Before there was the flood of “gangsta” rap and fabricated “bling bling” there was hip-hop.
In an effort to pay tribute to the fundamental artists who began and shaped the hip-hop movement, Tommy Boy Records has released “Hip Hop Essentials 1979-1991.” This ambitious 12-volume set celebrates hip-hop and spans a total of 144 tracks.
Volume 5 is the most recent, having been released just this month. The set opens with the beat-heavy, “That’s The Joint” by the Funky 4+1. This CD alone contains some of the most essential artists to pave the way for hip-hop. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Kool Moe Dee, De La Soul and Fat Boys are highlights of this volume and have influenced the movement a great deal. Public Enemy’s “Bring The Noise” is one of many tracks on the album that can’t be missed.
Hip-hop was born on the streets of New York City in the late ’70s. This collection pays homage to the days of DJing, block parties, graffiti and break dancing. “Hip Hop Essentials” explores those emerging years of hip-hop with such artists as Boogie Down Productions, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. and Rakim, Slick Rick, Jungle Brothers, Run-DMC, Queen Latifah, Beastie Boys and Kurtis Blow.
Although “Essentials” is a thorough collection of the classic hip-hop movment, it still has minute flaws. The set covers 12 years of music, yet the volumes aren’t organized very well. It would be helpful if the many volumes were arranged by year, so listeners could pick and choose a particular year they wanted to enjoy.
This set represents a time when hip-hop was not involved with mainstream success and its popularity did not reach outside New York City. As much as this set strives to cover that era, it fails to include an essential artist: DJ Kool Herc.
DJ Kool Herc was the first hip-hop DJ. He pieced together elements of funk, soul and jazz, creating the mold that all other hip-hop artists tried to fit into. He is just as influential as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Cold Crush Brothers and Busy Bee, who all appear in this collection. He created what early hip-hop was: a DJ and a rapper. That omission is the most detectable on the set’s track list, considering all other artists mentioned used elements that DJ Kool Herc created.
“Essentials” is still a respectable set. Listening to the album is a reminder of the declining state of hip-hop today. In the beginning, there was no “biting;” there was creativity and uniqueness, there was a freshness and a hunger from each artist, there was a message in the music and the dancers were fully clothed yet stylish.
“Hip Hop Essentials” is a great listen and proves how iconic hip-hop is to American culture. The complete collection will be in stores this March, but until then volumes one through eight can be purchased. So lace up your Adidas’, grab your crew and one of these volumes and pop-lock away.
