Perhaps this collection of Old Skool classics disappoints some because the originals were not included in their entirety. However, they were chosen and mixed by Grandmaster Flash, which in itself is an historical blessing, as his professional ear really lends a special touch to the mix.
The songs featured here are real classics, covering such perspectives as: educational (KRS-One with Boogie Down Productions), beat box (Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick), female (Roxanne Shante), pop (Young MC, Tone Loc), and just straight-up founders (Eric B and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, DJ Quik, etc.). The songs featured on this album are clear influences on just about everything that came out after them.
The only song I personally don’t like is “Request Line,” but I’m obviously in the minority as Missy Elliot uses the opening sample on her most recent album.
In addition to the music, the CD comes with a textured cover–> in the picture on this website, the photo of Grandmaster Flash is fuzzy. But when you buy the CD, as you move the cover back and forth, it looks like he’s scratching the vinyl while bopping his head to the music. Kick ass!
Rating: 4 / 5
I just saw Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rock open for Lauryn Hill and they were great! This is the only CD you can get with La Di Da Di on it, it’s worth it for that song, but the rest if the record is good too if you like Ol School.
Rating: 5 / 5
handing the mixing duties to grandmaster flash was a perfect idea — each of these tracks were well chosen, and he handles the mixing duties perfectly.
the other folks that have gone on about the mixes trimming the tracks down miss the point of this disc — it’s a dj mix, not a compilation. he does a great job of mixing these tracks as they would have been during the time of their release… it’s not crazy remixed a la the skratch piklz, but rather a simple 2 turntable mix that lets the vocals breathe.
listening to this makes me feel like i just found an old c60 from back in the day.
Rating: 4 / 5
I am very disappointed in the prior Amazon reviews which gave this album poor ratings. I found the album to be a great compilation of old school rap. I consider myself to be an old school fan with knowledge in the field, and of all the music I have listened to this album is a perfect assembly of the greatest jams from the eighties. Grandmaster Flash’s mixes are flawless; he combines the beats in perfect proportion. I give it 5 stars and two thumbs up!
Rating: 5 / 5
Unlike the rest of the Old School Rap series, which presents these classic, must have hip hop cuts in their full glory, Vol. 3 ruins them by slicing and dicing them into truncated versions. Some genius decided that simply presenting these immortal songs in their entirety wasn’t good enough, and they hired the legendary Grandmaster Flash to chop them up and present them mix tape style. You only get the middle of La-Di-Da-Di, for example. The intro and the last verse are missing. On top of that, the CD is only about 40 minutes or so instead of the usual 60-70 minute length utilized in the rest of the series. The one major benefit of authentic mixtapes (or CDs) is that they’re much longer than official releases and can present up to 90 truncated songs. Not so here. You get all of the detriments of the format with none of the benefits. A word to the brilliant mind that envisioned this atrocity: When I want a mixtape (or CD) I’ll hit up the bootleggin’ brotha on the corner. When I’m buying an official release on amazon or from some other major retailer, I expect to get the full length cuts.
Rating: 1 / 5
Perhaps this collection of Old Skool classics disappoints some because the originals were not included in their entirety. However, they were chosen and mixed by Grandmaster Flash, which in itself is an historical blessing, as his professional ear really lends a special touch to the mix.
The songs featured here are real classics, covering such perspectives as: educational (KRS-One with Boogie Down Productions), beat box (Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick), female (Roxanne Shante), pop (Young MC, Tone Loc), and just straight-up founders (Eric B and Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, DJ Quik, etc.). The songs featured on this album are clear influences on just about everything that came out after them.
The only song I personally don’t like is “Request Line,” but I’m obviously in the minority as Missy Elliot uses the opening sample on her most recent album.
In addition to the music, the CD comes with a textured cover–> in the picture on this website, the photo of Grandmaster Flash is fuzzy. But when you buy the CD, as you move the cover back and forth, it looks like he’s scratching the vinyl while bopping his head to the music. Kick ass!
Rating: 4 / 5
I just saw Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rock open for Lauryn Hill and they were great! This is the only CD you can get with La Di Da Di on it, it’s worth it for that song, but the rest if the record is good too if you like Ol School.
Rating: 5 / 5
handing the mixing duties to grandmaster flash was a perfect idea — each of these tracks were well chosen, and he handles the mixing duties perfectly.
the other folks that have gone on about the mixes trimming the tracks down miss the point of this disc — it’s a dj mix, not a compilation. he does a great job of mixing these tracks as they would have been during the time of their release… it’s not crazy remixed a la the skratch piklz, but rather a simple 2 turntable mix that lets the vocals breathe.
listening to this makes me feel like i just found an old c60 from back in the day.
Rating: 4 / 5
I am very disappointed in the prior Amazon reviews which gave this album poor ratings. I found the album to be a great compilation of old school rap. I consider myself to be an old school fan with knowledge in the field, and of all the music I have listened to this album is a perfect assembly of the greatest jams from the eighties. Grandmaster Flash’s mixes are flawless; he combines the beats in perfect proportion. I give it 5 stars and two thumbs up!
Rating: 5 / 5
Unlike the rest of the Old School Rap series, which presents these classic, must have hip hop cuts in their full glory, Vol. 3 ruins them by slicing and dicing them into truncated versions. Some genius decided that simply presenting these immortal songs in their entirety wasn’t good enough, and they hired the legendary Grandmaster Flash to chop them up and present them mix tape style. You only get the middle of La-Di-Da-Di, for example. The intro and the last verse are missing. On top of that, the CD is only about 40 minutes or so instead of the usual 60-70 minute length utilized in the rest of the series. The one major benefit of authentic mixtapes (or CDs) is that they’re much longer than official releases and can present up to 90 truncated songs. Not so here. You get all of the detriments of the format with none of the benefits. A word to the brilliant mind that envisioned this atrocity: When I want a mixtape (or CD) I’ll hit up the bootleggin’ brotha on the corner. When I’m buying an official release on amazon or from some other major retailer, I expect to get the full length cuts.
Rating: 1 / 5