Although Rhino was hardly the only label that was putting out rap compilations in the '90s, it's safe to say that no label put more thought into its rap collections than Rhino. Focusing primarily on major rap singles of the early '90s, What's Up? is impressive not only because of its abundance of excellent material, but also because of its attractive packaging and comprehensive, detailed liner notes. If you didn't know a lot about the selections and the artists before acquiring the 1995 CD, you could learn a lot reading Shannita Williams' informative essay. Instead of focusing on underground rap, Rhino offers mostly songs that crossed over to R&B and pop audiences, including Monie Love's "It's a Shame (My Sister)," Marky Mark's "Wild Side," Digital Underground's "Kiss You Back" and Salt-N-Pepa's "Do You Want Me." You didn't have to be down with rap's hardcore to be aware of MC Brains' "Oochie Coochie" or Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's "Boom! Shake The Room." A few of the tunes that Rhino includes are inappropriate -- Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" is dance music instead of rap, and TLC's "Ain't 2 Proud to Beg" and Another Bad Creation's "Iesha" are essentially R&B (although R&B with a strong hip-hop influence). This isn't to say that those songs aren't enjoyable -- they're just out of place on a rap compilation. Nonetheless, What's Up? is a pleasing collection that can serve as a nice introduction to early-'90s rap. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide