Greg Street is one of Atlanta's hottest DJs, working for WVEE V-103, but whether or not he could hang with such big boys like DJ Clue and Funkmaster Flex is up for review. And that's exactly what I had in mind. It's 6 O'clock and I'm about to take a walk through Greg Street's first collection of Southern rap's greatest hits.

      Now, you've heard of the Cash Money Crew and so on, but you probably haven't heard of many of the stars around the Hotlanta area, unless you live in that area. If you live there, many of these songs will sound very familiar to you. If you don't, this CD is your education.

      Greg Street's first volume didn't get me into rap's hottest newest hip-hop region, but it did introduce me to several new stars I never heard of before and some that I have, but never gave much notice to.

      The CD starts off kind of crappy with a needless intro, but starts to kick ass with CMP's wickedly fast song, entitled Diablos, which is both catchy and reminiscent of the old days when rappers rapped fast and became a beat of their own. 6'2" is large and in charge and slows down the pace of this CD with a phat, catchy mellow rap called Blown Away. Let's go find a place where me and you can get blown away/I ain't got shit do all day/and we can do this everyday, all day. Now, while the message is wrong, kids, his heart is in the right place. But seriously, this song is a cool, head nodding tune that you can sing along to and play while your girl is around.

      Wicked's Code 99 gets things back into a more intense sound. Good beats, a phat hook and some really great rhymes make this song one of the best songs on the track. And while I didn't know all the beeper codes he was talking about, this song is still one of my favorites on the CD. Also on that list is Pastor Troy's We Ready 2000, which is a throw your hands in the air type song that can hold it's own against any of New York's or LA's finest.

      Then there is 50-Cent, who I have heard of, but don't like. As the World Turns is not a good song. I don't think this guy has the talent he thinks he has. I'll stick to the Benjamins, and you can keep the change. As for the rest of the songs, they are missing something as well. Maybe it's a New York thing, but a lot of these songs don't sound as professional as they could. The raps are there; the beats are nice, but that extra oomph that makes a song stand out isn't there, leaving 50-Cent and the stars I haven't mentioned on the B-list.

      CMP, 6'2", Wicked and Pastor Troy deserve more radio time. These guys made Greg Street's CD worth listening to. They deserve to be on the A-list, the guys who get heavy rotation on every major radio station. They are talent I have never really heard much from, but wish I did.

      Now, one talent I did hear of, but never gave much attention to, was Too Short. After listening to his FreaY2k Tails song, I made a promise to myself to give this guy a listen to whenever I got the chance. Greg Street put this song next to last, but should have closed the CD out with it. FreaY2k Tails kicked ass and was reminiscent of that old school flavor many people forget about, combined with the usual cursing, and sex talk that is sprinkled into almost every rap song out there today. Too Short tells a little story about one girl and then another, and what each one did with him. The idea has been done to death, but Too Short keeps it fresh, funny, and entertaining, actually making you come up with a few of your own raps, concerning women of your past. Too Short is reason alone why Greg Street's compilation CD is definitely worth the listen, but I urge everyone to listen for those unknown stars that turn out to be diamonds in the rough.

      Great rhymes, phat beats, unheard treasures, and educational experiences. If you don't listen to the Dirty South, if you have never heard of the Dirty South, and if you want to listen to more, then it's 6 O'clock, and time to make it happen.

      Comments about this article can be sent directly to me at JMinners@ybfree.com.

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