Lyricist Lounge - Hip Hop Video Classics
Named after the MTV showcase and label,Hip Hop Video Classicsplays like a mix tape for your TV. The compilation includes 13 videos remixed by DJ Spinbad live at New York City's Turntable Lab. Instead of ending, fading to black, and moving to the next, the videos blend--musically and visually--into one another. For the most part, it works, although the occasional "Lyricist Lounge" words and graphics that flash across the screen (and on the soundtrack) can be distracting. The videos span over a decade (1984-1995) and include such undisputed classics as Run-DMC and Aerosmith's genre-busting "Walk This Way," Pharcyde's sublime "Passin' Me By," and Biz Markie's "Just a Friend," featuring the inimitable rapper as a cross between Little Richard and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (white wig, brocade jacket, and all). As was the case when they first aired on MTV, these videos have been edited for language.--Kathleen C. Fennessy