Coupla Rap Comps

There is a difference between hip-hop and rap music. The term "hip-hop" refers to the art of emceeing, deejaying and breakdancing, a subculture with notable distinction from mainstream America. Rap music is a commodity. Its success is measured in album sales rather than in authenticity or creativity. Rap "artists" often sacrifice their creativity and dignity for financial gain, aka "all about the benjamins." In summary, hip-hop equals art, and rap equals art-less.

The Source has long been known as rap in hip-hop's clothing, while BET's Rap City has been the only saving grace for purists living in non-urban regions of the United States. Unfortunately, both of these outlets have released albums that poorly represent their respective reputations, and subsequently, both are a poor way to close out the last summer of the millennium.

The Best of Rap City falls far short of its core audience's expectations by donating over half of the disc to proven Billboard blockbusters such as "It Ain't My Fault 2" by Silkk The Shocker and Mystikal (who asked for seconds?), "Hot Spot" by Lil' Kim soundalike Foxy Brown, and the overplayed Busta Rhymes/Janet Jackson collaboration, "What's It Gonna Be?" To its credit, the CD stretches its focus from coast to coast, dips down south and back up to Chi-town, which means there's pretty much something for everyone here.

Comparatively, the better of the two albums, The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards 1999, gives some relief to true fans with its inclusion of artists like A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots and rap icons Guru and DJ Premiere of Gang Starr. Hip-hop torch bearers Black Eyed Peas make the cut with their "Joints and Jam," while West Coaster-turned-East Coaster Kurupt takes the anchor leg with "5 Mics (The Source Anthem)," a song similar to his 1998 cut, "Give Ya W'Cha Want." Hip-hop according to The Source seems to counter traditional notions of the term, and on a "Hip-Hop Awards" CD, this can be a problem.

To admonish real hip-hop heads against these records is as obvious as warning one not to slide an ice pick into his ear canal-that shit will probably hurt. However, for those looking for the cream of the pop to shake booties at their parties, or prospective owners of Now That's What I Call Music 2, these albums are must-buys.

-By Dion Warrick