FUNKMASTER FLEX

If hip-hop had an all-star team, Flex would almost certainly be the coach, and the MCs here his players: Nelly, the flashy outfielder; Busta Rhymes, the heavy-hitting first baseman; and Eminem, the scrawny catcher shouting obscenities at the ump. Skipper Flex is the rare hip-hop DJ to become a bona fide star, with gigs as a syndicated radio host on Hot 97 and house DJ on MTV's DFX. His tracks recall rap's early era, when mixers did more than play records: They combined diverse elements in one track to create original musical compositions. B+

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