Rawkus Records Best Of Decade I, 1995-2005

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B000BRD6Z8
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,472 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Open the vaults!, December 16, 2005

By 

J. Nypaver (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rawkus Records Best Of Decade I, 1995-2005 (Audio CD)

I totally agree with the comments from mjxm and Norfeest below, so I won't bother repeat their excellent criticisms. The only point I'd like to expand on is this comp's lack of rare, unreleased and/or "previously unavailable on CD" material.

Rawkus certainly had enough recognizable hits and other gems from their catalog to easily fill a two-disc collection, so it's somewhat understandable that they chose only to include their best-known songs on this single disc comp. But as a fan and collector of music, I'm always looking for a little extra effort when it comes to a "Greatest Hits" release. I expect more than just the same versions of the same songs that I probably already have. Give me some rare remixes. Throw in a vinyl-only non-album b-side. Tack on a demo version or song that was shelved after the final album sequencing.

Rawkus must have at least a few of those types of rarities in the vaults. The exclusion of that kind of material demonstrates the laziness of Geffen and yet another level of disregard for the history and legacy of Rawkus.

Perhaps there is a Volume II in the works that will explore the lesser-known and rare tracks in the Rawkus library. I'm saving my hard-earned dollars for that disc.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars don't buy this album, December 14, 2005

By 

mjxm (nyc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rawkus Records Best Of Decade I, 1995-2005 (Audio CD)

anyone who knows rawkus and its history as perhaps the greatest underground hip-hop label of the last 15 years knows that this compilation is not an acceptable representation of what rawkus brought to the table.

are the songs on this CD good? for the most part, yeah . . . if you're looking for a mos def greatest hits record. but that's not what this is being marketed as.

this release is clearly little more than a despicable money grab by geffen--the label that, by the way, took over rawkus and then discontinued it all together. this album is relevant only to the extent that it's an affront to a once-great label that reached spectacular heights during an era when mainstream hip-hop was all puffy and no passion.

do yourself a favor and hit up your local record store for any old rawkus 12-inch singles you can find. pick up soundbombing I. listen to the blackstar album at the moment when you are most frustrated with the current state of hip-hop. bask in the talent and in the real, official glory of rawkus circa 1997 or 1998.

but, whatever you do, don't buy this lazy, disrespectful compilation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shame On Geffen Records, December 15, 2005

By 

Norfeest "Yes Yes Y'all" (Washington DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rawkus Records Best Of Decade I, 1995-2005 (Audio CD)

MJXM hit the nail on the head. Geffen records (the label that swallowed up Rawkus) is simply trying to cash in on Rawkus' great past. The problem is this album is nothing more than a glorified Mos Def's Greatest Hits album. Are the songs on this album great? No question about it. But Rawkus' history is way deeper than Mos Def, Talib Kweli, & Common -- these are the artists being headlined on this album if you read the sticker on the front(and Common was never even on Rawkus). Where's Shabaam Sahdeeq or Company Flow? How about some cuts from Soundbombing I & II as well as Lyricists Lounge I & II? Do they mean to tell me that Pharoahe Monche's "Simon Says" wasn't worthy of an appearance? Hi Teknology had some bangers on it as well. And then the the few songs they have from the albums I mentioned aren't even the best songs from their respective albums. There are so many great songs in Rawkus' catalogue and this is just lazy and pitiful. This album should be viewed as an insult to a great legacy and a testament to the greed of major labels. No one wants to make good music (or at least a decent compilation), they just want to make money.

I do understand that this is the first installment, but this album simply lacks variety. There shouldn't be any problem mixing things up with the catalogue that Rawkus has. A good 80% of these songs feature Mos Def. I love Mos as much as the next Joe, but this is simply overkill. If you were a fan that bought the albums and singles when they were coming out then there's no need to pick this one up. If you don't have these songs, you're probably not a big Rawkus fan anyway. Let's just hope they even things up with the second installment instead of throwing their most popular astists on the album in hopes of moving units.