New tracks from LL Cool J, Ludacris, Macy Gray, Musiq Soulchild will be featured on the Def Jam/Def Soul soundtrack to "Rush Hour 2." The album, due July 31, is loaded with Def Jam /Def Soul artists, including new signee Keith Murray and Sisqo protege act LovHer.

LL Cool J is featured on the song "Crazy Girl." This is another compilation appearance, as he is also featured on "Put Your Hands Up" featuring Swizz Beatz off the new Violator Management album "Violator: The Album V2.0" due July 24th. He can also be heard on the Def Jam Freestyle Sampler cd and on the upcoming Fubu compilation "The Goodlife," due early summer. 
LL is currently recording his tenth and last studio album for Def Jam. He just completed a succesful concert tour of Germany for MTV HipHop Open.

The first single from "Rush Hour 2" will be "Area Codes" from Southern rapper Ludacris, a cut from his sophomore Def Jam release, "Word of Mouth," due in September. The single has been released to radio to coincide with Monday's (July 2) airing of his "Making the Video" special on MTV. 

"Area Codes" will be followed by "Party..." from Method Man and Virgin artist Teddy Riley. Riley, who has been busy wrapping production on Michael Jackson's endlessly delayed new album, will release his first solo album in November. Method Man is currently recording his third solo effort for Def Jam, with no release date set. Montell Jordan's "Mine Mine Mine" is anticipated to be the third single from the soundtrack. The R&B vocalist will release his fifth Def Soul album, "Are You With Me?," in October.

The "Rush Hour 2" set will also mark the Def Jam debut of veteran rapper Keith Murray, who contributes the aptly titled "I'm Back." Murray, who inked with the label early in June, was a founding member of Def Squad, along with Redman and EPMD's Erick Sermon. His last solo effort was the 1998 Jive album "It's a Beautiful Thing." No release date is set for this Def Jam premiere, but he plans to work with Sermon, Dr. Dre, and Rockwilder on the album. 

Other Def Jam/Def Soul artists on the set include female rapper Foxy Brown, R&B artists Kandice Love (Kandice appeared on LL's last album, "G.O.A.T." and is set to be one of the first artiste signed to his new label, Rock The Bells) and Musiq Soulchild, the latter of which will have a new album this winter, tentatively scheduled for a November release. Macy Gray will lend "The World is Yours" featuring Slick Rick to the soundtrack. The cut is from her forthcoming Epic release "The Id," due in stores Sept. 18. 

"Rush Hour 2," starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, will be released Aug. 3 in U.S. theatres.

Here is the track listing for the "Rush Hour 2" soundtrack:

Ludacris, "Area Codes"
Montell Jordan, "Mine, Mine, Mine"
Method Man and Teddy Riley, "Party..."
Kandice Love, "No"
Keith Murray, "I'm Back"
Jazz (Dru Hill) featuring Jill Scott, "Lovin' Again"
LL Cool J, "Crazy Girl"
Musiq Soulchild featuring Redman, "Keep it Real"
Macy Gray featuring Slick Rick, "The World is Yours"
LovHer, "How's it Gonna Be"
WC, "Paper Trippin'"
Christina Milian, "You Make Me Laugh"
Say Yes, "Mercedez Benz
Higaru Utada featuring Foxy Brown, "Blow My Whistle"
3rd Storee, "I'm Sorry"
Benzino featuring Scarface and Snoop Dogg, "Figadoh"
FT, "Brolic"

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