By SUJIN THOMAS

THE hip-hop phenomenon is a strange one, having transformed from a strictly urban music form into a thriving billion-dollar money- spinner.

The omnipotence of slick, commercial tunes - which is the primary cause of long queues outside nightclubs here - has guaranteed hip hop's longevity in the music industry.

Hip hop's sub-genres, such as R&B and rap, have created superstars in the form of Snoop Dogg and Alicia Keys, who have shown that they are here to stay.

Snoop Dogg, who made a splash in 1993, is now on his 10th album. Fo' shizzle, yo.

Malice N Wonderland barely deviates from the winning formula that has made him one of gangsta rap's biggest bad boys.

Yet again, he relies on his laid-back delivery of raps on boozing, romping and pimping.

He's had ample experience too, drawing on his time spent as a porn director and reality- TV star.

As proclaimed "creative chairmain" of Priority Records, he engaged the help of a number of established names, as well as up-and-comers, to boost his latest effort.

There's an instant club sizzler in the form of 1800 which features protege Lil John, backed by a repetitive beat.

That's Tha Homie banks too heavily on synth grooves for its own good, but Pimpin' Ain't Ez (which features R. Kelly) swings back to Snoop's usual slowgrind style.

Now, Alicia Keys' latest album is a different animal, and sees the R&B heavyweight experimenting on her fourth album, The Element Of Freedom.

Her greatest strength is in powering her pipes to great heights, and the effect is simply captivating.

Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart plays on a catchy melody hinged on themes of longing and hope, pitting her vocals against downplayed instrumentation.

Keys holds the fort solo on Jay-Z's hit Empire State Of Mind, which gets remixed as a slow piano ballad. Refreshing.

All in all, a good week for hip hop and R&B.

myp@sph.com.sg

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