Kris Kross Albums (3)
'Young, Rich and Dangerous'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 12
Label Ruffhouse/Columbia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With as much exposure as Kris Kross got, it was perhaps inevitable that the backlash would be quick in coming. With a heavily preteen audience, it was also inevitable that their fans would have moved on by the time they issued a follow-up, even if that follow-up came only a year later. Perhaps it wasn't inevitable, but that's the way it worked out for Da Bomb. The MCs' voices have already changed, but not enough to really reinvent them for a more mature audience or give them street appeal. Yet there's evidence that they're trying: They're allowed to use the word "niggas" this time around, and both "Sound of My Hood" and "I'm Real" sample vocal snippets from Dr. Dre's The Chronic. Not that Kris Kross has gone hardcore by any means; it seems more like producer Jermaine Dupri was hoping for an instant signifier of street credibility. A more important problem with Da Bomb is that there are no singles as instantly indelible as "Jump" or "Warm It Up," and this kind of album lives or dies by its singles. Whatever the ultimate reason, Da Bomb failed to duplicate the pop phenomenon of Totally Krossed Out. Although ten years on, you have to wonder how the album would have done if they'd had the patronage of a gangsta rapper and a budding movie career. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Totally Krossed Out'
Release Date 1/1/1992
Tracks 15
Label Ruffhouse
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Totally Krossed Out, the debut album by kiddie-rap sensations Kris Kross, is so tailored to a particular audience in a particular time period that it's nearly impossible to judge by any objective standard. So let's try anyway. Producer Jermaine Dupri -- still a teenager himself -- wrote all the songs here, and he delivers a catchy, pop-friendly batch of tracks that manage to stay pretty consistently engaging (perhaps in part because they are short). The album's interview intro disses playground rivals Another Bad Creation (that would have been a great hip-hop feud) before segueing into the irresistible smash "Jump" (oh, just try and listen to it without smiling, you heartless grinch). Actually, the miggeda-miggeda-mack bit proves they're not bad rappers, if they're able to borrow technique from Das EFX -- though they don't keep it up, if for no other reason than that kids want to understand the words to songs they like. And "Warm It Up" is nearly as good. Some of the album tracks are lyrically generic, but the story song "Party" finds Chris and Chris trying to sneak into a club to meet girlies. There are some surprisingly serious notes struck on "Lil' Boys in da Hood" and "A Real Bad Dream," which paint the duo as knowing street kids who are all too aware of the dangers they could easily fall into. There's nothing terribly frightening, but it's more realistic than the innocent bubblegum you might expect. Of course, then there's the self-explanatory "I Missed the Bus." But overall, Totally Krossed Out isn't nearly as obnoxious or cutesy as adults might fear -- even if the lads' MC boasts just make you want to pat them on the head. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
