** VARIOUS ARTISTS, “The Firm,” Aftermath/Interscope

The Firm looks like a blockbuster on paper. It’s a rap supergroup featuring Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Nature, and boasts the production talents of Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters. But like many a big-budget Hollywood film, the album falls flat on its face despite its resources. The lesson: Big names and money can never replace a good story.

“Firm Fiasco” lives up to its name--nothing but lukewarm crime rhyme cliches, and a swing beat that sounds half-finished at best. Nas sounds bored with himself, AZ struggles to maintain coherence, and almost all of Brown’s rhymes sound like rushed first drafts written the night of the session.

The superbly produced--if lyrically lackluster--”Phone Tap” and “Firm Family” warm things up a little bit. The Dre and Chris “Glove” Taylor compositions remain the most compelling on the album. The only Trackmasters song that keeps pace is the technically proficient if thematically lifeless “Firm Biz,” with former En Vogue songbird Dawn Robinson chirping in the background.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).

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* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: http://pyxis.nohib.com/soundclips