An eclectic ten-song compilation of up-and-coming Oberlin rappers, bands, singer/songwriters, composers, and other assorted musicians, New World Recordz’ Welcome to Oberlin disc could be construed as the earnest antidote to many of the tongue-in-cheek groups that litter Obedient Pony’s releases.

While I am certainly not trying to provoke a war of words between the Obedient Pony and New World Recordz camps — frankly, I haven’t been blown over by the majority of groups on either label’s releases — the impression I got from listening to Welcome to Oberlin was that the musicians involved were completely and utterly sincere, either when they were singing about football (Kassa Overall, Jovan Campbell and Demonta Whiting’s “Fight Song”), government (Amanda Caggiano’s “Stars”) or toothpaste (RTA’s aptly titled ditty “Toothpaste”).

Welcome to Oberlin represents Oberlin hip hop in a way that has not received much airtime on Obedient Pony’s compilations in the past. I thought the production on the tracks “Allright,” “Smoking Session” and “Fight Song” left something to be desired (most of the beats on the record feature one or two samples driven by synth bass and dinky Fruity Loops-assisted drum machines) but I was more impressed with the flows of all the emcees involved, especially Demonta Whiting and Baraka Noel.

On, “Allright,” Noel’s ode to himself, he brags and boasts about his prowess on the mike and in between the sheets, and it would all fall flat if he did not have so much damn presence. While I am not too crazy about his lyrics (lines like “When I’m getting hyped I stay live like Wyclef” are cringe-worthy), his flow is tight, and he has got confidence to spare.

Andrew Conklin’s piece, titled “Summer Pt. 2” is also a highlight. A lush guitar-driven piece with xylophone and Conklin’s own plaintive vocals, “Summer Pt. 2” is a dreamy, nostalgic tune that I’m sure could romance many an Oberlin lady.

“Trio on a Russian Theme,” a composition by Alexander Borodin and performed by Strings of Gold is probably my personal favorite track on the compilation. The trio performs the piece’s dark, winding, Eastern European melodies with a precision that belies the group’s mean age of 16. I am no classical expert by any means but with the modest knowledge I have accrued, I would say “Trio on a Russian Theme” recalls sections of Schubert’s Trout Quintet.

Labels like New World Recordz and Obedient Pony are taking on an admirable task by documenting Oberlin students’ fledgling musical activities. Ultimately, Welcome to Oberlin offers a fine look into another facet of Oberlin’s musical community.