Subtitled "Justicizms," this album boasts one of the ugliest covers ever -- a close up of
Just-Ice's snarling gold dental work -- and the sounds included are equally harsh. Producer KRS-One does not try and emulate Kurtis Mantronic's high-tech polyrhythms and samples, instead he strips the sound right back and keeps things very raw: at times there's little more here than
Just-Ice's gruff vocals and the sound of a wheezing drum machine. Some old school fans rate this as the best album by the artist simply because it is so remorseless and raw. Perhaps the trick for newcomers is to check this album first and, if it interests you, then go to
Back to the Old School for desert. Fans of KRS-One will want to own the record simply to hear him and
Just-Ice trading rhymes on "Moshitup." The standout track is "Going Way Back," where
Just-Ice rasps one of the first hip-hop history lessons and dares you to disagree that Brooklyn is where it all began. Ruff stuff. ~ Garth Cartwright