VARIOUS ARTISTS: "T.H.C. THE HIP-HOP COLLECTION VOL. 1"

High Times Records

What could be more apropos than High Time's record division releasing
"T.H.C. The Hip-Hop Collection Vol. 1" as their debut offering.

The reefer-friendly collection isn't a big-name disc. Yeah, there is a core
of hip-hop's stoner elite - like Wu Tang's the Rza and rap clown princes
the Pharcyde - but, for the most part, the record is subject-, not
star-driven. And of course that stoned-cold theme is marijuana.

P. Diddy and Jay-Z are MIA. Instead, hip-hop's alternative acts - such as
Ripshot, Afu-Ra and Defari - are up front, aiming their rhyming skills at
cannabis consumption. While burning blunts and firing up a bong remain
illegal here, the artists are, for the most part, also unexpectedly poetic
about the plant itself.

The disc's narrow focus will thrill pot-smoking proponents, but even they
will get tired of this collection after a few listens.

But, if you have the cash, this is a pretty fair listen, with the
roots-reggae tune "Sweet Dreams" by Intoxicated Demons and Pharcyde's
"Sticky Green" among the top tunes. This is the anti just-say-no disc, made
by adults for adults, so be fair to your shorties and play "T.H.C. The
Hip-Hop Collection Vol. 1" after bedtime.