Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
2. Everything's Gonna Be All Right - Naughty By Nature
3. Doowutchyalike (radio mix) - Digital Underground
4. Plug Tunin' (Are You Ready For This - 12" Version) - De La Soul
5. Can't U See - Total featuring The Notorious B.I.G.
6. Move It Like This - K7
7. Gordy's Groove - Choice M.C.'s featuring Fresh Gordon
8. Play At Your Own Risk (12" Version) - Planet Patrol
9. Sally - Stetsasonic
10. Ladies First - Queen Latifa
11. Renegades of Funk (12" Version) - Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force
12. Lean On Me - Club Nouveau
13. Tears - Force M.D.'s

Disc 2:

1. Jump Around - House of Pain
2. Uptown Anthem - Naughty By Nature
3. Jealousy (Green Eyed Vocal) - Club Nouveau
4. Cheap Thrills - Planet Patrol
5. Come Baby Come - K7
6. 1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New) - Coolio
7. Come Into My House - Queen Latifah
8. Buddy (12" Remix) - De La Soul
9. Jazzy Sensation (12" Remix) - Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5
10. Feel Me Flow - Naughty By Nature
11. The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground
12. Let Me Love You - Force M.D.'s
13. Pacific - 808 State
14. Ring, Ring, Ring - De La Soul

Disc 3:

1. O.P.P. - Naughty By Nature
2. Go Stetsa I - Stetsasonic
3. Me Myself & I - De La Soul
4. Shamrocks & Shenanigans - House of Pain
5. Looking For The Perfect Beast - Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force
6. What's On Your Mind - Information Society
7. Maria - TKA
8. People Hold On - Coldcut featuring Lisa Stansfield
9. Fantastic Voyage - Coolio
10. Why You Treat Me So Bad - Club Nouveau
11. Same Song - Digital Underground
12. Break The Grip Of Shame - Paris
13. Latifah's Had It Up To Here - Queen Latifah
14. Here I Go Again - Force M.D.'s

Disc 4:

1. Gangsta Bitch - Apache
2. Hip Hop Hooray - Naughty By Nature
3. Potholes In My Lawn - De La Soul
4. Pack Jam - Jonzun Crew
5. Louder Than Love - TKA
6. Running - Information Society
7. Supermodel - Ru Paul
8. Kiss You Back - Digital Underground
9. Rock The House - Pressure Drop
10. Talkin' All That Jazz - Stetsasonic
11. Non-Stop - Sweet Trio
12. Play That Beat Mr. DJ - G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid
13. Tender Love - Force M.D.'s
14. Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #402303 in Music
• Released on: 2001-10-09
• Number of discs: 5
• Formats: Box set, Enhanced

Amazon.com
In a world oversaturated with box sets and anthologies, it's tempting--if not downright easy--to overlook a self-congratulatory, and conspicuously tardy, endeavor like Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats, a five-volume retrospective of the seminal hip-hop imprint. Don't. Although the label seems more focused on its highly successful MTV Party to Go and ESPN Jock Jams series than street-based hip-hop, the compilation aesthetic serves it well on this box. Rather than present a chronological walk-through of the label's history, this box consists of four mix discs that feature surprisingly successful (and occasionally bewildering) segues, and a consistent flow of high-energy tracks. Although there is a little electro-boogie, (most of that element of the label was saved for its Perfect Beats series), you get hits by Afrika Bambaataa, Coolio, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, Stetsasonic, and the Force MDs, plus a remix disc featuring some leading DJs (Jason Nevins, DJ Premier, Dimitri from Paris) and a great booklet with lots of color pictures that make great period pieces. The box is a fine testament to the enduring vitality of hip-hop; most of the tracks have aged well, and some that didn't were improved by the remix. (The 2001 edition of the box loses the "milk crate" packaging in favor of a more traditional case and a much more affordable price.) --Martin Johnson

The Source
True to the DJ-dominated era which birthed most of the songs found here, the four CDs even come packaged in a miniature milk crate like the ones favored by spin doctors the world over.

Customer Reviews

Hip Hop History
Tommy Boy Records is, along with Def Jam, the seminal hip hop labels. This box set features the label's biggest hits, but presented in a classic mix tape fashion. There is no chronological order to the songs, each of the four disk's songs segue together into one long mix. This makes for some great listening and the beats are still slamming especially on the remix disk that boasts some great work by the all-time best, DJ Premier.

With The Exception Of Def Jam's 10th Anniversary Set...
This collection from Tommy Boy is by far the greatest collection of hip-hop music out there! It has everything! As I recommended elsewhere, get this along with Def Jam Music Group Inc.: 10th Year Anniversary and The Hip Hop Box sets and you will pretty much have all the old school rap (the essentials at least anyway)! On its own, Tommy Boy Greatest Beats an important piece of hip-hop history!

If U like old school hip-hop...
For anyone who is a hip hop fan, PICK UP THIS COMPILATION!!! I've listened to all five discs and let me tell you, this compilation iss off the hook! The bulk of these songs take me boack to my junior and senior high school days. You may be lucky to find the albums that these songs are on, but just in case you're not, this compilation is the next best thing. Put it this way: I took the CD set to work to play on my CD player, and I had co-workers 1) asking to borrow one of the CDs for the day, and 2)doing some of the break dances from back in the day :). Keep up the good work, Tommy Boy!