Various Artists - Old School Rap Party - Music & Performance - CD

Thump's Old School Rap Party discs are another way to recycle a bunch of popular songs that were compiled too frequently to begin with. This series tends to focus on late-'80s and early-'90s singles that crossed over into the mainstream, and everything is most certainly party oriented. For better or worse (mostly worse), some inclusions merely have rapping in them and have played no role in hip-hop culture whatsoever (Snap's "The Power," C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat," Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rumpshaker"). Highlights include Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three's "The Roof Is on Fire," Blondie's "Rapture," Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," and Run-D.M.C.'s "You Be Illin'." The art department scores no points for attempting to replicate the cover of Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi