Thrown into the ring as being one of the ultimate classic Hop Hop collections of it's time, boasting that 'no classic is left behind', it's content seems a fair match to the claim's made by it's bold title. The truth is that Universal's Classics Collection is over flowing in such depth and variety that the history of Hip Hop is told in full from beginning to end without exception.
Whilst the ultimate of legendary Hip Hop artists do make an appearance with house hold names like Run DMC, Jay Z, Nas and Erik & Rakim in places, the kind of artists that you would surely bet on making an appearance like the mainstream 2 Pac, Warren G & Nate Dogg, Public Enemy, The Sugarhill Gang, Nelly, Wu-Tang Clan and LL Cool J, which have been the staple Hip Hop diet for many a twenty something, make up the bulk of the track listing with today's up and coming acts there in spits and spats.
The compilation seems to provide more of a mix on the Hip Hop timeline than any other compilation that's out there claiming to provide a similar gaggle of ultimate classics. Those like the dozen or so from KISS that seem to be overflowing with artists and groups from the last 10 years or so ONLY can be found in abundance and for two a penny. But whilst these compilations offer a glut of tracks the quality just isn't there, unlike UMTV's issue which seems more like the Rolls Royce of the genre in comparison to Kiss's Robin Reliant.