It may be hard to get beyond the title of Rhino's series MTV the First 1000 Years, which just may be the dumbest title in the first 1000 years of the recording industry, but the actual discs aren't bad at all. For instance, the Hip Hop volume is a terrific collection of hip-hop staples from "The Message" to "Player's Ball." Most of these songs were regularly played on MTV, and not just on Yo! MTV Raps either. "Walk This Way," "Wild Thing," "The Humpty Dance," "Jump Around," "Tennessee," "What's My Name," "It Was a Good Day," "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang," "Fantastic Voyage," and "California Love" were all some of the biggest hits of their era, and listening to them here -- along with "Colors," "Express Yourself," and "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," which were never crossover hits -- is an exhilarating journey through the past. There are a lot of hip-hop collections, but few are as consistently entertaining as this one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide