Although any title containing the words “old school” is generally not groundbreaking, this collection of famous hip-hop is a great celebration of hip-hop, a genre now approaching its thirtieth birthday.

If anything, the double compilation album would be a great buy for anyone who has always shied away from embracing hip-hop. Both CDs are killers and sure-fire party-starters. The first disc features tracks from Grandmaster Flash, The Sugarhill Gang, and Run-DMC. Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” remains particularly catchy, and the lyrics symbolic of the concrete jungles that the words to the songs would have been inevitably scripted from: “It’s like a jungle, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under.” Run-DMC’s “It’s Like That” packs powerful lyrics that sum up the experiences of the working class the world over, while Grandmaster Flash’s, “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel,” is pure class.

CD 2 is no less of a pleasure. Any De La Soul tune will always be classic, and “Say No Go” proves this theory. My personal favorite is Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock’s “It takes Two,” one of the funkiest numbers that one would ever hear. And the final track, House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” is an ageless party anthem.

Vintage Grooves - Old School Hip-Hop Vol. 1 contains some of the greatest hip-hop tunes to have ever been produced. It is a must purchase.

8.5/10