MTV20 - Jams
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, MTV has commissioned the release  of three video compilations focusing on the genres of pop, rock, and "jams." The  last collection features videos by many of the top-selling hip-hop and R&B;  artists of the '80s and '90s. There's something for nearly everybody, although  the inclusion of at least one hard-edged/political hip-hop group or artist such  as Public Enemy or Ice Cube would have provided a fuller picture of the times.  Highlights include "Walk This Way," the groundbreaking collaboration between  Run-DMC and Aerosmith; Eric B. and Rakim live in theYo! MTV Rapsstudios  with "Eric B. Is President"; Digital Underground's hilarious "Humpty Dance";  Canadian songstress Deborah Cox's romantic "Sentimental" (featuring Omar Epps  fromLove and Basketball); and Erykah Badu's lighthearted "On and On."  There are plenty of others, although a longer running time--say, 90 minutes  instead of 74--might have allowed room for even more female artists, such as  Lauryn Hill, the five-time Grammy Award winner for her multiplatinum debut,The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The interview clips and original MTV  commercial "bumpers" (station promotional announcements) between the videos will  make you feel as if it's 1986 all over again.--Kathleen C. Fennessy