Hip-hop DVDs are becoming extremely popular now. Everyone from 50 Cent to Atmosphere are putting out their own DVDs. But, remember the good old days of “Rap City” in the mid/late-90’s? Well, these people do. “Hate Your Moms Luved The Videos Vol. 1” was a simple mix of hip-hop videos from Redman, Artifacts, Casual, The Coup, and more. They were taken directly from television shows like “Rap City” and “Yo! Mtv Raps” Now, this mysterious company has released volume 2. It has a complete bootleg feel. The sleeve is black and white; there isn’t even an insert or booklet. When you choose the video, you can see the “Rap City” text on the bottom that shows the artist’s name and song title. Sometimes, there’s even the “Yo! Mtv Raps” logo. Since the songs and videos were grimey, underground and dirty, the package is too.

There are some excellent videos on this DVD that bring back not only memories but also that emotion and feeling when you first saw them. “Stress” by Organized Konfusion is a perfect example. Prince Po is rapping in the show without a shirt on and Monch kills the song with his ill delivery. The classic “Shook Ones Part II” by Mobb Deep is another jewel. Mobb Deep was at the peak of their creative prowess back then. The beats were hard, the rhymes were harder, and the grit was real. “Heads Are Reddee Pt. 2” by Boot Camp Clik is an incredible video that uses the movie Rocky as theme for triumph. It is wonderful to see Rock in the BCC!!! He’s using a huge piece of meat hanging from a hook as a punching bag.

Some of these videos are all-time hip-hop classics that are so rare that many may not have ever been seen again if it wasn’t for this DVD. “Time’s Up” by O.C. is a classic hip-hop track and the video is so low budget and feels so old. You have to love it. The song is so strong! Another older track is “Soul By The Pound” by Common (from his debut album “Can I Borrow A Dollar?”). It is amazing that this rugged Chicago emcee riding in a jeep is the same 70’s-inspired psychedelic man who is dating Ms. Badu. “Looking At The Front Door” by Main Source is an incredible video. Sure, it’s old and low budget but the heartbreaking song is a classic and for the time, the video was very innovative for hip-hop. Where is that Large Professor we knew and loved? Krs-One’s “Outta Here” video is funny while the lyrics are very poignant. A woman is pushed into a psychiatric ward where Krs-One is rapping and all of these hip-hop patients are literally going crazy. Another beautiful underground video is “Next Level (Premier remix)” by Showbiz & A.G. No edits! Curses and all! This was a time when we were glued to the set watching hip-hop videos.
Some videos are not only extremely rare but the songs are rare too! “Made In America” by Del The Funky Homosapian is on the soundtrack from the movie of the same name. It is a great song and a cool video but the sound quality and film quality is low. Still, Del is an incredible emcee and it’s good to see and hear this. Remember when the Pharcyde were very wild? Sure, “Labcabincalifornia” was a good album but it was very different from their debut. “Pandemonium” is a song they did for the movie “Street Fighter”. It has that humor and that clever vibe that they had on their debut LP. Here, Tre, Fat Lip, Imani, and Bootie Brown are in video game. The beat uses this amazing loop jacked from some kind of Greek music.

The DVD compilation does have some odd videos. “Listen Up” by Erule has no business being there. “90008” by Supherb is pure filler too. Mad Lion’s video for “Take It Easy” is decent but does not have the same power as the others. Ice Cube’s classic “Who’s The Mack?” does have that classic hip-hop feel but it seems out of place sandwiched between artists like Organized Konfusion, O.C. and Main Source.

One major pet peeve I had with this DVD is the fact that there are 2 dope videos that are played in the background of the digital menu. First, “Reign Of The Tec” by The Beatnuts is a classic underground hip-hop song! Even though the video is there in its entirety, it is obscured by the menu to choose other videos. Why couldn’t they have put the video there without the menu too? The same goes for the classic “Jeep Ass N*gguh” by Masta Ace. This is a hip-hop legend and his video is obscured by a menu for videos by Erule and Supherb!?!?! It’s a travesty! Well, maybe not a travesty but it is annoying. In Vol.1, they put the menu right over Redman’s video for “Tonight’s Da Night”.

Overall, this DVD collection of videos is a little time capsule for when hip-hop was rough, rugged, and raw. You can see the guns. You can hear the curses. The emcees are smoking blunts on screen without a blur over the image. The hand jesters are different. The clothes are different. The flows are different. It truly seems like these videos came out decades ago when in fact, they are only 5-8 years old. While half of me gets misty about the old days of mid-90’s hip-hop, the other half of me gets angry for the current state of hip-hop. “Hate Your Moms Luved The Videos Vol. 2” is a ghetto compilation in the spirit of a bootleg that you would buy on a street corner. The sound quality and film quality ranges from poor to decent. If you taped “Rap City” a couple of times back then and still have the tapes, you could make your own version! This makes the replay value low. Since we have seen some of these videos so many times in the past, I doubt people will watch this DVD over and over again. Still, the content is what is important here. “Hate Your Moms Luved The Videos Vol. 2” is just as good as Vol. 1. It’s actually more consistent. So, if you loved watching “Rap City” in the mid-90’s, this is a DVD you should check out. Watching these videos, we are reminded on how much times have changed. “Hate Your Moms Luved The Videos Vol. 2” is a time capsule that displays the true underground, hungry, original hardcore hip-hop that we grew up with.

By Todd E. Jones aka The New Jeru Poet

toddejones@yahoo.com