Search - Various Artists :: Survival Of The Illest: Live From 125 N.Y.C.

Survival of the Illest presents 72 minutes plus of live hip-hop from most of Def Jam's late-1990s hit makers--Onyx, Def Squad, and DMX--captured in the home of hip-hop, New York City. A common occurrence in rock music, live albums are an anomaly in hip-hop. Perhaps it's because the music--bass-heavy and loop-oriented--rarely makes the transfer from the live venue to the digital confines of the CD, with attempts often resulting in a muddy mess. On Survival, Onyx deliver a raucous, fist-waving set of hits, from "Throw Ya Gunz" to "Slam"; the Def Squad (Keith Murray, Erick Sermon, and Redman) run through seven tracks, including "How High" with special guest Method Man; and newcomer DMX rips up nine songs, including "Money, Power, Respect" with the Lox, and "4,3,2,1" with Method Man and Redman. Surprisingly, the production is fairly clean, with rhymes audible and beats devoid of distortion, but it's still no substitute for actually being at the event itself. Strictly for the hardcore heads. --Spence Abbott