Kristyles

Krs-One

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Original Release Date: April 22, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Koch Records
• ASIN: B00008OLYM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #153,130 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When KRS-One refers to himself as the Alan Greenspan of hip-hop on "The Movement," he's really not that far off. Much like Greenspan, he foresees the boom and bust of his own culture and is not afraid to make bold predictions concerning its fate. On Kristyles, rap's moral barometer takes a break from failed gospel-rap experiments and from dissing innocuous emcees like Nelly in order to clean up the rap game. The scathing indictments begin on "Ya Feel Dat," where he chants "gold, diamonds, platinum I give to my wife/y'see diamonds are a girl's best friend, not mine." Over rolling bass lines he philosophically slaps materialistic emcees upside their jewelry-plated heads on "Gunnen' Em Down." As is the case with all KRS albums the beats with the most boom bap are the ones not supplied by him or his crew; DJ Revolution's "Things Will Change" and Da Beatminerz "Underground" stand out. Outside of a few unoriginal forays ("Survivin'" does a disservice to Brand Nubian's "One for All" backing track), Kristyles is enjoyable--yet, it could have been a classic. As with many of the album's immediate predecessors, the near-genius flows and concepts overpower terribly average beats. Even at his worst, KRS-One is light years ahead of the rap pack, but can someone please two-way Pete Rock and DJ Premier for beats? --Dalton Higgins

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars dont buy this!!!!!!!!, August 6, 2003

By	Kris Wynne (Ireland) - See all my reviews

whatever you do dont buy this album, koch records released it without kris' consent he even went to the trouble of sueing them over it. he urges his fans to download it instead of giving more money to the record company. when you do download it you will notice many of the tracks have scratches, crackles, fizzing etc. this is because the album was unfinished! wait until august 28th when krs releases the proper album, The Kristyle. it will have 20 tracks, with a slightly different tracklisting to this unofficial version. also the quality is top-notch ;-)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Blastmaster Still Packs A Blast, June 26, 2003

By	Groovemasta "groovemasta" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

Off the top, let's clarify that Krisyles is not the album that KRS-ONE intended to release. Following Industry Rule #4080 (record company people are shady) to a tee, the Koch records suits released a collection of that the Blastmaster has gone on record as calling "unfinished". KRS successfully sought an injunction stopping Koch from further distributing the album, meaning the few in circulation could be collector's items down the line.
Now to the disk itself: For what essentially amounts to a collection of rough cuts and cast offs, Krisyles is not bad. One particular sequence (tracks 4-10) showcases everything we have come to love about the teacher. "Underground" is a proud ode to the vibrant hip-hop scene which thrives off the radio and television radar. On how bad do you want it, Kris auditions a hungry new jack named Peedo. The two trade verses about hunger and dedication over an adreniline fueled track. Better still is "Survivin'", where unbilled guests Lord Jamar and Sadat X trade verses with Kris about the every day struggles of black life in America. But else where the unfinished nature of the album shows. Cuts like "9 Elements" and "Philosophical" feature strong concepts and lyrics but are undermind by ragged production and in some cases a poor audio mix which probably would have been fixed had Kris been given the opportunity to finish the album his way. "The Only One" is Kris's attempt to acknowledge his wife Simone on wax. While the soulful production complements Kris's heartfelt flow, the Teacher's legendary ego ultimately undermines the song, as it becomes more of an ode to his greatness as a husband and father than love letter to his wife.
Still, with skills to rival anyone in the game, KRS makes portions of Kristyles a pleasure to partake in. And if in fact future distribution of this version of the album is ceased for good, all KRS fans and collectors should cop this one on G.P.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kristyles, July 19, 2003

By	SID "Punk" (BOSTON) - See all my reviews

If youre a KRS-ONE fan, no doubt you feel like you were waiting for a new joint for two years. Yep, The Mixtape dropped last year, but that was essentially just an EP, not a full dose of the Bronx Teacher. True, in 2001, KRS dropped Spriritual Minded, but that was his gospel album, and fittingly lacking a bit of his usual lyrical venom as a result. Well, get ready to allay those Blastmaster withdrawal shakes; Lawrence Parker has returned to the dance, and hes spilling his Kristyles all over your stereo.

Frighteningly, Kristyles does start off with a few questionable choices. The introduction continuation Do You Got It features KRS flowing over a uncharacteristically irritating beat, before segueing to a live segment chronologically running down his discography, presumably for the listener to cop at their nearest record store. Then DJ Tiné Tims old-school beat-chopping gives What Else Happened a bit of potential as a novelty track, but KRS brief narrative has nowhere near the depth of his previous storytelling classics like Loves Gonna Get Ya or Bo Bo Bo. At best, this should be considered a musical skit.

Fortunately, the album quickly recovers from these lapses. After supplying the Blastmaster with one of last years most popular underground battle records, KRS-ONE wisely returns to Da Beatminerz to supply him with some additional heat for Kristyles. Though their far too heavily layered chords and percussion drown out KRS repetitive vocals on Somebody, the producers manage to squeeze out two bangers with The Movement and Underground. The latter is destined to become a highlight of KRS-ONEs catalogue as he skillfully pays homage to those who embrace the true spirit of Hip-Hop underground over gothic synth marches and lush drums. KRS raps, when the critics dont get it/ there for the streets you spit it/ when your lyrics they fear it/ thats underground!

As expected from one Hip-Hops most vocal advocates, listeners can expect a healthy dose of Hip-Hop commentary on the album, supplied by Aint The Same and "9 Elements. For Aint The Same KRS laments the material and superficial route urban culture has taken over a catchy string-driven beat. Its not exactly new lyrical ground for the perennial Hip-Hop activist, but his words grow more and more crucial as rap gets more wack year after wack year. With DJ Revolution of the World Famous Wake Up Show behind the boards for "9 Elements Kris runs down definitions of the nine elements of Hip-Hop culture. Rev perfectly picks up on the emcees passion for the subject, lacing a funky, sparse drumbeat with chopped samples.

Also, the legendary rapper flexes his political and spiritual voice throughout the effort. Melancholy soul samples resonate in the background of Its All a Struggle, a song exploring lifes difficulties. The theme is repeated on the radio-friendly Survivin featuring singer Tekitha blessing the chorus. Radio-friendly that is, if the year was 1993. The messages KRS laces this with are on-point and relevant as usual, but the artist's skills in crafting a modern R&B-rap hybrid are unquestionably lacking.

But one thing becomes painfully evident when listening to Kristyles, and this is perhaps the only time you will ever see these words in a rap album review: there is not enough braggadocio this album. No joke. Besides being renown as Hip-Hops Teacher, KRS reputation is built upon his ability to smack up wack crews (and tight ones too, dont trip) at will. The tasty treats KRS drops on the Kenny Parker-produced Alright With Me and over the fiery BDP-reminiscent thumps of Gunnen Em Down are great, but the album could definitely use a few more of Parkers serrated battle raps. How about a My Philosophy 2? MCs STILL Act Like They Dont Know?

But despite the occasional musical stumble, KRS 17-year streak of non-wackness remains unbroken. His skill on the mic can only be matched by his knowledge and love of Hip-Hop culture, and Kristyles is dripping with both. Hip-Hop is something you live, rap is something you do; and no one does it better than Kris.