Ted Turner and Coca-Cola may be trying to turn Atlanta into honky central but there's no denying that its hip-hop community is keepin' it as real as humanly possible. On the vanguard is one DJ Nabs, local radio host and party- down impressario, once of backward- pants wearing kiddie wrappers Kris Kross. Ask Pitchfork staffer Lang Whitaker and he may tell you that Nabs is the shee-at down there. What do I know? I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Our most popular hip-hop export was the all- whitey Organized Rhyme, featuring one Tom Green (now of Comedy Central's "The Tom Green Show"). Like, people in Toronto heard it. We suck at that stuff.

DJ albums are the latest craze these days. Funkmaster Flex and the Chemcial Brothers recently put out records of other people's music (much of which is sampled from other musicians)-- all mixed up. Call it a professional mix tape. Call it inflating the cult of the DJ. Dis it all you like, but as people like Nabs will acknowledge, the purpose is not to claim ownership on an album; it's to recreate the mix- and- scratch fun of a hip-hop party. Did this album need to be credited to DJ Nabs? Who knows? Who cares?

In the Lab is mostly an old- school affair, featuring live performances from mid- eighties stalwarts like Biz Markie, Eric B. & Rakim, Special Ed and Big Daddy Kane. As a party record, it works well enough to work everyone up. It's great to hear all these old songs in a live-ish setting with some innovative scratching. The live performances here are mostly good, but one Big Daddy Kane deserves special mention. Call me stupid, but I always thought that Big Daddy Kane was the mack. He was blistering on his first record and ferocious on Public Enemy's "Burn Hollywood Burn"-- why he descended into grabbing at Madonna's crotch with lame love raps is beyond me.

There are some bad moments, too. Chris Kelly (of-- you guessed it-- Kris Kross) makes a flat, tinny appearance. I mean, the kid should just quit. Wyclef Jean does Kelly one better with some truly lame-ass off time rhymes and dumb as fuck shout- outs. Hey Wyclef, I know you're reading this, and I don't care if you try to cross the border to beat my ass. I'm not afraid of you! 'Clef, let me just say that you truly suck. Lauryn Hill spent way too much time letting you and Pras get rich off her talent. Get off the stage! Take up knitting or something.

-Samir Khan

Eric B. & Rakim: "I Know You Got Soul"

[Real Audio Stream]