Yet another commemorative box set from
Def Jam, this one, released in 2014, ironically contains less of the dominant rap and R&B label's music than
Def Jam Music Group Inc. 10th Year Anniversary (1995) and
Def Jam Recordings 25th Anniversary (2009). Packaged to look like a turntable and stuffed with a T-shirt, it's more a collector's item than a generous collection of enduring tracks. The CD edition consists of three discs. Founder
Rick Rubin made the selections for one of the discs, a summary of
Def Jam's roots. Many of the cuts have been compiled for series like
Rhino's
Street Jams and
Tommy Boy's
Hip Hop Essentials. Included are some scarcer but just as crucial tracks that involved label co-founder
Russell Simmons, namely
Orange Krush's "Action" (1982), featuring
High Fashion's
Alyson Williams (who later signed to
Def Jam as a solo artist), and
"Love Bug" Starski's
Orange Krush-backed "Live at the Disco Fever" (1983). Among compulsory cuts like
Liquid Liquid's "Optimo" and
Fearless Four's "Rockin' It," there's
Drum Machine's eponymous track, produced by
Jay Burnett (aka
Burzootie), released in 1982 and revamped three years later as a
Def Jam 12" featuring
Beastie Boys'
MCA. The other two discs put the spotlight on the label's releases. Purists won't be pleased by the absence of
Beastie Boys and
T la Rock, especially given the presence of pop-R&B hits from the likes of
Ashanti (technically a
Murder Inc. artist) and
Case, and a
Big Sean single assisted by
Chris Brown. These discs offer a mix of obvious and peculiar picks, as well as a significant amount of material released after the 25th anniversary anthology, including
Jay-Z and
Kanye West's "Ni**as in Paris,"
2 Chainz' "No Lie," and
YG's "My Ni**a." In addition to the disc of
Rubin selections, an enticement for serious rap fans is a lengthy essay from
Dan Charnas, author of The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop and co-author of Def Jam: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label -- two indispensable books. ~ Andy Kellman
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