Def Jam's Greatest Hits

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Although it doesn't follow any chronological order and doesn't always gel musically, Def Jam Greatest Hits is a good cross section of the pioneering hip-hop label's biggest hits, featuring such classics as Onyx's "Slam," the Beastie Boys' "Brass Monkey," L.L. Cool J's "Around the Way Girl," 3rd Bass's "Gas Face," Domino's "Getto Jam," Slick Rick's "Children's Story," and Warren G's "Regulate." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Back when Sean "Puffy" Combs was still running a corner lemonade stand, Russell Simmons was the original hip hop entrepreneur. His label Def Jam, part of a multi-media empire, put him on the hip-hop map. Simmons formed Def Jam in 1985 with rock impresario/NYU student Rick Rubin to release LL Cool J's first single, "I Need A Beat." Influential releases by Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and heavy metal group Slayer earned the label a place on the cutting edge of both the rap and heavy metal scenes. DEF JAM'S GREATEST HITS is a sampling of the label's most influential releases from 1988's "Going Back To Cali" by LL Cool J to 1996's "Touch Me Tease Me" by Case. In between, the history of rap is told through diverse releases like the house-influenced dance music of Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" and Public Enemy's political manifesto "Shut 'Em Down." The West Coast style is also represented on Warren G's "Regulate." Def Jam's ultimate legacy is the way it integrated hip-hop into the mainstream.

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