Stanfords Finest

On May 22^nd of this year a miracle took place. A modern day resurrection occurred on that day but this time there was no Mary Magdalene’s to lap it up. There was no audience (myself included) to witness the re-birth of hip hop and so this release just came and went. The revolution will not be televised. To listen to Hip Hop Lives is to witness the dead being woken. Feelings that have long lain dormant within me were stirred and I again believed. This album on paper is enough to get the hip hop purist salivating and simultaneously scratching their heads – Marley and KRS on a record together? We all know about the beef between these crews but 20 years later, when grown men can have the balls to bury the hatchet and move on, we can all bask in the new found love. This album is a return to the days of one producer and one artist and this album is like a Kane record in so far as there are no guest producers just Marley. The man from the House of Hits that defined most of the golden era now breathes life into the flagging catalogue of a one Mr. Parker.

So, we start with a skit and on we go to the first track Hip Hop Lives – a languid loop that KRS drops his own particular science over. It’s a headnodder and takes us back to the Edutainment and Return of the Boom Bap times and I feel like I’m 20 again. KRS is not the most technically gifted MC out there but his sheer force and presence and demands you listen and pay attention. Since My Philosophy I have been captivated (Criminal Minded was before my days) and to hear the Blastmaster is like business as usual as Hip Hop flows through his very being. That’s HIP HOP not rap or that shit they play on the radios these days. KRS can explain the difference but you either get or you don’t. Age is no barrier either as the track Over 30 gives a shout out to all the aging BBoys in the house. This is mature rap even though the beats bang like a barn door in a storm. I Was There lists the every hip hop milestone (1973 Cedar Park NYC, the first Yo! MTV Raps, The Source Magazine launch etc) that KRS was there for and it’s an impressive list detailing every point in which Hip Hop developed and mutated into fruition. Rising to the Top is a standout track, kind of like Outta Here Part 2, it’s just classic boom bap the kind they just don’t make anymore. Again, the history lesson contained within the song is captivating and cleverly written. Victory features Premo on the Scratch, Marley on the boards, KRS on the mic and, er, MC Poet as the guest MC. Works well but Blaq Poet is lame but seeing as it’s Hatchet Burying o’clock in the BX then I can see why Poet is there. All School has a beat to die for and again KRS spits his venom like only KRS can. All in all Hip Hop Lives is class and is like a small window to a forgotten, innocent world. This LP sold a fraction of the billions Curtis sold so there you have the answer as to where the status quo is right now. For me, this album provides some much needed soul food amongst all the corn and junk food out there.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 30th, 2007 at 5:02 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.