Exclusive Collection

by David JeffriesJapan's Manhattan Records (a record store and distribution company) and Los Angeles' Up Above Records present one CD of new and exclusive tracks that get mixed together by DJ Rhettmatic on the second disc. Maybe the cover art makes the former Beat Junkie look like he's a lot more involved with Exclusive Collection than he is, but if that's what it takes to get these great tracks to people's ears, so be it. Disc one is filled with highlights. Plenty of hip-hoppers hate when producer Tony Touch picks up the mike, but "We See Y'All" is one of the great, freewheeling things that happens when he does and a perfect cut for the Rhettmatic mix. Rhettmatic's crew, the Visionaries, offer up a thrilling ride on "Hindsight," with rapper 2Mex overcoming a clunky sample from Queen's "Flash's Theme." Pete Rock is ultra-smooth, Jay Dee is a ghetto-fabulous Gil Scott-Heron, and the two cuts from Geology along with one from the Omen offer up killer hooks that stick in the head. That's a lot of great underground rap without any overly academic aftertaste, and Rhettmatic makes it all sound like a party on disc two. Some extra scratch interludes and a few new tracks get added on Rhettmatic's mix, and the DJ blends the beats with wit and precision. Shout-outs and phoned-in praise for the DJ give the set a happening mixtape feel, making it the disc to cruise with.