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Hip Hop Lives [PA]

KRS-One & Marley Marl
1 disc

1. It's Alive (Intro)
2. Hip Hop Lives
3. Nothing New
4. I Was There
5. Musika
6. Rising to the Top
7. Over 30
8. M.A.R.L.E.Y. (Marley and Red Living Everyday Youthfully)
9. Kill a Rapper
10. Teacha's Back, The
11. Victory, The
12. This Is What It Is
13. All Skool
14. House of Hits
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 4105
Credits

Producer Marley Marl; Marley Marl; 88 Fingers
Engineer Marley Marl; Harold English
Personnel: KRS-One (rap vocals).
Additional personnel: Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Magic Juan, Blaq Poet (rap vocals).
Audio Mixers: Marley Marl; Harold English.
Recording information: The House Of Hits, Rockland, NY; Tonina Music, Los Angeles, CA; Westlake Studios, West Hollywood, CA.
HIP-HOP LIVES, a monumental collaboration between two true giants from the old school, KRS-One and Marley Marl, has been a long time coming. Some 20 years after the BDP/Juice Crew beef and just when many had counted both artists out for good, HIP-HOP LIVES sees both the Blastmaster and DJ Legend rejuvenated, banging out 14 tracks of hip-hop purity. As one might expect, Kris revisits the past, narrating the story of his career on "Rising to the Top" ("New York City was crazy in the '80s/but damn, it was live!") and shouting out fellow rap veterans on "Over 30," all the while trying to frame the genre as eternal on "I Come Back" and "All Skool." Still, the record's most powerful material finds him turning topical--as he comments on the still-unsolved murders of various hip-hoppers in "Kill a Rapper." Marley Marl's thorough beatwork provides the ideal backdrop for Kris's aggressive wordplay. DJ Premier, Magic Juan, Blaq Poet, and Chief Rocker Busy Beee make cameos.
Critic Reviews

Vibe (p.74) - "[A] steady barrage of unapologetic boom-bap from Marley....[The album] contains some of KRS' best one-liners in years..."