Send "KRS" Ringtones to your Cell 
| Rapreviews |
 Buckshot and KRS-One are the latest in a long series of 2009 dynamic duos to drop an album together. To be perfectly fair they were one of the first to announce their collabo' and leaked out the single "Robot" to radio and mixtape DJ's well before most of the other all-star team albums came out. Whether music industry politricks or the relentless perfectionism of the two artists on "Survival Skills" are to blame for the delays is up for debate, but as the critic reviewing this album I choose the latter. The two artists involved are known more for their longevity in rap than for being in a hurry to do shit. Two albums in one year, or one album in four years, it doesn't matter. Whenever they drop a project, it's worth the wait to their fans, and "Robot" was the kind of song that told you "Survival Skills" wouldn't be a disappointment. KRS-One and Buck dropped a stinging critique of today's lack of creativity over a Havoc beat: Buckshot: "Seems like you can't sing or rap these days Without Autotune in the back these days Well fuck that! I got somethin to say With brown blunts, green weed and the smoker's gray, see the best to do it was Roger Troutman Nah shorty, T-Pain didn't come out then! I was about ten, had striped Adidas Raised from the back in the days, all types of leaders Now, I'm like DANG, they sound the same Buck voice is original, he off the range Dr. J, Barry White, WHOA Or Barry Manilow, the flow like DAG he nice So, keep that original flow That Bucktown, Duck Down, that shit you knows And I don't flip no O's 2000-and-right-now, when I spit they know" KRS-One: "This ain't a diss to nobody's art Cause Afrika Bambaataa really gave it a start You go back in the history of rap man And you'll see classic jams like Planet Rock and Pac Jam Go online, look up Kraftwerk Everything we doin is past work! We already wore that hat, those pants and that shirt So do you man if that works!! But we really here to talk about all the copies Cause when it comes to hip-hop, we the orthodoxy Cats poorly copy, copy sloppy In that section, young people should not be!" It would be easy for two seasoned veterans like Buck & KRS to come out sounding bitter that they've been overshadowed by a newer, younger generation of less lyrical rappers who rely on Fruity Loops and MySpace to be a success. Instead of going that route, these two New York legends offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Kris and Buck simply note that what you think you're doing is not brand new this year, let alone innovative when it was already done 20 years ago, so instead of copying what makes everyone else hot come up with something totally original....full text |
| Thephoenix |
| For heads who have mainlined hip-hop for decades, no new rap single could ever rile the emotion that Black Moon’s “Who Got the Props” once summoned. That said — and I’m prepared to get crucified for this — more than a few true-school veterans are cooking fresh contemporary rhymes that trump their seminal material. That especially goes for Buckshot and KRS, both of whom have been prolific lately, and who together, on Survival Skills, prove that they’ve dramatically advanced the contextual styles with which they first entered the stage. Buckshot remains that cocky slight dude with clobber-some hood rhymes; KRS is boom-bap’s tenured professor and the last MC who could ever claim he’s not preachy....full text |
| Prefixmag |
| Since he first came on the scene, KRS-One has consistently critiqued pop culture, not even sparing his fellow rappers. But unlike most of what has passed for commentary in mainstream rap, he doesn’t not boast in order to put others down. Instead, he calls out those who are not using the tool he believes it to be: a vehicle for raw, intelligent honesty, for street-level reportage, and for education. On Survival Skills, KRS and fellow legend Buckshot, report, educate, name names, all the while keeping the beats hard and true. Some of the songs here take on easy targets, like the bling-obsessed rappers with programmed poses (“Robot,” “Murder 1” and “Oh Really"). But this is an assault on fear and laziness, one that digs looks deeper than just the on the mainstream surface. “Connection” and “Think of the Things” address the need for education, the need to not be ashamed of intelligence, the need to recognize the power that rap has to speak the truth in a way that can bring change. But neither KRS nor Buckshot are crabby old-schoolers content to slam the present for the golden age. “We Made It” and “Past Present Future” are inclusive and up to date and they're a call for unity....full text |
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