KRS-One has been many things in his fifteen-year career — activist, teacher, even thug in the early days - but with his ninth studio album, the rap veteran settles into a new role: motivational speaker. Previously known for taking a mike-shaped sledgehammer to topics like racism, police brutality and even red meat, the hyperdidactic Blastmaster KRS has toned his rhetoric down a bit. He still commands attention, but his booming voice and confidence now deliver warmer, fuzzier messages. On the hard-choired "I Will Make It," he bellows about "changing my situation with creative visualization." There is plenty of typical hip-hop chest-thumping ("Shutupayouface"), offset by some curious a-cappella Bible-thumping ("False Pride"). But cuts like "Get Your Self Up" and "The Mind" win you over with ambiguous yet spirited affirmations atop choppy, energetic loops and walloping drums. Longtime KRS-One fans may lament his lost edge, but don't be surprised if every other MC comes out with a feel-good rap album just in time for summer.

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."