Various Artists - Very Best of Death Row / Various - Music & Performance - CD

Suge Knight's Death Row label was unquestionably one of the most influential musical forces of the last few decades. Now Knight's returned to the archives to produce a streamlined compilation of Death Row hits entitled The Very Best of Death Row.

Death Row produced far too many hits to fit on just a single disc -- fans looking for the proper nostalgia collection would be better served by Knight's original two-disc set Death Row's Greatest Hits released in 2001. This latest compilation, on the other hand, is more a booster shot for neophytes of the G-funk era, featuring representative tracks of the era when West Coast rap dominated the nation's airwaves.

The Very Best of Death Row includes cuts from Suge Knight's Death Row dream team -- 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Daz Dillinger, and Kurupt. It's a perfectly timed release, as almost all the tracks served as the premier summer songs of the mid-90s.

"Nuthin' But a G Thang" is the quintessential West Coast anthem, a song that defined South Central Los Angeles into the nexus of cool shortly after its release. The centerpiece of the best-produced hip-hop album of all time, Dr. Dre's The Chronic, "Nuthin' But a G Thang" mixed the effortless flows of both Dr. Dre and Snoop with laid-back melodies to produce an unforgettable vibe of urban relaxation.

Several tracks off Snoop's debut Doggystyle are also featured, which should come as no shock. As one of the apostles of G-Funk, Snoop shone a spotlight on the seedier side of L.A. culture, making the inner-city accessible to the masses with his detached thuggish drawl on "Who Am I?" and the slick production and funky melodies of "Gin and Juice."

2Pac's street poetry rounds out the West Coast Holy Trinity with several selections from the unabashedly nihilistic All Eyez On Me. Both penned while Shakur was in prison, "Ambitionz Az a Ridah" and "Against All Odds" are classic 2Pac, at once celebrating both the freedom and futility of thug life with savage rhymes, menacing beats and glorious vanity.

While they never achieved the iconic stature of the aforementioned triumvirate, the contributions of artists like Warren G, Nate Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound are not to be overlooked. Warren G and Nate Dogg's epic "Regulate" is especially timeless, a hero's journey that brought the soul of the LBC to life with soft melodies and carefully rendered vignettes from the streets of Long Beach.

The sounds of Death Row were etched in the psyche of a generation. The Very Best of Death Row is a great collection for those who miss the G-Funk era and a must-have for any hip-hop fan.

By Isaac Clemens