Tommy Boy to Release Massive Hip-Hop Collection

Kati Llewellyn reports:
Can't stop, won't stop: In the spirit of Tommy Boy Records' upcoming 25th anniversary, the label will release Hip-Hop Essentials 1979-1991, a massive 12-volume CD collection featuring the artists who cemented hip-hop's foundation. Discs one through four are in stores now, five through eight hit in January, and the remainder in March. The release pattern reminds us of Trapped in the Closet, only without the sneak peek one-man VMA performance.

The Essentials feature cover art from renowned photographer Martha Cooper, and were pieced together by Tommy Boy founder and CEO Tom Silverman and Wild Pitch Records founder Stu Fine. Their selections include tracks from Grandmaster Flash, Beastie Boys, Fearless Four, Salt-N-Pepa, Sugar Hill Gang, LL Cool J, Ice-T, Biz Markie, Digital Underground, N.W.A., Run-DMC, and more, but we're saving our typing for the 144-song track list. Yikes! In addition to an introduction by Nelson George, each individual volume includes a set of liner notes from a journalist.

Unfortunately, the track listings for the volumes seem to follow no rhyme or reason. Not organized thematically or chronologically or even alphabetically, the discs are a joyful smorgasboard of eras and styles.

According to a press release we have handy, "Some tracks may also re-educate young and old alike to the dangers of cocaine, unprotected sex, racism, skeezer women, tramp men or police brutality." Shit-- Street Cred 101 students, class is now in session.

Keep your eyes peeled for skeezer women:

>>Disc One:

01 "Rockin' It" - Fearless Four
02 "Hey Ladies" - Beastie Boys
03 "South Bronx" - Boogie Down Productions
04 "Egypt Egypt" - Egyptian Lover
05 "Tramp" - Salt-N-Pepa
06 "The Symphony" - Marley Marl
07 "La Di Da Di" - Doug E. Fresh
08 "Rapper's Delight" - Sugar Hill Gang
09 "Genius Rap" - Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde
10 "The Ghetto" - Too Short
11 "Scorpio" - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
12 "Supersonic" - JJ Fad

>>Disc Two:

01 "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy
02 "Last Night" - Kid 'N Play
03 "Nobody Beats the Biz" - Biz Markie
04 "Paper Thin" - MC Lyte
05 "Goin' Back to Cali" - LL Cool J
06 "Plug Tunin'" - De La Soul
07 "Bust a Move" - Young MC
08 "Looking at the Front Door" - Main Source
09 "Cinderfella" - Dana Dane
10 "Be a Father to Your Child" - Ed OG & Da Bulldogs
11 "Just Buggin'" - Whistle
12 "Fuck Compton" - Tim Dog

>>Disc Three:

01 "Microphone Fiend" - Eric B & Rakim
02 "Bonita Applebaum" - A Tribe Called Quest
03 "Parents Just Don't Understand" - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
04 "Funky Cold Medina" - Tone Loc
05 "Gold Digger" - EPMD
06 "Fuck the Police" - N.W.A.
07 "The 900 Number" - 45 King
08 "Bitch Betta Have My Money" - AMG
09 "This Cut's Got Flavor" - Latee
10 "Ain't No Half Steppin'" - Big Daddy Kane
11 "Humpty Dance" - Digital Underground
12 "Pee Wee's Dance" - Joeski Love

>>Disc Four:

01 "White Lines" - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
02 "Roxanne Roxanne" - UTFO
03 "Don't Believe the Hype" - Public Enemy
04 "Ego Trippin'" - Ultramagnetic MCs
05 "Raw" - Big Daddy Kane
06 "Mentirosa" - Mellow Man Ace
07 "Around the Way Girl" - LL Cool J
08 "It's Yours" - T La Rock
09 "Sucker MCs" - Run-DMC
10 "8 Million Stories" - Kurtis Blow
11 "Go See the Doctor" - Kool Moe Dee
12 "Me So Horny" - 2 Live Crew

>>Disc Five:

01 "That's the Joint" - Funky 4 + 1
02 "Freedom" - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
03 "Bring the Noize" - Public Enemy
04 "It Takes Two" - Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
05 "Wild Wild West" - Kool Moe Dee
06 "Fat Boys" - Fat Boys
07 "Making Cash Money" - Busy Bee
08 "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" - De La Soul
09 "Jimbrowski" - Jungle Brothers
10 "Ladies First" - Queen Latifah (feat. Monie Love)
11 "Hey DJ" - World Famous Supreme Team
12 "Money (Dollar Bill Y'all) - Jimmy Spicer

>>Disc Six:

01 "The Godfather" - Spoonie Gee
02 "Children's Story" - Slick Rick
03 "My Philosophy" - Boogie Down Productions
04 "New York, New York" - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
05 "Just to Get a Rep" - Gang Starr
06 "My Melody" - Eric B. & Rakim
07 "King of Rock" - Run-DMC
08 "Wild Thing" - Tone Loc
09 "Just a Friend" - Biz Markie
10 "The Lover in You" - Sugar Hill Gang
11 "Funk Box Party" - Masterdon Committee
12 "We Want Some P" - 2 Live Crew

>>Disc Seven:

01 "I'm Your Pusher" - Ice-T
02 "Talkin' All That Jazz" - Stetsasonic
03 "Planet Rock" - Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force
04 "The Bubble Bunch" - Jimmy Spicer
05 "My Mic Sounds Nice" - Salt-N-Pepa
06 "Fight the Power" - Public Enemy
07 "Walk This Way" - Run-DMC
08 "Joy & Pain" - Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
09 "Sweet Black Pussy" - DJ Quick
10 "Wrath of My Madness" - Queen Latifah
11 "On the Radio" - Crash Crew
12 "Doowutchyalike" - Digital Underground

>>Disc Eight:

01 "Funk You Up" - Sequence
02 "The Message" - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
03 "Gucci Time" - Schoolly D
04 "Colors" - Ice-T
05 "Push It" - Salt-N-Pepa
06 "The Gas Face" - 3rd Bass
07 "Slow Down" - Brand Nubian
08 "Mr. Big Stuff" - Heavy D & the Boyz
09 "Check the Rhyme" - A Tribe Called Quest
10 "Buffalo Gals" - Malcolm McLaren & the World's Famous Supreme Team
11 "Buddy ('Native Tongue Decision' Version)" - De La Soul (feat. Jungle Brothers, Q-Tip, Phife, Queen Latifah, and Monie Love)
12 "If I Ruled the World" - Kurtis Blow

>>Disc Nine

01 "8th Wonder" - Sugar Hill Gang
02 "Body Rock" - Treacherous Three
03 "Vapors" - Biz Markie
04 "Spoonin' Rap" - Spoonie Gee
05 "Posse on Broadway" Sir Mix-A-Lot
06 "Fresh is the Word" - Mantronix
07 "OPP" - Naughty by Nature
08 "I Cram 2 Understand U" - MC Lyte
09 "I Know You Got Soul" - Eric B & Rakim
10 "Wild Thang" - 2 Much
11 "I Got It Made" - Special Ed
12 "Words I Manifest" - Gang Starr

>>Disc Ten:

01 "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow
02 "Looking for the Perfect Beat" - Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Fource
03 "Weekend" - Cold Crush Brothers
04 "Rock Box" - Run-DMC
05 "The P is Free" - Boogie Down Productions
06 "Hold It Now, Hit It!" - Beastie Boys
07 "It's Magic" - Fearless Four
08 "Live at the BBQ" - Main Source
09 "Played Like a Piano" - King Tee
10 "We Got Our Own Thang" - Heavy D & the Boyz
11 "Me, Myself, & I" - De La Soul
12 "The Bridge" - MC Shan

>>Disc Eleven:

01 "It's Funky Enough" - The DOC
02 "Super Rhymes" - Jimmy Spicer
03 "It's My Thing" - EPMD
04 "Unity" - Afrika Bambaataa & James Brown
05 "Let's Talk About Sex" - Salt-N-Pepa
06 "PSK What Does It Mean?" - Schoolly D
07 "Mind Playin' Tricks on Me" - Geto Boyz
08 "Girls Ain't Nuthin but Trouble" - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
09 "Goin' Way Back" - Just Ice
10 "Have a Nice Day" - Roxanne Shante
11 "Can I Kick It?" - A Tribe Called Quest
12 "Treat 'Em Right" - Chubb Rock

>>Disc Twelve:

01 "It's Like That" - Run-DMC
02 "Jazzy Sensation" - Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazzy Five
03 "Breakin' Bells" - Crash Crew
04 "La Raza" - Kid Frost
05 "It's a Demo" - Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
06 "Top Billin'" - Audio Two
07 "Eric B is President" - Eric B & Rakim
08 "Catch the Beat" - T-Ski Valley
09 "The Bridge is Over" - Boogie Down Productions
10 "Pickin' Boogers" - Biz Markie
11 "Do This My Way" - Kid 'N Play
12 "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" - Ice Cube[/B]