KRStyle

06/13/2003 7:00 PM, LAUNCH
Dan Leroy

As time and major label deals have passed, one of history's most legendary MCs has become a prophet without honor to the mainstream. "You hear a voice in the wilderness/You know it's Kris," says KRS-One on his 11th album, a full-scale indictment of the industry that's spurned him. Examining the game and its ailments from every angle, he's seldom sounded stronger, hoarsely spitting simple but razor-sharp couplets that rumor had it would be backed by another hip-hop titan, Dr. Dre. But the production KRS got (by Da Beatminerz and others) suits the material perfectly, the dry, walloping beats and brassy hooks frequently recall his late-'80s/early-'90s heyday. As with any polemic, the tone is sometimes shrill: despite his pledge to be at peace with his "Underground" status, the Blastmaster is too proud a man for that, and an undercurrent of frustration surfaces periodically, even in "The Only One," more a laundry list of his attributes than the love song it claims to be. Releasing a collection this strong while empty-headed young gangstas top the charts will probably do that to a guy.