*1/2 Various Artists

N.W.A "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON" 10TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE

(Priority)

Earlier this year, Priority released In tha Beginning. . . There Was Rap, an uninspired tribute to the early years of hip-hop featuring new-school MCs such as Redman, Keith Murray, and the Wu-Tang Clan taking on classic rap tracks. Feeding off the old-school revival, and its impressive back-catalogue, Priority brings us the N.W.A "Straight Outta Compton" 10th Anniversary Tribute -- a remake of the fierce album that introduced gangsta rap, or at least the media catch-phrase, to suburban voyeurs, Tipper Gore, and the hip-hop mainstream. Featuring a large sampling of second-generation, cut-rate gangsta rappers, the 10th Anniversary Tribute highlights a couple of memorable MCs who lend unique voices to these well-worn rhymes -- Snoop Dogg and newfound labelmate C-Murder on "Gangsta Gangsta," and the Nuyorican trio Big Pun, Fat Joe, and Cuban Link on "Quiet On Tha Set." Mainly, though, the project is a testament to the power of N.W.A's stripped-down beats (almost identical to the original tracks produced by Dr. Dre) and raw street stories that remain incisive and funny, though less shocking than they were during the Reagan/Bush years.

-- Michael Endelman