Damn son! I’m sayin’… what’s wrong with ya’ hand!?!

I know that there are far more entertaining Yo! MTV Raps collections out there to cop but I just had to shine the light on this one for a second. (especially since I found it in the bargain bin section for ¢50 cents!) Compilations in the past have been overlooked by myself since I already own many of the tracks. These days, when the price is nice I collect these compilations for sound quality purposes or the simple fact some of these comps have exclusive remixes or tracks usually available on wax. The 1997 Yo! Mtv Raps compilation collects the bright spots of the mid 1990’s from 93-97. I love the mixture of tracks collected in this comp because its a great blend of dope Hip-Hop and commercial tracks I never really thought twice about as to today. I couldn’t be happier with a blend like this that brings back highschool memories of just chillin’ by the porch singing the chorus to the Wu’s “Cash rules everything around me… C.R.E.A.M.! get the money! Dollar! Dollar! Bill ya’ll! or getting tongue twisted over Bone’’s verses on “Tha Crossroads.”

It’s good to see A Tribe called quest’s “1nce again” and Outkast’s “Elevator’s” featured on the comp as well. They were always considered heavy hitters that were above average. I can’t really be mad by the Blackstreet featured “Get me home” starring Foxy Brown. It’s probably one of the only Foxy tracks I really like. They even threw in Method Man’s “The Riddler” track from the Batman Forever soundtrack. (a forgotten gem) It felt good hearing 2pac’s “I get around” get some rotation here as well- it’s always a good vibe to hear this particular 2pac track, he always sounded chill in that cut. The prized tracks in this compilation go to the J.Dilla remixed “Runnin’” track starring The Pharcyde. Hands down one of my favorite cuts ever. (it gets no chiller than this!) Who ever said “hey lets add this to the comp!” is a genius. Lastly, call me a sucker for summer jams, but I had a soft spot for LL Cool J’s “Loungin’” remix featuring Total. I think it was the beats and chorus that stuck to me, because Uncle L’s lyrics were somewhat forgettable!

Compilations and soundtracks have always been a recipe for disaster… while there are also a handful of Yo! MTV Rap cd’s out there, the series always comes correct. Who ever makes the track selections to these albums is doing a bang up job making it work.