Full Speed

HERE we have the Passion Pop of rap - it's sweet and fun in small doses but it's tacky as hell and almost certain to give you a headache if you're any older than 16. Slick, commercial rap without any real thought or ambition is what our friend Kid Ink has given us on his second album and it's easy to imagine his next 16 albums will sound much the same. The album is OK, but that's as high as the praise is going to get. The lyrics are shallow and mindless - the sort of thing that fuels our Barry Prismall's hatred of the genre. If you sort of like rap this album holds potential but if you actually like rap I'm less certain. Kudos for getting some big names involved - Usher is a coup - but frankly I find anything featuring Chris Brown beyond nauseating. Like Passion Pop.

★★

- EMILY BAKER