More Than Just a DJ: DJ Kayslay [PA] *

Audio Mixer: Glen Marchese. Photographer: Frank Antonio. Turning over his rolodex and giving every high-profile friend the call-up, DJ Kayslay delivers a dream guest list on his fifth official compilation, going from Wu-Tang to the Diplomats and hitting every hood in between. Beats come from producers like the Alchemist, DJ Green Lantern, the Stick, and Street Radio meaning that the "More" in the title refers to Kayslay's skills at executive production, but he's a killer executive producer, as this incredibly diverse set of names and styles hangs together, even when it shouldn't. In the opening three tracks the album has already gone from a raw and prime Busta Rhymes intro ("Salute me like Selassie, Malcolm and Martin") to a stone-cold thug track and then hits the listener with "Bad Girls," a track where Street Radio's thick production meets hip-hop's toughest ladies. With Jim Jones on "Blockstars" and Cam'ron on the following "Monster Muzik," it's the closest those two feuding Diplomats have been in years, and when model/designer Bianca Simmone gets 16 bars to freestyle on the "Straight Stuntin'" interlude, it's obvious the DJ is going for something close to the "DJ Kayslay Variety Hour," coming at you live every Friday night and straight out of the hood. More Than Just a DJ is as loud, exciting, and scattershot as it should be, giving hip-hop heads a less-polished alternative to the releases of DJ Drama and DJ Khaled. ~ David Jeffries