Like soul music in the '60s and '70s, rap is full of regional styles. In classic soul, it is easy to tell a Memphis sound from a Philly or Detroit sound -- similarly, rappers from the West Coast, the Northeast, and the South tend to have different ways of flowing. Released in 2002, Vol. 3 of Rawkus' rap-oriented Soundbombing series is heavily Northeastern -- and yet, the compilation does acknowledge hip-hop styles from other parts of the United States. RA the Rugged Man's nostalgic "On the Block (Golden Era)" salutes New York rappers of the '80s and mentions many of that era's top MCs, although RA's rhyming style is quite contemporary (by early-2000s standards). And Vol. 3 is equally Northeastern-sounding on tracks by the Roots ("Rhymes and Ammo"), Q-Tip ("What Lies Beneath"), and Kool G Rap ("My Life"). The East Coast school of thinking-man's rap receives a fair amount of attention on this release, thanks to material by the Roots, Q-Tip, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli, who the Roots feature on "Rhymes and Ammo." And Chicago native Common, who Zap Mama employs on "Yelling Away," is to the Midwest what Q-Tip is to New York. Here's where things get especially interesting: On "Put It in the Air," Kweli performs a duet with DJ Quik. Hip-hoppers couldn't have asked for a more unlikely combination -- while Kweli is often hailed as a thinking man's rapper, Compton, CA's DJ Quik is the essence of West Coast gangsta rap. But Kweli and Quik manage to find some common ground, and "Put It in the Air" turns out to be one of the album's best tracks. Usually decent and occasionally excellent, Soundbombing, Vol. 3 is among 2002's more noteworthy rap compilations. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide