Though it's a budget compilation, the two-disc
Old School Hip-Hop Jams is actually a pretty good collection of tracks from some of the more popular rap acts of the late '80s and early '90s. There are a few unnecessary remix versions included (
Ice Cube's
"Check Yo Self," Black Sheep's
"The Choice Is Yours"), along with a typo (it's
"Just to Get a Rep") and the requisite budget "huh?" cut (
Michie Mee & L.A. Luv's
"Jamaican Funk: Canadian Style"), but there are also a lot of really great selections, among them
Main Source's
"Live at the Barbeque," Eric B. & Rakim's
"Paid in Full," Naughty by Nature's
"O.P.P.," and
Jeru the Damaja's
"Come Clean." Yeah,
LL Cool J,
KRS-One,
Public Enemy, and
Tribe are all excluded (though
Q-Tip is featured on
De La Soul's
"Buddy"), but it's still pretty representative of hip-hop's golden age, and a pretty decent way to be exposed to what was happening during that time. ~ Marisa Brown
