In tha Beginning...There Was Rap

In tha Beginning... There Was Rap is a compilation album presented by Priority Records, released on November 25, 1997. The album featured cover versions of classic old school hip hop songs done by some of hip hop's most popular acts at the time.^[4]

In tha Beginning... There Was Rap
Compilation album by Various artists
Released	November 25, 1997
Recorded	1997
Genre	Hip hop
Length	57:59
Label	Priority
Producer	Shock G, The Angel, Romeo Antonio, Adam, CD, Chops, Manifest, The Dotrix, Walter Taylor, Amp Live

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[2]
The Source	[3]

The album peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Less than two months after its release on January 9, 1998, it was certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies.

Track listing

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Sucker M.C.'s" (Original song by Run-DMC)	Wu-Tang Clan	3:46
2.	"Fuck tha Police" (Original song by NWA)	Bone Thugs-N-Harmony	5:02
3.	"Big Ole Butt" (Original song by LL Cool J)	P Diddy	5:23
4.	"6 in the Mornin'" (Original song by Ice-T)	Master P	2:59
5.	"Freaky Tales" (Original song by Too Short)	Snoop Doggy Dogg	3:55
6.	"Knick Knack Patty Wack" (Original song by EPMD)	Tha Dogg Pound	4:19
7.	"Rapper's Delight" (Original song by Sugar Hill Gang)	Def Squad Redman/Erick Sermon/Keith Murray	6:55
8.	"I'm Still #1" (Original song by Boogie Down Productions)	Cypress Hill	5:12
9.	"I Need a Freak" (Original song by Sexual Harassment)	Too Short	5:19
10.	"Dopeman" (Original song by NWA)	Mack 10	4:03
11.	"Money Dollar Bill Y'all" (Original song by Jimmy Spicer)	Coolio	4:42
12.	"The Show" (Original song by Doug E. Fresh/Slick Rick)	The Roots	6:24

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997) Peak position US Billboard 200[5] 15 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position US Billboard 200[7] 110 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 61

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas . Review: In tha Beginning... There Was Rap. AllMusic. Retrieved on September 7, 2011.
2. Diehl, Matt (December 19, 1997). "The week: Music". Entertainment Weekly. No. 410. New York. p. 78. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
3. Mao, Jeff "Chairman" (December 1997). "Various Artists – In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap". Record Report. The Source. No. 99. New York. pp. 186, 188.
4. Baker, Soren (November 25, 1997). "Just an old-fashioned rap song..." Tempo. Chicago Tribune. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
5. "Various Artists Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
6. "Various Artists Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
7. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
8. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
9. "American album certifications – Various – In tha Beginning...There Was Rap". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• In tha Beginning...There Was Rap at Discogs (list of releases)