KRS-One`s "KRS-One [HeRBan DeLuXe VeRSioN]"...

After playin` the hell outta my "Return Of The Boom Bap" tape back in the day, ya best believe that I was super stoked when KRS-One dropped his self titled second solo album 9 days before my 15th birthday in 1995. I still hadn`t quite upgraded to a CD player at the time so I eventually copped the cassette thru one of those mail order tape/CD clubs, either Columbia House or BMG Music. I can`t really remember which, it`s been a long while since I`ve seen the tape, it`s still at my parents` crib in storage somewhere. I also played the fuck out of that "KRS-One" cassette, it`s a great album!!!

My only gripe with it is all them DaMn interludes in between most of the songs. I understand why they are included; either he needed an ego stroke or just wanted to show the listeners how Hip Hop he is by gettin` shout outs from many of Hip Hop`s key players. It all depends on how ya want to look at it. Either way, after hearing it once or twice you really don`t need to hear it again & again. Unfortunately for me since I had the tape the only way to skip the interludes was to hit the ol` fast forward button on my stereo`s tape deck or walkman. So once I had enough money saved up I made the upgrade & bought the CD...

Unfortu-FuCKiN-Ly you still have to skip the interludes on the CD version of the album. However it`s a little easier to do this time around, hit the skip/next track button. The interludes should have been separate tracks, but for some odd reason KRS intended for us to hear these shout outs upon every listen. Maybe it was Jive Records` choice to format the album like that, who knows for sure? Either way it`s not something that I particularly enjoy about the album! I just want to dive into the head noddin` Boom Bapp`N sounds whenever I throw it on. FuCK all these interludes!....LoL, so it was only fitting for me to put my HeRBaN DeLuXe touch on this KRS classic!!! 


With this VeRSioN I didn`t have to adjust any of the volume on the songs, they were all at a decent level. I simply separated the previously mentioned shout outs/interludes from the songs & made them individual tracks. I did boost the volume on some of the interludes because I found them to be a little on the low side, also I decided to separate the lil` 'taggin` intro' that starts before "Out For Fame" & made it it`s own track so we can get right into the song. The "Outro" was simply separated from the end of "Health, Wealth, Self". The 3 bonus tracks come from a variety of sources; the "Rappaz R. N. Dainja [Kenny Parker Mix]" comes from a 12 Inch single, "The Truth [Original Version]" comes from some untitled KRS-One compilation that I found on my hard~drive (so unfortunately I have no clue where it truly came from, see what I did there?...LoL) & the "1-2 Pass It [Stretch Armstrong Rmx]" came from one of the members on the Philaflava T.R.O.Y. forum. Essentially this is the way that the album should have been formatted, my opinion of course. Enjoy... 

KRS-One - KRS-One [HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN]

Label: Jive

Released: 2018

1. Intro

2. Rappaz R. N. Dainja

3. Interlude #1

4. Da Automatic {ft. Fat Joe}

5. MC`s Act Like They Don`t Know

6. Interlude #2

7. Ah Yeah!

8. R.E.A.L.I.T.Y.

9. Interlude #3

10. Free Mumia {ft. Channel Live}

11. Hold

12. Interlude #4

13. Wannabemceez {ft. Mad Lion}

14. Represent The Real Hip Hop {ft. Das EFX}

15. Interlude #5

16. The Truth

17. Rich Nice Speaks [Interlude #6]

18. Build Ya` Skillz {ft. Busta Rhymes}

19. Interlude #7

20. Taggin` Intro

21. Out For Fame

22. Squash All Beef

23. Interlude #8

24. Health, Wealth, Self

25. Outro

26. Rappaz R. N. Dainja [Kenny Parker Mix]

27. The Truth [Original Version]

28. 1-2 Pass It [Stretch Armstrong Rmx] {D&D All-Stars}

BaCK~uP LiNK #1...


BaCK~uP LiNK...

N`JoY...

KRS-One`s "Return Of The Boom Bap [HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN]"...

“Return Of The Boom Bap”……Ahhhhhhhh mannnnnn! What should I say about this album? Aside from the fact that it’s still my favorite KRS-One album to this day? Aside from the fact that I still have the cassette over at my parents’ crib? Copped it thru one of those music clubs back in the day; you know Columbia House, BMG music, etc. I actually gotta BiG uP those music clubs because I was able to experience a whole lot of Hip Hop thru the memberships that I had with ‘em when I was 13 & didn’t have a large grip of dough to spend. Copped plenty of albums at reasonable prices, cassettes at first because I hadn’t yet moved onto CDs until a bit later in the game. The only thing that I wasn’t a fan of was when ya had to buy the required amount of CDs or tapes at their full price because their prices were quite high especially with their shipping costs, but that’s another story for another day. So anyway that’s how I was able to get my hands on the “Return Of The Boom Bap” tape amongst many others & once I slapped that tape into my Sony Walkman I played the hell out of it thru~out my high school years! I was feeling a little nostalgic a few weeks ago so I actually dug out the album from one of my many boxes of CDs & decided to dust it off. While giving it a listen thru that’s when I got to wondering why hasn’t this album been re~released with some bonus cuts? It’s definitely worthy of such a release, so I said fuck it & decided that I’d put together one of my web~famous HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioNs & this here is what I came up with…

Originally this great gem of an album was released in 1993 thru Jive & it included 14 tracks in total, with production handled by the likes of DJ Premier (6 tracks), Norty Cotto (1 track), Kid Capri (2 tracks), Showbiz (1 track) & even KRS-One (5 tracks) himself. So at just under 56 minutes in length, it left me enough room to add another 6 tracks to complete this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN (I`m Old School so I try to keep these H.D.V`s under 80 minutes so they can still fit onto a CD if one so chooses to burn it onto a disc). The first song that I decided to add is “Hip Hop vs. Rap”, a tune that in all honesty should`ve been on the retail release of “Return Of The Boom Bap” anyway. The next selection was a no~brainer really, “Outta Here [Original Demo Version]”, definitely worth the listen for the Mr. Magic DiSS alone. It was kind of hard to find a track to follow that almost lost piece of Hip Hop history, but I think I made the right choice with “Sound Of Da Police [Rmx]”. After that I hit the 12 inch singles for “Return Of The Boom Bap [Iron Lion Rmx]” & “Mortal Thought [Kenny Parker Rmx]” respectively. “Hip Hop vs. Rap [Spinbad Blend]” closes out the album very nicely. Now for some reason unbeknownst to any true Hip Hop head you haven`t heard this album before, let me break down exactly what you`re in for…

“KRS-One Attacks” opens up things & gives the listeners a glimpse of what to expect. KRS doesn`t actually spit anything on this, it serves as more of an intro. The way DJ Premier cuts the various KRS-One samples to create it is simply awesome. “Outta Here”, which I believe was the album’s first single, was produced by DJ Premier. Over the simplistic, but very hard beat KRS-One kicks some tales of Hip Hop History as only the teacha could. What’s DoPe about it is how he does it in such a way that it`s pretty much first~person perspective because…well, he was a crucial part of the history & it`s kind of awesome to see things from that side of the fence. The self~produced “Black Cop”, which was previously released on the “CB4 Soundtrack”, rocks a simple yet effective enough loop for KRS to get his points across. DJ Premier shows up once again to handle the production on “Mortal Thought” & provides a nice jazzy backdrop for KRS-One to flex his lyrical braggadocio mic rockin’ rhymes over…

The KRS/Premier collaborating continues, but this time they both handle the production on “I Can’t Wake Up”. This song could be taken 2 ways; a lot of folks take it as an anti~Weed smokin’ tune, but I think that it should be interpreted as a dream that KRS-One probably had after indulging in a few blunts himself. I mean c’mon, he’s a blunt being passed around & smoked by a who’s~who of Hip Hop (at the time). Either way you take it though, it’s a good concept record worth the listen so don’t sleep! “Slap Them Up” features a little uncredited intro by DJ Premier & some uncredited raps from Ill Will. The beat was produced by Latin House producer Norty Cotto & co-produced by Douglas Jones. To be honest I`m not really familiar with either one of these producers, but they sure gave KRS a nice backin` for his rhyme flexin`. Now the Showbiz produced “Sound Of Da Police” should need no introduction, I mean c’mon it’s featured in the 2016 animated “The Angry Birds Movie” for cryin’ out loud. My son was singing the hook of this tune at 4 years old because of said movie….LoL, both Showbiz & KRS must`ve seen some nice residuals off that song placement, anyway this was the album`s second single. The head~nodding beat & catchy chorus will definitely hook your ear, but it’s the lyrics that you really need to hear. I’d quote some, but honestly you truly need to hear them over the beat to do `em justice. Trust me you won’t be disappointed at all!!!

“Mad Crew” is a self-produced joint that’s sure to get ya` head noddin’, Boom Bapp`N Hip Hop indeed. The simplistic beatboxin’ backdrop on “Uh Oh” is almost the perfect backing for KRS’s reggae~vibed storytelling, another self-produced joint. “Brown Skin Woman” is the Blastmaster’s ode to well just that, Kid Capri provided the smooth production on this one. “Return Of The Boom Bap” is another joint that KRS-One produced himself. Some folks out there may remember hearing the DJ Premier produced “P Is Still Free” while they were listening to the “Menace II Society Soundtrack”, which was also released in 1993. Something interesting to note; if you actually take a look at that tracklist the song’s credited to Boogie Down Productions. So does that make it the last official BDP song? Or did someone at Jive just fuck up?? Someone out there on the Internet knows, feel free to school me…

Kid Capri takes on double duties on the Jazzy~vibed “Stop Frontin`” as producer & guest emcee, he handles both very well I`d have to say. “Higher Level” is some great funkdafied spiritual Hip Hop, produced by DJ Premier. This song is the closer on the original album release & honestly I have to say that it’s a great way to end such an awesome album. Still as a KRS fan I can’t lie, I was always just a little disappointed in the fact that “Hip Hop vs. Rap”, the B-Side of the album`s first single, was never included as part of the album. So naturally that was my first choice when it came to the songs that I chose to add to this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN. The song’s produced by both KRS-One & Kenny Parker, definitely something you just need to hear on your own, my words probably wouldn’t do it enough justice…

Next in the added bonus joints is the “Outta Here [Original Demo Version]”. Unfortunately the sound quality isn’t that great, sounds like a cassette rip & the song itself sounds like it was dubbed from a radio show. So maybe it’s not actually a demo, but an alternate radio version, because the song is censored, has the same beat pretty much, but it also contains a few Mister Magic DiSSeS that don’t appear on the retail album version of the same song. I’m not sure of the source of the file so I couldn’t tell you, either way though it’s definitely something worth listening to just for the historic value of it. The “Sound Of Da Police [Rmx]” comes with a nice thumpin` beat that Kenny Parker produced, it’s DoPe but I’m still kind of partial to the way Showbiz rocked the original album version myself. Regardless it’s a great song & that’s why I added it…

The “Return Of The Boom Bap [Iron Lion Rmx]” comes from the 12 inch single released in 1994 & features Mad Lion. It has a nice Reggae vibe to it & I believe that Mad Lion was the one to produce the track, couldn’t find any production credit on the track so feel free to school me if I’m wrong. The “Mortal Thought [Kenny Parker Rmx]” is another joint off that “Return Of The Boom Bap” 12 inch single. It’s ok, but doesn’t compare to the original version, Premier just rocked it more, my opinion of course. Still plenty of heads dig the tune, I think the reason that I don’t dig it as much is because it’s censored & well Premier didn’t do it….LoL, anyway “Hip Hop vs. Rap [Spinbad Blend]” closes out things here. DJ Spinbad does a great job blending in various beats to match KRS’s lyrics. I think this was featured on a mixtape or something, to be completely honest I’m not sure of its source. So there ya have it, did I do the album some justice with the added tracks? Is there something else that should have included? Feel free to leave some comments…

 KRS-One - Return Of The Boom Bap [HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN]
Label: Jive/ BuDD@H BLe$$eD EnT.

Released: 1993-2018

1. KRS-One Attacks

2. Outta Here

3. Black Cop

4. Mortal Thought

5. I Can`t Wake Up

6. Slap Them Up {ft. Ill Will}

7. Sound Of Da Police

8. Mad Crew

9. Uh Oh!

10. Brown Skin Woman

11. Return Of The Boom Bap

12. P Is Still Free

13. Stop Frontin` {ft. Kid Capri}

14. Higher Level

15. Hip Hop vs. Rap

16. Outta Here [Original Demo Version]

17. Sound Of Da Police [Rmx]

18. Return Of The Boom Bap [Iron Lion Rmx] {ft. Mad Lion}

19. Mortal Thought [Kenny Parker Rmx]

20. Hip Hop vs. Rap [Spinbad Blend]

BaCK~uP LiNK #1...

MeGa LiNK...

N`JoY...

KRS-One`s "ReTuRN Of The BooM BaP" [12 iNCH]...

Was listening to "Return Of The Boom Bap" (my favorite KRS-One album) earlier today. Just felt the urge to hear some good HiP HoP music, so naturally I dust`D off this CLaSSiC & cranked up the volume....LoL, I remember when the album first dropped I copped the cassette `cuz I didn`t have a CD player at the time. Played it so DaMn much in my Sony Walkman that the tape snapped:( that was a sad day for sure! I tried to splice it back together with some Scotch Tape, took a good 2 hours. Thought I did a good job til I placed it back in my bedroom stereo......ish just got all jammed up in the tape deck, had to pull it all out & in the process I snapped the tape a few more times. Needless to say I had to put in some work so I could cop another "Return Of The Boom Bap" tape....LoL, 2 weeks later KRS was back up in my Walkman:)

Anyways that was my lil` tale of the tape....LoL, now let`s get to this 12 inch shall we. Not only do ya get 2 great tracks from the `93 CLaSSiC album, but ya also get 2 Remixes, an Instrumental & an Acapella (or 'Thoughtapella' in this case). Mad Lion is featured on the Iron Lion Remix of "Return Of The Boom Bap", while Kenny Parker remixed "Mortal Thought". In my opinion the remixes are alright, but I still prefer the LP cut more. I guess it`s because I played the hell out of the album for years & just got so used to them. That & the fact that I didn`t heard the remixes until about 1997.....LoL, that`s when I finally copped the 12 inch. Either way I still DiG the album cuts, but the remixes are decent. So go `head & check it out for ya`self...

KRS-One - Return Of The Boom Bap [12 Inch]

Label: Jive

Released: 1994

A1. Return Of The Boom Bap [LP Version]

A2. Return Of The Boom Bap [Iron Lion Rmx] {ft. Mad Lion}

A3. Return Of The Boom Bap [Instr.]

B1. Mortal Thought (I Must Rock The Mic) [LP Version]

B2. Mortal Thought (I Must Rock The Mic) [Kenny Parker Rmx]

B3. Mortal Thought (I Must Rock The Mic) [Thoughtapella]

You can DL the "Return Of The Boom Bap" music video in mp4 format here...

N`JoY...

MaD LioN`s "TaKe iT EaSy b/w BiG BoX Of BLuNTs" [12 iNCH]...

This 12 inch right here is for y`all smokers. Had to dust off this one, but it was well worth it indeed! I haven`t posted up anything from Mad Lion yet, so this`ll be a nice start. Unfortunately though, I`ve got a lil` case of that laziness once again.....LoL, so I`m gon` save Mad Lion`s story for another post, sorry y`all! Anyway both tracks on this 12 inch are great tunes, my favorite joint would have to be the last one, "Big Box Of Blunts [KRS-One Mix]". It`s not really all that different than the Vocal Mix, but I still DiG it a lot more...

It`s kind of funny, listening to this 12 inch really takes me back to my junior high school days. Back when I first started to puff on that GooD GReeN....LoL, tryin` to hide the red~eyes from my parents ("Oh I`m just tired mama..."). I remember watchin` the "Take It Easy" music video on Rap City (really DuG the graff` scenes), it got some good rotation back then. So go `head & kick back, roll up a lil` somethin` then check out the tunes...

Mad Lion - Take It Easy b/w Big Box Of Blunts [12 Inch]

Label: ZYX Music

Released: 1994

1. Take It Easy [Vocal Mix]

2. Take It Easy [Instr.]

3. Take It Easy [Intro Edit]

4. Big Box Of Blunts [Vocal Mix]

5. Big Box Of Blunts [Instr.]

6. Big Box Of Blunts [KRS-One Mix]

You can DL the "Take It Easy" music video here, it`s in mp4 format for ya` viewing pleasure...

N`JoY...