Sony Music CMG KRS-One - Krs-One a Retrospective

KRS-One is the most consistent rap artist (in terms of quality, not ideology) in the history of hip-hop--that's not debatable. What is debatable is why Jive Records would assemble a single-album retrospective for someone of this magnitude. A legendary rap career that spans over nine albums (to date) clearly deserves a box-set treatment. Sure, you do get a healthy sampling of his battle-rhyme headbangers from the beginning of rap's golden years in the late 1980s ("South Bronx", "The Bridge Is Over", "I'm Still number 1"). Likewise, the broad spectrum of politically conscious subject matter KRS-One masterfully waxes about is here: police brutality ("Sound of da Police"), anti-materialism ("Love's Gonna Get'cha"), safe sex ("Jimmy"). But for an MC whose material serves as a precursor to the profound protest rhymes of the dead prez or Poor Righteous Teachers, the glaring omission of any material from his Sex and Violence LP is bizarre. Also, the compilers could have easily bumped "Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)" or "Jack of Spades" and replaced them with rare 12 inches and B-sides such as "Hip Hop vs. Rap" or "We in There". Thankfully, gems like "My Philosophy" and "Essays on BDP-Ism"--the last Boogie Down Productions song produced by DJ Scott LaRock--make this primer a great purchase. However, it's no substitute for the original albums--except for the disappointing Live Hardcore Worldwide and I Got Next. --Dalton Higgins

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