In the pre- "Yo! MTV Raps" days of hip-hop, careers were made with skills on the mic and not the look on the screen. I mean, you probably know Lil' Kim's face but let's see you describe '80s hip- hop pioneer Roxanne Shante to a police sketch artist. Not a chance, and that's a shame, because Shante exhibits more lyrical talent in one couplet than Kim and her Versace- wearing ilk can manage in an entire career. For women, to emerge in a field dominated by men before sex appeal could be traded for cash meant to live in relative obscurity. Hell, one could be forgiven for thinking that all of hip-hop's major contributions were made by men. Until Fat Beats and Bra Straps, that is.

You may not remember Shante's face, but one listen to Volume One in the series, Classics, and you'll never forget her voice. "Have a Nice Day" was cut in 1987 but still sounds fresh, and her lyrical flow can go toe to toe with any male rappers you know. Other standout cuts include Dimples D.'s "Sucker DJs" and "Bang Zoom" by the Real Roxanne (not Shante). Some of these tunes are marked by the marginally annoying sing- songy vocal style of early rap, but not nearly as much as, say, Kurtis Blow or the Sugarhill Gang. Beat- wise, there were no such things as samplers so these kids made it happen with drum machines. Occasionally, it gets a little flat, but the primitivism is always part of the fun when you're talking about true old school. hip-hop

Insult contests have been closely tied to hip-hop community from the beginning, derived in part from the African- American tradition of verbal warfare known as "the dozens." And on Battle Rhymes and Posse Cuts, Volume Two and the crown jewel of the series, aggressive affronts rule the day, flying like confetti at a Macy's parade. The perennially mouthy Roxanne Shante is the target of most of these rappers' dis-dain, but when she gets her chance to answer on "Big Mama" she shuts down the lot of them in one incendiary four- minute- long blast. Queen Latifah takes the high road with "The Pros," forgoing direct confrontation and keeping the bragging on the positive tip.

Both of the above discs merit ratings in the 95% range, but the collection as a whole is watered down by a somewhat weak Volume Three, New MCs. It's been more than five years since Dr. Dre's groundbreaking The Chronic changed hip-hop, but that hasn't stopped the Dre- derived sound from still permeating the charts. And that's what you're presented with on New MCs. Largely, the disc seems duplicative, mid- tempo and dull, a few great tracks withstanding.

So then, no excuses. You like your hip-hop but you don't know shit about what the women have accomplished. Get your ass down to your record store and pick up Fat Beats and Bra Straps, pronto.

-Mark Richard-San