KRS-One and Marley Marl - Hip-Hop Lives
posted on Jul 18, 2007
KRS-One and Marley Marl – Over 30
KRS-One and Marley Marl – Kill a Rapper
KRS-One and Marley Marl
Hip-Hop Lives
Koch, 2007
While other aging rap progenitors are struggling to find a place for themselves in today’s rap landscape, KRS-One doesn’t seem to be trying to do much of anything besides espousing classicist (read: outdated) rap ideals. Whereas most of his contemporaries have moved into plush, modern lodging, Lawrence Krisna Parker refuses to leave his dilapidated project housing even when threatened with eviction. And this time he’s brought former foe Marley Marl along to mount one last stand against those who are trying to demolish what he had a hand in building. But what happens when the threat is imagined and not real?
To call Hip-Hop Lives a nod to “golden age” of rap is an understatement, but it’s more of a tarnished facsimile than some polished vestige of a bygone era. Teaming up with Marley Marl would’ve been a big deal—fifteen years ago. It’s always nice to see two enemies bury the hatchet, but it reeks of gimmick instead of sound artistic direction. It’s true that KRS-One sounds best over dusty boom bap, but that applies to any rapper who released the brunt of their catalogue before 1995. Marley’s dated beats don’t help much to prop the Teacha’s bitter diatribes, and while KRS-One can still sound good over the right production (see the DJ Premier remix of the Nike jingle “Classic”), here he sounds like what he desperately wants us to believe he’s not – an out of touch forty-something.
KRS-One recalls your middle-aged father who tries to act cool in front of your friends but only embarrasses himself and you. Lyrically, shots at those who don’t “think hip-hop is alive” are fired within the first few lines of the title track, but the bullets are BB pellets instead of .44-caliber. On “Nothing New,” the crusty curmudgeon laments the lack of risks taken by emcees these days, with the irony being that Hip-Hop Lives is the safest, most predictable (and boring) album KRS-One could have recorded at this moment. Elsewhere, he forgoes rhyming entirely in favor of rattling off historic events (both in hip-hop and outside of) in list form on the narcissistic “I Was There.”
With Hip-Hop Is Dead, Nas hypothesized that the future of rap lies with the multitudes; it’s everyone’s responsibility to maintain rap’s vitality. Hip-Hop Lives finds KRS-One refusing to fade into obscurity, but he offers no sound rebuttal to commercial rap. Reactionist towards hip-hop historians, which he mentions often—and always in a condescending manner—Kris is convinced we need to hear what he has to tell us, and that he’s the only one who realizes what’s happening to rap. But the truth is we’ve heard everything he’s said for the last twenty years, and for the last ten we’ve been covering our ears.
Read more of Renato at his blog Until the Train Stops
Comments for "KRS-One and Marley Marl - Hip-Hop Lives"
How does that sound? A little un-rational. Seriously though, I agree with every word you wrote. KRS has always been the teacha, and with all due respect he can benefit from a lesson or two.
— Jay B Jul 18, 05:04 PM
“im havin fun with you critics”... “i was there” is a great exapmple of just that.
Her Infinite Power, Helping Opressed People… H.I.P. H.O.P.
these rhymes are stil deep… perhaps too deep for some… hahaha renato
if your looking for revolution the blastmasta is blastin, leavin this critic lookin like jesus in that passion.
— KRYPTOS Jul 25, 07:54 AM
KRS-One could be lyrically telling me to climb a mountain to nail my frozen schlong to a flagpole and I’d still think he was the shit, and “Hip Hop Lives” is nowhere near that bad.
— DJ Flash Jul 25, 12:03 PM
you assholes hate on everything… (save those with lottery luck)
albeit… I havent heard krs-1’s new shit…
but damn!! cant an old man do his thang baby?
you got similar features like olivia newton john… and so what if I quoted busta…
you still trick out for space on this website. So eat not one… but a bag, a multitude, a gathering, a prosperous group… of dicks… a barrel full… fuck your moms…
— mr. fuck this Aug 4, 04:11 AM
you assholes hate on everything… (save those with lottery luck)
albeit… I havent heard krs-1’s new shit…
but damn!! cant an old man do his thang baby?
you got similar features like olivia newton john… and so what if I quoted busta…
you still trick out for space on this website. So eat not one… but a bag, a multitude, a gathering, a prosperous group… of dicks… a barrel full… fuck your moms…
(oh yeah… your all backpackers…)
— mr. fuck this Aug 4, 04:12 AM
...the only rap critic with a Benz and a backpack.
— Renato Pagnani Aug 13, 09:12 PM
Well written. Doesn’t mean I agree though. I mean you got time for Lil Wayne? (See dudes blog) Give me a break. I’m not taking anyones views seriously within hip-hop when there giving that douche bag time. No matter how eloquent their word play. Period.
— Pj Aug 17, 04:46 AM
you probably can’t take a lotta people seriously at this point then.
— T.R.E.Y. Aug 18, 02:54 AM
why the fuck does OhWord reviews use such big words and shit? seriously we don’t know wtf your speaking. lower down your vocabularyistics ok?
— Julius Sep 21, 10:09 PM
I guess Jay was right, you gotta down down to double your dollars.
— Renato Pagnani Sep 24, 08:29 PM
Err, dumb down—see what I mean!
— Renato Pagnani Sep 24, 08:30 PM
Well written. And he/she is kinda right. What’s the last hot track KRS had?
— Boogie Apr 17, 01:44 PM
Ever since BDPs third release I’ve never expected more than one semi-decent track per. (Beef, what a relief, black cop). At the risk of sounding like an ‘Old Shitter’ (son, aint nothin better than that old shit) every time I hear a new release from the Arthur Treacha’ I’m reminded how much of his magic flowed from DJ Scott LaRock. This sad-ass excuse for an ole-skool grump-a-thon keeps that theory alive for me.
— Roosevelt Franklin Jun 10, 09:40 AM
Yeah ok mate – u are completely clueless. If you think this album wasnt fresh you obviously have no idea about what hip hop is. Get your head out of your arse, stop listening to lil john / the game / 50 cent and go buy some decent tunes you clown.
— Del Jun 12, 10:00 AM
you all are fools if you would stop listing to the bullshit the radio is fedding you you would know he is the best mc (not rapper) anyone can rap hell i can rap he is trying to teach outr kids there is more to life that hoes guns and bling and that rappers like lil dumbass wayne and nelly are trash they let whiteamerica tell them what to write and that’s why are young black brothers are dying and getting locked up bacause of the trash they write
— nicole Aug 22, 07:48 PM
yo…yall are trippin!!! the teacha been dat dude since day 1…this reviewer is smokin dat shit…stay off dat shit yo!!!!the shit kris spit is what REAL HIP-HOP sounds like, not this watered down MTV BULLHIT....ONE
— veko.com Sep 19, 11:28 PM
shit is crazy hot. but hiphop is hella competitive so i advise krs one and marley marl to watch out for this homeboy, hopsin http://tinyurl.com/d2o34r
— whattheh311 Apr 9, 11:40 PM