Words By Jesse H.

I was supplying the music at a cabin get together the other weekend, and as I usually do when I’m playing from my iPod, I go through my playlist and blast the songs I want to play for the night and then I let whoever come up, browse the selections and throw on whatever feels right to them.

So my lovely friends and co-workers Lindsey and Susie step-up to the system and skim through the options while I watch out of the corner of my eye praying they won’t pick that one Phil Collins song I have (it’s a good song, okay?) and embarrass me on the spot, when all of the sudden they give each-other a knowing nod and the next thing you know, the thunderous voice of Kris Parker is booming and rumbling through the speakers…

“What I want you to do…is count to ten…”

“I Can’t Wake Up,” is one of those Hip-Hop songs that’s so good, it always inevitably gets taken for granted. In my opinion, it’s off of a 5 cig gem of an album that never gets its due, in part because the album dropped rather unceremoniously in 1993, right when Hip-Hop was starting to really feel the pull of The Chronic’s sonic influence.

As much as I love the two Boogie Down Productions records, my favorite KRS disc is definitely Return Of The Boom Bap. The beats are all banger, and The Blastmaster is in top form. Every song is great in its own right, but it’s the aforementioned song that steals the show with a concept that galvanized KRS’ already sturdy reputation as a critically acclaimed and self-proclaimed lyrical pioneer.

KRS took such a creative approach to the standard “I originated your style” type of boasting by imagining himself as a blunt that everyone big in Hip-Hop (and even the president… who was not inhaling of course) was circled around smoking. KRS was essentially able to tell everyone he felt they bit his style of MCing, in the slyest of manners.

Particularly in comparison to how patronizing KRS can come across at times, it was an extremely smart move to brag and proclaim himself as an inspiration in a new, fresh manner rather than drawing out the “Teacha” metaphor even further. Especially when compared to the moments that KRS has pissed me off in recent times, (he’s particularly overly didactic and condescending in this video), the song serves as a reminder of just how good, creative and natural an MC KRS-One was in his prime.

Thanks for the reminder Linds and Sus, I can’t tell you how proud I am to have friends with good taste in music. You two are welcome to go through my iPod anytime… just leave the Phil Collins alone.

KRS-One – I Can’t Wake Up

Bonus

KRS-One – Return Of The Boom Bap

Stray Shots

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Swifty McVay – Underestimated: The EP, Vol. 1

Zion I – Curb Servin’

40 Cal. – The Yellow Tape

Mase – Harlem World

NYOIL_Verses_9th_Wonder-9_Wonders_(The_Digital_EP)-2008

Rakim – New York (Ya Out There) VLS

DJ_Premier-Live_From_HeadQCourterz_(14.06.08)

Stray Shots