KRS-One’s artistic winning streak continued with Edutainment, Boogie Down Productions’ fourth album. True to form, he focuses on black history and speaks out on homelessness, racism, police excesses, and materialism with clarity and insight. KRS was often compared to Public Enemy leader Chuck D because of his consistently sociopolitical focus, but there’s no mistaking the fact that his unique mixture of black nationalism, Eastern religion (both Hinduism and Buddhism), and Rastafarian philosophy is very much his own. From a commercial standpoint, he had become a little too intellectual and wasn’t selling as many albums as many in rap’s gangsta school. But from an artistic perspective, Edutainment is as commendable as it is riveting. – Alex Henderson