Priority Records was a distribution company and record label founded by Bryan Turner, Mark Cerami, and Steve Drath in 1985. The Los Angeles-based label dealt with several genres of music, but it was a cornerstone in bringing West Coast Gangsta Rap to the world. It was responsible for getting landmark albums such as Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-Duz-It, No One Can Do It Better, Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, Death Certificate, and The Chronic into music shops and record stores across the country. The label had distribution partnerships with Ruthless, Death Row, No Limit, and Rap-A-Lot. Priority would also be responsible for distributing some of Roc-A-Fella Records’ early projects, including Jay-Z’s classic debut, Reasonable Doubt. Over the years, Priority has been associated with some momentous moments in hip-hop. And some not-so-momentous ones, like the subject of today’s post.

In Tha Beginning…There Was Rap is a twelve-track compilation project featuring some of the biggest names in hip-hop at the time, remaking classics and a few foundational rap records from the eighties. Despite receiving average to underwhelming reviews from critics, the album sold over 500,000 units in less than two months after its release, making it arguably the most obscure RIAA Gold-certified album of all time.

I didn’t know this album existed until I came across a used CD copy in the dollar bins at one of the record stores that I frequent. I bought it over a decade ago, and this review marks my first time listening to it. Curiosity made me buy it, but I must admit, I don’t have very high expectations going into this review.

Sucker M.C.’s – This one starts with Ol’ Dirty Bastard giving us an accapella sample of his signature drunk crooning (this time inflicting his enjoyable lunacy on Shep And The Limelites’ “Daddy’s Home”). Then a Wu-Tang-esque darkly cinematic loop drops, and Method Man and RZA get off a few warm-up bars, followed by a dusty soul vocal loop and a few more words from RZA. Then everything changes up, and RZA, Meth, and ODB give us a personalized rendition of Run DMC’s legendary record. The Wu trio does a decent job with it, but it serves more as a reminder of how hard the original beat was (shout-out and RIP to the underappreciated legend, Larry Smith).

Fuck Tha Police – Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony completely lose their identity on this remake of the revolutionary classic. No harmony or melodies, just the Thugs doing N.W.A. karaoke. This did nothing for me.

Big Ole Butt – Puffy and Lil’ Cease take on LL’s classic ode to ladies with immense posterior. The duo takes a few lyrical liberties to make the song their own while objectifying Keisha, Kim, and Lisa in the process. In our current climate, it was a little uncomfortable to hear Puffy talk about getting freaky and having sex with a seventeen-year-old girl, but Cease’s X-rated verse actually made me lol.

6 ‘N Tha Mornin’ – Master P takes on Ice-T’s pioneering gangsta rap record. I was never crazy about Ice-T’s version (and by the way, it hasn’t aged well), but hearing Percy fumble through his rhymes with horrible enunciation and a delivery so monotone he barely sounds alive was almost unbearable. The dramatic chord stabs between his half-hearted verses were a dope update to the original record, but his embarrassingly corny ad-lib (“uhhhhhh”) placed right after it almost ruined the one good quality in the track.

Freaky Tales – If you were going to make an album full of old-school hip-hop remakes in the nineties, you had to get Snoop to participate. He reinterprets Too Short’s “Freaky Tales,” putting his doggy swag (or wag) all over it, and thankfully, he shaves off five and a half minutes from the original. Ant Banks makes a few minor adjustments to the original instrumental to give it a current (at least by ‘97 standards) G-funk sound, and Snoop makes Short’s rhymes sound hysterically entertaining (the Lori, Michelle, and Beth tales keep me in tears).

Knick Knack Patty Wack – Kurupt and Daz pay homage to EPMD and their 1989 banger with this remake. Emanuel “Porkchop” Dean (must be a big nigga) freshen up the Joe Cocker piano loop a bit and K & D douse the track in enough DPG bravado that it almost feels like a new record. The only thing missing was a “pitbull terrier” ferocious K-Solo cameo (I don’t care if he spelled “bird” wrong; it’s still one of my favorite cameo verses). Without question, this is my favorite redo on the album.

Rapper’s Delight – Erick Sermon becomes the first rapper to appear on ITBTWR, who also has a remade oldie on the album. He’s joined by his Def Squad bredrin, Redman and Keith Murray, as the trio renovates the first-ever hit rap record. The Sugarhill Gang’s original mix was over fourteen minutes long, but thank God, the Def Squad cut the runtime in half. And it’s still too long.

I’m Still #1 – B-Real takes on a BDP staple. It’s decent, but no need to listen to it more than once.

I Need A Freak – Before this review, I’d never heard of Sexual Harassment (the group that is) or this record that Too Short (the second rapper to cameo on ITBTWR and have a revisited record on it as well) revamps. I listened to the original song on YouTube, and I must say, it sounded pretty corny. But the master of misogyny does a masterful job of making it his X-rated own and easily one of the most entertaining redos on this compilation.

Dopeman – Mack 10 covers his Westside Connection group member’s rhymes (Ice Cube) as N.W.A. gets a second nod on the album. Mack 10’s performance was mediocre, and though I miss the hard drums and the Ohio Players’ “Funky Worm” break used on the O.G. version, I did mildly enjoy the chill synth melody laid in this track.

Money (Dollar Bill Y’all) – Coolio covers Jimmy Spicer’s 1983 record, and living up to his name, it’s…cool. Rest in peace, Mr. Spicer and Coolio.

The Show – The Roots do a live remake of Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew’s classic with Rahzel and Black Thought assuming the roles of Doug E. and Slick Rick. It’s not stellar, but The Roots do enough with it to make it sound sufficient.

Shoutout to Priority Records for paying homage to a few of the early hip-hop records that helped make rap music the billion-dollar industry it is today. In Tha Beginning…There Was Rap is a kind gesture to some of hip-hop’s pioneers and their music. But every kind gesture doesn’t bear good fruit.

Occasionally, on tracks like “Big Ole Butt,” “Freaky Tales,” Knick Knack Patty Wack,” and “I Need A Freak,” the artists give the original song new energy, turning their remixed reverence into refreshed relics that entertain. But far too often, the remakes sound like mediocre karaoke, leaving you yearning to revisit the O.G. versions or completely uninterested in the records altogether. There isn’t much essential listening on ITBTWR, but I’m sure it was a year-end tax write-off project that turned an unexpected profit for Priority.

I didn’t care much for ITBTWR. But I’m sure some young whipper-snapper out there, new to the genre in the late nineties, was compelled to go listen to the original records after listening to this album and, in doing so, discovered some legendary artists they may not have known about prior. Maybe Priority’s kind gesture bore good fruit after all.

-Deedub
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