Somewhere between Puff Daddy and Soulja Boy, I lost track of hip hop. I still prefer older school conscious rap, like the Native Tongues collective (A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, etc.) and Public Enemy.
That’s why I was so pleased to rediscover these all-star hip hop confabs from back in the day (thanks, Stereogum!). I mean, where else would you see members of NWA playing nice with Young MC and Ice-T other than in the West Coast Rap All-Stars jam, “We’re all in the same gang”? Or, to quote Stereogum:
This is the first time I’ve listened to MC Hammer, Tone Loc and the Digital Underground in one sitting since my Bar Mitzvah
headsparks* 