In Brief

Sometimes retirement can be a good thing. It’s not that these old-school legends of “The Message” fame aren’t still good rappers. But they demean themselves by surfing current misogynistic trends with such songs as “Sex You” and “On the Down Low.” The “Sugar Hill Records Story” boxed set is more representative of these artists’ capabilities.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).

Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https:/ /www.latimes.com/soundclips