Rating: NN
DJ Khaled’s fifth curatorial compilation of posse raps is a forgettable snapshot of mainstream hip-hop despite an all-star roster of emcees, R&B singers and producers. An industry fixture, the Miami radio DJ and Terror Squad member takes few stylistic chances, making We The Best Forever a mostly tedious listen despite its flashes of lyrical invention.
The clear highlight is opening track I’m On One, a spaced-out summer single produced by Toronto’s T-Minus and Noah “40” Shebib and featuring a scene-stealing stop-start verse from Drake. The song is addictive – it’s a shame Drizzy couldn’t save it for his own record.
It’s followed by radio anthem Welcome To My Hood, which succeeds thanks to T-Pain’s appropriation of a certain KRS-One hook. The Lex Luger-helmed club tracks Money and I’m Thuggin are as shallow as their titles suggest, while R&B-oriented entries It Ain’t Over Til Its Over (featuring Mary J. Blige) and Legendary (featuring Keyshia Cole, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown) are as melodically unimaginative as their titles are clichéd.
Top track: I’m On One
