When I see an album named Strange Hip Hop, I get excited. After all, every pinnacle, breakthrough and epiphany in the genre (and all genres) has been, by definition, strange: in as much as it’s not conformed to what’s gone before. And so, I thought, this album should boast a repertoire of those genre-busting numbers, or a mélange of current sounds that show where hip hop is going.

This is neither. What it is then? Well with Wu-Tang, Big Pun (RIP), Nas and Jay-Z on there, it’s a collection of some of the lesser-known but still highly appreciable numbers from their many albums. There are also a few classic bangers thrown in for good measure. It’s all kicked off for Schooly D, which I wouldn’t mind, except that What Does It Mean sounds pretty much like every other Schooly D tune. Dead Prez’s Hip Hop gets a deserved airing, and Pharrell makes his appearance stealthily on Clipse’s Grindin.

But then there’s C.R.E.A.M. by the Wu, and Funkdoobiest with Bow Wow Wow, giving the feeling that this is basically a collection of ‘Not-Such-Big-Hits’ from a variety of albums. The criterion for selection seems to be along the lines of: Does this have any strange slant at all…even a bit of an odd name? What’s our budget?

Reading the sleeve notes, you’d think those criteria would indeed be a map to pivotal moments in hip hop. Which is pretty strange, given Strange Hip Hop contains Kurious’ Walk Like a Duck. It all begs the question: is this a genuine attempt to live up to the title, or a weak attempt at shoe-horning a bunch of tunes into a very loose-fitting sleeve?