Various

Considering the thoroughly under-whelming Cypress Hill outing Skull & Bones, it seems that DJ Muggs was saving his rougher beats for the second instalment of his Soul Assassins project. While among the best crop of beats he's blessed heads with in a while, Muggs, as he did on the first Soul Assassins compilation, unfortunately tries to emulate the styles of various producers when tailoring beats for various MCs. This time, Muggs focuses on liberally lifting from the blueprints of Wu-Tang Clan boardsman RZA. The foreboding beats, warped vocals and dramatic strings are all in effect, providing an overly familiar yet compelling backdrop for the MCs he's tapped to spit on the tracks. Several stellar performances by the likes of veteran yarn spinner Kool G. Rap ("Real Life"), scrappy Screwball MC Hostyle ("Victory & Defeat"), and the relentless Self Scientific ("Millenium Thrust") point to how good the album could have been if the undeniably talented Muggs had stuck closer to his own muse.