Various Artists: The Temple Of Hiphop Kulture: Criminal Justice From Darkness To Light

KRS-One has played many parts, including reality-rap pioneer, sworn enemy of P.M. Dawn, and hip-hop historian, just to name a few. He recently added a new role to his ever-expanding repertoire—A&R man—and the new compilation The Temple Of Hiphop Kulture is the product of his new job as a talent-spotter. But if the album is any indication of his ability to find exceptional new hip-hop artists, he ought to consider holding onto his day job. Essentially a label sampler with a thin veneer of KRS-One's patented, pretentious "Edutainment," The Temple pairs a few ringers (Xzibit, Ras Kass, Big Daddy Kane, and KRS-One) with a slew of up-and-coming artists. But most of his "finds" tend to be notable only in their resemblance to successful artists, from Scaramanga's tired Wu-Tangisms on "Alphabetic Hammer" to Thor-El's DMX-copping delivery on "Patiently." The few new acts that stand out, perhaps not surprisingly, are those most in line with KRS-One's vision of hip-hop reverence, from Homeless Nation's laid-back sociological reality-rap on "Cali Livin'" to The Chemist's affectionate ode to train-hopping on "Platform Rapform." But such inspired moments are few and far between, as The Temple is mostly just frustratingly generic business as usual.