KRS-One | |
|---|---|
 KRS-One in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lawrence Parker |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | (1965-08-20)August 20, 1965 (age 59) Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | The Bronx,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Discography | KRS-One discography |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | Boogie Down Productions |
| Website | krs-one |
Lawrence "Kris"Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage namesKRS-One (/ˌkeɪɑːrɛsˈwʌn/; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone"[1]) andTeacha, is an American rapper fromthe Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the hip-hop groupBoogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJScott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is known for his songs "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)", and "My Philosophy". Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album,Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started theStop the Violence Movement after La Rock's death. He is also avegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef".[2] He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists.
Lawrence Parker was born in theNew York City borough ofBrooklyn in 1965 to an American mother. His biological father, who was not involved in his upbringing, was from the Caribbean island ofBarbados.[3] He had a troubled childhood, suffering severe beatings[4] from his American stepfather John Parker[5] when the family lived inHarlem.[6] When his mother left the marriage both he and his younger brother Kenny moved with her tothe Bronx,[7] before again moving a year later to Brooklyn.[8] Home life continued to be difficult, including further physical abuse at the hands of his mother's new Jamaican partner,[9] and he ran away from home several times.[10]
At age 16 he left home permanently, and spent a time living homeless in New York,[11] before eventually signing himself into agroup home[12] in the Bronx.
Growing up, Parker had developed a deep love of the emerging hip-hop culture in New York, and by that time he was honing his craft as anMC, as well as being an activegraffiti writer.[12] In 1984, he left the group home and moved into ahomeless shelter[12] in theSouth Bronx. While he was in the homeless shelter, he was dubbed "Krishna" by the residents due to his curiosity about theHare Krishna spirituality of some of the anti-poverty workers.[13] During his stay at the community shelter he encountered youth counsellorScott Sterling a.k.a. DJ Scott La Rock and there began aDJ-MC relationship. He also engaged in the street art activitygraffiti under the alias KRS-One (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone). Together he and Sterling createdBoogie Down Productions, releasing their debut album,Criminal Minded, in 1987.[14]
KRS-One also practices activism in his career and is a leading figure and founder of several hip-hop groups that worked to promote peace and education, such as the Stop the Violence Movement and Human Education Against Lies (H.E.A.L.). He also founded the Temple of Hip Hop, a group dedicated to preserving and expanding hip-hop culture and spirituality.[15] Through this, KRS-One intends to decriminalize hip-hop and "raise hip-hop's identity and self-esteem".[16] In an interview with Aki X in the January 2003 issue ofThrasher, KRS-One observes: "Hip-hop has manifested Martin Luther Kings "I Have A Dream" speech where he envisioned that the sons and daughters of former slave owners and sons and daughters of former slaves would join hands in brotherhood towards justice and freedom. Hip-hop express that throughEminem andDr Dre, through Russell simmons and the Beastie Boys, through MC, search. Run DMC and Aerosmith. This is what it is to be hip-hoppa."[17]
In KRS-One's song, "Outta Here", he reflects on the early days of New York hip-hop, influenced by acts likeRun-DMC andWhodini, who he heard on the Awesome Two's radio show onWHBI. KRS-One explains how the release of BDP'sCriminal Minded, andEric B. & Rakim'sPaid in Full (1987) had the unintended effect of turning both groups into hip-hop pioneers. He also claims that his albumBy All Means Necessary (1988) andPublic Enemy'sIt Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) were a main influence that set off consciousness in rap.[12]
KRS-One began his recording career as one third of the hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions (BDP) alongside DJ Scott La Rock andDerrick "D-Nice" Jones. Additionally, KRS-One had taken offense to "The Bridge" (1986), a song by Marley Marl's protege,MC Shan (KRS-One later reconciled with Marley Marl, producing an album with him in 2007 titledHip Hop Lives). The song could be interpreted as a claim thatQueensbridge was the monument of hip-hop, though MC Shan has repeatedly denied this claim. Still, KRS-One "dissed" the song with the BDP single "South Bronx" (1986). A second round of volleys ensued with Shan's "Kill That Noise" and BDP's "The Bridge Is Over" (1987). KRS-One, demonstrating his nickname "The Blastmaster", gave a live performance against MC Shan, and many conceded he had won the battle. Many[who?] believe this live performance to be the first MCbattle where rappers attack each other, instead of a battle between who can get the crowd more hyped.[18]
Parker and Sterling decided to form a rap group together, initially calling themselves "Scott La Rock and the Celebrity Three". That was short-lived, however, as the two peripheral members quit, leaving Parker (now calling himself KRS-One) and Sterling. They then decided to call themselves "Boogie Down Productions". "Success Is the Word", a 12-inch single produced by David Kenneth Eng and Kenny Beck, was released in 1985 on indie Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records (under the group name "12:41") but did not enjoy commercial success.
Boogie Down Productions released their debut albumCriminal Minded in 1987. KRS-One was the first emcee to be holding a 9mm on the album cover,[17] and Scott La Rock was killed in a shooting later that year after attempting to mediate a dispute between teenager and BDP member D-Nice and local hoodlums.
During this time KRS-One also gained acclaim as one of the first MCs to incorporateJamaican style into hip-hop, using the Zunguzung melody, originally made famous byYellowman in Jamaican dance halls earlier in the decade.[19] This is particularly evident in the song titled "Remix for P Is Free". Dancehall influence is also very prominent in the BDP hit "The Bridge Is Over", which uses the same melody asSuper Cat's 1986 dancehall hit "Boops",[20] and lyrical inflections in a Jamaican style. KRS-One is credited as one of the more influential figures to bridge the gap between Jamaican music and American hip-hop.
Following the fatal shooting of Scott La Rock in 1987, KRS was determined to continue Boogie Down Productions through the tragedy, releasing the albumBy All Means Necessary in 1988. He was joined bybeatboxer D-Nice, rapperRamona "Ms. Melodie" Parker (whose marriage to Kris would last from 1988 to 1992[21]), and Kris's younger brotherDJ Kenny Parker, among others. However, Boogie Down Productions would remain KRS' show, and the group's content would become increasingly political through the subsequent releasesGhetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop (1989),Edutainment (1990),Live Hardcore Worldwide (1991) andSex and Violence (1992).
KRS-One was the primary initiator behind theH.E.A.L. compilation and theStop the Violence Movement; for the latter he would attract many prominent emcees to appear on the 12-inch single "Self Destruction" (1989). As KRS adopted this "humanist", less defensive approach, he turned away from his "Blastmaster" persona and towards that of "The Teacha", although he has constantly used "Blastmaster" throughout his career.
After five largely solo albums under the name "Boogie Down Productions", KRS-One decided to set out on his own. On his first solo album, 1993'sReturn of the Boom Bap, he worked together with producersDJ Premier,Kid Capri andShowbiz, the latter providing the track "Sound of da Police". His second album, 1995'sKRS-One, featuredChannel Live on "Free Mumia", a song in which they criticize civil rights activistC. Delores Tucker among others. Other prominent guest stars onKRS-One includedMad Lion,Busta Rhymes,Das EFX andFat Joe.
In 1991, KRS-One appeared on thealternative rock groupR.E.M.'s single "Radio Song", which appeared on the band's albumOut of Time, released the same year.[22]
In 1992,Bradley Nowell fromSublime featured an acoustic song named "KRS-One" with his voice and DJ's samples.
In 1995, KRS organized a group calledChannel Live, whose albumStation Identification he produced most of, along withRheji Burrell andSalaam Remi.
In 1997, KRS surprised many with his release of the albumI Got Next. The album's lead single, "Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)", containing an interpolation ofpunk andnew wave groupBlondie, was accompanied by a remix featuring commercial rap iconPuff Daddy; another track was essentially a rock song. While the record would be his best-selling solo album (reaching number 3 on theBillboard 200), such collaborations with notably mainstream artists and prominent, easily recognizable samples took many fans and observers of the vehemently anti-mainstream KRS-One by surprise.
In August 1997, in an appearance onTim Westwood'sBBC Radio 1, KRS-One criticized the station for not playing underground hip-hop while also crediting Westwood for his promotion of hip-hop over time. KRS-One said thatJive Records and Radio 1 did not support him, but finished by saluting Westwood with "you know you're my man".
In 1999, there were tentative plans to releaseMaximum Strength; a lead single, "5 Boroughs", was released onThe Corruptor soundtrack. However, KRS apparently decided to abort the album's planned release, just as he had secured a position as a Vice-President ofA&R atReprise Records. The shelved album was again scheduled to be released in 2008, but ultimately an unrelated album entitledMaximum Strength 2008 was released in its place. He moved to southern California, and stayed there for two years, ending his relationship withJive Records withA Retrospective in 2000.
In 2000, KRS-One andDJ Tomekk made a video for their single "Return of Hip Hop (Ooh, Ooh)" with German rappers Torch andMC Rene, in which hip-hop was revived by hospital staff. The song stayed in the German charts for nine weeks.[23][24]
KRS resigned from his A&R position at Reprise in 2001, and returned to recording with a string of albums, beginning with 2001'sThe Sneak Attack onKoch Records. In 2002, he released agospel-rap album,Spiritual Minded, surprising many longtime fans; he had once denouncedChristianity as a "slavemaster religion" which African-Americans should not follow. During this period, KRS founded the Temple of Hiphop, an organization to preserve and promote "Hiphop Kulture". Subsequent releases included 2003'sKristyles andDigital, 2004'sKeep Right, and 2006'sLife.
The only latter-day KRS-One album to gain any significant attention has beenHip Hop Lives, his 2007 collaboration with fellow hip hop veteranMarley Marl, partly attributed tothe Bridge Wars between the pair, but also the title's apparent response toNas' 2006 releaseHip-Hop Is Dead. While many critics have commented they would have been more excited had this collaboration occurred twenty years earlier, the album was met with positive reviews.
KRS-One has collaborated with other artists including Canadian rap group Hellafactz, Jay-Roc N' Jakebeatz and New York producerDomingo. He and Domingo publicly squashed their beef, which started over financial issues, and released a digital single oniTunes on November 25, 2008.[when?] The single, titled "Radio", also featured Utah up-and-comer Eneeone and is dedicated to underground MCs that don't get the radio airplay they deserve.[25] In 2009 KRS-One guest-starred on several albums, includingArts & Entertainment on the song "Pass the Mic" by fellow hip-hop veteransMasta Ace andEd O.G. KRS-One also featured on the posse cut "Mega Fresh X" byCormega (alongsideDJ Red Alert,Parrish Smith,Grand Puba, andBig Daddy Kane) on his albumBorn and Raised.
KRS-One andBuckshot announced that they would be collaborating on an album set to be released in 2009. The first single, "Robot", was released on May 5, 2009. The music video was directed byTodd Angkasuwan and debuted as the New Joint of the Day on 106 & Park on September 4, 2009. The album itself, calledSurvival Skills, leaked on the Internet on September 9, 2009, and the album was officially released on September 15, 2009. It debuted at number 62, making it onto theBillboard 200. It sold around 8,500 copies its first week and was met with generally positive reviews. Steve Juon of RapReviews.com gave the album a flawless 10 out of 10, claiming, "Buckshot and KRS have achieved something rather remarkable here – an album I can't find a single fault with. There's not a bad beat, there's not a whack rhyme, there's not a collaborator on a track that missed the mark, and the disc itself is neither too short nor too long."[26]
In 2010 KRS-One was honored, along with Buckshot, by artistsRuste Juxx,Torae andSkyzoo,Sha Stimuli,Promise, J.A.M.E.S. Watts andTeam Facelift, on their mixtapeSurvival Kit, an ode to the 2009 albumSurvival Skills. The mixtape was released for free download onDuck Down's official website. The album features new versions of KRS classics "South Bronx", "Sound of da Police" and "MC's Act Like They Don't Know", as well as new versions of well-known Buckshot songs and "Past Present Future" from theSurvival Skills album. The MCFashawn said in his verse on "MC's Act Like They Don't Know", "I did it to make Kris smile / I figured he'd appreciate it".[27]
KRS-One was featured as the voice of Chris Cringle inNike's Most Valuable Puppets commercials. KRS-One performed in May 2010 atSUNY New Paltz at their annual "Rock Against Racism" concert. He narrated the 2011 filmRhyme and Punishment, a documentary about hip-hop artists who have done jail time. The same year, KRS-One was featured in the title song for the filmYou Got Served: Beat the World. The song is entitled "Hip Hop Nation", and featuresK'naan andLina. It was produced for the film byFrank Fitzpatrick.[28]
In 2012, KRS-One toured Australia for the first time.[29] He travelled there by cruise ship,[30][31] as he hates flying.[32]
In December 2020, KRS-One released his 23rd solo albumBetween da Protests.[33][34] In February 2022 he released his 24th one:I M A M C R U 1 2.[35]
The Stop the Violence Movement was formed by KRS-One in 1988/1989 in response to violence in the hip-hop andblack communities.
During a concert by Boogie Down Productions andPublic Enemy, a young fan was killed in a fight. Coming soon after the shooting death of his friend and fellow BDP memberScott La Rock, KRS-One was galvanized into action and formed the Stop the Violence Movement. Composed of some of the biggest stars in contemporaryEast Coast hip-hop, the movement released a single, "Self Destruction", in 1989, with all proceeds going to theNational Urban League.[36] A music video was created, and aVHS cassette entitledOvercoming Self-Destruction – The Making of the Self-Destruction Video was also released.
"Self-Destruction" was produced by KRS-One andD-Nice of Boogie Down Productions (Hank Shocklee ofthe Bomb Squad is credited as an associate producer).
The Temple of Hip Hop is a ministry, archive, school, and society (M.A.S.S.) founded by KRS-One. Its goal is to maintain and promote Hip Hop Kulture. Another goal of the Temple of Hip Hop is to finance educational centers which store archives and host lectures devoted to hip-hop culture.[16]
The Temple of Hip Hop maintains that hip-hop is a genuine political movement, religion, and culture. It calls on all fans to celebrate Hip Hop Appreciation Week on the third week of May each year. It encourages DJs and MCs to teach people about the culture of hip-hop and to write more socially conscious songs, and radio stations to play more socially conscious hip-hop.
KRS-One describes hip-hop as a metaphysical principle, "an energy, a consciousness, it is an awareness, it is a behavior, it is an attitude, that's what hip-hop is.[37]
KRS-One asserted that due to hip-hop's intangible nature, it cannot be documented using conventional historical methods. He argued that approaching history from a physical perspective confines individuals to their color, ethnicity, and race. Instead, he advocated for examining history from the standpoint of first causes and origins, allowing for a departure from physical constraints and a focus on ideas rather than tangible matter.[37]
Hip Hop History Month (November), founded by theUniversal Zulu Nation, is also recognized.
In an interview withAllHipHop about his bookThe Gospel of Hip Hop, KRS-One said:
I'm suggesting that in 100 years, this book will be a new religion on the earth ... I think I have the authority to approach God directly, I don't have to go through any religion [or] train of thought. I can approach God directly myself and so I wrote a book called The Gospel of Hip Hop to free from all this nonsense garbage right now. I respect theChristianity, theIslam, theJudaism but their time is up. ... In a hundred years, everything that I'm saying to you will be common knowledge and people will be like, 'Why did he have to explain this? Wasn't it obvious?'[38]
These comments have been referred to by numerous media outlets[39][40][41] such asThe A.V. Club, which commented that "KRS-One writes 600-page hip-hop bible; blueprint for rap religion",[42] and "KRS-One has never been afraid to court controversy and provoke strong reactions. Now the Boogie Down Productions legend has topped himself by writingThe Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument, a mammoth treatise on the spirituality of hip-hop he hopes will some day become a sacred text of a new hip-hop religion."[42]
KRS-One is a vocal supporter ofveganism.[2]
KRS-One's step-son Randy Parker was found dead in hisAtlanta,Georgia, apartment on July 6, 2007. The Medical Examiner's office stated that Parker had died of a gunshot wound to the head, and listed the cause of death as suicide.[43][44]
His son Kris Parker (born 1992) is an aspiring music producer and DJ known as Predator Prime.[45]
KRS-One supported RepublicanRon Paul for president during his2012 run.[46] He criticized then-PresidentBarack Obama onAlex Jones' radio show, stating "[T]hey put a black face on theNew World Order and now we all happy. KRS ain’t buying it."[47]
During the2016 United States presidential election, KRS-One indicated he was hesitant to support Democratic candidatesHillary Clinton orBernie Sanders, arguing he was unconvinced by their professed support for ending police brutality. He stated that Republican candidateJeb Bush had "some pretty cool" ideas, but added "they're not our ideas". OnDonald Trump, KRS-One stated the Republican candidate "was a friend to hip hop in his early days", but cautioned that, "When we say, look, Donald Trump was a friend to hip hop back in the day, so was Bill Clinton."[48]
In 1994, KRS-One and illustrator Kyle Baker published a 32 page comic book titledBreak the Chain about a hero named Big Joe Krash. The comic book was sold with an accompanying 3-song tape by KRS-One. The original idea was pitched to KRS-One from Marshall Chess, who wanted an educationally oriented tape and comic book combo. In an interview withVibe magazine, KRS-One says: "People say the chain was taken off our feet and hands and put onto our minds. Break that chain of slave mentality." KRS-One also released an animated music video, featuring himself as Big Joe Krash.[49]
In 2004, KRS said during a panel discussion hosted byThe New Yorker magazine that "we cheered when9/11 happened". His comment was criticized by many sources, including theNew York Daily News, which called him an "anarchist" and said that "IfOsama bin Laden ever buys a rap album, he'll probably start with a CD by KRS-One."[50]
KRS responded with an editorial written forAllHipHop.com, stating:
I was asked about why hiphop has not engaged the current situation more (meaning 9/11), my response was "because it does not affect us, or at least we don't perceive that it affects us, 9/11 happened to them". I went on to say that "I am speaking for the culture now; I am not speaking my personal opinion." I continued to say; "9/11 affected them down the block; the rich, the powerful those that are oppressing us as a culture.Sony,RCA orBMG,Universal, the radio stations,Clear Channel,Viacom withBET andMTV, those are our oppressors, those are the people that we're trying to overcome in hiphop everyday, this is a daily thing. We cheered when 9/11 happened in New York and say that proudly here. Because when they were down at thetrade center we were getting hit over the head by cops, told that we can't come in this building, hustled down to the train station because of the way we dressed and talked, and so on, we wereracially profiled. So, when the planes hit the building we were like, "mmmm, justice." And just as I began to say "now of course a lot of our friends and family were lost there as well" I was interrupted ...
In late 2005, KRS was featured alongside Public Enemy'sChuck D on the remix of the song "Bin Laden" byImmortal Technique andDJ Green Lantern, which blamesAmerican neo-conservatives, theReagan Doctrine, and U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush for the World Trade Center attacks, and indicates a parallel to the devaluation, destruction, and violence of urban housing project communities.
On April 29, 2007, KRS-One again defended his statements on the September 11 attacks when asked about them during an appearance onHannity's America on theFox News network. He stated that he meant that people cheered that the establishment had taken a hit, not that people were dying or had died.[51] He also discussed, among other things, theDon Imus scandal and the use of profanity in hip-hop.
Studio albums[edit]
| Boogie Down Productions albums[edit]
Collaboration albums[edit]
|
| Year | Film | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | I'm Gonna Git You Sucka | Himself | |
| 1993 | Who's the Man? | Rashid | |
| 1997 | Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground | Vendor | |
| 1997 | Rhyme & Reason | Himself | |
| 1997 | The Cut | Judge | |
| 2000 | Boricua's Bond | ||
| 2000 | Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme | Himself | |
| 2002 | The Freshest Kids | Himself | |
| 2003 | 2Pac 4 Ever | Narrator | |
| 2003 | Beef | Himself | |
| 2003 | Hip-Hop Babylon 2 | Himself | |
| 2003 | Soundz of Spirit | Himself | |
| 2003 | 5 Sides of a Coin | Himself | |
| 2003 | MuskaBeatz | Himself | |
| 2004 | War on Wax: Rivalries in Hip-Hop | Himself | |
| 2004 | Beef II | Himself | |
| 2004 | And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop | Himself | |
| 2004 | Hip-Hop Honors | Himself | |
| 2004 | Keep Right | Himself | |
| 2005 | The MC: Why We Do It | Himself | |
| 2005 | The Art of 16 Bars: Get Ya' Bars Up | Himself | |
| 2005 | Zoom Prout Prout | Himself | |
| 2006 | A Letter to the President | Himself | |
| 2007 | Bomb It | Himself | |
| 2008 | The Obama Deception | Himself | |
| 2009 | Good Hair | Himself | |
| 2011 | Rhyme and Punishment | Narrator | |
| 2011 | GhettoPhysics | Himself | |
| 2012 | Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap | Himself | |
| 2012 | Hidden Colors | Himself | |
| 2014 | True Detective | Jukebox song at strip club | "Who Goes There" |
| 2015 | Hustlers Convention | Himself | |
| 2018 | Luke Cage | Himself | "Can't Front on Me" |
| Book | Year |
|---|---|
| The Science of Rap (self published, 1996, out of print[52]) | 1996 |
| Ruminations (Welcome Rain Publishers, July 25, 2003, out of print[53]) | 2003 |
| The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument[54] | 2009 |
You kids have a real father. His name is Sheffield, and he's from Barbados.
He once beat my brother Larry so severely that if left red welt marks all over his body.
When John and I got married he adopted both of you, and changed your last name to Parker.
"The Parkers," lived in a Harlem apartment complex called Lenox Terrace.
The following day, on Christmas Eve, we moved to the Bronx with nothing. My mother's marriage of three years was over.
Our financial situation forced us to move into a small two-bedroom apartment in of all places, East New York, Brooklyn.
By this time, the beatings increased in both frequency and severity. Joe beat us almost daily.
During the spring of 1977, at age eleven, Larry ran away from home for the first time. It wouldn't be the last.
it was clear by Larry's appearance that something was wrong. Everyone could tell Larry was homeless.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
