Various
Vinyl Exams: The Full Length Versions

Listening notes

Released in 2000 on Epic Records, *Vinyl Exams: The Full Length Versions* (catalog number E2 85218) is a various artists hip hop compilation issued on vinyl. The release spans two records across four sides, with twelve tracks distributed across sides A through D.

The compilation's title makes its premise explicit: these are extended versions of the tracks presented, a formatting choice reflected in the running times across the program. Side A opens with Schoolly D's "P.S.K.: What Does It Mean" at 6:08, followed by "Ego-Trippin' (MC Ultra)" at 5:20 and "Rockin' It" at 6:03. Side B leads with the longest individual track on the record, "The Body Rock" at 7:28, followed by "Going Way Back" at 5:23 and "Bring The Beat Back" at 3:54.

Side C carries "Girls I Got 'Em Locked" at 4:16, "Stick 'Em" at 4:31, and "Def Fresh Crew" at 4:14. Side D closes the compilation with "It's My Beat" at 4:59, Run-DMC's "Peter Piper" at 3:23, and "Fresh" at 6:18, the latter serving as the final and second-longest track on the set.

Taken together, the twelve tracks amount to a substantial program of material, with the majority of individual cuts running past the four-minute mark. The double-vinyl format and the emphasis on full-length versions positions the release within a tradition of DJ-oriented or collector-focused hip hop reissues, though the specific curatorial intent behind this particular selection is not addressed by the available documentation. Epic's involvement as the issuing label is the primary piece of institutional context on record.

This is an unreviewed draft. All claims should be verified against original source materials before publication.