September 2009: The Bullshit

First of all:

SORRY I took so fucking long with this, I meant to have this done and published, what? Three weeks ago? Shit.

Anywaay, bloggers all over the place were essentially shitting themselves over a number of leaked and released projects this (September) month, and as a result I've been tricked into wasting my computer's memory in 60-80 MB chunks on worthless albums that have been hyped up to be something special. So first of all - probably one of the most celebrated underground albums of September 2009...

Literally every blog I frequently view has been promoting this album in some way shape or form (well, except 1), and I cannot for the life of me understand why.

I've never really given much of a fuck about Ali, and for good reason: He's not very good. He basically reminds me of a less able Immortal Technique which isn't a very good thing at ALL. As none of you know, I find "Immie Tech" (as someone I know has chosen to dub him) to be one of the most boring and most over-rated "underground" hip hop artists ever.

Sorry I'm going off on a tangent which is irritating because when I do that I'd like to go off on something I like (such as myself) as opposed to something which irritates me like whenever a song from one of the Revolutionary Albums pops up on shuffle.

Us is his fourth full length album and it features more of the same. An average lyricist touching on common topics over dull beats that are just BEGGING for an adrenaline shot.

I checked this out as soon as it leaked and found myself counting the seconds before each song ended, upon a second listen I began trying to count the milliseconds.

After hearing a poor lead single (the Havoc produced "Robot") and Lawrence "KRS-One" Parker fuck up an album containing 100% Marley Marl production I went into this with rock bottom expectations, and yet I STILL managed to be disappointed.

Over the years KRS-One has gone from being one of the top lyricists, story tellers and educators in hip hop, a pioneer, a legend in his own right, to nothing more than a shadow of his former self, trying to force himself into relevance when we all know it's not going to happen. The pairing of Buckshot (from Black Moon) and KRS-One was hardly Cheech and Chong but I had hopes, as both, when at their best, have proven they're highly capable, and with production and guest spots from the underground's finest perhaps there WAS a chance this wouldn't suck.

How wrong I was. This album, back to front, is just BORING. The production TRIES to appeal to the mainstream audience but the fact is, they're not interested, thus making most of these beats a complete waste of an hour of play time. However the fault lies mainly with KRS and to a lesser extent Buckshot. You see, as of late, Krishna has moved away from talking of things of actual importance, and has instead taken to discussing his achievements in every album he's made. For example, on the aforementioned collaboration with Marley Marl (Hip Hop Lives) KRS essentially runs down a check list of accomplishments and events he's achieved and attended, instead of providing actual reasons as to why Hip Hop is alive.

He does the same here, and drags Buckshot along kicking and screaming. Survival Skills was simply another chance for The Blastmaster (an idiotic moniker but in the video for "A Friend" the way it's written across the piano Kris is playing is pretty classy) to boast about how he's been rapping for 35 years and you haven't, and the fact is he should have stopped at 25.

Sorry for delay, I'll get some other shit on the go soon.