Collaborating on an album, Bow Wow, 20, and Omarion, 23, make their ambitions known: “Hov and Kells is still two different worlds/So we the best of both of ’em, takin’ over the world,” Bow Wow rhymes on the title song. Filling the shoes of Jay-Z and R. Kelly—collaborators on two albums—is no easy feat, but thanks to slick production and stay-in-your-head melodies, the duo nearly rises to the challenge. On catchy club jams like “Bachelor Pad,” Bow Wow’s brisk bedroom boasts are complemented by Omarion’s staccato singing. What limits this joint effort, ultimately, is one essential difference between Bow Wow/Omarion and Jigga/Kells: about 15 years. And the young ’uns should keep this difference in mind. Going on about working the middle and letting his hands go low, the underage Bow Wow sounds like a kid trying—a little too hard—to prove he’s a big boy.

Download “He Ain’t Gotta Know,” “Bachelor Pad”