Last year, KRS-ONE and Marley Marl‘s Hip Hop Lives served as a full circle symbol of the legendary battles between Boogie Down Productions and The Juice Crew. The album bolstered the image of the two pioneering icons, as well as propelled the two back in the mainstream with chart presence and video airplay.
Close to a year later, Marley Marl continues to go back to the future, this time linking up with Juice Crew member Craig G. Operation: Take Back Hip Hop will release this spring on Philadelphia’s Good Hands Records.
“Operation: Take Back Hip-Hop is just what it is,” said Craig G. “Instead of me wasting years complaining along with journalists and everyone else, Marley and I are trying to make change through music. This is my passion, this is what raised me, and I refuse to stand by and watch my culture get destroyed any further with poor quality music.” Marl added, “True Hip Hop fans stand up, Operation: Take Back Hip-Hop is what you’ve been waiting for.” The album will feature Sadat X, Talib Kweli and KRS-ONE. Marley Marl will be producing most of the album, welcoming his proteges in for several tracks, in the lineage of K-Def, Ayatollah and Salaam Remi.
After producing Craig G‘s 1989 album The Kingpin and 1991’s Now That’s More Like It, this album serves a reunion after 16 years. In 2003, the duo linked for the song “Let’s Get Up” on Craig‘s This Is Now!!!.
