Customer Reviews

The Show: The Soundtrack

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

... But in urban music, it was the first year that Suge Knight's Death Row Records had finally met its musical match, in the form of Puffy's Bad Boy Records. 1995 was also the first time that the Source Awards were ever televised, and it was during that ceremony that the East Coast/West Coast feud turned unmistakably real. In the summer of 1995, I was even lucky enough to see the late (great) Notorious B.I.G. live in performance at 106.1 KMEL's "Summer Jam". CA. But more than anything else, in 1995, urban music just seemed to keep getting better, and better (Nas, Keith Murray, Brandy, Soul 4 Real, Faith, LL Cool J, O.D.B, Groove Theory, I could go on...)

1995 was the year that Russell Simmons' rapumentary, "The Show" hit theatres. Featuring performances, interviews, and insights on the state of Hip-Hop from its roots to the present day, it was an exciting and refreshing take on an artform that was quickly replacing rock'n'roll as the new sound of the "youth". This accompanying soundtrack reflects the amazingly vibrant spirit that lived within Hip-Hop during this explosive time period. Although everyone will have their favorites (and there is something for everyone), I'll only highlight the tracks that I found to be a cut above the rest:

Easy Mo Bee, a producer best known for his work on the Notorious B.I.G.'s classic `Ready To Die' album, provided the sonic backdrop for the late (great) 2Pac's contribution to this album, "My Block". The beat and lyrics of "My Block" are tight, and totally capture the spirit of the artistic integrity that urban music (in general) was evoking around that time. This was the era when folks were talking about "keepin' it real". Makes you wanna smile, doesn't it? Especially if you can remember those days...

Moving on, "Live" by Onyx was probably the group's last decent hit. It sounds like Onyx: rowdy and raucous. Method Man and Redman get together on "How High", the song that started it all for their super-collaborations. "How High" sounds just as good to my ears now as it did when I first heard it. Maybe even better. "Everyday", a joint by Mary J. Blige and produced by Puff Daddy, Nashiem Myrick ("Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"), Chucky Thompson (the man!), features great background vocals by Faith Evans. "Everyday" also has the same beat as the "One More Chance" Hip-Hop remix ("biggie, gimme one more chance, biggie, biggie, gimme one more chance...'check it out, uh')

Other standouts in my humble opinion is the ultra-smooth "Papa Luv It" by LL Cool J, which reminds me of something we might have heard on a show like New York Undercover. "Glamour and Glitz" is tight, and has that classic boom-bap style that the Tribe was known for. "Kill Them All" by dancehall reggae artist Kali Ranks never fails to energize, and the Computer-Love remix of Biggie's "Me & My B....." recorded live at the Philadelphia Armory gives me flashbacks of B.I.G's show-stopping set at KMEL's "Summer Jam".

There are other cuts I'll mention briefly -- "Old Skool" by Isaac 2 Isaac, "Summertime In The LBC" by the Dove Shack (classic actually), "Everyday Thang" by Bone Thugs N Harmony, and cool quotes sprinkled throughout the entire CD by Dr. Dre, Russell Simmons, and Naughty By Nature among others. So all in all, this is a piece of Hip-Hop History -- perhaps the last period in time when Hip-Hop music universally reflected the authentically "urban" spirit of its creators.

I bought this cd for one song, Tupac's "My Block". It is the only place you can get the song with the original beat. I forgot how good the whole cd was though. It is a great value for the price and a must have for any classic rap collection.

You cannot skip any song on this CD. It is a very good Cd by Russell Simmons. Ruthless, Death Row, Bad Boy,and Def Jam artists along with otehrs come to be on this CD. They are missing some artists, though. They are missing:
Ice Cube
Eric B and Rakim
Busta Rhymes
More!

brilliant, if u luv your hip hop and appreciate where it comes from. this is the cd for u. nice variety of groups and stars here. takes me back to a time where i just couldn't get enuff of the music. we were spoilt for choice when it came to talent.

I HAVE A COLLECTION OF ABOUT 70 RAP ALBUMS AND I CAN HONESTLY TELL YOU THAT THE SHOW SOUNDTRACK IS THE BEST OF THEM ALL, IT REPRESENTS BOTH COASTS, AND HITS YOU WITH 13 CLASSIC JOINTS

If you're in the mood to listen to some really great rap, then check this CD out!!! A mix of all the coolest rappers, so you'll get the different kinds all in one! You just gotta check out Tupac, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Onyx, Mary J. Blige, and a lot of other great artists to!!! It's the BoMb!!! You'll be dancing and singing along to all of the songs! I know I was!!! :)

The Best song on here bar-none: 2pac- My block. sad Actually. Then you got Bone thug, The Song Summertime In The LBC remember the underground stations always playing that. And Warren G and 2-1-3. Good Music. I have thank my ex/1nighter for this cd she left to me. It's good to listen to.

I pretty much agree with EJ Rupert, but the good songs on this soundtrack are so strong that they make this album damn near classic all by themselves. I gave this album 4 stars for that very reason. Though it was never released as a single, "My Block" is one of Tupac's best songs (pre death row era is the best 'Pac in my opinion). I don't think there's any question that every rap music fanatic recognizes Red and Meth's "How High" as an unquestionable classic (and this is the grimy version of How High....not the fluffy remix). I still get open to that beat 11 years later. Though it is somewhat formulaic, "Poppa Luv It" is still a dope cut from LL Cool J. Bone Thugs N Harmony, Mary J. Blige, and Onyx contribute "Everyday Thang", "Everday It Rains", and "Live!!" which show each artist in vintage form in my humble opinion. Also, "Sowhatyousayin'" is the ideal west coast gangsta track in my mind. Even when you get past those great tracks, you have other bangers like "Kill Dem All" [Kali Ranks], "Glamour & Glitz" [A Tribe Called Quest], and "Still Can't Fade It" [Warren G.] that still make for a great listening experience. Hell, even The Dove Shack blew up on the strength of "Summertime In The LBC". And the live version of Biggie's "Me & My B*tch" is definitely different from the studio version and it's great. There's plenty to love about this album.

I also agree that there are too many filler tracks. "What's Up Star", "Ol' Skool", "Domino's In The House" and "Zoom Zooms & Wam Wam" all fall under the filler category. Actually, the filler tracks are the only things wrong on this album and I'd say that only 10% of the album is filler. The rest is bangin'.

The Show Soundtrack is definitely a worthwhile pick up for any hip hop fan. There are bangers on this album that make it a must own. If you were into hip hop around the time this came out, you remember when half of these songs were played for the first time. There are definitely some classic tracks on this album. I highly recommend it.

Also, for those of you that want more artists represented, check out the "Rhyme & Reason" soundtrack (which is pretty much similar to this, but with better collabos). You'll find a lot of artists there too.

Standout Tracks: Poppa Luv It, My Block, Live!!!, Kill Dem All, Summertime In The LBC, How High (My Favorite), Everyday Thang, Everyday It Rains, and Me & My B*tch [Live]

I really don't think that this album is a good representation of how hip-hop was in 1995. Sure, most of the artists on here were hot, but they showed their skills on their own albums, not on here.

First, the good news: 2Pac's "My Block" has a tight beat by Easy Mo Bee (who produced his "Temptations") and tight lyrics, making it a nice song to ride to. Onyx's "Live!!!" got me hyped for a minute, and who can forget "How High" with Method Man and Redman? That song still sounds good today.

But most of the time I found myself pressing "fast-forward" rather than "rewind". "Poppa Luv It" finds LL Cool J basing a song off of his verse from "Flava in Ya Ear Remix", yet again. Bone thugs-n-harmony's "Everyday Thang" is far from their best song, and I mean "FAR". I'm always down for hearing Biggie, but the live version of "Me and My B" isn't much different from the album version. "Everyday It Rains" from Mary J. Blige is good but it uses the same "Who's Making Love" sample that Bad Boy used twice already for "Flava in Ya Ear (radio version)" and "One More Chance (remix of the remix)". And Suga's "What's Up Star" and Isaac 2 Issac's "Ol' Skool" are pure filler tracks.

As you can see, there are a lot of mediocre tracks, but I rated this album a 3 instead of 2 because the good tracks are really, REALLY good. I would still skip this album because you can't play it straight through without being annoyed.

I started listening to this album when I was 13. Although this album is not suitable for 13 year olds, it is however a huge part of my life growing up and is still one of my all-time favorites at 25 years of age. I recommend this album to anyone who appreciates amazing hip-hop!