Def Jam 25th Anniversary

I bought this box set for my husband and he LOVES it. It has all of his old school favorites and then some new stuff that's good too! The shirt only comes in X-Large, he gave it to me for a sleep shirt....but it is a cool shirt for someone who likes to wear baggy tshirts! I personally don't listen to this type of music, but my husband said that this was the best gift I've ever given him...so if you like old and new school rap, this is the box set to buy!

It was okay the description didn't have which songs that were on it so there were less than I thought there were however the other side was Control vinyl so that was cool also there was only one slipmat I believe there was supposed to be 2? The main thing is that it had the Beasties Paul Revere and LL's "i need a beat" and it's nice to now have those tracks on vinyl,

I loved having a box set of music from different artists. I'm glad I got this set. Planning to order more as gifts.

I I had problem with the lyrics on disc 4 so I got rid of it and kept everything else.

It would be so nice if collections were automatically the radio versions instead of the explicit ones. These are filled with so many expletives I can't play them for anyone but myself.

Good

Great collection

Def Jam, in two words, are just that.Times may have changed and the so-called 'music' tossed out there into our ears may taste worse than a Big Mac, but this collection, presented over 5 CDs and 60 songs, is an anthology of some of the greatest rap and hip-hop ever laid down on vinyl. The time line literally goes from 1985 to 2010 (well, 2009), and the highlights are fantastic.The value of this box set is immeasurable - legendary rappers such as LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, EPMD, Montell Jordan, Nikki D and many more of the original brothers (and sisters) of rap music are featured here, many of them originating even their sound on this one label.Def Jam was even smart enough to venture into hard rock, releasing the band Slayer (one of the hardest metal bands to lay it down in the 80's and 90's).We go from rap to hip-hop, and we go hard: Beanie Sigel and DMX to the likes of early Rhianna and Ja Rule, and don't forget Ludacris and Foxy Brown!The tracks on the 5 CD's go like this:CD1 (1984-1988):01. LL Cool J - I Need A Beat [04:01]02. Hollis Crew - It's The Beat [04:15]03. Public Enemy - Bring The Noise [03:46]04. Beastie Boys - Paul Revere [03:42]05. Oran "Juice" Jones - The Rain [05:08]06. LL Cool J - Goin' Back To Cali [04:10]07. Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey [02:39]08. T-La Rock - It's Yours (feat. Jazzy Jay) [04:21]09. LL Cool J - I Need Love [05:23]10. Slick Rick - Children's Story [03:59]11. 3rd Bass - The Gas Face (Remix) [02:08]12. Public Enemy - Fight The Power [04:37]CD2 (1989-1993):01. LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out [04:49]02. EPMD - Gold Digger [05:02]03. 3rd Bass - Pop Goes The Weasel [03:54]04. Nikki D - Daddy's Little Girl [04:26]05. Downtown Science - Room To Breathe [04:10]06. Redman - Time 4 Sum Aksion [03:26]07. Onyx - Slam [03:37]08. Boss - Deeper [03:58]09. EPMD - Crossover [03:48]10. Method Man - Bring The Pain [03:09]11. Nice & Smooth - Hip Hop Junkies [03:25]12. Warren G - Regulate (feat. Nate Dogg) [04:09]CD3 (1994-1998):01. Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It [03:54]02. Ludacris - Stand Up (feat. Shawnna) [03:34]03. Ja Rule - Holla Holla [04:23]04. Case - Touch Me Tease Me (feat. Foxy Brown) [03:50]05. Method Man - I'll Be There For You / You're All I Need To Get By (feat. Mary J. Blige) [05:09]06. Foxy Brown - Get Me Home (feat. Blackstreet) [03:48]07. Jay-Z - Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) [04:00]08. DMX - Get At Me Dog (feat. Sheek) [03:07]09. LL Cool J - Doin' It [04:57]10. Method Man & Redman - Da Rockwilder [02:19]11. DMX - Party Up (Up In Here) [04:33]12. Erick Sermon - Tell 'Em [02:35]CD4 (1999-2003):01. Jay-Z - 99 Problems [03:55]02. Sisqo - Thong Song [04:11]03. Musiq Soulchild - Just Friends (Sunny) [04:11]04. Ja Rule - Put It On Me (feat. Vita) [04:23]05. Memphis Bleek - Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses) (feat. Jay-Z, Twista And Missy Elliott) [04:54]06. Jay-Z - Izzo (H.O.V.A.) [04:01]07. Beanie Sigel - The Truth [04:10]08. Cam'Ron - Oh Boy (feat. Juelz Santana) [03:28]09. Scarface - Guess Who's Back (feat. Jay-Z And Beanie Sigel) [04:03]10. Freeway - What We Do (feat. Jay-Z And Beanie Sigel) [03:49]11. Ludacris - Southern Hospitality (feat. Pharrell) [05:02]12. Kanye West - Jesus Walks [03:20]CD5 (2004-2008):01. Kanye West - Gold Digger (feat. Jamie Foxx) [03:28]02. Young Jeezy - And Then What (feat. Mannie Fresh) [04:07]03. Juelz Santana - There It Go (The Whistle Song) [03:01]04. Rick Ross - Hustlin' [04:15]05. Ghostface Killah - Back Like That (feat. Ne-Yo) [04:03]06. Ne-Yo - So Sick [03:28]07. Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead (feat. Will.i.am) [03:46]08. The Roots - Don't Feel Right (feat. Maimouna Youssef) [04:46]09. Rihanna - Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z) [04:33]10. Fabolous - Make Me Better (feat. Ne-Yo) [04:14]11. The-Dream - Shawty Is Da Sh*! [03:51]12. Young Jeezy - Put On (feat. Kanye West) [05:21]I only wish there was more included, but 60 songs pulled from over 4,500 recorded songs for the label are great!THE ONLY REASON I GAVE THIS COMPILATION 4 STARS INSTEAD OF 5:On the 10th Anniversary, the 4 CDs tracklist is very similar in artist selection and the exclusion of many others is evident here. They could have included many other newer artists because, well, much as I love the oldies, I've got those already, on vinyl and on CD, and I wanted to hear some of the younger and just as talented artists from the last 5 or so years on the collection and given their due as well - what about Pittsburg Slim, Lady Sovereign, and maybe one cut, maybe "Oye Mi Canto" from N.O.R.E's Latin-language album "N.O.R.E. y la Familia... Ya Tú Sabe"? I understand it's difficult to choose only so many in a package as wonderful, but it's hard to see others left behind when they have contributed their talents now as much as the originators did then.Other than that, though, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a jumping-off point for hip hop and rap. Yes it's explicit, but hey, real life isn't all flowers and balloons. Rap and hip-hop are an extension of the streets of New York, and Los Angeles, and every inner city in between. It has also gone international, but that's okay, too.Get this set if you want to hear how it began, and right up to the last disc you'll enjoy it, 100%.(Thanks for reading, and check out my ,other reviews because I like and dislike a lot of stuff I've got, and right or wrong I'm letting folks like you know about it!)