Ms. Jade - Girl Interrupted (2002)

Twenty-two-year-old Philadelphian Ms. Jade is closely associated with Timbaland, who produced nine tracks on her debut record, Girl Interrupted, and put it out on his Beat Club label, which is affiliated with Interscope. Ms. Jade definitely benefits from Timbaland's signature, laid-back beats. She also has plenty of rap's heavy-hitters making appearances, including Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and Nate Dogg. But Ms. Jade lacks a strong voice of her own. In fact, one can barely tell the difference between her voice and many other contemporary women rappers on the radio, such as Eve. Perhaps the only difference in style is that Ms. Jade doesn't get nasty à la Lil' Kim or Foxy Brown. But thanks to Timbaland's skills, there are some good songs here, including "Really Don't Want My Love," where Ms. Jade sounds at least a little bit inspired when tearing up an ex-boyfriend (though, there is a song like this on every single record by a female rapper), "Big Head," a fun, danceable tune with a silly chorus, and "Dead Wrong," where Nate Dogg steals the spotlight as usual with his soulful vocals, which seem to make for instant radio hits. But overall, Ms. Jade's rapping doesn't stand out.
© Adam Bregman /TiV