Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats 5: 1981-1996
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 likeTommy Boy's Greatest Beats, a five-volume retrospective of the seminal hip-hop imprint. Don't. Although the label seems more focused on its highly successfulMTV Party to GoandESPN Jock Jamsseries than street-based hip-hop, the compilation aesthetic serves it well on this box. Rather than present a chronological walk-through of 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 itsPerfect Beatsseries), you get hits byAfrika Bambaataa,Coolio,Queen Latifah,Naughty by Nature,Stetsasonic, and theForce 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. (The 2001 edition of the box loses the "milk crate" packaging in favor of a more traditional case and a much more affordable price.)--Martin Johnson