KRS One had already made a name for himself as part of the hip hop trio Boogie Down Productions, but with the release of "Return of the Boom Bap" in 1993, he cemented his place as one of the greatest solo rappers in hip hop history.
Combining his immense talents as a lyricist with the production skill of fellow music legend DJ Premier, "Return of the Boom Bap" was well received at the time of its release and has only become more celebrated as time has progressed. "When it comes to rhyming skills, he still has few rivals," Rolling Stone wrote about KRS One in their review of the album. "His raps combine cultural literacy, wild imagination and absurd wit with mad street flavor. KRS expresses ideas with such exuberance that the zany logic of some of his assertions goes down like candy-coated pills." Five years later, The Source named the album as one of the best rap albums ever made.
"We will be here forever. Forever and ever," KRS One says during the intro for the album, in a statement that sounded like boasting when "Return of the Boom Bap" was first released but has turned out to be a self fulfilling prophecy -- KRS One is still out there, performing and representing the same "real hip hop," and "Return of the Boom Bap" is to this day regularly cited by professional critics and classic hip hop fans alike as one of the best albums in the genre.
By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com
