KRS One (Bronx, NY) – “Build Ya Skillz” ft. Busta Rhymes [KRS-One – 1995]

Featuring Busta Rhymes, Produced by Diamond D

KRS-One is the second album released by hip hop artist KRS-One under his own name. The album was originally meant to be titled Hip-Hop Vs. Rap, as can be seen in the early The Source‘s and Rap Pages reviews, which also reveals that a few tracks were scrapped at the last minute in addition to the change of album title. These songs include the Diamond D produced song “What I Know”, the ragga-flavoured “Club Dems” and a few interludes including “Kris Is…” and “Meta-physician”. All of these songs still remain unreleased to this day although they have all been posted at XXL Magazines webpage for streaming.

The album is weaved together by a string of interludes appearing between songs featuring radio shoutouts to Kris from hip-hop heavyweights including Lord Finesse, Rakim, Method Man, Mr. Magic, Jeru The Damaja and even MC Shan, who had famously feuded with KRS and his group Boogie Down Productions a decade prior. Inside the CD booklet KRS-One gives shoutouts to additional producers who worked on the LP but whose songs didn’t make the final cut. The names are Pete Rock, Freddie Foxxx, Kenny Parker (brother of KRS), DJ S&S, Kenny Dope, Kid Capri and Domingo.

The song “Ah Yeah” originally appeared on the compilation album Pump Ya Fist. A limited promotional EP sampler of the compilation was released in 1995 featuring three exclusive remixes of the song (in addition to previews of featured selections by Jeru The Damaja and Rakim) – one produced by KRS-One himself and the other two by Diamond D.