Fourteen years ago, Ice Cube was the self-proclaimed Nigga Ya Love to Hate. These days he's the nigga ya love to watch propping up generic action movies and slapstick comedies, but old habits die hard, and he has rounded up old cohorts Mack 10 and WC (unfortunate name that) to follow up the trio's 1996 debut.

Think of it as Gangstas Reunited. Opening track 9-1-1 ladles on the same old hokum - chunky P-Funk synths, horror film strings, gunshots and ominous church bells. And while belligerent stomps like Gangsta Nation and Get Ignit sound the part, gangsta rap has lost its shock value.

Ten years ago, incensed tabloids demanded that Snoop Doggy Dogg be turned back at Heathrow; now Jay-Z is playing for the Prince's Trust. Westside Connection are left straining for controversy with sideswipes at 50 Cent and desperate references to the war on terror: "I ain't from the Taliban, I'm from the Niggaban." Haven't they got anything better to do?