KRS-ONE + MARLEY MARL - HIP-HOP LIVES!

[JumpinJack AJ]

This isn't an album review...cuz i'm just now skimming thu' the album. But let me say that all true Hip-Hop fans NEED 2 check this album. I know i waz kinda turned off when reading the article saying KRS-One and Marley Marl were doing any album 2 show that beefing artists can squash it and work 2gether. That article waz corny and wack. It made the whole album sound like a stupid gimmick. However, when i saw the album being advertised in an ad, i just got HYPE. KRS-One, arguably the best emcee ever and Marley Marl, arguably the best beat maker working 2gether. We are talking about 2 Hip-Hop greats...2 kings, making an album in this pathetic days.

I scooped up the album and i'm loving it. The beats are pure unadulterated, unsweetened Hip-Hop...and KRS's lyrics...well, need i say more. Just check this album. This week it's on sale at Circuit City for just $11.99 (tho' they had 2 fix it in the system at my location). And the Circuit City version has 3 bonus trax on it. And i can tell why they weren't part of the album...it's definitely worth getting this version if u can.

I'm lovin' this!!

[bart5]

Yo AJ

That sounds dope. Thanks for sharing dude! I think I'm going to have to pick that up for sure. Its great to have some new listening material with TROTM and now this. :woot:

[KevTastic]

Cool, I'll look out for this

[Hero1]

theres sum brillian stuff on this like.. "you want to get away with murder? kill a rapper!" it sounds like it was put together pretty quickly and its pretty raw but the message is completely on point

[bigted]

Definately looking forward to getting this album, btw check out this new KRS interview from allhiphop.com:

KRS-One: Classic

By Omar Burgess

A quick trip down memory lane will remind even the most casual of Hip-Hop fan, that at one time commercial endorsements were taboo. The popular commercial of a bankrupt MC Hammer elicits laughs now, but last decade he was virtually shamed out of the industry after pitching everything from soda to buckets of fried chicken—of course, the “genie pants” sure didn’t help things either.

In 1995 the self-proclaimed “true heads” cried foul when KRS-One teamed up with Nike to recreate Gil Scott Heron’s classic “The Revolution Won’t Be Televised.” If “The Blastmaster” could pitch Prince Be off of a stage and pitch shoes for Phil Knight within the same three-year span, was it okay for Hip-Hop to get involved with major corporations? In today’s era of copyrighted ringtones, where even C-List artists and backpackers keep track of their Soundscan numbers, no one is asking that question anymore. In fact, when a Nike commissioned collaboration with Kanye West, Nas and Rakim debuted on this very site and others like it, the Ill Community had virtually all positive feedback. Was the “The Teacha” a hypocrite or merely ahead of his time? Scroll down to find out from the man himself—just watch out for the ads.

AllHipHop.com: The “Classic” collaboration has your name making headlines again. How did this come about?

KRS-One: I’d like to start with my man Dru Ha [co-CEO of Duck Down Records]. According to the legend they were asked by Nike to put this project together and a couple of names were thrown around. I don’t even think my name was one of the first mentioned, but after the argument ensued and things happened I guess it fell to myself. Kanye was first, then Nas, then myself and then Rakim. I guess it happened out of an argument of, “Who should be on the track?” Dru Ha fought for me and said, “Yo, I think KRS should be on this,” and obviously Dru Ha won his argument. KRS was on the project.

Here’s the icing on the cake, another executive at Nike was DJ Clark Kent. We were at the concert, and at this point, I’m already in. I had signed the contract and accepted the check. I went in the studio and voiced my piece, and now I’m at the concert that we did on 34th Street. I asked him why did they chose me, and he looked at me with that look like, “C’mon man you can’t be serious,” and he just walked away. I said, “Alright…f**k him [laughing] let me get the answer from Nike.” I had to know why they wanted KRS-One. I don’t have no records out, I’m not a video guy, I’m not platinum, and as a matter of fact, I’m pretty controversial. I’m that guy, so why would a white bread company like Nike wanna work with me? That’s when all these answers started coming in. Obviously Dru Ha went to bat for me.

AllHipHop.com: Did you guys get to record the vocals together?

KRS-One: I didn’t get to record with any of the artists personally. I did get to rehearse for the concert with Kanye, and Rakim and I did another show about two months later for a separate show with Doug E. Fresh.

AllHipHop.com: You caught a lot of heat for your Nike ad in 1995. Was there any hesitation on your part?

KRS-One: Once I found out it was for Nike, I grilled everyone—Nike, Cornerstone, Dru Ha—on Hip-Hop and what this project really means to Hip-Hop and what it’s all about. Of course it’s Nike, so the money was there, and the promotion was there. We did the thing for MTV live and the crew was there. I was more interested in how the project benefits Hip-Hop since that’s my stance on everything.

AllHipHop.com: That’s a win-win, but it’s not like this was done for free, right?

KRS-One: After talking to Dru I realized that this was beneficial to both Hip-Hop and KRS-One. I obviously need the promotion from two different angles, both as KRS-One and on behalf of The Temple Of Hip-Hop. My angle is the promotion and the money, let me not front on that. We were definitely compensated and treated with respect and it was dope. We got free gear—me my kids, wife and the whole family.

To be in the company of Nas, Rakim and Kanye was humbling in and of itself. I had to get on that. If they said the record was free, I would have still participated because that was a moment of emceeing. When you have Kanye, Nas and Rakim, what am I gonna do, say, “No”? The fact that we are all on a joint, regardless of the money or the promotion, is what drew me in. Me and Rakim have been talking about this for 20 years; every time I see Rakim we’re both like, “When are we getting in the studio?” Finally we get a chance to get this close to each other. I love Rakim’s rhyme when he says, “Uptowns we call em upppies when they on divas/probably wear ‘em when KRS-One teaches.” Rakim did his thing by incorporating us all into his rhyme, knowing that he was going to be the last to rhyme. There was a lot of emceeing mastery behind the scenes that we’ll get into later.

AllHipHop.com: Your album is Hip-Hop Lives. Did you and Nas get into the debate over whether Hip-Hop is dead or not?

KRS-One: As a matter of fact, Nas ran up on me and said, “Let me tell you what this is gonna be about before it even comes out,” and I cut Nas off. I said, “Don’t explain anything, because your [album] cover revitalized Hip-Hop.” Sometimes we don’t know what we got until it’s gone. What Nas did was declare Hip-Hop dead, so everyone went, “No it’s not; it can’t be!” That now is the statement that helps it to live. Before Nas said Hip-Hop is dead, it was dead. Everyone was blinging, drinking, smoking, f**king, sucking and doing whatever they wanted to do. And they were teaching it to our children at the same time. You can believe Hip-Hop was dead. Now that Nas declared it, it came back alive because no one wants to see it die.

Nas invited me to a party that Kelis was throwing him about a week later. I checked my schedule and I couldn’t make it, but I recorded an exclusive song for him mixtape style. Marley Marl produced this track and we gave it to Nas as an exclusive for his party. I think Marley leaked the record to the Internet, so it’s floating around out there somewhere. One of the lines on that record is, “Nas Hip-Hop can’t be dead/you brought it back with the words you said.” Nas is Hip-Hop, and as long as he is walking the earth Hip-Hop cannot die. Just to go a little further and end that, Marley and I did an album called Hip-Hop Lives—obvious title. That’s a project in and of itself: 20 years from 1987 through 2007.

AllHipHop.com: So The Bronx and Queensbridge come full circle?

KRS-One: Exactly, and let me show you the karma of it. Nas is from Queensbridge. Why is it at this stage that Nas drops the Hip-Hop is Dead album? We’re dealing with death, from 1987 through 2007. Scott La Rock was killed in 1987 as well. It was Scott’s death that brought the Hip-Hop community together. It was actually after Scott’s death that we realized we were a community because people were shocked that a rapper could actually be killed. This was the first time that it ever happened. So, you look at that, and in 1987 we’re dealing with death and rebirth. Out of Scott’s death KRS-One is born. Out of that battle situation, a guy who would be the advocate for peace in Hip-Hop is born. Imagine the advocate for peace coming out of battles, intense violence, shootouts, fights and who knows what else we were involved in back then. That’s all ’87 and the karma of that, but Hip-Hop grew for those 20 years.

Now we’re in 2007, miraculously, me and Marley get together. It’s got nothing to do with Nas, [MC] Shan, [Roxanne] Shanté, none of them or even Queensbridge in general. It was just the fact that we are recognizing the 20th anniversary of Boogie Down Productions. We thought it would be a cool thing if Marley Marl did the whole KRS-One album. It was not only for historic and karmic purposes, but also for Hip-Hop and cultural purposes. These two guys who were rivals, because to this day our history is one of being rivals in that sense, were coming together. It’s like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier—you only want to see them beating each other in the ring—but, in real life, I’m quite sure he must’ve paid Muhammad Ali’s rent a few times. They get down like that.

Me, Marley, Shan, Shanté and Kane have all been like that for the past 20 years on a personal level, not just emceeing. I helped Kane move to his house in Brooklyn some years ago. It goes on and on. Hip-Hop Lives, the new album by Marley Marl and myself drops May 22. I bring that up because that album is a part of everything that’s going on. Is it a coincidence that just as I’m about to release my May 22 album with Marley Marl producing it, on the 20th anniversary of Boogie Down Productions, now Nike wants to come up and do this record? This gives me free promotion. There are people out there who don’t know who I am? No doubt. These people are into Hip-Hop, that may be almost impossible, but…There are those out there who are into Hip-Hop and will tell you, “Hey, I’m into Hip-Hop,” but their reference point is Chingy or Lil’ Wayne. I don’t knock that at all.

I’d rather go live in the South, which I did, where Hip-Hop is still alive and people are walking around like it’s the ‘80s. It gets kind of aggravating sometimes because the South can be really slow sometimes, but on the other hand, you kind of need that slowness. That’s what everybody is crying about. Where’s the Hip-Hop from the Golden Age? Go to the South [laughing]. You got people who are still playing cassettes and it’s 2007, dog!

AllHipHop.com: Another artist that instantly comes to mind when you think of this project and karma is Nelly. It’s kind of ironic that you two had a battle and he did the “Air Force Ones” song, yet Nike chose you for this campaign.

KRS-One: It was me, Clark Kent and Kid Capri and I pulled Clark Kent to the side and asked him, “Why me and not Nelly?” Nelly did a full song called “Air Force Ones.” Nike has a variety of shoes, and Nelly did a million dollar video and advertised the Air Force One. You know what Nike said? Nike was like, “So.” I felt bad, I felt guilty, like, “Wow. You did a whole song, promoted their sneaker for a year and that sneaker is part of your musical catalogue. You have to sing about that sneaker for the rest of your life and Nike said, ‘So. He’s not special to us right now. He’s not important.’”

This is the biggest…I mean, Nelly is Nelly. I’m not dissing him at all because we squashed our little thing. Big up to Nelly, and I hope he has success for the rest of his career. I’m not saying that out of sarcasm, but I seriously mean it. I hope he goes on. But, when I look at this…You did the “Air Force Ones” song, video and everything. And now with the Air Force One 25th anniversary and everything Nike doesn’t even consider you.

AllHipHop.com: One of the quotes that came out during your battle with Nelly was that you thought there wasn’t an equal platform anymore because people in Corporate America, radio, etc. didn’t recognize your contributions to Hip-Hop.

KRS-One: I’ll tell you this. Hip-Hop heard it. I’m experiencing a breath of fresh air right now. I’ve been doing my thing on the so-called underground since 1997. I make a very good life and I don’t complain. I stay away from radio, television and all that s**t because I think it’s the devil. But, I cannot deny the truth. KRS…actually Rakim, X-Clan, Poor Righteous Teachers, The Coup, Public Enemy all of us are experiencing a rebirth.

Something came out in The New York Times. One of the biggest Brazilian Hip-Hop artists in the world [Guiné Silva] is doing a Hip-Hop workshop. The person was quoted as saying, “We don’t want Puff Daddy, we want someone like Public Enemy.” This all speaks to that breath of fresh air coming up. Our children are growing up and our movement was successful. They did get it.

[JumpinJack AJ]

Yeah, the production of the whole album is raw but good. It totally took me back 2 the time when u didn't need fancy sound effects and sugar-sweet slick, over produced beats. Not one beat is bad, but they aren't made for radio at all. The pure Hip-Hop sound like on the album makes it so that, and i know this is a crazy idea for some people, u'll actually listen 2 the lyrics. The emcee actually had 2 write something dope so u aren't noticing that it isn't a Jus Blaze or Neptunes track. The lyrics are pretty creative across the whole album. KRS has always been this creative and consistant tho.'

That waz a nice article 2. I've always hated when people knocked emcees for doing commercials. I mean, as long as they aren't promoting something negative, let 'em do their thing. I remember the Jazzy Jeff/Starter promo, MC Hammer/British Knights and Popcorn Chicken commercials, and the dope Sprite commericals from back in the day (A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Kris Kross, etc). I never saw that as selling out. I remember the mid-90's commericals for some alcoholic beverages by Snoop and 2Pac. Whenever commericals like that came on, i waz like "put that on an album!" cuz the music waz do good.

[JumpinJack AJ]

I just gotta throw out there that everytime i listen 2 this album, it gets better. We are talking LEGENDS here.