Hip Hop Lives
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [3] |
| AllHipHop | (favorable)[1] |
| Allmusic |  [2] |
| DJBooth | [4] |
| HipHopDX | [5] |
| RapReviews | (8/10)[6] |
| Robert Christgau |  [7] |
| Spin | (6/10)[8] |
| Vibe | (positive)[9] |
| XXL | [10] |
Hip Hop Lives is the collaborative album from MC KRS-One and producer Marley Marl. This is a historical album in the sense that 20 years prior, KRS and Marley were bitter rivals involved in the legendary Bridge Wars. In an interview with Unkut.com, KRS-One spoke on how the album came together and as it was released 20 years after his debut album Criminal Minded, he and Koch Records wanted something special in celebration of that and decided to get Marley Marl to produce the whole LP.
The album is a quasi-sequel to Nas' 2006 album Hip Hop Is Dead, not a criticism as its title suggests, as KRS-One is known to have agreed with Nas' declaration of rap music's "death". In fact the duo recorded a tribute to Nas for the album which, however, was cut from the final track list. It also comes with a 22 minute behind-the-scenes video on the making of the album if bought on iTunes.
Conception
"It all happened with one phone call," Marley Marl told AllHipHop.com during a March 2006 interview.[11] "They called me and he jumped on the phone and told me it would be spectacular for Hip Hop...My reason for doing this is to show these kids that [Hip Hop beefs] are not that serious." The first single is "Hip Hop Lives (I Come Back).
Track listing
- It's Alive (Intro)
- Hip Hop Lives
- Nothing New
- I Was There
- Musika (feat. Magic Juan)
- Rising to the Top
- Over 30
- M.A.R.L.E.Y. (Skit)
- Kill a Rapper
- Teacha's Back (Remixed by K-Def)
- Victory (feat. Blaq Poet) (Scratches by DJ Premier)
- This Is What It Is
- All Skool
- House of Hits (feat. Chief Rocker Busy Bee)
- Intro(*)
- Stop the Violence (Part 2)(*)
- Strictly Hip Hop(*)
- The Most Dangerous Emcee(*)
(*)Exclusive Circuit City Bonus Tracks