DJ Khaled We Global CD

DJ Khaled's dense, hard-hitting hip-hop productions show the influence of Dirty South and East Coast rap, not to mention the club and bass music of his native Miami. WE GLOBAL, Khaled's third solo full-length, glitters with a veritable who's who of guest stars, including Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Akon, T.I., Young Jeezy, Nas, Akon, Sean Paul, and others. There are plenty of hooks, but the emphasis is on hands-in-the-air chant-along refrains, hyped-up samples, and sternum-cracking beats. Those looking for a new disc to rock their jeep speakers will find WE GLOBAL more than fits the bill.

Getting back on track, DJ Khaled's We Global corrects all the mistakes made on his disappointing sophomore effort We the Best and gets back to the high-quality control of his debut Listennn: The Album. Like both previous releases, We Global finds the Terror Squad DJ commissioning tracks from the A-list, adding his shout-outs over top, and handing production over to the likes of Cool & Dre, the Inkredibles, and Danja along with a handful of cuts for the underappreciated team, the Runners who can go convincingly hard (the street single "Out Here Grindin'") or brilliantly slick (the R&B-flavored, Lloyd showcase "Go Ahead"). Important names like the Game -- who's focused like a sniper on the great "Red Light" -- and Nas -- who sounds absolutely Illmatic on his hectic cut "I'm On" -- get their own tracks, but most cuts are either giant baller anthems with freestyle after freestyle or more interesting and tighter collaborations, like the good timing "She's Fine" from Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, and dancehall don Sean Paul. Khaled's love of the warmer territories is further supported by Floridian Rick Ross' appearance next to another reggae man, Baby Cham, plus the expected guest shot from Pitbull who closes the album with a Dade County hip-hop history lesson. Khaled's lone production here is "Standing on the Mountain Top," a theatrical showcase for newcomer and protégé Ace Hood who lands on three more cuts and nails each and every one with his fresh-off-the-streets delivery. [We Global was also made available in a clean version with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries

Amp - Amended Produc

Photographers: Bob Croslin; Ted D'Ottavio.

Personnel: Novacane (drum programming).

Audio Mixers: Ben Diehl; Steve Nowa; Duro; Luis Diaz.

XXL (Magazine) (p.117) - "As with his past projects, Khaled serves as an executive producer, mostly letting the featured artists do the talking. But there are instances where he gets in on the act, producing and rhyming on the triumphant opener, 'Standing on the Mountain Top.'"