Billboard
Edited By Jonathan Cohen. March 11, 2004, 4:40 PM ET
Classic Cuts Crowd 'Hip Hop Box'
Some of the most legendary tracks in the annals of hip-hop have been collected for the four-disc set "The Hip Hop Box," due April 20 via Hip-O/Universal Music Enterprises. The compilation follows Hip-O's prior genre-spanning releases "The Funk Box" and "The Reggae Box" and runs the gamut from the Sugar Hill Gang's 1979 cut "Rapper's Delight" to 50 Cent and Nate Dogg's "21 Questions."
The set is arranged in chronological order, with disc one including such formative hip-hop cuts as Kool Moe Dee's "Wild Wild West," Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It," an extended version of Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks," Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message," Run-D.M.C.'s "Sucker M.C.'s" and Too $hort's "Freaky Tales."
Hip-hop's gradual ascent into mainstream culture is chronicled on disc two, with such tracks as Ice-T's "I'm Your Pusher," Eric B & Rakim's "Follow the Leader," Biz Markie's "Just a Friend," Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and A Tribe Called Quest's "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo."
Crossover smashes like Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P.," DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's "Summertime" and Arrested Development's "Tennessee" share space on disc three with Digable Planets' "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." and Black Sheep's "The Choice Is Yours."
The genre's across-the-board acceptance by the turn of the century is borne out by such disc four selections as Method Man and Redman's "How High," Busta Rhymes' "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's "Tha Crossroads," Common's "The Light," Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "The Next Episode" and DMX's "Get at Me Dog."
"The Hip Hop Box" is rounded out by liner notes featuring an essay by journalist Tom Terrell and comments from Public Enemy's Chuck D.
Here is "The Hip Hop Box Set" track list:
Disc one:
"Rapper's Delight" (short 12" version), Sugarhill Gang
"The Breaks" (extended version), Kurtis Blow
"The Body Rock," Treacherous Three
"Sonic Force Planet Rock," Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul
"The Message," Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five
"Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)," Run-D.M.C.
"Roxanne Roxanne," UTFO
"Roxanne's Revenge," Roxanne Shante
"Push It," Salt-n-Pepa
"Freaky Tales," Too $hort
"Wild Wild West," Kool Moe Dee
Disc two:
"Follow the Leader," Eric B & Rakim
"My Philosophy," Boogie Down Productions
"I'm Your Pusher," Ice-T
"Turn This Mutha Out," M.C. Hammer
"Fight the Power," Public Enemy
"Me So Horny," 2 Live Crew
"Just a Friend," Biz Markie
"Buddy," De La Soul
"The Gas Face," 3rd Bass
"I Left My Wallet in El Segundo," A Tribe Called Quest
"Looking at the Front Door," Main Source
"Treat 'em Right," Chubb Rock
Disc three:
"O.P.P.," Naughty By Nature
"Summertime," DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
"Tonite," DJ Quik
"The Choice Is Yours," Black Sheep
"Tennessee," Arrested Development
"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
"Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," Digable Planets
"Passin' Me By," Pharcyde
"Slam," Onyx
"U.N.I.T.Y.," Queen Latifah
"C.R.E.A.M.," Wu-Tang Clan
Disc four:
"How High" (remix), Method Man and Redman
"Gettin' Money" (Get Money remix), Junior M.A.F.I.A. featuring Little Caesar, Lil Kim & Notorious B.I.G.
"Tha Crossroads," Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
"Smile," Scarface featuring 2Pac and Johnny P
"Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," Busta Rhymes
"Luv 2 Luv U" (remix), Timbaland & Magoo
"You Know My Steez," Gang Starr
"Get at Me Dog" (street version), DMX featuring Sheek of the Lox
"Superthug (What, What)," Noreaga
"You Got Me" (live), the Roots featuring Jill Scott
"The Light," Common
"Until the End of Time," 2Pac
"21 Questions," 50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg
"The Next Episode," Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
"Regulate," Warren G & Nate Dogg
"Flava In Ya Ear," Craig Mack
"I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need To Get By" (Puff Daddy mix), Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige
