KRS-ONE & BUCKSHOT
Survival Skills
(Ducktown)
On Survival Skills, BDP mastermind KRS-One and Boot Camp Clik general Buckshot launch a tag-team mission, fusing their respective Boogie Down and Brooklyn styles into one sound.
The duo’s chemistry is apparent on the anti–Auto-Tune single “Robot,” as Buck’s laid-back delivery (“The best to do it was Roger Troutman/Nah, shorty, T-Pain didn’t come out then”) offsets KRS’s booming timbre over a straightforward beat from Mobb Deep’s Havoc. But fixing rap isn’t their only aim. The once apolitical BDI Thug follows The Teacher into conscious terrain on the Immortal Technique–-guested “Runnin Away” and “Think of All the Things,” a PSA for deadbeat dads. Further diversity is demonstrated on “The Way I Live,” a radio-friendly hookup with Mary J. Blige, and “Clean Up Crew,” which finds Kris, Buck and Heltah Skeltah’s Rock likening themselves to a laundry list of sanitary solutions, with amusing results. Sadly, “One Shot,” with its awkward Pharoahe Monch hook, misses its mark entirely, and the motivational “We Made It” comes off a little too preachy.
KRS and Buck might have first left Timberland-shaped footprints on hip-hop in the ’80s and early ’90s, respectively, but, on their first collaborative effort, they prove that not much has changed, and it truly is survival of the fittest. —JESSE SERWER
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September 17th, 2009
at 11:00 am
Pierzy says:
This review is almost as short as a Whoo Kid or OJ Da Juiceman post…
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 2:21 pm
$ykotic/Don McCaine says:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I had to make sure I wasn’t in the blog section!
Didn’t crack it open yet. Still in Linx 2.
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 11:15 am
TUNED2IT says:
KRS and buck made a nice album, They got the L due to the lack of coke stories and my pimp hand strong references. Positive messages get the gas face, makes me think how many raw mc’s pump there brakes before releasing positive material.
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 11:16 am
Renegade02 says:
Word
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 11:22 am
General says:
Copped this on Tuesday, really nice CD…
Its definitely got that 90’s feel too it, but overall was worth buyin
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 11:59 am
BeerGangsta says:
This is one of the best CDS that came out this year. I need for all the people that was born in 70s or 80s to go and get this CD. Fuck the rest of the CDS that come out next week. KRS1 is going to teach yall how to Rap and be Eduacated at the same time. Buck is going to break it down the cool way for yall. Classic CD for sure!!
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 12:03 pm
alderman j says:
COSIGN BEERGANGSTA,
KRS1 top ten rappers of all time, BDI EMCEE hood legend (buckshot for those that wasnt around for the black moon era)go get it if you aint got it!!!!! and where is ruck at, that nocturnal was damn near a classic.
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 2:52 pm
11KAP says:
90s hip hop was the shit, son. wtf u mean?
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 3:29 pm
RD says:
This Album is Fukkin RAW!!! That’s Real Hip Hop!
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 4:11 pm
klutch says:
wow XXL yall dropped the ball on this review dope lyrics on point production wtf else do you want
Reply
September 17th, 2009
at 8:54 pm
brand-new says:
boogie-down bx stand UP!!!! krs is one of the best to touch a mic…please help great artists!!! just pick a copy up, download his earlier work if u want to get familiar, the bridge is over, criminal minded, a retrospective, return of the boom-bap, ect. he’s a pioneer y’all!! just support good music!!
Reply
September 18th, 2009
at 1:34 am
GO-Getta' says:
Sadly, “One Shot,” with its awkward Pharoahe Monch hook, misses its mark entirely, and the motivational “We Made It” comes off a little too preachy.
GTFOH……………Fucc xxl
Reply
September 18th, 2009
at 4:36 am
Kandonga says:
Cmon guys u call this a review? coming from XXL!!!step ya game up
Reply
September 21st, 2009
at 9:02 am
GEOCENTRICS says:
THIS IS GROUND BREAKIN HISTORY SOUTH BRONX AND BUCKTOWN TOGETHER THE BDI THUG AND THE TEACHER! COPPED THE ALBUM ON TUESDAY BEST THING OUT RIGHT NOW,JESSE SERWER NEED TO BE LEFT IN THE SEWER WITH THAT BULLSHIT REVIEW
Reply
September 28th, 2009
at 10:30 am
tonyloomis says:
damn, i heard this album last night and its fire…best hip hop album i’ve heard in a minute….This review gets S while ‘Survival Skills’ gets an XXL.
Reply
January 7th, 2010
at 7:29 pm
Teddy says:
I havnt heard it but I think I know whats mostly in it.
“Rappers to day suck, All they do is talk about materialism, Auto-tune sucks, your not that good as a rapper.”
I know this is in there because I heard Robot and I have DJ Jazzy Jeff’s 07′ album. I on liked 3 songs and those songs didnt mention today’s rap being horrible.
It seems to me that every old school rapper coming back is doing nothing but preach to people who honestly dont care and are not listening. They dont even know these guys exist and they are wasting their talent trying to reach people who dont even see them. They are invisible to the people they are trying to reach.
So it makes me mad when KRS-1 can totally lyrically destroy a Nike Commercial, but have a totoly sucky album tlaking about the same damn thing that every other comeback old school rappers has. To me they are no different than the mainstream pieces of shit out now.
The only rapper that has made a great album that touches on these issues and other issues is Q-tip. He made an album where he talks about other issues.
So fuck this album.
Reply
March 14th, 2010
at 7:37 am
rockwell says:
@teddy…you said at the start u hadn’t herad it so how the fcuk can u criticise it..?!?!
Reply
June 2nd, 2010
at 6:10 am
Le Scap says:
To people complaining about KRS and Buckshot slapping the new school rappers, There’s some display of battling skills, but you know KRS might be the all time greatest battle Emcee. If you know what’s good you want him to battle a little! His fans would be pist if he didn’t do it!
How is We Made It preachy? Who ever wrote this review has some issues with reality. Only the second verse is remotely preachy but really he’s just talking about his life experience. KRS’s part is truly uplifting if you feel you have a self created magical life you wouldn’t trade for nothing.
However, thank god, there are parts of the album that are a preachy. I feel guys like 50 Cent and Lil Wayne are really preachy; It’s only that they preach about killing, buying cars, disrespecting women and such. There’s some real stuff on there, it’s not cheezy advices like eat you vitamins and don’T do drugs, it’s real good advice. It’s leadership; “Keeps hustling, even when it hurts\’cause when you loose your job you find your work\It’s in you, it’s call Survival Skill\That entrepreneurial spirit that we got to build”
I feel the only “downside” of the album is that KRS is on an other level, for real Buckshot doesn’T even sound dope beside him.
Reply