Along with Sugarhill and Def Jam, Profile was one of the major rap labels for the music's early development, releasing countless hip-hop classics from
Run-D.M.C.,
EPMD, Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock,
DJ Quik,
Dana Dane,
Poor Righteous Teachers,
Special Ed, and many more. And even after many labels had come and gone, Profile continued to release material by hot new artists including
Camp Lo. The retrospective compilation
Profilin' the Hits includes 11 of the best the label has to offer, making for a great (though short) compilation. Just kicking off with two of the most infectious hip-hop singles of all time,
Rob Base's "It Takes Two" and
Run-D.M.C.'s "It's Like That," is a pretty good guarantee of success. But
Profilin' also includes quite a few less famous tracks, many of which were unjustifiably neglected.
Camp Lo's "Luchini AKA This Is It" is a brilliant fusion of a brief, horn-driven sample and the duo's syrupy flow, while
Dana Dane's "Cinderfella Dana Dane" is another classic. Even a novelty item like "Inspector Gadget" by the Kartoon Krew comes off with more than just a bit of quality.
Profilin' is a solid compilation charting hip-hop's genesis in the 1980s and rise to the top the following decade. ~ John Bush