Hip-Hop Time Capsule: The Best of RETV 1993
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C Sound: C Extras: C Content:
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The last
time we looked at an installment of Hip Hop Time Capsule, critic Michael
J. Farmer (Hip Hop fan and former “Music Geek” from the great game show Beat
The Geeks) was not impressed.
Neither was I. Michael said of
the last volume, “RETV chronicles the year by showing videos from artists at
that time. This is where they fail
because while they get artists on their way out (Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane,
KRS-One), they don't show anything from the new school that was on their way in
(Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, etc.).”
This time for 1993’s edition, we get Dr. Dre’s Dre
Day, Redman, Naughty By Nature, Onyx, 2Pac, MC Lyte and LL Cool J, and
Snoop Dog even shows up. That does not
change the problem of “Second-
or third-generation dubs of twelve-year-old music videos” with the 1.33 X 1
image and Dolby Digital 2.0 & even 5.1 mixes being from sound a few
generations down, yet they are nostalgia in this condition for those who may
have tuned into the network back in the day.
At least the videos are not shown in phony analog TV frames, something
the Music Box documentary series is showing.
The bad
NTSC video graphics are not as prominent this time, while bonus items include
interviews with Pharcyde for the film CB4, as well as Apache’s Gangsta
Bitch video shown here uncut, with few at the time knowing what a classic
it would become. There are some behind
the scenes of Rap sections, more interviews, video and a strange sponsors
section that shows ads for several recent products that have nothing to do with
1993. At least this volume is a
relative improvement, give or take if a bias against East Coast artists exists. Fans will have to see for themselves.
- Nicholas Sheffo
