REVIEW: Various Artists, Raiders Of The Lost Art (Scotti Bros.)
- Scott Williams
Let's lay it down. Hip-hop is all about style and skills, and, given the genre's minimalist composition, it exposes Sucka MCs faster than Pat Boone can say "Tutti Frutti." Likewise, and for the most part, the old schoolers fell off because they couldn't swing with the newjacks any longer. Witness, the stillborn comeback attempts from: the Fat Boys, Prince Markie Dee, RUN D.M.C., etc.
With this CD, however, most of the old dogs prove that they can still chill. Whodini and Kurtis Blow(!), in particular, have virtually reinvented themselves -not exactly flowing with the leaders of the new school, but certainly packing the juice to do some serious damage. In fact, it sounds like Blow has gotten all Cali-fied in his retirement; his laid back lyrical delivery has West Coast written *all* over it. Though inevitably disqualified from O.G. status because of his New York lineage, Kurtis Blow still provides enough bump to make South Central jump on it's hydraulic suspensions.
There are other standouts. Rap's first superstars, The Furious Five, make poignant inner-city commentary with "Sun Don't Shine", while Busy Bee proves once again that he can still out-battle his perennial rival, Kool Moe Dee. Actually, that brings us to the soft points of the compilation. Made painfully apparent on his two tracks, Kool Moe's style has not evolved with the times. In fact, he's even outclassed by his old side crew, the Treacherous Three, with whom he shares one song.
Proving, however, that the old school sound's still got flava, legendary mack grandaddy, Africa Bambatta thoroughly kicks it on infectious dance track, "Do the Cooley." Old fans will remember, 1981's "Planet Rock", the closing track fully characterizing old school's funk-friendly braggadocio. Hip-hop's James Brown, Bambatta paved the way for generations of MCs and bares his soul sonic force some 22 years later.
Raiders is mostly fresh yet sometimes flawed, much like the urban streets where hip-hop was born. Regardless, this old school throwdown is on wax and is certainly worth the admission. For b-boys who've gotta peep what their old heroes have been up to, or for "Nintendo Generation" kids who've finally realized that Snoop's been biting Slick Rick's 10 year-old rhymes, Raiders of the Lost Art is a worthy (but not indispensable) reference. So, 187 the wack shit; the crew is back in `94!
