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**1/2 LYRICIST LOUNGE

VOL. 2

(Capitol)

If the first Lyricist Lounge compilation, released by the then fledgling Rawkus label in 1998, signaled the blossoming of the East Coast underground into a national phenomenon, then the second simply reflects Rawkus’s transformation from grassroots indie to big-time hip-hop playa. Vol. 2 is far more focused and consistent than Vol. 1 — but without the hungry unknowns reeling off the kind of freewheeling cipher sessions and experimental spoken-word tracks that characterized the first installment, it’s also far less interesting. Instead, we get a savvy collection stocked with marquee attractions (Q-Tip, Ghostface Killah, Mos Def, Macy Gray), grimy neck snappers (M.O.P, Prodigy, Cocoa Brovas), and a small handful of underground faves (Last Emperor, Saukrates). Occasionally the pairings ignite: New Yorkers Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch groove along with LA crooner Nate Dogg for some lithe bicoastal funk (“Oh No”); Redman and Saukrates provide a typically goofy good time on “WKYA”; and Kool G. Rap and M.O.P combine for a boom shot that could peel paint off a subway car (“Legendary Street Team”). Most of the time, though, the collection feels calculated, with artists turning in pat, unexceptional performances that are B-side material at best. There’s something for everyone to like on Lyricist Lounge, Vol. 2 but almost nothing to love.

— Michael Endelman