Knowledge Is King

Track Listings

1. They Want Money

2. Avenue

3. I Go to Work

4. All Night Long

5. Knowledge Is King

6. I'm Hitting Hard

7. Get the Picture

8. I'm Blowing Up

9. Don

10. Pump Your Fist

Average customer rating:

Classic 'Tweener
KMD ON POINT......
"The dollar is moot, Knowledge is King!"
The Prototype of a Lyrical Master
A FORGOTTEN CLASSIC TRACK and some other great stuff!

Knowledge Is King
Kool Moe Dee
Manufacturer: Jive
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Old School | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

How Ya Like Me Now
Funke, Funke Wisdom
Taste of Chocolate
Radio
Kool Moe Dee - Greatest Hits

ASIN: B0000004V0
Release Date: 1989-05-12

Tracks:

They Want Money
The Avenue
I Go To Work
All Night Long
Knowledge Is King
I'm Hittin' Hard
Get The Picture
I'm Blowin' Up
The Don
Pump Your Fist

Customer Reviews:

Classic 'Tweener.......2007-07-14

Have to chime in and say that this truly is a lost classic. Knowledge is King came out right as the Old School was transitioning into the powerful (yet fatally flawed) Gangsta Rap era. It is definately not as playful as older rap albums, but KMD comes across strong and hard without the tired gimmicks (guns, b*tches, etc.) that defined his followers. On top of decent beats, he's as lyrically gifted as the D.O.C. If you like this era but aren't familiar with this one, buy it and you won't be disappointed.

KMD ON POINT.............2005-04-23

This,too me, is Kool Moe Dee most complete LP. Sure 'How ya like me know, had it good cuts, Funke,Funke wisdom ditto, but this LP was on point. It's conscious lyrics, great production(mostly Teddy Riley)are worth the price alone. Tpo cuts are: They want Money,The Avenue, I go to work, Knowledge is King, and pump your fist. Go enjoy.

"The dollar is moot, Knowledge is King!".......2004-10-22

This is the first album I ever got of Kool Mo Dee's. His albums are hard to find in stores. Anyways, this album represents an interesting scenario, since Mo Dee is old-old school (starting in the late 70's with The Treacherous Three), and this his third solo album, in which the world of Hiphop had changed drastically beforehand in '87,'88, and '89. So it's interesting to see if he's still relevant in those changed times.
The album actually began with 3 of the first 4 tracks being lighter and less serious than expected (excluding "I Go To Work" of course), but even these songs have messages denouncing women's materialistic ways, and declaring he wants a woman with a strong mind and personality. "I Go To Work," if you didn't know, is one of the best songs of his career. This one has superb lyrics covering his approach to this craft and some battle rhymes (KMD is one of the all-time greats at battling). I usually prefer mellow music, but "I Go To Work" just gets me AMPED! Otherwise, the remaining six tracks are all serious and brilliant in their own ways. Still, the highlights out of these are the title track (great rhymes promoting intellect and study), "Get The Picture," "I'm Blowing Up," and the last "Pump Your Fist"(promoting black pride and denouncing drugs; a true gem from this era). You will have to listen to all these over and over to catch everything.
Kool Mo Dee is known as the prelude to Rakim, in that he raised the bar lyrically and how he rhymed every sentence. And this is the work he did after Rakim & a few others had advanced the Hiphop art. Kool Mo Dee's vocabulary is vast, maybe the best I've ever heard in a rapper. He still uses his old-old school style of shouting over flowing, but I think he sped it up a little in this album to adjust with the times. His voice sounds a lot like Ced-Gee's from the Ultramagnetic MC's, or it should be said the other way around based on KMD's legacy. The musical backgrounds usually hit pretty hard, and have aged well, and there were even some rock elements included in a couple of the songs.
It's funny how I bought this album right before I bough Mos Def's brand new album "The New Danger," and it all sounds good to me. I don't need to play this one over and over again just to understand what was going on in '89 compared to modern day stuff, or vice-versa. Hiphop at its best is timeless! Kool Mo Dee himself stated in his book ("There's A God On The Mic") that this is his best work. I recommend getting this because Kool Mo Dee is one of the pioneers before Rakim, before KRS-One, before Big Daddy Kane, and he proves he's still relevant in a time when those three were kings. His music still offers valuable insight today, and his legacy and contributions to Hiphop are irrefutable!

The Prototype of a Lyrical Master.......2004-07-03

Kool Moe Dee...what more can I say. By far, Knowledge Is King, is his best work. Before there was Nas, there was Rakim, before there was Rakim, there was KOOL MOE DEE. As a member of the Treacherous Three, he was the creator/innovator of being "lyrical." He is the reason why I wanted to be a serious MC. K.I.K represents many facets of a well-balanced display of lyrical contact, music and song structure. I still enjoy this album till this day. My favorite song is "the avenue." However,

"I go to work" and the title track, are superb. I don't beleive that the "average rap fan" understands MOE DEE's legacy. Overall, the L.L battle may have had an effect on his influence on Hip Hop. Based on the fact, that because L.L (who is also one of the greats) had a longer lasting career and it's probably safe to say, that he also made better records than his counter part; people think that he may have won the battle. But, if they would have ever met head to head, on stage, rhyme for rhyme...KOOL MOE DEE would have been victorious. What L.L brought to the culture of battling, was that he added other components to the battle, such as record sells, sex appeal, money etc. Prior to this period, battling was about rhymes, lyrics, wittiness etc. MOE DEE is indeed a Master. One of the greatest of all-times. Prior to the coming of Rakim, KOOL MOE DEE was the best. My top 5 overall influences- Rakim, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Kool Moe Dee, Kool G. Rap. Moe Dee should probably be first, because he is the reason why I wanted to MC, back in 1981. Treacherous Three is my favorite group from the pioneer period of hip hop (79-85) From New Rap Language, At the party, The Body Rock, Put the Boogie in your body, Feel the Heartbeat, Yes we Can, Action, Get Up, X-mas Rap, We'll Turn you on, Gotta Rock, Turn it up etc. They always represented lyrical excellence. They were like three solo MC's together in a group. Anyway, Long live KOOL MOE DEE. Your presence is missed. PEACE..... r.l.will.sun

A FORGOTTEN CLASSIC TRACK and some other great stuff!.......2000-06-14

I'm giving this 5 stars on the strenth of track 3 alone..."I Go to Work" is an absolute lyrical masterpiece, it seriously stands up as strong as Eric B and Rakim's "Follow the Leader" (and any head will tell you that's a TALL order)...Kool Moe Dee is best on this record when he's hitting the uptempo battle rhymes like "I Go to Work" but he's also strong on his serious tracks like "Knowledge is King" and the venomous "Pump Ya Fist"...even the no-I-ain't-got-no-girlfriend track ("They Want Money") works as well at a party as it does in headphones.

A record which deserves to be better known than it is, coming from the Golden Age of Hip hop, when you had to be NASTY on the mic to get a record deal.

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