Kurtis Blow Presents The History of Rap: Vol. 1

.com Or, fast grooves in the key of P--as in party. Kurtis Blow's selection of early funk and disco classics begins with James Brown's Sex Machine-era revamp of "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" and keeps moving with both the sublime (the Isley Brothers' near-rock "Get into Something," Baby Huey's "Listen to Me") and the irresistibly cheesy (Rhythm Heritage's "Theme from S.W.A.T."--who knew?) before ending with the first rap record, 1979's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by Fatback. Learning is fun: dig it. --Rickey Wright

History Of Rap Vol.1