Rolling Stone (10/26/00, p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Solid performances dominate....Muggs' considerable beat-making skills carry the day..."
Q (11/00, p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Muggs has been hoarding all his best work. The evidence? These dramatic backing tracks are far superior to Cypress Hill's recent efforts..."
Muzik (11/00, p.115) - 4 out of 5 - "...The all-star cast are supplied with string-heavy, hip hop beats which are a long way from what the Hill are working with right now....a good compilation..."
CMJ (10/2/00, p.31) - "...Muggs plays a chameleon who morphs his approach around the voices of his guests..."
The Source (10/00, p.265) - "...With sinister bass drops, funkadelic brass sections and hardcore lyrics from some of the game's best MC's, [this album] will satisfy low-riding homies, syrup sippers and Shaolin warriors alike..."
Producers: Muggs, The Alchemist, Troy Staton.
The idea was so nice they had to try it twice. The first volume of SOUL ASSASSINS showed the ability of Muggs--the hip-hop producer extraordinaire who added so much to the work of Cypress Hill, among others--to gather together rappers from disparate corners of the hip-hop community in service of his larger vision. This second volume functions in essentially the same way, with some new faces added to the mix and some new sonic tricks up Muggs' sleeve.
The overwhelming theme is gangsta, and Muggs doesn't shy away from presenting the harsher side of that reality (aided by the likes of Goodie Mob, Xzibit, and Everlast). What makes SOUL ASSASSINS so effective, though, is Muggs' knack for framing the raps in atmospheric backdrops that utilize everything from funk to hard rock to orchestral sweeps.