"MC's Act Like They Don't Know" is a hardcore hip hop song written and performed by American rapper KRS-One. It was released on August 28, 1995 via Jive Records as the lead single from his second solo studio album KRS One. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York. Production was helmed by DJ Premier.
| "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by KRS-One | ||||
| from the album KRS One | ||||
| B-side | "Represent the Real Hip Hop" | |||
| Released | August 28, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Studio | D&D Recording | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:44 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | DJ Premier | |||
| KRS-One singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" on YouTube | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Its lyrics deal with how many rappers who achieve positive chart positions and other commercial awards cannot perform well live.
In the United States, the song peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 35 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, number 59 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, number 9 on the Hot Rap Songs, and topped the Dance Singles Sales charts. It also made it to number 84 on the UK singles chart and number 12 on the UK Official Dance Singles Chart.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" (LP Version) | DJ Premier | 4:44 | |
| 2. | "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" (Instrumental) | DJ Premier | 4:44 | |
| 3. | "Represent the Real Hip Hop (Street Version)" (featuring Das EFX) |
| Showbiz | 3:20 |
| 4. | "Represent the Real Hip Hop (Clean Version)" (featuring Das EFX) |
| Showbiz | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Represent the Real Hip Hop" (Instrumental) | Showbiz | 2:50 |
- Sample credits
- Tracks 3 to 5 contains a sample of "We Run Things (It's Like Dat)" written by Acklins Khaliyl Dillon, Harold Lee, Jamahl Hanna and Ali Shaheed Muhammad and performed by Da Bush Babees.
Personnel
edit- Lawrence "KRS-One" Parker – vocals
- Christopher "DJ Premier" Martin – producer & mixing (tracks: 1, 2)
- Norty Cotto – engineering (tracks: 1, 2)
- Andre "Krazy Drayz" Weston – vocals (tracks: 3, 4)
- Willie "Skoob" Hines – vocals (tracks: 3, 4)
- Rodney "Showbiz" LeMay – producer (tracks: 3-5)
- Gordon "Commissioner Gordon" Williams – engineering (tracks: 3-5)
- Tom Brick – mastering
- Maria Valencia – design
- Ron Croudy – design
- Scott "DJ Scott La Rock" Sterling – overseen by
Charts
edit| Charts (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[2] | 84 |
| UK Dance (OCC)[3] | 12 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 57 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[5] | 35 |
| US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[6] | 59 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[7] | 9 |
References
edit- ^ "MC's Act Like They Don't Know [EP] - KRS-One | Album |". AllMusic. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "KRS-One Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "KRS-One Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "KRS-One Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "KRS-One Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
External links
edit- "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" at Discogs (list of releases)