Lil' Romeo (No Limit/Universal)
Lil' Romeo wants to be the lil' Michael Jackson of rap. On his 2001 hit "My Baby" he borrowed from the Jackson 5 classic "I Want You Back." Here the pint-size 13-year-old reworks Jackson's 1972 solo single "I Wanna Be Where You Are" on the bouncy "Too Long." Many other tracks on his second CD also use hooks from songs that were released before Romeo's time (by such artists as Luther Vandross, Teena Marie and KC and the Sunshine Band). While his musical sources may be old-school, the rapper's appeal won't pass middle school on fun-but-flyweight party cuts like "Make You Dance," one of 15 tracks cowritten by Romeo and his dad, hip-hop mogul Master P (whose No Limit Records released this disc). Even sixth-graders might find songs such as "Clap Your Hands"—which restyles the group sing-along "If You're Happy and You Know It"—a bit juvenile.
BOTTOM LINE: For lil' hip-hoppers only
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