Rating:
Genre:
Rap
Release Date: 03/17/1998
The second volume of Rhino's female hip-hop series
Fat Beats and Bra Straps spotlights
Battle Rhymes & Posse Cuts -- that is, cutting contests and songs recorded by a full group. Like its predecessor, the disc is a little light on actual classics -- there's
Roxanne &
UTFO's "The Rel Roxanne," plus
L.L. Cool J's "Doin' It," which really stretches the limits of the "female" designation, since
LeShaun is essentially used as window dressing -- but the strength of the collection is that it rounds up a lot of rarities, obscure singles and forgotten album tracks that haven't been widely heard since their initial release. Among the more interesting cuts are
De La Soul &
Shortie No Mass' "In the Woods,"
Sparky D's "Sparky's Turn,"
Pebblee-Poo's "A Fly Guy,"
J.J. Fad's "Ya Goin' Down,"
the Coup's "This One's a Girl" and "The Show Stoppa (Is Stupid Fresh)" by
Super Nature, which was an early incarnation of
Salt N' Pepa. Anyone serious about hip-hop will find cuts like these quite interesting, but listeners looking for a handful of hits should realize that this is more of an archival, historical release than a hits collection.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide