| The Sneak Attack | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | KRS-One |
| Cover: | Krsonesneak.jpg |
| Released: | [1] |
| Recorded: | 2000–01 |
| Label: | Koch Records |
| Prev Title: | A Retrospective |
| Prev Year: | 2000 |
| Next Title: | Spiritual Minded |
| Next Year: | 2002 |
The Sneak Attack is the fourth solo studio album by American musician KRS-One. It was released on April 24, 2001 via Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Unique Recording Studios in New York and at Embassy Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with additional recording at 7888 Recording Studio in Woodhaven, Queens. Production was handled by Kenny Parker, Domingo, BJ Wheeler, Fredwreck, Grand Daddy I.U., Mad Lion, MC Jazzy Jeff, and KRS-One himself.
In the United States, the album peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200, number 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and topped the Independent Albums chart.
The song "Hush" appeared in the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
The Sneak Attack was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69 based on eight reviews.
Sonicnet reviewer praised the artist, saying that KRS-One "delivers all this with passion and booming authority: the teacher is back in front of the classroom, where he belongs". Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club stated: "as unmistakably old-school as a fat gold chain and a pair of unlaced Adidas sneakers.... He delivers a raw, grimy set of anthems as noncommercial as anything he's done".[2] NME reviewer wrote: "as a sort of lyrical sermon from the mount with uptempo beats to crush the weak-hearted, The Sneak Attack raises the stakes on the microphone skills front as KRS-One lectures, hectors, drops streetwise politics, and laments the state of the world".
In mixed reviews, Alternative Press critic found out that the album "proves this pioneer and innovator's run is far from over". Writing for Rolling Stone, Neil Drumming said that the artist "still commands attention, but his booming voice and confidence now deliver warmer, fuzzier messages". Blender reviewer stated: "Sadly, Sneak Attack also reflects the influence of Professor One's recent ubiquity on the college-lecture circuit; windy speechifying interludes take up a third of the record. Too bad -- when he does rap, he shows twice the gusto of many rappers half his age". David Bry of Vibe claimed that "KRS-One sounds as hungry and passionate as ever.... Unfortunately, a barrage of rigid, same-sounding beats and canned choruses detracts from Attack's effectiveness". Evan Serpick of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "the most compelling lectures can't obscure KRS' drab old-school beats and samples".