Greatest Hits (CD - 1994)

Personnel: Vico C (background vocals); Chevy (guitar); Isaac Young (saxophone); Freddy Camacho (congas, bongos, timbales); Ito Colon (percussion); Baron Lopez (programming, background vocals); Lizzy Estrella, Aída Lesalle, Laura Soto, Yesenia Feliciano, Cano, Viviane Louro Martinez, Paradise, Sonia (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Daniel Torres; Efraim DeLuna; Joe Vazquez; Baron Lopez.

Recording information: Hummin Bird Studio (05/1989-07/1993); Lord Studio (05/1989-07/1993); Prime Pro Studio (05/1989-07/1993); Unicorn Studio (05/1989-07/1993).

Director: Jorge Oquendo.

Vico-C's Greatest Hits collection compiles several of the Spanish-language rapper's shining moments as of 1994. There are only ten songs here, two of which are Megamixes, yet there's plenty of variety. The collection opens with two of Vico's relatively hardcore collaborations with DJ Negro, "La Recta Final" and "Viernes 13," and then moves on to a pair of lighter songs co-written by Isaac Young: the Latin dance-styled "Mundo Artificial" and a gentle piano ballad, "Me Acuerdo," featuring a chorus sang by Irene Flores. The following pair of songs, "La Inglesa" and "Xplosión," likewise lean more toward Latin dance than hip-hop, though the next two, "Saboréalo" and "María," return to the golden-age rap style of "La Recta Final," as both draw from popular English-language songs, the latter practically an interpolation of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's "Poison." The collection then concludes with a pair of Megamixes that are a fitting last hurrah for this brief yet overall diverse collection of Vico's early-career highlights. ~ Jason Birchmeier minimize