H 29°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°The mixtape, rap�s controversial equivalent of a warm-up or practice, is inherently problematic. An MC hopping on the most spectacular and popular instrumentals of a given juncture in hip-hop is usually little more than an act of healthy competition, often worthy of a �wow� but rarely of the praise an album-quality track merits.
Nonetheless, hip-hop is more popular than ever, and mixtapes are an invaluably modern method for artists to stay relevant and in-form. Relatively unknown MCs Sandman and Ab Liva join Internet-rap aristocracy Clipse � brothers Pusha and Malice � to become the Re-Up Gang, who offer the third installment of their popular We Got It 4 Cheap series, sub-titled Vol. 3: The Spirit of Competition.
This series brought Clipse � whose music industry slighting over the years has been legendary � back into the picture in a big way in 2005, paving the way for their 2006 futuristic, drug-dealer magnum opus Hell Hath No Fury. Despite its sonic and aesthetic achievements, the lyricism of Clipse and, by extension, Re-Up Gang has led to their being unfortunately pigeonholed as only rapping about the illegal retail of narcotics � however, a quartet of Jeezy�s they are not.
Though vivid and nuanced recollections of deals-gone-bad and Pyrex-pots-ruined are often the core of lyrics being kicked, �The Spirit of Competition� delves into the mythology behind the group just like the rest of their previous, highly acclaimed releases. A criminal�s life isn�t glorified in the nihilistic paranoia of �Cry Now� � �Family and friends resemble enemies/ And I can�t tell the difference though I no longer grieve� � but dissected in practical and frighteningly understandable, even occasionally ironic, terms. On their brilliant version of Raekwon�s seminal �Rainy Dayz,� Pusha spits �My house default/ His house paisley/ He�s not at fault, no not vaguely/ He�s on a yacht somewhere with Jay-Z.� Recurring themes include the psychological impossibility of leaving a life of hustling (�500 Birds�), as well as the burden of shame Pusha and Malice carried while selling behind their mother�s back (�Show You How to Hustle�).
As formerly noted, mixtapes are ultimately quite problematic to the analytically inclined rap fan. Since few, if any, of the instrumentals are constructed originally for the release, it�s hard to give full credit to a song when only half the necessary work has been done. The selection of beats on �The Spirit of Competition� is good, but not great. Recent speaker-thumpers like Kanye West�s �Good Morning,� Jim Jones� �Emotionless� and Jay-Z�s �Roc Boys� are explored, as well as timeless staples like the aforementioned �Rainy Dayz� and a Dr. Dre-centric G-Funk tribute piece.
And while the performance throughout the mixtape is solid, it almost disappoints in comparison to the eye-opening We Got It 4 Cheap, Vol. 2, on which a considerably more diverse body of instrumentals were transformed into relentless symphonies, equal parts ostentatious and cold-blooded. So while the tracks here are sonically good as is, they aren�t by any means sublime, given Clipse/Re-Up Gang�s recent portfolio.
Aside from tripping slightly over the usual hurdles a mixtape must clear, there isn�t much to complain about here. Re-Up Gang rap with precision, wit and larger than life sneers. They manage to legitimize their subject matter in a way most contemporary rappers have had great difficulty doing, particularly timely in a country that seems to be only now beginning to acknowledge the urban world as a stage for moralistic conflicts (I see you, David Simon). Besides, �Vol. 3: The Spirit of Competition� is 18 tracks of hungry, clever hip-hop, and it�s free, available at reupgangrecords.net. Listeners could do much worse.
3.5 stars out of 5
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This deserves more than 3.5/5. We Got it for cheap is the best mixtape series ever. Still, not as good as Vol. 2