KRS-One
King of the Ol' Skool
Album · Old School Rap · 2008
With a catalogue dating back to the mid ‘80s, KRS-One is a rap icon. But the Bronx chieftain has no problem delivering surprises here, including two hard rock wig-outs in “Fake Dat” and “We Got It”, an academic lecture on hip-hop culture via “See It”, tropical bass boom on the globally minded “Amsterdam” and lithe, almost gleeful rhymes over the skittering dancehall riddims of “Rewind”. Longtime fans will gravitate to the furious socio-political verses of “We Got You”, and the overarching sound of dropping knowledge with hardcore aggression.