D.J. Kool

DJ Kool raps over brilliantly assembled sample collages, and while he's technically a rapper, it's more accurate to classify him as a go-go artist. Go-go rhythms almost always underpin his tracks, and he liberally borrows classic go-go call-and-response chants ("Is D.C. the real deal?" . . . "Hell, yeah!"). This is Kool's first major-label release, and it's a worthy introduction that includes remixes of two of his past hits, "Music Ain't Loud Enuff" and "Twenty Minute Work-Out." There are also two versions of his more recent "Let Me Clear My Throat," a delirious party jam that makes ingenious use of a Kool & the Gang horn sample; its "Old School Reunion Remix '96" features rappers Doug E. Fresh and Biz Markie. Some of these live tracks were recorded in Richmond and Philadelphia, but Kool never strays far from home: "DJ Kool representing Southeast D.C.," he rasps at one point, and the album includes a roll call paying respect to just about every go-go act in town.