REVIEWSKRS-One, ‘Hip-Hop Lives’

6

• SPIN Rating:6 of 10

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    Spotify

Label: Koch

Twenty years after the South Bronx/Queensbridge throwdown, KRS-One and Marley Marl have squashed their beef; but the results are cause for only quiet celebration. The fortysomething MC still has his fastball -- both the title track and "Nothin' New" showcase provocative lyrics, original flows, and uninhibited enthusiasm. The production is another story: Marley Marl provides mostly gloomy backdrops hampered by lackadaisical crate-digging (or flat-out biting). For example, "All School" knocks, but it's only been three years since Ghostface's "Run," which used the same frantic beat to much more dramatic effect.

KRS-One - "Kill a Rapper" WINDOWS MEDIA

KRS-One - "Hip-Hop Lives (I Come Back)" WINDOWS MEDIA

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