Sounding like a golden age mix of
Schoolly D
,
Kool Moe Dee
, and
Ice-T
, New York rapper
Just-Ice
's back catalog is compiled on this two-disc set, which kicks off with the
Kurtis Mantronik
-produced "Cold Gettin' Dumb," a breakdancer's delight. Fans from back in the day might jump right for the naughty highlight "Latoya," a nasty 1986 novelty favorite that sounds like a
Redd Foxx
routine run over
Run-D.M.C.
beats; plus there's the follow-up porno hit "That Girl Is a Slut," which busts out enough cuss words to suggest this comp should be sold in a plain brown wrapper and kept behind the counter. Still,
was more than just a smut peddler, as "Na Touch da Just" and "It's Time I Release" are some prime early examples of golden age reggae-rap, while "Moshitup" gets a co-sign from professor
KRS-One
, besides being the first appearance of the hip-hop trope "Suicide, it's a suicide." The album ends with four cuts from
The Masterpiece
, the rapper's 1990 effort with
Grandmaster Flash
as producer, then it jumps to his 1998 effort
VII
for two numbers, skipping 1993's bad-but-not-dreadful
Gun Talk
entirely. Fan favorite "Little Bad Johnny" from the first album is missing as well, meaning
Sir Vicious
isn't the perfect
compilation, but it's certainly the first great one. ~ David Jeffries