With any compilation album the takes the courageous step of describing itself as a "History of..." or indeed a "Best of...", I make a point of discarding the sleeve to one side and placing the CD straight into my stereo without so much as a passing glance at the track-listing that lurks on the reverse of the case. This is my own measure to help me decide whether I'm agreed that the selection of tracks does include the best tracks or indeed the complete history. Before I go any further, I ought to note that my reviews of these compilations are immediately tarnished by my opinion that the ‘best' tracks or indeed those that have shaped the ‘history' of a genre are likely to be so highly subjective, that the compiler must be a brave person with little contempt for the opinions of others to engage in the creation of an album labelled as such.
Still, this compilation comprises some true hip-hop classics alongside some newer tracks which I must admit are likely to be the ‘classics' of the future. Notably, the most obvious party classics are all there (Concrete Schoolyard, California Love, Rappers Delight) but I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of the funk-influenced numbers in there too (The Magic Number, Express Yourself, Talkin' All That Jazz). A lot of the older tracks brought a toothy grin to my face but at the same time, some of recent records like Twista's "Sunshine" bring the compiler's definition of ‘classic' hurtling towards my definition of ‘cheese'. Indeed, there' something a little bit patronising about the artwork on the sleeve; ‘HIP HOP' is scrawled in a mock graffiti font whilst it describes the contents as "50 Slammin' Classics..." One can envisage the final board meeting where a balding, middle-aged fat cat MD (in an ill-fitting suit) comments: "Yes, it's what all the ‘kids' on the ‘streets' are saying. Slamming. Or so I'm told."
To sum up, this is a fairly average party hip hop compilation. What it lacks in obvious classics (the omissions that struck me were: ‘Sound of da Police' - KRS-One, ‘Don't Believe The Hype' - Public Enemy, ‘Witness (One Hope)' - Roots Manuva and ‘Passing Me By' - Pharcyde), it makes up for in hip pop.
[b]Words by:[/b] Sarah Chapman
[b]Rating:[/b] 3/5
[b][u]Complete Track-Listing:[/b][/u]
[u]CD One:[/u]
1. Jay Z - Hard Knock Life
2. RUN-DMC - Walk This Way (Feat. Aerosmith)
3. Dr. Dre - Nuthin' But A G Thang
4. N.W.A. - Express Yourself
5. Outkast - Ms. Jackson
6. 2Pac, Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman - California Love (Remix)
7. Nate Dogg & Warren G - Regulate
8. Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day
9. Boogie Down Productions - My Philosophy
10. Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines
11. The Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight
12. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - They Reminisce Over You
13. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Who Am I (What's My Name?)
14. Ice T - You Played Yourself
15. Missy Elliott - Gossip Folks (Feat. Ludacris
16. Young MC - Know How
17. Tone Loc - Wild Thing
[u]CD Two:[/u]
1. Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock
2. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
3. De La Soul - The Magic Number
4. Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock - It Takes Two
5. Bid Daddy Kane - Warm It Up, Kane
6. Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance
7. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Mistadobalina
8. Stetsasonic - Talkin' All That Jazz
9. Brand Nubian - All For One
10. Erik B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul
11. Kurtis Blow - The Breaks
12. King Bee - Back By Dope Demand
13. Davy DMX - One For The Treble
14. Sugarhill Gang - Eigth Wonder
15. Das EFX - They Want EFX
16. The 45 King - The 900 Number
17. Mantronix - King Of The Beats
[u]CD Three:[/u]
1. Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
2. Wu-Tang Clan - Gravel Pit
3. Nelly - Hot In Herre
4. Junior Mafia - Get Money
5. Twista - Sunshine (Feat. Anthony Hamilton)
6. Nas - Nas Is Like
7. Ol'Dirty Bastard - Got Your Money (Feat. Kelis)
8. Busta Rhymes Feat. Rampage & The Last Boy Scout - Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check
9. Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain
10. The Fugees - Fu-Gee-La
11. Coolio Feat. L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise
12. House Of Pain - Jump Around
13. A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It?
14. Naughty By Nature - O.P.P
15. Jurassic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard
16. Noreaga - N.O.R.E.
