Def Jam Music Group Tenth Year Anniversary Box Set

In the ’80s, Def Jam Records became the leading rap and hip-hop label in America. Featuring a roster filled with superstars — including Public Enemy, LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Slick Rick, and EPMD — Def Jam released many of the most innovative and groundbreaking records of the late ’80s and, as the four-CD box Ten Year Anniversary proves, the music has lost none of its impact over the years. Over the course of the four discs, the set runs through a number or hip-hop classics, including “I Can’t Live Without My Radio,” “Fight the Power,” “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party),” “Slam,” “Don’t Believe the Hype,” “Rock the Bells,” “Regulate,” “Crossover,” and over 50 other tracks. The one (minor) drawback of the set is the fact that it isn’t sequenced chronologically; nevertheless, each disc in the box is compulsively listenable. In sheer musical terms, Ten Year Anniversary is one of the best box sets ever compiled and is essential to any popular music collection. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine