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KRISTYLES
BY CHRIS CONTI
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"Turn the radio off. . . . In five years your whole catalogue is irrelevant," hip-hop veteran KRS-One bellows and seethes on "Gunnen Em Down," by far the hardest-hitting track on Kristyles, his fourth release since making a comeback on 2001’s The Sneak Attack. It’s been almost two decades since the South Bronx rapper, whose given name is Kris Parker, emerged as one of the most commanding voices in underground hip-hop as the leader of the group Boogie Down Productions, and he’s still aiming lyrical barbs at mainstream rap stars. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is plagued by weak hooks and lame beats. Parker’s booming baritone hasn’t lost any of its power, and he sounds as confident as he did 17 years ago. He’s even got original BDP producer Kenny Parker (his older brother) on board providing the beats for "Alright with Me," along with the Beatminerz, whose skillful production bolsters a handful of tracks. But you have to dig through too much preachy posturing and bragging to get to the slick metaphors that were once Parker’s stock in trade. And the likes of "Survivin’," which loops the Brand Nubian classic "All for One" into a strong backing track, are few and far between. There are moments of the old KRS-One brilliance here on Kristyles — just enough to save the disc from falling flat — but overall it’s as inconsistent as the kind of albums he levels in "Gunnen Em Down."
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