Hip-Hop Reggae (VP, 1995)

Since it takes on such an all-encompassing title, it's only appropriate that this is one of the best hip-hop reggae albums your money can buy.  Like the obscure Remix Extravaganza, Hip-Hop Reggae remixes well-known dancehall tunes with well-known hip-hop beats.  This thus creates a sense of familiarity that is comforting to the listener.  The main differences between this and Remix Extravaganza are: every track here is good and the sound quality here is infinitely better.  The biggest hit on Hip-Hop Reggae (at least, in these parts) is Rayvon's old school-rhythmed "No Guns No Murder" (produced by Funkmaster Flex), which got a decent amount of airplay in the US.  It's hard to pick other standouts, since they're all consistently good, with beats made famous by artists ranging from A Tribe Called Quest to Craig Mack to Zhane.  Professor Grizzly's "Shining Star" and Birdie Culture & Jahmel's "Call Me" beg an intriguing question: If a song is a remake of an R&B song with a hip-hop beat, is it reggae just because it's sung by a reggae singer?   Things that make you go "hmmm...."  Note: although it doesn't say so on the cover, this is technically Volume 2, the first containing not-so-hip-hop songs.