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Kool Moe Dee: Knowledge Is King (RCA/Jive)

Jon Young, Musician, September 1989

HE MAKES hit records. The girls won't leave him alone. The man considers his spiritual healing powers comparable to those of Christ. And yet, rapmaster Kool Moe Dee appears to be a troubled soul on Knowledge Is King, his third LP. The boasts are tiresome, and the consistently glum tone is symptomatic of a first-class sourpuss. Not that you'd wanna complain to his face, 'cause Kool Moe's skills are formidable. A blunt, meat 'n' potatoes kinda dude, he reels off a flurry of rapid-fire rhymes with sullen authority, while the beats mix solid pounding and righteous James Brown riffs. Although the angry throb of 'I Go to Work' won't win awards for innovation, it satisfies in a primal way what fancier stuff can't.

Total word count of piece: 334

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