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KRS ONE & Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives - CD Review
July 6th 2007 01:09
If you haven't copped this album or heard the track "Hip Hop Lives (I Come Back)" from these two great Hip Hop philosophers, then check it.
"Hip means to know
It's a form of intelligence
To be hip is to be up-date and relevant
Hop is a form of movement
You can't just observe a hop
You got to hop up and do it
Hip and Hop is more than music
Hip is the knowledge
Hop is the movement
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement"
It's a form of intelligence
To be hip is to be up-date and relevant
Hop is a form of movement
You got to hop up and do it
Hip and Hop is more than music
Hip is the knowledge
Hop is the movement
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement"
I thought I'd add in Cibby's review of the album:
Hip Hop Lives is the album that fans have been eagerly awaiting for 20 years now… it marks the end of one of the earliest hip hop beefs around, between KRS-One and Marley Marl. Critics were sniffing out the potential of this album back in the day, but, now, in 2007, Marl and The Teacha have finally let old habits die and collaborated.
It’s a response, apparently, to Nas’ album, Hip Hop is Dead, and several tracks on the album suggest that KRS-One wants to push it back to the good spot. The G-Thang Spot, if you will.
But I felt that this album is a more paternalistic record from these two… KRS-One lays it down in ‘I Was There’, essentially pointing out to all the young rappers out there, fronting and perpetrating, that him and Marley Marl were getting it all started, back in the day.
And on that note, it feels a little too preachy at times… KRS never fails to shine on mic, with that deep, monstrous voice, and rhymes that feel so established that it’s like they’ve been extracted from some ancient Nubian texts. While he may have the credentials to lecture us to death, is that what you really want to listen to?
Eh, I can forgive a little bit of angry-father from The Teacha to get a head full of those Marley beats… reminds me of that old Juice Crew stuff, with a darker, more ominous tone. It’s all good, though, and, thankfully, the skits are kept down to an absolute minimum, and are easily skipped on the CD.
It took a long time for the feud to be settled, but KRS and Marl have finally put out this album… years too late, several pounds too far, and at a time when them young kids in the club are going ‘KRS-Who?’… nonetheless, it’s an album that deserves praise for its sheer craftsmanship, like watching a old, gnarled carpenter making a beautiful chair out of maple.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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