“MCs Act Like They Don’t Know” is one of many collaborations between KRS-One and DJ Premier. It was the lead single of KRS-One’s second self-titled solo album, and he took aim at commercial rappers with mainstream accolades having no live performance capabilities and white culture vulture kids calling themselves n***.  KRS-One and DJ Premier were fresh off their work on his first solo album, Return of the Boom Bap, and “MCs Act Like They Don’t Know” was just as dynamic. KRS-One was only three years away from his departure from Boogie Down Productions and was still very much in his prime. The sound of his sophomore album, like all of his ’80s and ’90s output, defined the boom-bap era and was one of the reasons New York City was the center of the hip-hop universe. The eponymous album and “MCs Act Like They Don’t Know” are still making new KRS-One fans in 2024. KRS-One released his 17th studio album, IMAMCRU12, in 2022. KRS-One appears on Diamond D’s newly released The Diam Piece 3: INITIUM. 

DJ Premier and Nas recently recorded the single “Define My Name.” They released the song on April 19th the 30th anniversary of Nas’ debut album Illmatic. Nas admits on the track that he had no plans to be rapping in his 50’s but the words kept flowing through the years. The iconic producer and superstar rapper have previously worked together and Premier produced three songs from Illmatic. “Define My Name” prepares rap fans for their collaborative album scheduled to come out this year. Nas released Magic 2 and Magic 3 in 2023.  

Gang Starr’s “Words I Manifest” was their debut single led by a sample of Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia.” An earlier lineup of the group had released some singles produced by DJ The 45 King in 1987 and 1988.  No More Mr. Nice Guy was released in 1989 exactly one year after Stetsasonic’s Full Gear and two years before A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory and three years before Digable Planet’s Reachin’ (A New Time And Space) which made them pioneers in jazz rap. DJ Premier’s cuts, scratches and samples of Gillespie, James Brown and Joe Tex was its own band with Guru’s resonant vocals. Gang Starr’s first album did not become a commercial motherlode but they were respected by hip-hop fans, their peers and most of the critics. They were one of the most significant groups of the decade because their pure sonic inventions found a genius way to celebrate past music legacies while forseeing the future. Gang Starr’s catalog No More Mr. Nice Guy was remastered and reissued for a second time in 2022 with the addition of nine bonus tracks. In June of 2023, DJ Premier hinted at new music from Gang Starr on Instagram. One Of The Best Yet was released in 2019, nine years after Guru’s passing. 

Rakim’s second solo album The Master was released in 1999 and it was seven years after his last album with Eric B.  DJ Premier produced “When I B On Tha Mic” and Rakim rapped winding word streams over the piano-heavy beat. Rakim gave a salute to street hustlers, women in the room and his own rap stamina. The song reassured longtime fans that Rakim still possessed greatness and it was a boon to the solo part of his legacy. The Master gained more importance over time because it was Rakim’s last album for the next 10 years. In 2022, Rakim appeared on Michael Patrick Kelly’s song “Wonders.” 

Rakim is performing with Talib Kweli at the Blue Note in New York City on February 7th-9th with jazz pianist Bob James. Eric B. and Rakim will get their own action figures in the Spring of 2023.