NOISE

You rap, host a television show and star in movies. If you had to put your occupation on a business card, what would it be?

That's a tough one. I don't know. If I had to put something on a business card, I'd put "professional," because that's what I am.

Are you worried that your showbiz legacy will be as the host of Pimp My Ride and as an actor and not as a talented emcee?

No. That would be trying to pigeonhole my accomplishments to television or film. I look at it differently. I have all three things [rapping, television, films] and I want them to complement each other. A lot people know me from the show, and a lot of people will know me from the movie [Gridiron Gang, in which he co-stars], but people also know me from the music. Pimp My Ride is a contrast, a positive contrast, to my music. It shows a different side of my personality that you don't see through the music and the movies.

What about Samuel L. Jackson's comments about rappers bastardizing the acting craft?

I definitely have respect for the craft. I took roles in other movies [XXX: State of the Union, Full Clip] before I took my first co-starring roles. I really took my time. I'm very picky about the roles I choose because I'm very aware of what's out there in terms of perceptions [of rapper-actors]. Long-term, I'm thinking about producing my own franchise feature films because there's not a lot of strong roles for blacks, especially for artists in my genre.

Back to music, why did you title your new album Full Circle?

This is my sixth studio album and it marks my 10th year in hip-hop. So I've come full circle. Music is the best way I express myself. The motivation behind this record is different. I own the record and the label. It's about putting me first.

West Coast rap is making a mini-resurgence. What's it going to take to return to the early '90s, when the West Coast ruled?

We have artists with tradition in the West Coast. The only thing we can do that we haven't done is to show unity and community. There's so much tension in the West Coast. If we can come together, that's the next progressive step because the quality of the music speaks for itself.

1. Beasties: "Jimmy James" (Check Your Head, 1992) The swiped Cheap Trick bit ("This next one is the first song on our new album") makes a stylish intro to any mix tape.


2. Bonnie: "Just to See My Holly Home" (Ease Down the Road, 2001) Upbeat pop and Will Oldham in the same sentence? Surely we jest.


3. Beasties: "Get it Together" (Ill Communication, 1994) Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA elevate their rhymes when Q-Tip pays a visit.


4. Bonnie: "I See a Darkness" (I See a Darkness, 1999) The bleakest song on the bleakest—and best—album of Oldham's career.


5. Beasties: "Egg Man" (Paul's Boutique, 1989) Colliding samples from Super Fly, Psycho and Jaws will leave you standing with an egg moustache.


6. Bonnie: "Horses" (Sings Greatest Palace Music, 2004) This reinterpreted Palace classic stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the original.


7. Beasties: "An Open Letter to NYC" (To the 5 Boroughs, 2004) The Boys pay hometown homage and resurrect an underappreciated Dead Boys beat.


8. Bonnie: "Master and Everyone" (Master and Everyone, 2003) Get your heart broken into 235 pieces in two minutes, 35 seconds.

PRIESTESS


HELLO MASTER (3 stars)

Hinder


Extreme Behavior (3 stars)