Jazzy Jay: "Def Jam" b/w "Cold Chillin' in the Place" (Def Jam)
Jazzy Jay is one of the foremost in hip hop, and he's in top form on both sides of this hardcore beat-box blaster. Unfortunately, icy, synthesized vocals take the edge off the A-side, providing a lusterless foil to Jay's choppy syncopations. On the flip, however, things get loose, as Russell "Rush" Simmons, manager of the stars, lays down a careening, jive monologue over Jay's monster beat, flapping about who he is and how much money they'll make by not using a band. Simmons doesn't drive the track like a rapper, but his unmetered spiel, set against the gutbucket rhythm track, gives this s**er an untrashable dynamic. (5 University Place, New York, NY 10003)