Music » Rap & Hip-Hop Box Set Music

Release Date: 2000-06-06, Audio CD, Thump Records

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The Def Jam box tells a story of a sound, a movement, and a lifestyle. Filled with a veritable who's who of hip-hop (3rd Bass, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, EPMD, Beastie Boys) and some sizzling R&B cuts, this four-CD set is both a greatest-hits package (of the Def Jam/Columbia era) and a shout out to the label that understood the culture--and, more important, knew how to make others get it, too. Perhaps the greatest praise one can give Def Jam is that the label still matters, years after this set was released (see late-1990s efforts by Method Man and Jay-Z, for example). If all your old 12-inches are worn to the groove, then this is a must; but be you old school or new, this collection should be in any hip-hop fan's collection. --Amy Linden

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In a world oversaturated with box sets and anthologies, it's tempting--if not downright easy--to overlook a self-congratulatory, and conspicuously tardy, endeavor like Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats, a five-volume retrospective of the seminal hip-hop imprint. Don't. Although the label seems more focused on their highly successful MTV Party to Go and ESPN Jock Jams series than street-based hip-hop, the compilation aesthetic serves them well on this box. Rather than present a chronological walk through the label's history, this box consists of four mix discs that feature surprisingly successful (and occasionally bewildering) segues, and a consistent flow of high-energy tracks. Although there is a little electro-boogie, (most of that element of the label was saved for their Perfect Beats series), you get hits by Afrika Bambaataa, Coolio, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, Stetsasonic, and the Force MDs, plus a remix disc featuring some leading DJs (Jason Nevins, DJ Premier, Dimitri from Paris) and a great booklet with lots of color pictures that make great period pieces. The box is a fine testament to the enduring vitality of hip-hop; most of the tracks have aged well, and some that didn't were improved by the remix. --Martin Johnson

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Four disc box from the Dressed To Kill label, featuring 60 classic raps from the '70s & '80s, including cuts by Run DMC, 2nd II None, Sweet Tee, Sugarhill Gang, Special Ed, Poor Righteous Teachers, Nemesis, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa & Time Zone, DJ Quik, Dana Dane, Kool Moe Dee and Professor Griff. Each CD is in a separate standard jewel case & together they come in a full color slipcase. 1997 release.

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