Return of the DJ 1

This collection of hip-hop DJ routines marked the first serious effort to reintroduce the DJ as a true artist to hip-hop fans. In the fog of producer-heavy rap music from the Bad Boy and Death Row camps that dominated listeners' ears in the mid 1990s, Return of the DJ is a refreshing shot of oxygen. It contains outstanding performances--including Rob Swift's classic Biz Markie routine in "Rob Gets Busy"--all from some of the still-burgeoning turntablist movement's most important DJs. Kicking off with Kool DJ E.Q.'s hip-hop primer, "The Death of Hip Hop," the whole collection is an amazing revelation of hip-hop's true legacy, as cut-and-pasted by artists such as Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Peanut Butter Wolf, and the World Famous Beat Junkies. You won't even miss the MCs. --Todd Levin