Tokyo Drift is the third film in the Fast & Furious franchise, much like its predecessors it is basically a fast food movie, it's okay but has no real substance to it. The same can be said about the accompanying soundtrack. I will give the record label credit for doing one thing, the fact that they included some foreign language hip-hop, which is a pretty risky move does make it stand out more.
The title track Tokyo Drift (Fast & Furious), performed by Japanese hip-hop act Teriyaki Boyz, does get annoying after a while, but it is interesting to hear the group rhyming in their native tongue and it has a catchy gamelan-driven beat. Hip-hop heads will rejoice as the soundtrack contains the very dope and banging Six Days (Remix) by DJ Shadow and Mos Def, which is the obvious highlight of the album. Although N.E.R.D's She Wants To Move is not a new track and I do question its inclusion on this soundtrack, it still sounds fresh.
Teriyaki Boyz return with Cho Large, which has a darker more straight up hip-hop driven sound, which is another highlight. If you're into the grime/drum 'n' bass sound you will like Dragon Ash's Resound, which is decent. Jumping on the reggaeton bandwagon, the soundtrack includes Bandaleros by Don Omar and Tego Caledron, which is okay.
Even though there are some good moments the bad ones heavily outweigh them. I seriously hope that The Barracuda by 5.6.7.8's is a joke, because it sounds awful, regardless of what genre it is. I don't even know what the hell Atari Teenage Riot's Speed is meant to be, as it sounds like The Rogue Traders on acid. It is definitely not a highlight for me, although they do posess one of the best band names I've heard in a while. Conteo by Daddy Yankee sound-a-like Don Omar is another generic reggaeton cash-in track.
If you like to hear bizarre musical concoctions that often make no sense, then you will love this album, otherwise you're probably better off listening to your old Above The Rim or Juice soundtrack instead.
Available through Motown Records
