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I Got Next
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| I Got Next | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 20, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | September 1996–January 1997 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:50 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Producer | ||||
| KRS-One chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from I Got Next | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[3] |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Source | |
| USA Today | |
I Got Next is the third solo studio album by American rapper KRS-One. It was released on May 20, 1997, via Jive Records.[7] Production was handled by Domingo, Jesse West, Showbiz, Gordon "Commissioner Gordon" Williams, DJ Cipher, DJ Muggs, Thembisa, and KRS-One himself. It features guest appearances from Redman, Angie Martinez, Mic Vandalz, Thor-El and Puff Daddy.
In the United States the album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 95,000 copies sold in its first week.[8] It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on July 22, 1997, for selling 500,000 units. The album also made it to No. 18 in Canada, No. 90 in the Netherlands, and No. 95 in Germany.
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "1st Quarter — The Commentary" | KRS-One | 0:18 | |
| 2. | "2nd Quarter — Free Throws" | KRS-One | 2:06 | |
| 3. | "The MC" | Domingo | 3:15 | |
| 4. | "I Got Next — Neva Hadda Gun" |
| KRS-One | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Heartbeat" (featuring Redman and Angie Martinez) | KRS-One | 3:07 | |
| 6. | "Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)" |
| Jesse West | 4:50 |
| 7. | "A Friend" | Showbiz | 4:13 | |
| 8. | "H.I.P.H.O.P." (featuring Thor-El) |
| KRS-One | 2:11 |
| 9. | "Halftime" |
| "Commissioner Gordon" Williams | 0:40 |
| 10. | "3rd Quarter — The Commentary" | KRS-One | 0:17 | |
| 11. | "Klassicks" |
| 0:59 | |
| 12. | "Blowe" (featuring Redman) |
| Showbiz | 3:41 |
| 13. | "Real Hip-Hop, Pt. 2" (featuring Mic Vandalz) |
| KRS-One | 3:06 |
| 14. | "Come to da Party" |
| KRS-One | 2:10 |
| 15. | "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" |
| DJ Muggs | 3:59 |
| 16. | "Over Ya Head" |
|
| 2:17 |
| 17. | "Just to Prove a Point" |
|
| 3:45 |
| 18. | "4th Quarter — Free Throws" | KRS-One | 1:46 | |
| 19. | "Step into a World (Rapture's Delight) (Remix)" (featuring Puff Daddy) |
|
| 7:35 |
| Total length: | 45:51 | |||
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[15] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "I Got Next - KRS-One | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (May 27, 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Vol. 42, no. 21. pp. 72–73. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Diehl, Matt (June 13, 1997). "The Week: KRS-One – I Got Next". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ Powell, Kevin (May 15, 1997). "Recordings: KRS-One – I Got Next". Rolling Stone. No. 760. p. 115. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ Ex, Kris (May 1997). "Record Report: KRS-One – I Got Next". The Source. No. 92. New York. pp. 127–128.
- ^ Jones, Steve (May 20, 1997). "Hard lessons from KRS-One". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 4, 2000. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Today in Hip-Hop: KRS-One Drops 'I Got Next' - XXL". XXL. May 20, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Pop Albums: What's happening?". Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved June 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KRS-One Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – KRS-One – I Got Next" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – KRS-One – I Got Next" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "KRS-One Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "KRS-One Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – KRS-One – I Got Next". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – KRS-One – I Got Next". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
[edit]- I Got Next at Discogs (list of releases)
I Got Next
View on GrokipediaI Got Next is the third solo studio album by American rapper KRS-One, released on May 20, 1997, by Jive Records.[1] The album adopts a basketball game structure, divided into "quarters" with interludes framing tracks that blend boom bap production, conscious hip-hop lyricism, and social critique, largely self-produced by KRS-One.[2] Key singles such as "Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight)," sampling Blondie's "Rapture," and "The MC" highlight his technical rhyming and thematic focus on hip-hop's essence and cultural preservation.[3] Commercially, I Got Next marked KRS-One's peak solo success, debuting at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart with 95,000 first-week sales and later certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 units shipped, outperforming his prior solo efforts.[4][5] Critically, it received solid acclaim for maintaining KRS-One's authoritative presence amid evolving 1990s rap trends, though some retrospectives view it as a transitional work bridging his Boogie Down Productions era to later independence.[1]
Background
Recording and development
Following the release of his self-titled second solo album in 1995, KRS-One conceived I Got Next as a continuation of his transition from Boogie Down Productions group efforts to independent solo output, emphasizing conscious hip-hop principles amid the era's prevalence of commercially oriented gangsta rap styles.[6] This evolution reflected his longstanding role as a genre educator and cultural advocate, drawing from the foundational "Golden Age" ethos to produce forward-looking material intended for long-term relevance rather than fleeting trends.[7] Principal recording occurred in New York City studios during 1996 and early 1997, with post-production editing completed at Battery Studios in NYC and Chicago Recording Company.[8] Sessions prioritized a blend of original compositions and structured content, resulting in a 19-track album that incorporated non-rap elements such as quarter-based spoken-word interludes to impart hip-hop historical and philosophical insights, aligning with KRS-One's didactic approach.[9] These interludes, including introductory commentary on the genre's core elements, served to frame the project as an instructional extension of his teachings rather than purely entertainment-focused product.[10]Production contributors
KRS-One served as the primary producer on the majority of tracks, including intros like "1st Quarter - The Commentary" and "2nd Quarter - Free Throws," as well as core songs such as "I Got Next/Neva Hadda Gun," "Heartbeat," and "Blow Up Da Spot," where he also mixed selections to preserve a direct, unpolished boom bap foundation rooted in sampled drums and minimalistic arrangements.[8] His hands-on role extended to engineering on tracks like "Real Hip Hop - Part II," ensuring tight integration of vocal performances with beats.[8] Collaborating producers included Showbiz, who handled production and mixing on "Outta Here" and another Redman-featuring track, delivering hard-hitting, street-oriented beats that amplified the album's energetic flow.[8] Domingo produced and mixed "The MC," layering backing vocals from Feel-X and Kevin Glover over sparse, ominous instrumentation to underscore lyrical introspection.[8] Jesse West produced "Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)," incorporating lead vocals from Keva and arrangements by KRS-One for a nod to classic hip-hop sampling techniques.[8] DJ Muggs contributed to "The Menace Is Loose," adding West Coast-inflected grit with KRS-One's backing vocals, while Commissioner Gordon produced and mixed "Over Ya Head," blending live brass—tenor saxophone by Keith Loftis, trombone by Dupor Georges, and trumpet by G. Fontenette—for organic depth amid the predominant sampled aesthetic.[8] Featured artists enhanced specific cuts' dynamics: Redman provided hyped choruses and verses on "Heartbeat" and another Showbiz-produced track, injecting playful aggression that contrasted KRS-One's authoritative style, while Angie Martinez delivered complementary rhymes on "Heartbeat."[8] Mic Vandalz appeared on "Real Hip Hop - Part II," supporting the track's militant tone.[8] Engineering was led by Commissioner Gordon, who handled over ten tracks including "The MC," "Heartbeat," and "Over Ya Head," with assistant Ted Wholson aiding on multiple sessions to achieve precise vocal-beat synchronization.[8] Live rhythm section elements on one track featured bass by Edward Nappi, drums by Peter Hines, and guitar by Peter Mengede, produced by KRS-One with their additional input, to inject raw, band-like authenticity rare in the era's digital-heavy production.[8] Mixing duties spread across KRS-One, Showbiz, and others like Michael Patterson on the "Step Into A World" remix featuring Puff Daddy, prioritizing clarity in dense lyrical deliveries.[8]Musical style and themes
Lyrical content
The lyrics of I Got Next emphasize KRS-One's commitment to hip-hop as a vehicle for education, cultural preservation, and philosophical depth, contrasting sharply with contemporaneous gangsta rap's focus on violence and excess.[1] Throughout the album, KRS-One, self-styled as "The Teacha," promotes self-education and historical awareness, urging listeners to prioritize intellectual growth over superficial pursuits.[11] For instance, in "The MC," he delineates the essence of emceeing as skillful verbal artistry rooted in hip-hop's foundational elements—breaking, graffiti, deejaying, and knowledge—rather than commercial mimicry. Central to the album's lyrical intent is a critique of materialism within rap, positioning hip-hop as a counterforce to consumerism's erosion of cultural integrity. KRS-One warns against the allure of wealth-driven narratives that undermine personal responsibility and communal uplift, advocating instead for first-principles reasoning grounded in hip-hop's origins.[12] Tracks like "I Got Next/Neva Hadda Gun" explicitly reject the normalization of gun violence, with lines such as "I never had a gun but yet I feel I can buck / With the best of 'em, test of 'em, stress of 'em," illustrating a stance of mental fortitude over physical armament and debunking tropes of armed bravado as inauthentic to true hip-hop ethos. "Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)" serves as an anthem for reclaiming hip-hop's roots, using a rapture metaphor to invite immersion in a purified cultural space where authenticity prevails over diluted trends.[13] Lyrics like "Step into a world that's brand new / Step into a world where it's all for you" evoke a call to self-empowerment through engagement with hip-hop's philosophical core, prioritizing collective elevation over individualistic materialism.[13] Similarly, "Over Ya Head" deploys dense, jazz-inflected wordplay—replete with internal rhymes and layered metaphors—to challenge listeners' comprehension, underscoring KRS-One's anti-commercialism by questioning whether mainstream audiences grasp hip-hop's intellectual demands: "Am I over ya head? Yo, am I over ya head?"[14] This track's poetic complexity reinforces the album's broader theme of hip-hop as a discipline demanding rigorous self-improvement, distinct from profit-motivated simplicity.[15]Production techniques and samples
The production of I Got Next was predominantly handled by KRS-One himself, with additional contributions from producers Domingo and DJ Premier on select tracks, emphasizing self-reliant craftsmanship typical of mid-1990s East Coast hip-hop.[8] Beats centered on boom bap drum patterns—hard-hitting kicks, crisp snares, and swung hi-hats derived from sampled breaks—contrasting the era's emerging glossy, keyboard-heavy sounds in commercial rap.[4] Scratching and subtle turntable effects appear frequently, as in the title track, adding textural grit without overpowering the rhythm.[16] Sampling formed the core technique, drawing from hip-hop's archival sources to evoke authenticity and historical depth, often prioritizing raw vinyl textures over synthesized loops. The lead single "Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight)" interpolates and samples Blondie's 1980 track "Rapture" for its hook, alongside The Mohawks' 1968 funk instrumental "The Champ" for brass stabs, blending new wave and soul elements into a hip-hop framework.[17] [18] "Klassicks" layers multiple hooks from Boogie Down Productions' earlier works, such as "9mm Goes Bang" (1987) and "Super Hoe" (1987), reinforcing KRS-One's lineage through direct sonic callbacks.[19] The opener "I Got Next" incorporates field-recorded basketball game ambience from The Hollywood Edge Sound Effects Library, including crowd noise and ball bounces, to ground the basketball motif in immersive realism.[20] These methods deviated from 1997's mainstream trends toward overproduced, multi-layered synth arrangements and live band interpolations seen in acts like Puff Daddy's Bad Boy roster, opting instead for sparse, functional backdrops that amplified vocal clarity and rhythmic drive.[4] [21] Live horns and jazz loops appear sparingly, as in horn blasts echoing soul records, but the overall palette favors unpolished, breakbeat-centric construction to maintain a street-level immediacy absent in contemporaneous polished rap.[8] This restraint avoided precursors to Auto-Tune-era smoothing, ensuring beats served as unembellished platforms for intricate flows rather than decorative excess.[16]Release and promotion
Singles
"Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)", the lead single from I Got Next, was released on March 3, 1997, via Jive Records in formats including 12-inch vinyl, cassette, and promotional CD singles.[22] The track, produced by KRS-One and featuring a sample from Blondie's "Rapture", debuted on the charts in April 1997 and peaked at number 14 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.[23][24] Its accompanying music video, which showcased KRS-One's commanding stage presence and lyrical prowess, aired on MTV and BET, generating radio airplay on urban contemporary stations and fostering crossover interest while preserving the song's emphasis on hip-hop authenticity and cultural elevation.[25] Further singles from the album included "The MC", issued in 1997 as a promotional 12-inch, which reached number 67 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[10] "Unstoppable" followed as a single release later that year, available in vinyl and digital formats, highlighting collaborations and production by DJ Premier, though it did not achieve significant mainstream chart placement.[3] Additionally, "I Got Next/Neva Hadda Gun" was released as a double-sided single in 1997, targeting rap audiences with its raw, narrative-driven content on street survival and hip-hop supremacy, distributed primarily through club and radio promotion without notable Billboard peaks.[26] These releases prioritized vinyl for DJ play and urban radio penetration, balancing commercial rollout with KRS-One's commitment to substantive messaging over pop concessions.Marketing and artwork
The artwork for I Got Next features KRS-One posed in a basketball stance on a court, evoking the phrase's slang origin where players call "I got next" to claim the upcoming game, paralleling KRS-One's assertion of primacy in hip-hop.[27] The design, handled by Alexander Maslatzides with art direction by Jackie Murphy, visually reinforces the album's competitive theme of succession in rap's lineage.[8] Jive Records supported the May 20, 1997, release with promotional materials including double-sided 12-by-12-inch posters distributed to retailers and fans.[28] A promotional cassette sampler containing track snippets was also produced to preview content for radio and industry audiences.[29] Promotion extended to live events, with KRS-One performing alongside Redman and Nice & Smooth at a New York concert on May 9, 1997, ahead of the album's street date, and a subsequent appearance at Toronto's Opera House on June 28, 1997, broadcast on New Music TV.[30][31] These efforts highlighted KRS-One's enduring presence in live hip-hop circuits amid the era's shift toward commercial rap styles. The label issued the album on vinyl in addition to CD and cassette formats, catering to collectors.[32]Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "1st Quarter – The Commentary" | 0:18 |
| 2 | "2nd Quarter – Free Throws" | 2:16 |
| 3 | "The MC" | 3:05 |
| 4 | "I Got Next / Neva Hadda Gun" | 4:11 |
| 5 | "Heartbeat" (featuring Redman & Angie Martinez) | 3:07 |
| 6 | "Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)" | 4:50 |
| 7 | "A Friend" | 4:13 |
| 8 | "H.I.P.H.O.P." | 2:11 |
| 9 | "Halftime" | 0:40 |
| 10 | "3rd Quarter – The Commentary" | 0:17 |
| 11 | "Klassicks" | 0:59 |
| 12 | "Blowe" | 3:41 |
| 13 | "Real Hip-Hop, Pt. II" | 3:06 |
| 14 | "Come to da Party" | 2:10 |
| 15 | "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" | 3:59 |
| 16 | "Over Ya Head" | 2:17 |
| 17 | "Just to Prove a Point" | 3:45 |
| 18 | "4th Quarter – Free Throws" | 1:46 |
Commercial performance
Chart positions
"I Got Next" peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States during 1997.[5] It simultaneously reached number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[5] In the United Kingdom, the album entered the Official Charts Company's UK Albums Chart at number 58 and spent two weeks in the listing.[33]| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 3 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 2 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 58 |
