Soundtrack - Ali G Indahouse (2002)

The soundtrack of "Ali G Indahouse" is very strong, regardless of how much the listener knows about the man or the movie. It's presented as a pirate radio program "comin to you out of da ghettos of Berkshire" with Ali as the host. Unsurprisingly, the selections on this program cover Ali G's biggest influences. There's garage (Ms Dynamite's "Dynamite", So Solid Crew's "Ride Wid Us" and Oxide and Neutrino's "Shoot To Kill"), dance hall reggae (Backyard Dog's "Baddest, Ruffest"), hip-hop (Foxy Brown and Ja Rule both make appearances) and RnB (Another Level). The sequencing is a little haphazard, but this problem is not a major one as a result of the "radio show" element.

Ali G also drops three stone-cold classics of early hip-hop, at least one of which has appeared on his show. NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" is given a rewind treatment and sounds as fresh today as when it was written - and quite frankly puts the MCs around it to shame. Public Enemy's "Fight The Power", with its Bomb Squad production and heavy politics, is a little out-of-place surrounded by the apolitical stuff of the rest of the soundtrack. Of course, that might be the point. The last actual "song" is Afrika Baambaataa and Soul Sonic Force's legendary "Planet Rock" in its full glory. Quite frankly, this alone is worth the price of purchase.

Partly as a result of this introduction, the standout track is Shaggy and Ali's duet of "Me Julie". This song, theoretically about their respective girlfriends, is utterly marvellous. Shaggy delivers one of his better vocal performances ever, along with some very interesting asides, while Ali's contribution after telling Shaggy "me can rap too" is marvellous. While some of the other cuts here are unintentionally funny, "Me Julie" glories in its humour and is thus far and away the strongest cut here.

Track listing

01.  "Ali G - Drive By"  - 1:18

02.  "Adam F feat. M.O.P - Stand Clear"  - 3:58

03.  "NWA - Straight Outta Compton"  - 4:51

04.  "M Beat feat. General Levy - Incredible"  - 4:05

05.  "Ali G - Swallow Back"  - 0:31

06.  "Ali G and Shaggy - Me Julie"  - 3:32

07.  "Ali G - Yo! (Skit)  - 1:25"

08.  "Ms Dynamite - Dynamite"  - 2:58

09.  "So Solid Crew - Ride wid Us (AC's Dark Dub Edit)"  - 3:50

10.  "Backyard Dog - Baddest Ruffest"  - 3:44

11.  "Foxy Brown feat. Spragga Benz - Oh Yeah"  - 4:19

12.  "Ja Rule feat. Vita - Put It on Me"  - 4:19

13.  "Mis-Teeq - This Is How We Do It "  - 4:11

14.  "Another Level - Freak Me"  - 4:47

15.  "Ali G - Hold Tight (Skit)"  - 0:10

16.  "Nelly - E.I."  - 4:04

17.  "Ali G - Legalise (Skit)"  - 0:28

18.  "Oxide & Neutrino - Shoot to Kill"  - 4:30

19.  "Ali G - Mad Props (Skit)"  - 0:23

20.  "Public Enemy - Fight the Power"  - 4:37

21.  "Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock"  - 6:21

22.  "Ali G - Spread de Love (Skit)"  -1:12

Released:  18 March 2002

Genre:  Hip Hop, Garage, Grime, 2-Step, R&B, Reggae

Length:  69:35

Label:  Island

Producer:  Nick Angel, Dan Mazer, Sacha Baron Cohen