Beware of the Boys (Jay-Z Remix) (2003) Indian hip-hop may seem a contradiction in terms to most Westerners, but Jay-Z obviously liked this international novelty club hit -- which marries a catchy,… Jay-Z Panjabi MC
EW's GRADE
A-

Details Release Date: Apr 15, 2003; Lead Performances: Jay-Z and Panjabi MC

Indian hip-hop may seem a contradiction in terms to most Westerners, but Jay-Z obviously liked this international novelty club hit -- which marries a catchy, Ravi Shankar-esque instrumental motif to the Knight Rider theme -- enough to put his vocal stamp on it. It's unclear whether Panjabi MC endorses Jay-Z's political stance (''We rebellious/We back home/Screaming 'Leave Iraq alone!'''), but on purely musical terms, this track is a whiff of napalm in the morning: It smells like victory, baby.

Originally posted Apr 18, 2003 Published in issue #705 Apr 18, 2003 Order article reprints