Customer Reviews

Hip-Hop Lives

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a 20+ year rivalry, KRS-One & Marley Marl grace the hip-hop lexicon with their stunning return to form - "Hip-Hop Lives". The long-time veterans are back and sound as potent as ever. KRS-One in particular, never ceases to amaze me with his relentlessly boisterous flow. For his 15th album - the man sounds extremely fresh. Marley Marl is still bringing the heat as well, creating soundscapes that consistently knock throughout.

Being a long-time KRS-One/BDP fan, I found the album to be quite a treat, and an excellent return to form. I found it to have plenty of repeat listening value. With that said, I did feel some of KRS-One's lyrics could be a little better. As you know, KRS-One is The Teacher, and this time around, he is teaching hip-hop's legacy. It may seem like a relatively dry subject for a long-time hip-hop aficionado, but it turns out quite well.

Many of the lyrics are very nostalgic, and even more give a new perspective on hip-hop's "true school". The most mind-boggling example of it's redundancy would have to be "I Was There", where KRS-One talks about his past experiences in hip-hop throughout the 80s and 90s. Many hip-hop heads know these facts all to well, but does serve well to the unconverted. Other than that, nothing seems out of place, or of poor quality. "Hip-Hop Lives" makes an excellent single to defy Nas' recent claims on his latest album. Marley Marl's beat on "Musika" featuring Magic Juan is just plain addictive. "Rising to the Top" is probably my favorite joint here. KRS-One beautifully tells the story between Marley Marl's Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions with lyrics like this - "We answered MC Shan's 'Queensbridge' / A dope jam about where he was from and where he lived / But in the Bronx there was these kids / KRS, Scott La Rock trying to live". The closing lyrics were a nice surprise - "To Marley and Shan I am indebted / For the start of my career these guys could take credit / For my rappin', the whole battle they let it all happen" - proving that battling is an essential part of hip-hop, and keeping it's art sharp. Other stand outs include the excellent "Over 30" and "All Skool". And you really can't beat KRS-One's commentary on "Kill a Rapper" where he professes the fact that when the law or general public is concerned, the killing of a rapper/producer (such as Scott La Rock, 2Pac, Big L or Mac Dre) ends up as an unsolved case in the end. Any way you slice it, KRS-One and Marley Marl come correct with this fine offering. One can only hope that they will continue on make albums until 2015.

First and foremost next to malcolm x, my brother, father, KRS One has had a profound positive effect on my life period. Not only on my life but also on hip hop culture from almost the beginning of its history. Hip hop lives is another dope release to further extend the legend and fantasitic 15 ALBUM career of my ALL TIME favorite god emcee. The collaborations of marley and KRS is not only historic but it also sheds light on how weak the industry is now. Just as always KRS comes with some viscious rhymes, different styles, and topics that make you think. Stand out tracks that I have been bumping all day long are house of hits featuring the chief rocka busy bee, kill a rapper, and the victory (this song is better than some whole albums that have come out lately). To keep this short, if I had two extra hands I would give this album four thumbs up. Cop this one immediately.

Talking about the epitome of what true Hip-Hop is lies in its foundation. And the architectural brilliance of the pioneer producer Marley Marl matched with the super rhymes of KRS-One for the LP no one expected should be a slam dunk. But Hip Hop Lives struggles to elevate the globally-embraced genre in more ways than one. KRS-One doesn't give much in the lyrical department, as evidenced on "Over 30" where there is practically no meaningful chorus or verses. And even though the concept on "Nothing New" is one that is reverberated by many , the song lacks any underlying entertainment value. "Hip Hop Lives" is well-produced and KRS-One's flow is crafted wonderfully, while "I Was There" sounds like a lot of bragging with very little substance behind the relevance of KRS-One's presence. The development of the choruses for at least half of the songs are non-existent, leaving much to be desired by the listener. "Musika" featuring Magic Juan is decent though with its Latino influence, "Kill A Rapper" asks why dead emcees always have open cases, and "The Victory" features guest vocals from Blaq Poet and turntablist Dj Premier. "House of Hits" featuring Busy Bee sounds like a jumbled mess at times while "This Is What It Is" has the potential to be a classic jam with a little tweaking. Even though both men are highly respected, little can be gathered from Hip Hop Lives. By no means should KRS-One and Marley Marl stop with this one project. Marley Marl should just change it up a little bit with regard to his beats, and KRS-One should remain focused on social commentary and speaking on rap's worth to the world. Now that would certainly reign supreme in everybody's eyes.

Yes sir,1987! Not a bad thing (or year) at all. This is what it sounded like to have all of the elements in a hip hop album. Everyone is entitled to their opinion,this is true. But some of the comments here have not suffice. How could you sleep on joints like 'Nothin New' ( did you hear that last verse?) 'Victory' ( Premier scratches blended well with that track and Poet verse was nice). And 'Kill a Rapper' certainly slams. Granted, Life is a better album but this one is dope. Also the 'Rising to the Top' was necessary. I say a good overall effort and I want to hear more like it.

As usual, I am completely satisfied with my purchase of a CD by KRS-One. The production was great, the rhymes unassailable, and the beats thumpin'. It was especially enjoyable to get to hear the cameo by Chief Rocka Busy Bee. It was also nice to hear some scratchin' by DJ Premier, and fresh rhymes by Blaq Poet. I loved all the tracks and got nothin' bad to say about the album. KRS leads the way for Hiphop culture. The "KFC" djs and mcs promoting breasts and thighs need to stop boring the shut my mouth out of everybody and come with something meaningful, like this CD. Peach in the each my fellow humanoids, and I'm out.

Produced entirely by DJ Marley Marl, "Hip Hop Lives" is the latest studio LP (14+) from KRS-One. The overarching theme of the album is for hip-hop's practitioners to keep the culture alive by making the effort to be progressive and educated. I'd say my favorite tracks include "I was There", "Musika" (the Spanish ad-libs are a nice touch), "The Victory" (featuring DJ Premier on scratches) and "Kill a Rapper" lamenting the lack of justice in hip-hop personality murders (i.e., Scott LaRock, Biggie, Tupac, Jam Master Jay). I wish that there were some guest spots from the Juice Crew/BDP Crew family (Big Daddy Kane, D-Nice, Heather B, Masta Ace), but this is still worth getting. Marley Marl's production has few "obvious" samples, doesn't sound "dated", and it's definitely not the paint-by-numbers "Keyboard Beats" of much of today's rap. Despite a few indulgences (such as the first 30 seconds or so of "Nothing New"), KRS's flow is still engaging and doesn't sound like he's running out of ideas. There are but a scant few of rap artists from the 80's era who are still actively recording. "Hip Hop Lives" will satisfy Generation X rap fans, and it demands respect from the current generation of hip-hop listeners.

1. It's Alive (intro)
2. Hip Hop Lives
3. Nothing New
4. I Was There
5. Musika w. Magic Juan (NOT Snoop Dogg's homie)
6. Rising to the Top
7. Over 30
8. MARLEY (skit)
9. Kill a Rapper
10. The Teacha's Back
11. The Victory (w. Blaq Poet)
12. This is What it Is
13. All Skool
14. House of Hits (w. Busy Bee)

Note: Marley Marl gets equal billing on the CD, and it's said that this is the first in a "series" of KRS collaborative albums. My vote for the next project would be one with DJ Premier at the helm, or an album of duets with Chuck D (and a bomb squad reunion?).
overall grade: A-

I've been reading these reviews, and I gotta say one thing about my experience with Kris fans: you find some of the most intelligent hip-hop reviews when it comes to these records.

A lot of people are giving this album three or four stars, and I can understand that. Obviously I don't agree with their overall assessment of the record as I consider it a five-star recording, but I see where they're coming from. As far as KRS-ONE records are concerned, this isn't one of the best. This is Kris's 15th album though, so it's got some tough competition within the KRS-ONE canon. (1) Some of the songs are too short, (2) some tracks have minimal and/or short verses from Kris in favor of Marley's beats (All Skool is a key example) - those are my my main concerns with it.

Now, here's why I think it's a five star record. Historical reasons aside (if you need me to explain this you've got some homework to do), I think that every single track on this record is hot. That's right, all of 'em (minus the intro of course). One thing that Kris is brilliant at is composing albums with cohesive moods - any KRS-ONE album can be played from beginning to the end with the feeling of listening to ONE work of music. In other words, where the majority of rappers create a pile of tracks and a few singles and cut them into an album, Kris's albums all have a real flow to them. The tracks all mesh into each other and pick up on lyrical motifs from each other. This album is a great example of this. The best examples of this quality are probably 'Keep Right' or 'KRS-ONE'.

The term "All Skool" is perfect for Kris. An emcee who's got one foot in the foundations of hip-hop history, and the other firmly planted in the present - even the future of hip-hop. This is a very important record in this respect. If the record had a thesis, it would be its title, and throughout these tracks Kris goes about proving his argument.

'HIP-HOP LIVES' may need to grow on you, and everyone's opinion of this record is going to be different, but I feel as if I've expressed mine. This is as close to art as Hip-Hop gets in the 21st century.

Best joints:
Hip-Hop Lives
The Victory
House of Hits
All Skool
Rising to the Top
Kill A Rapper

THE ALBUM IS DOPE MARLY MARL BRINGS BEATS AND KRS-ONE BRINGS THE LYRICS.
AS SOMONE SAID BEFORE. THE HIPHOP LIVES TRACK AND VIDEO ARM MAKING ME LOVE HIPHOP AGAIN. FOR ONE OF THE OTHER REVIEWERS HER THE INTERVIEW IS NOT A SKIT THAT IS COOL DJ RED ALERT BEING INTERVIEWED BR MARLY MARL

AMD FORM KILL A RAPPER ON THE ALBUM ENTERS A DEMINSION ABOVE CLASSIC
IF THE FIRST HALF WAS AS DOPE AS THE SECOND(NOT THAT THE FIRST HALF IS BAD) THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST RAP RECORD OUT

OF SOME INTERS THE KILL A RAPPER VOCALS ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERNT THEN THE SINGLE VERSION THOUGH KRS SAY THE SAME WORDS HE DOES IT WITH A LITTLE DIFFRENT STYLE AND THE CHORUS IS DIFFRENT ALSO VICTORY-THE TRACK IS MUCH JAZZIER THAN THE LEAKED VERSION

BE ONT THE LOOK OUT FOR THE OTHER VERSION OF THIS WITH THRE MORE SONGS

RIDING STREETS PUMPIN BEATS
U THUG
AND I AM HIP HOP

FRESH FOR 2007 YOU SUKERZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marley Marl. KRS One. When you mentions those names in most hip hop circles, the reaction is going to one of VERY high regard 9 out of 10 times. So, naturally, when one finds out that the two are going to collaborate to drop an LP, you are going to instinctively expect an album to top all albums. I mean, if this album turned out to be even a tenth of what Kris' collabo with Premier (Return of the Boom Bap), then it's a worthy release in my mind. The results are mixed, but it's a solid release overall. I don't think KRS has ever put out anything that was totally wack. There are topics that are touched upon that you've heard Krs go over a million times, but they get done in a way that will keep your attention. Then there are others that just come off kind of preachy but are solid enough in the production to keep you from skipping.

I think one of the obvious flaws is Kris constantly beating his chest on track after track. I love KRS One. I grew up on him. I remember what I was doing the very day I heard "My Philosophy" for the first time (I mean to the exact hour) and lost my mind. Dude is a legend without question. This is why it's hard for me to say this, but I found a lot of what KRS had to say to be pretty repetitive. I haven't been this disinterested in a KRS affiliated album since the Spiritual Minded album. Maybe disinterested is the wrong word. I mean, the lyrics are still entertaining, but I guess what I'm getting at is that the replay value just isn't what you've come to expect from a legend like KRS...especially when he pairs up with another legend like Marley Marl. On tracks like the aptly titled "Nothing New" Kris steps into the aforementioned braggart role and on "I Was There" KRS waxes nonstop about how long he's been around and how he was a witness to many, many milestones within hip hop culture. The thing is, fans of KRS already know these things so a lot of this album sounds to me like he's preaching to the choir. I noticed that a few reviewers were mostly unimpressed by the production from Marley, I pretty much loved it. There are a few that miss the mark. "Musika" sounds like a rehash of "Funky Child" but with way less appeal as the L.O.T.U.G. hit.

With all that being said, Hip Hop Lives is still worth looking into. If you're like me and grew up on both KRS and Marley you'll find this joint quite enjoyable. I'll always support KRS because he's never let me down and he supplied the beats and rhymes that were the soundtrack many of my summers. Newer heads may find the production somewhat tired, but despite the hit and miss quality, I still like it. I suggest you leave all expectations at the door and listen with open ears.

Standout Tracks: All Skool, Rising To The Top, The Teacha's Back, Hip Hop Lives (My Favorite), The Victory feat. Blaq Poet, and Kill A Rapper

Man oh man does it feel good to hear such an album like this. Kris and Marley Marl on one album is amazing, since they rivaled over 20 years ago (i.e. "The Bridge Is Over"). That alone is worth checking this album out. Just like Nas' recent album Hip Hop Is Dead, Kris makes an album to prove that it isn't true titled "Hip Hop Lives". Now I wasn't old enough to hear Marley and Kris in their prime, but I have heard some of their work on such albums as Here Come the Lords, and By All Means Necessary respectively, which lets me know what they are capable of (not trying to compare those albums with this one, but you get my point).

One thing that really jumped out at me was Kris' rhymes. All over this album, it's like he indirectly says "I'm F'n good at this". Of course we know he is good at hip hop, but it really doesn't help parading it all ovet the album. "I Was There" would sort of flow on this, as Kris says that he was there when many important events in hip hop happened. Yes, that is good to talk about, but he should keep in mind that not many people want to hear what he has gone through, because of the fact that it's already known.

Some good tracks are on this LP are "Kill A Rapper" which talks about all the unsolved crimes of slain rappers. "Hip Hop Lives" is another great track at the beginning of the album. "All Skool" and "House Of Hits" which the latter features Chief Rocker Busy Bee (another old school emcee) are other standouts on the album. Other guests on this album are Magic Juan, who drops on the spanish sounding song "Musika". Blaq Poet drops in for the song "The Victory" which is a solid track.

Hip Hop Lives is a hit and miss album by Kris and Marley. No doubt that they can keep up with music today. I believe that this album is trying to appeal to older and younger listeners, and it carries it's weight for the most part. I wasn't expecting no classic material on here, but it does satisfy many listeners on many levels. I recommend that you check this album out, because it's definately worth a few spins. Off the subject a bit: I just heard about a few weeks ago that Marley Marl suffered a heart attack, and I seriously hope that he is okay and recovers nicely. Peace!

Lyrics: B
Production: B+
Guest Appearances: B+
Musical Vibes: B

Top 5 Favorite Tracks:
1. Kill A Rapper
2. Hip Hop Lives
3. The Tecaha's Back
4. Over 30
5. House Of Hits (featuring Chief Rocker Busy Bee)

Honorable Mention:
1. All Skool
2. Musika (featuring Magic Juan)