Search - Various Artists, Salt 'N Pepa :: Hip Hop Classic: World Premiere, Vol. 1

Great compilation with rare tracks

methodic | Denmark | 04/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pop Art Records have here compiled an absolutely great disc with quality material from the mid school era. It is centered around the Marley Marl-produced Roxanne Shante releases on the label with additions from Craig G., MC Shan and Salt'N'Pepa. Most of the tracks are quite hard to find and many have not been available on CD before. In particular the appearance of "DJ Cuttin", a solo Marley Marl track originally released under the pseudonym NYC Cutter, adds to the value of this collection. Even for those that already own them, this CD will be worth buying just to have them collected on one disc. This is one of my most highly valued compilations. The sounds are defining of the period - stark drum machine beats interspersed with simple but effective scratches. The rhymes are in the braggadocio category and fits the raw, unpolished productions perfectly.I have only one caveat - that not more versions of the tracks have been included. Roxanne Shante's "Bite This" appears here in the radio version instead of the long version, and none of the street versions are included. With only 10 tracks there should have been space for this and would have made a more complete collection. Furthermore there are other interesting Pop Art releases that did not make it onto here. Since its title states "Vol. 1" let's hope there will be more in this series."