KRS-One is currently recording a mixtape in the studio. Since mid-2018, photos have suggested that Kris Parker has reunited in the lab with Dr. Dre, among others. However, as the world waits to see if KRS' The World Is MIND follow-up will feature some Andre Young sounds, Blastmasta' lets fans step into his creative world.
In an April video, KRS demonstrated some of his new verses to the camera, including a small homage to a classic Big Daddy Kane rhyme routine. In other sequences, he's in the vocal booth, laying down rhymes. "Edu-tainment, straight from the pavement, you know we're known for that / This ain't Afghanistan, but this is where the dope is at / KRS quittin'? You trippin', my albums overlap / Spit the dopest rap in any city, I'm that local cat / Rappers want to see me, for real? I bring they focus back / Criminal minded, they been blinded, we gonna re-open that / Black hoodie, vocal rap / This is where my soul is at," he spits, warning that spits encyclopedia while most rappers are far more concerned about social media. The video announced some tour dates.
Now, in a new video released this week, Kris keeps the flows coming. The MC known for using freestyles on many albums uses a book of rhymes in the booth. The Teacha reveals that he's in the lab for a weekend session for an upcoming mixtape. Apart from consistently-released albums, Kris has been making tapes for 20 years, in his years since parting ways from Jive Records. Some of these projects have contained some hidden gems within the celebrated catalog. Heads can watch the legend rehearse with a syncopated rhyme style.
"This is all about your inspiration; this is all about inspiring the listener: you, to do more, to be more, finish your project, have more confidence in your ability to succeed," he says. "All of this is about when you come to the KRS-One concert, you're supposed to remember why you fell in love with Hip-Hop, to begin with. Stop complaining [about it]; all you gotta do is seek out the people that are still reppin' the original sound." Like the first video, the MC references some of the classic Boogie Down Productions phrases and titles.
Towards the conclusion of the second video, KRS closes a notebook of rhymes (among several) called "The Teacha On Top." Time will tell if that's the name of the upcoming tape. Either way, Hip-Hop is ready for it. "It's only a weekend project, but we put these lil' projects together just so the tradition and the art of MC'ing stay alive. Big up to everybody who keeps MC'ing alive. Big up to everybody who's about they word game, about the craft of poetry itself."
