One of those records that maybe snuck in a bit under the wire at the time of release – but a set that instantly went on to become a classic, and one of the greatest debuts of the early 90s! Not only is the production great – full of sophisticated samples and ways of putting them together that set a whole new standard for a generation – but Brand Nubian also found a way to take some of the energy of the Native Tongues' freshness, and turn it towards more serious themes – but all without the heavy-handedness that made some of their contemporaries date quickly. Hats off to Grand Puba, Sadat X, and Lord Jamar for such a great job right from the start – on titles that include "All For One", "Slow Down", "Drop The Bomb", "Concerto In X Minor", and 2 mixes of "Wake Up" (Stimulated Dummies mix and the penultimate reprise) – plus "Who Can Get Busy Like This Man", "Ragtime", "To The Right", "Dance To My Ministry", "Step To The Rear", "Try To Do Me", and "Dedication". CD

Tracks include "Check The Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest, "Slow Down (Radio Version)" by Brand Nubian, "Fudge Pudge" by Organized Konfusion, "Blue Cheese" by the UMCs, "Tonite" by DJ Quik, and 10 more. CD

A fantastic classic from the Cali scene of the early 90s – one of the key records that had the west coast going head to head with some of the smarter acts back east – a great balance to the up and coming genius of Wu Tang and Brand Nubian! There's a similar sense of message and play going on here – rhymes from Mikah 9, PEACE, Aceyalone, and Self Jupiter – set to beats that bounce nicely, but never in a way that undercuts the lyrics – nicely crisp production with assist from the Earthquake Brothers. Titles include "Inner City Boundaries", "Shammy's", "Everything's Everything", "Park Bench People", "Mary", "Cornbread", "Way Cool", "Heavyweights", "Pure Thought", "Hot Potato", and "Six Tray". CD

A fantastic collection of work from a real golden age in hip hop – a period that you'll probably guess from the image of the Native Tongues posse on the front – served up here in a compilation that brings together classics from De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers, Monie Love, and many others! The set list is superb – and while most of the tracks are well-remembered gems, and not the kind of rare cuts we usually hear from Ace Records – taken together, they're a tremendous reminder of a time when hip hop really came alive – bursting with wit, wisdom, and a whole new sense of musical imagination! As usual with Ace, the liner notes and other details are great – making this way more than just a slap-dash mix of hits – and titles include "You're Not Coming Home (Mase's funkay recall mix)" by Groove Garden, "Age Ain't Nothin But A #" by Chi Ali, "Bonita Applebum" by Tribe Called Quest, "Sunshine Men" by Freestyle Fellowship, "Peachfuzz" by KMD, "K Sera Sera" by Justin Warfield, "It's A Shame" by Monie Love, "Doin Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, "OPP" by Naughty By Nature, "Doowutchyalike" by Digital Underground, "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays" by De La Soul, "The Choice Is Yours" by Black Sheep, "All For One" by Brand Nubian, "My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style" by Dream Warriors, "Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children" by Queen Latifah with De La Soul, "Where I'm From" by Digable Planets, and "We Run Things (It's Like Dat)" by Da Bush Babees. CD