Mystikal

On Let's Get Ready , Mystikal is unruly yet razor sharp, chopping the Neptunes' production into small slices of funk with a flow that sounds like a cross between James Brown and Donald Duck. Pharrell's thin falsetto on the hit single "Shake Ya Ass" is the only thing that keeps the track from spinning into a strange stratosphere of pure, syncopated energy; while rattling bongos, sweaty verses and surf guitar riffs anchor the appropriately titled "Danger." It's nearly impossible to sit still while listening to this one.

Gangsta sh*t finally beneath him, he bids to become pop's scariest party animal ("Shake Ya Ass," "Big Truck Boys," "Family"). (Grade - ***)