KRS-One & Buckshot: Survival Skills

The greatest asset of wisdom is said to be experience. With our recent week highlighting Jay-z, most saw how good an “older” emcee is and can be when reflecting on the x amount of years in the game. While Hov is an exception to plenty of hip hop rules, Buckshot and KRS are certainly amongst the wisest in hip hop, even though not as prolific as Shawn. Still, under a different spotlight, it’s safe to say that Buck and Kris never hinted at the type of caliber they showed during earlier moments of their career through their recent performances. Buck has sounded uninterested and has been forgettable, while KRS has been unbelievably repetitive. This duo venture, entitled Survival Skills, sponsored by the great people at Duck Down, seems to have lifted not only the spirits of the two respected emcees, but also their momentum, ferocity, and hunger. Survival Skills outlines all that it takes to be a great emcee in the cut-throat, fast moving industry, and it is this return to the blueprint that sets the stage for the most impressive record from both Buck and Kris in a long while.

The undeniable success of Survival Skills lies in the hands of the people behind the boards. The production is amongst top notch quality from the likes of Black Milk, Illmind, 9th Wonder, Havoc, Nottz, MoSS, Marco Polo, and Khrysis. Starting with the could-be-G-Unit Illmind banger “Survival Skills,” the album sets a tone familiar to War Zone or Sneak Attack, instilling notions that these vets can still rock with the hard, rugged sound and lay down tremendous lyrical instruction and spectatorship. Black Milk provides infectious and musical production on “The Way I Feel,” featuring a surprise spot from Mary J Blige. All four hip hop juggernauts mold marvelously and everything clicks, even Buck’s laid back, fatherly introspection balances perfectly with KRS’ more aggressive and angry persona. Black Milk doesn’t stop there; check “Runnin’ Away,” featuring a similar branch from this particular tree of hip hop, Immortal Technique. The beat comparable to any elite work Black has in his catalogue, and Tech’s verse may be one of his most impressive since Volume 2.

There are plenty of features on Survival Skills, many of the curious nature. The Slug featured “We Made It” exemplifies the influence the duo has on just about any hip hop artist, and Slug, in the middle of these two, works perfectly alongside the Illmind trademark sound. K’naan’s political attire tied in with his vivid story depictions are show stealing on “Think of the Things,” and the DJ Mentplus beat wins, as well. A Sean Price verse is always welcomed, especially when backed by an epic Khrysis heat rock, as heard on “Amazin’.” While this may be the duo’s most forgettable performance on the album, the rhyme scheme is right up Sean’s alley and he makes definite use of his time to shine after two legends.

Don’t get your hopes up with the Pharoahe Monch featured “One Shot,” in fact, it’s a messy, underachieving, and bland on every level. If you’re keeping count, that’s two songs this year that a Pharoahe Monch feature has been connected to something negative (see: Slaughterhouse’s “Salute”). If there is another misstep, it’s the fact that there are way too many features. The listener is never really able to grasp the beauty of the newly formed (and highly unexpected) duo. “Hear No Evil” and the title track are amongst two of the album’s finest moments, and they contain the Teacher and the Five Foot Gorilla by themselves. Nevertheless, there are fine moments like “Past, Present, Future,” which features Melanie Fiona and Naledge over a 9th Wonder produced gemstone, where the rapping feature is good, but you can’t seem but help that it prolongs other efforts that Buck and Kris may have over this same beat.

Survival Skills evidently isn’t without flaw. Undoubtedly, it loads up a little too much onto the plate of listeners. The timeframe here regrettably leads to areas of the aforementioned repetition and bore. Coming in at almost an hour, both of these artists succeed most when short, efficient, and concise. The guest spots, while enjoyable, aren’t always called for, but it was great to see the likes of K’naan, Immortal Technique, and Slug link up with guys you’d never think possible. But, it’s comforting to know that every producer delivered their A-game to this project, and for the most part, Buckshot and KRS-One do too. Oh, and I won’t put too much emphasis on that atrocious artwork.

78/100

Survival Skills (ft. DJ Revolution) [prod by Illmind]

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Oh Really (ft. Talib Kweli) [prod by Marco Polo]

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Past Present and Future (ft. Melanie Fiona & Naledge) [prod by 9th Wonder]

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