; Geoff Allen; Pascal Volberg; Dino Johnson; Shatek King; Martin Stebbing; Troy Hightower; Michael Strange; Sha Money XL; Nick Howard |
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