Since his days as the frontman for the influential rap group Boogie Down Productions, Kris Parker -- better known as KRS-ONE (Knowledge Rules Supreme Over Nearly Everyone) -- has refused to sacrifice the substance of his lyrics for the sake of higher album sales. As a result, he has become a legend of underground hip-hop.
His newest release, Maximum Exposure Two Thousand Eight, presents a predictable view of KRS-ONE -- for better and for worse.
The Best of KRS-ONE
Maximum Exposure Two Thousand Eight presents Parker at his best, refusing to shy away from political matters or controversial topics. In that sense, the album represents some of his best work. On "Beware," he poses an intelligent argument about the relationship between poverty and crime. On the same track, he also decries military service as a means of achieving upward mobility: "And the military? / From the time you sign up to kill your neighbor, man / it's a sin already."
Other tracks address such topics as the history of democracy (and the alleged American myth thereof), the African American church (and the alleged complacency thereof), and Eastern history, In other words, his lyrics are a far cry (and a welcome departure) from the bling, blunts, bullets, and benjamins glorified in much of mainstream hip-hop.
The Worst of KRS-ONE
However, Maximum Exposure Two Thousand Eight suffers from one glaring weakness, one that has marred many of the otherwise solid albums in his lengthy catalogue. His ideas are too heavy to translate into catchy, melodic hooks.
As a consequence, the choruses of his songs sound either overly simplistic or excessively staccato, lacking in melody. (Even his biggest hits often rely on little or no hook at all.) In one noteworthy exception ("New York"), he interpolates a melody from Tevin Campbell's "Can We Talk?" -- and recruits a female vocalist -- to create the most memorable hook of the entire disc.
Professor Arrington's Grade
Maximum Exposure Two Thousand Eight is not the best album from the KRS-ONE catalog, nor does it include any potential classic tracks in the vein of "My Philosophy, "You Must Learn," or "Love's Gonna Getcha." However, the disc is a solid effort that is representative of his body of work as a whole: stinging social, historical, and political commentaries mixed with a pleasant yet authoritative rhyme flow that dares the audience not to listen. For this respectable addition to his considerable extant work, KRS-ONE earns a B.
Michael Irvin Arrington - Michael Irvin Arrington teaches in the Department of Communication at the University of Kentucky, where he studies interpersonal, family, ...
