Music » Compilation Rap & Hip-Hop Music

The hip-hop entry in Rhino's Millennium Party compilation series doesn't so much capture the sound of the year 2000 as it does that of 1989. In the wake of "Walk This Way," Top 40 radio realized that its listeners would accept the Fresh Prince's tales of teen mock-woe, Tone Loc's Coasters-derived rockers, and Young MC's, er, tales of teen mock-woe. Up to and including Snoop's "What's My Name?" (the CD's newest cut, from '93), this excellent PG-rated set makes nearly flawless choices. Biggest exception: "Tennessee" by Arrested Development, whose leader Speech's nonstop self-righteous mumbling will drive everyone into the next room. --Rickey Wright

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Release Date: 1997-09-09, Audio CD, Def Jam

Release Date: 2002-06-04, Audio CD, Rawkus / Umgd

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Following in the hip-hop tradition of Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr. Dre, and the entire No Limit roster, DMX has used his nascent stardom to give something back to his crew, the Ruff Ryders. Ostensibly a showcase for the Lox and the unknowns of the family (Drag-On, Eve, Parle, Cross, and Infra-Red), Ryde or Die works even better as a calling card for producer Swizz Beatz, who gets plenty of shout-outs on the Cuban-flavored "What Ya Want" and DMX's "Bugout." Swizz keeps the album bouncing with funky sounds and makes sure all the rappers--even the normally mush-mouthed Juvenile, just one of the plethora of guest stars (including Mase, Jermaine Dupri, Big Pun, and Jay-Z) here--sound crystal clear. There are a few tracks that don't make the cut at all--Parle's limp R&B anthem "I'm a Ruff Ryder" is the worst offender--and no breakout classics, but the tracks here are consistently fun to listen to. --Randy Silver

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A big part of the fun of homemade mix tapes is solving the geographical riddles: how to get from track 2 to highly dissimilar track 5 while making musical sense in the segues. Judging from the disparate items on volume 3 of Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats series, the programmers must have had a blast. For instance, they get from Coldcut and Lisa Stansfield's housed-out "People Hold On" to Paris's smoldering "Break the Grip of Shame" in a matter of three tracks--specifically, Coolio's "Fantastic Voyage," Club Nouveau's Why Do You Treat Me So Bad," and DU's "Same Song," which features 2Pac clowning around with the (Digital) Underground. There are more clunkers on this volume than on others in the set, but the high-wire acts in the mix tend to hide the flaws well. --Martin Johnson

Release Date: 2002-06-04, Audio CD, Rawkus / Umgd

Release Date: 2000-04-25, Audio CD, Rhino / Wea