Since his debut in Hip Hop music with the legendary Boogie Down Productions, legendary teacher emcee KRS-One has always stood up to preserve the respect of hip hop music, and keep it at its purest form, promoting "real" hip hop. He takes a stand towards commercialism and materialism, trying to retain its underground credibility. But along came Nelly, the ridiculous commercial rapper f*ggot who takes offense, and lays out two disses towards KRS-One on his
Nellyville album, one entitled
#1 and the other on his verse on
Roc the Mic Remix. KRS, being the battle master that he is, took offense and released
The Mixtape in 2002, permanently sending Nelly to his grave for attempting a legend, and proving that Kris Parker is one man in rap music who is virtually untouchable in every sense of the word...
Track List & Rating
1. Ova Here (5 Stars)
2. Things is about to Change (5 Stars)
3. Splash (5 Stars)
4. My People (5 Stars)
5. Kreditz (5 Stars)
6. I Remember (5 Stars)
7. Down the Charts (5 Stars)
8. You Dont Really Want it (4 1/2 Stars)
9. Womenology (4 1/2 Stars)
10. 2nd Kreditz (NOT RATED)
11. Problemz (4 Stars)
12. Stop It (3 1/2 Stars)
13. Believe It (4 Stars)
KRS-One gets his pure revenge by targetting Nelly on not-one, but two diss tracks:
"Ova Here" and
"You Dont Really Want It". Instead of doing the easy thing and concentrating on Nelly's appearance and visual style like many other diss tracks do, KRS-One decides to get a bit more intelligent with it, rapping towards Nelly's obvious lack of skill and the fact that he is a sell-out. KRS-One's fiery disses paint the picture of an obnoxious commercial rapper who has stepped over the line of hip-hop, which seems to be the exact point. Though I obviously don't hate Nelly as much as I used to (thanks to Chingy taking his place), I still can find laughter and joy in watching Kris dismantle him.
"Things is about to Change" quickly rocks the earphones with a very rockish beat. The pounding drums and guitars set the tone for a powerful track finding KRS-One rapping about his prominence in hip-hop, dismantling commercial rap "rookies", mocking the fact that they jack styles and manage to be whack constantly. KRS-One proceeds to rally together all of the hip-hop heads to create an empire to banish hip-hop commercialism, speaking directly to mainstream sell-out rappers. This trend continues on the following dope tracks
"Splash" and
"My People".
KRS-One proves that his ability in making creative song concepts hasn't fallen off since the days of Boogie Down Productions.
"Down the Charts" is a highly creative look at commercial raps' strange ways of manipulatingthe mind due to music. Kris analyzes the artistic success of a commercial rapper depending on thier position on the Billboard Charts and on their overall record sales. This song is much more than just analytical, as it seems that Kris is giving us a preview of what is to come for commercial rap, placing true skill and creativity over flashy beats and desperate subject matter.
"Womenology" finds KRS-One actually straying away from the commercial rap disses, dropping some actual knowledge. Kris raps about what women truly want in life, and what kind of man you should be. Kris stresses selfishness, kindness, and being true to a woman and you will be repaid tenfold. It is rather interesting to hear KRS-One rap about this kind of stuff which I suppose we haven't yet heard him touch on. The R&B-ish production and sped-up samples (ala Kanye West) is fitting for the song, providing true education for single males.
One of the more recognizable tracks on this album has to be
"Problemz". The Teacher drops more knowledge and an inside look at how the hip-hop music industry is beginning to crumble under itself. Comparing the new-age style to the old-school mentality, KRS reminisces on the days when things were easier. Besides that, KRS-One gives us eye-opening insight as to the true problems that lie in commercial rap and mainstream radio, explaining that time is starting to run out for them, prophesizing on a true change. Lyrically, Kris gets a lot more potent on this track than any before, using bigger vocabulary words, a better flow, and well-written rhymes. The violin in the background sets the tone for this one.
The Mixtape closes out with
"Believe It", a very soulful, inspiring joint to finish the album. The soft violins and synthesizers sound together nicely, providing a nice atmosphere for Kris to drop ill rhymes about how good he is and the change from real hip-hop to nowadays when the cloud of commercialism is looming over our world. The majority of the song is basicaly KRS-One bragging about his impact on hip-hop being one of the forefathers, so it's really nothing creatively new or fresh, but still a good joint with good lyrics and a dope beat.
KRS-One's
The Mixtape was a fresh release by the Teacher. KRS-One reminds us about the evils of mainstream hip-hop and how it is torturing our young minds in this day and age. KRS-One does an excellent job at educating fans about the truthfulness and spiritual discovery of the hip-hop lifestyle. KRS-One manages to point out on this album exactly what is right and wrong about hip-hop, what is lacking, and what it is going to take to cure this plague. It may take years, but
The Mixtape is a perfect launch pad for a change...
Question is... are you a prophet, or do you want profits?
4 Stars
OTHER KRS-ONE ALBUMS:
Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Neccessary
Boogie Down Productions - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip-Hop
KRS-One - KRS-One
KRS-One - I Got Next
KRS-One - The Sneak Attack
KRS-One - Kristyle
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