In the late Eighties and early Nineties, hip-hop and house music constantly cross-pollinated. There was the Jungle Brothers' classic "Girl I'll House You." There was Special Ed's "Club Scene." There was the hip-hop-influenced flash and panache of Chicago house pioneers such as Farley Jackmaster Funk. But, then, in the mid-Nineties, the mix between styles came to a grinding halt.
Still, in the past couple of years, it seems like the genre boundaries have been getting loose again. T.I. famously sampled the Crystal Waters classic "Gypsy Woman" for his hit "Why You Wanna?" And, of course, there was Kanye West sampling Daft Punk for "Stronger." Maybe it's time for a second go with hip-house — and one of the labels getting in on the ground floor is Delicious Vinyl. The label is already well known to heads for introducing the world to artists including Young MC, Tone Loc, The Pharcyde, and Masta Ace, and hopes to appeal to a new generation of fans with this compilation.
For Rmxxology, Delicious has brought aboard white-hot producers to remix classics. Don Rimini treats Young MC's "Bust a Move," while wild-child Peaches attacks Ton Loc's "Wild Thing." Philippians' take on Pharcyde's "Runnin'" leaves most of J Dilla's original intact while lacing it with funky Brazilian rhythms. The only megawatt name here is, somewhat strangely, Eminem, who remixes Masta Ace's "Slaughterhouse." The juxtaposition of young and old, new and classic should ensnare both newer fans and those who lived it the first time around.