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{{Infobox album
| name = In tha Beginning... There Was Rap
| type = compilation album
| artist = Various artists
| cover = In tha Beginning.jpg
| alt =
| released = November 25, 1997
| recorded = 1997
| studio =
| genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| length = 57:59
| label = [[Priority Records|Priority]]
| producer = [[Shock G]], The Angel, Romeo Antonio, Adam, CD, Chops, Manifest, The Dotrix, Walter Taylor, Amp Live
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
{{Album ratings
| noprose = yes
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="Erlewine">Erlewine, Stephen Thomas
. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r317386|pure_url=yes}} Review: ''In tha Beginning... There Was Rap'']. [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved on September 7, 2011.</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev2Score = C+<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Diehl|first=Matt|date=December 19, 1997|issue=410|title=The week: Music|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/12/19/tha-beginning-there-was-rap-tha-originals-tha-beginningthere-was-rap/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|page=78|location=New York|access-date=June 10, 2024}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Mao|first=Jeff "Chairman"|date=December 1997|issue=99|title=Various Artists – In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap|department=Record Report|magazine=[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]|pages=186, 188|location=New York}}</ref>
}}
'''''In tha Beginning... There Was Rap''''' is a compilation album presented by [[Priority Records]], released on November 25, 1997. The album featured cover versions of classic [[old school hip hop]] songs done by some of hip hop's most popular acts at the time.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Soren|author-link=Soren Baker|title=Just an old-fashioned rap song...|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/11/25/just-an-old-fashioned-rap-song/|access-date=June 10, 2024|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 25, 1997|department=Tempo|pages=1, 4}}</ref>

The album peaked at No. 15 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums]] chart. Less than two months after its release on January 9, 1998, it was [[RIAA certification|certified]] gold for sales of 500,000 copies.

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Performer(s)

| title1 = [[Sucker M.C.'s]]
| note1 = Original song by [[Run-DMC]]
| extra1 = [[Wu-Tang Clan]]
| length1 = 3:46

| title2 = [[Fuck tha Police]]
| note2 = Original song by [[N.W.A|NWA]]
| extra2 = [[Bone Thugs-N-Harmony]]
| length2 = 5:02

| title3 = [[Big Ole Butt]]
| note3 = Original song by [[LL Cool J]]
| extra3 = [[P Diddy]]
| length3 = 5:23

| title4 = [[6 in the Mornin'|6 in the Mornin{{'-}}]]
| note4 = Original song by [[Ice-T]]
| extra4 = [[Master P]]
| length4 = 2:59

| title5 = Freaky Tales
| note5 = Original song by [[Too Short]]
| extra5 = [[Snoop Dogg|Snoop Doggy Dogg]]
| length5 = 3:55

| title6 = Knick Knack Patty Wack
| note6 = Original song by [[EPMD]]
| extra6 = [[Tha Dogg Pound]]
| length6 = 4:19

| title7 = [[Rapper's Delight]]
| note7 = Original song by [[Sugar Hill Gang]]
| extra7 = [[Def Squad]] [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]]/[[Erick Sermon]]/[[Keith Murray (rapper)|Keith Murray]]
| length7 = 6:55

| title8 = I'm Still #1
| note8 = Original song by [[Boogie Down Productions]]
| extra8 = [[Cypress Hill]]
| length8 = 5:12

| title9 = [[I Need a Freak]]
| note9 = Original song by Sexual Harassment
| extra9 = [[Too Short]]
| length9 = 5:19

| title10 = Dopeman
| note10 = Original song by [[N.W.A|NWA]]
| extra10 = [[Mack 10]]
| length10 = 4:03

| title11 = Money Dollar Bill Y'all
| note11 = Original song by [[Jimmy Spicer]]
| extra11 = [[Coolio]]
| length11 = 4:42

| title12 = The Show
| note12 = Original song by [[Doug E. Fresh]]/[[Slick Rick]]
| extra12 = [[The Roots]]
| length12 = 6:24
}}

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1997)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|15|artist=Various Artists|rowheader=true|access-date=November 14, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|4|artist=Various Artists|rowheader=true|access-date=November 14, 2021}}
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1998)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998|work=Billboard|access-date=November 14, 2021|archive-date=January 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123044858/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/the-billboard-200|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 110
|-
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998|work=Billboard|access-date=November 14, 2021|archive-date=November 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104034418/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-r-b-hip-hop-albums|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 61
|}
{{col-end}}

== Certifications ==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=In tha Beginning...There Was Rap|artist=Various|award=Gold|relyear=1997|certyear=1998}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|158280|In tha Beginning...There Was Rap|type=album}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1997 compilation albums]]
[[Category:Hip-hop compilation albums]]
[[Category:1990s covers albums]]
[[Category:Priority Records compilation albums]]

In tha Beginning...There Was Rap - Revision history

imported>Onel5969: Disambiguating links to The Source (link changed to The Source (magazine); link changed to The Source (magazine)) using DisamAssist.