KRS-One, originally a member of the hip hop crew Boogie Down Productions, is known for setting the path for both hardcore rap and socially conscious political rap.
Youth and early career
Born Lawrence Parker in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn in 1965, the future KRS-One grew up with his brother Kenny and their single mother in assorted inner city neighborhoods of Brooklyn and the Bronx. According to interviews with The Source Magazine, one fateful day when he was 12 years old, he and his brother Kenny prepared a pan of flavored rice, which was to be the family's dinner for the evening. The hungry pair ate the whole thing, and when their mother came home from work, she kicked them out of the apartment in a fit of anger. They stayed away for two days before younger Kenny decided to go back home, while Lawrence opted not to return. He spent the better part of the next seven years homeless, much of it at local libraries.
In his late teen years, Lawrence Parker fell in with some illegal drug dealers and became a courier. Using a bread delivery truck as a cover, Parker and his partner drove around town to make drops. During one of their trips, a police car pulled up behind them with flashing lights. Parker's partner panicked, and led the cops on a chase for several miles which ended with the truck crashing and the two being apprehended. At the trial, the judge made the commentary that the only reason the police had initially tried to pull them over was because they had private plates on a commercial vehicle, there was no original intent to search for drugs.
Parker, still a minor, claimed he was a ward of the state, and got sent to a juvenile home for his sentencing, after which he was moved to a Covenant House youth homeless shelter. It was there that he met Scott Sterling, a recent college graduate who just started working at the shelter as a social worker. Parker discovered that Sterling moonlighted as a hip hop DJ under the name Scott La Rock. By this time, Parker had earned the nickname "Kris" from the relationship he had developed with local Hare Krishnas that evangelized near the shelter. Heavily influenced by Eastern philosophies, he was also an aspiring rapper, and practiced routines in verbal spars with the other shelter residents.
Parker and Sterling, along with two other fellows, 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 release on indie Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records (under the group name "12:41") did not enjoy commercial success. Soon after, the pair approached another NY indie, Rock Candy Productions, for a deal. As it turns out, the entertainment company was allegedly a front for a pornography operation, but Parker and Sterling convinced the boss to front them the money to record an album, under the newly created subsidiary label, B-Boy Records. After a few 12-inch single releases, the Criminal Minded album finally surfaced in 1987.
Criminal Minded featured many dis tracks that attacked other hip hop emcees and tracks about street crime ("wa da da deng wa da da da deng, listen to my nine millimeter go bang"). KRS One and La Rock appeared on the cover of the album holding firearms, a controversial precedent that would be followed by many rap artists in the years to follow. Musically, the album was based around James Brown samples and reggae influences. They also sampled hard-rock band AC/DC on "Dope Beat". During these years, KRS-One was also famously involved in a hip hop battle with MC Shan, of Queensbridge. KRS objected to MC Shan calling Queensbridge the home of hip hop, and attacked him viciously on a seminal battle rap, The Bridge Is Over.
Later career and emphasis on political issues
Following the fatal shooting of Scott La Rock in 1987, Boogie Down Productions (BDP) became increasingly political. KRS One was the primary motivation behind the HEAL compilation and the Stop the Violence Movement. KRS One attracted many prominent emcees to appear on the 12-inch single "Self Destruction." As Parker adopted this more conscientious, less violent approach, he stopped calling himself "The Blastmaster" (his battle rap nickname), and instead began calling himself "The Teacha", turning the nickname KRS-ONE into the backronym "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone".
On his first solo album, 1993's Return of the Boombap, KRS worked together with producers DJ Premier (Gang Starr), Showbiz and Kid Capri. The catchy yet very hardcore track "Sound of da Police" is featured on this album. His second album, KRS One featured Channel Live on the track "Free Mumia", a political protest song about Mumia Abu-Jamal, an imprisoned African-American and Black Panther member who a vocal group of activists on the political Left claim is innocent of the crime of which he was convicted. Other prominent guest artists on KRS One included Mad Lion, Busta Rhymes, Das EFX and Fat Joe.
In 1997, Parker surprised many with his release of the album I Got Next. The record included a remix of the single "Step into a World" which featured a sample from the 1970s rock group Blondie by commercial rap icon Puff Daddy. "Heartbeat", featuring Angie Martinez and Redman, was based on the old school classic "Feel the Heartbeat" by the Treacherous Three. These collaborations with notably mainstream artists took many fans and observers of the vehemently anti-mainstream KRS One by surprise. However, in August 1997 KRS One appeared on Tim Westwood's BBC Radio 1 show and vociferously denounced the DJ and the radio station more generally, accusing them of ignoring his style of hip-hop in favour of commercial artists such as Puff Daddy.
In 1999, there were tentative plans to release an album called "Maximum Strength"; a lead single, "5 Boroughs", was released on The Corruptor movie soundtrack. However, KRS apparently decided to abort the album's planned release, just as he had secured a position as a Vice-President of A&R at Reprise Records. KRS moved to southern California, and stayed there for two years, finally ending his relationship with Jive Records with A Retrospective in 2000. The next year, he resigned his position at Reprise and in 2001 The Sneak Attack was released on Koch Records. In 2002, he released a gospel-rap album, Spiritual Minded, surprising many longtime fans. Parker had once denounced Christianity as a "slavemaster religion" which African-Americans should not follow. He founded the Temple of Hiphop, and released a new album, Kristyles, in mid- 2003, which was preceded by KRS-One: The Mixtape. In the summer of 2004 he released Keep Right.
KRS One's latest CD Life, was released in June 2006, and another CD, Adventures in Emceein on Koch Records is slated for later in the year. KRS has also confirmed for his next album of new material, expected to be out in 2007, he will be working with Marley Marl.
September 11 comments and ensuing controversy
In 2004, KRS engendered a controversy when he was quoted in a panel discussion hosted by New Yorker Magazine as saying that Blacks "cheered when 911 happened". The comment drew criticism from many sources, including a pointed barb by the New York Daily News that called Parker an "anarchist" and said that "If Osama bin Laden ever buys a rap album, he'll probably start with a CD by KRS-One."
Parker responded to the furor surrounding his comments with an editorial written for AllHipHop.com. In it, Parker said "I was asked about why hiphop has not engaged the current situation more (meaning 911), my response was 'because it does not affect us, or at least we don’t perceive that it affects us, 911 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; '911 affected them down the block; the rich, the powerful those that are oppressing us as a culture. Sony, RCA or BMG, Universal, the radio stations, Clear Channel, Viacom with BET and MTV, 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 911 happened in New York and say that proudly here. Because when we were down at the trade 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 were racially 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' but I was interrupted..."
Don't Give It Up Feat. S-Five
KRS-One Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Overthinking is part of success
Grind hard I want to be the best
Grind hard I want to be the best
People left cause they never cared
I got money now they want to share
Got clout I'm still no where
Loyalty thats very rare
Why God take my people let them rot in a cell with no bail
Doubt myself I can't rap album drop and it flop and I fail
Prove myself prove my mom prove my dad prove grandma prove my brother
Prove anyone every doubted me then come back with a big ass salary
Don't give up just take that risk don't be a lil bitch
Don't fuck with a snitch you will get stitch
We tryna get rich we tryna get rich we tryna get rich
No it's not quick it's marathon
Don't doubt yourself that's not a given
Message to haters shut up and listen
Fuck Your mom fuck your dad fuck grandma fuck grandpa fuck em all
Rob your house take your shit fuck your daughter face to face kill em all
Sorry that was too harsh
I never thought we'll get this far
It's hard work it wasn't luck
Dream big things so don't give up
In KRS-One's song "Don't Give It Up," he talks about his struggles and the things that stress him out. The first verse talks about his overthinking, which he considers to be a part of success, as he grinds hard to be the best. He talks about how people have left him because they never cared, but now that he has money, they want to share it with him. He notes that despite having clout, he feels like he is still nowhere, and that loyalty is hard to come by these days.
The second verse focuses on KRS-One's personal life and the difficulties he has experienced. He questions why God has taken his loved ones and left them to rot in jail with no bail, and he expresses his self-doubt about his ability to rap. He talks about his desire to prove himself to everyone who doubted him and come back with a big salary. In the chorus, he urges listeners not to give up and to take risks, calling out snitches who get stitches.
Overall, the song serves as a motivational anthem, with KRS-One encouraging listeners to work hard and dream big. He acknowledges that success is a marathon rather than a sprint, and that doubt is not a given. He also sends a message to his haters, telling them to shut up and listen while reiterating the importance of loyalty.
Line by Line Meaning
Why I'm so stressed
I am feeling overburdened and mentally strained and cannot understand the reason for it.
Overthinking is part of success
Thinking too much and being self-conscious is an inevitable aspect of climbing up the ladder of success.
Grind hard I want to be the best
I want to work hard and diligently to become the most successful and the most respected at what I do.
People left cause they never cared
The people who left me did so because they never truly valued our relationship or their loyalty towards me.
I got money now they want to share
Those same people now want to benefit from my success and wealth, despite not being present when I needed them the most.
Got clout I'm still no where
Despite having authority and influence, I still feel like I haven't achieved my ultimate goal or reached my full potential yet.
Loyalty thats very rare
Being faithful and committed to someone or something is hard to come by and is a valuable trait to possess.
Why God take my people let them rot in a cell with no bail
I am questioning why God has allowed certain people who are dear to me to be imprisoned without the ability to post bail.
Doubt myself I can't rap album drop and it flop and I fail
I am afraid of failing and questioning my abilities as a rapper if my released album fails to gain widespread popularity and success.
Prove myself prove my mom prove my dad prove grandma prove my brother
I want to prove myself to my family members -- mother, father, grandmother, and brother -- that I am capable of being successful and reaching my goals.
Prove anyone every doubted me then come back with a big ass salary
I want to prove anyone who ever doubted me wrong by achieving a high income and earning a lot of money through my hard work and success.
Don't give up just take that risk don't be a lil bitch
I urge others to take risks and not to give up, but rather to face challenges head-on with confidence and bravery.
Don't fuck with a snitch you will get stitch
Do not associate yourself with or trust a person who betrays others, as they can cause harm to you as well.
We tryna get rich we tryna get rich we tryna get rich
We are putting in effort and trying hard to become wealthy and prosperous.
No it's not quick it's marathon
Success and wealth are not achieved overnight; it requires long-term effort and dedication to reach desired goals.
Don't doubt yourself that's not a given
It is crucial to have self-confidence and not doubt oneself, as it cannot be assumed or guaranteed by anyone else.
Message to haters shut up and listen
I am sending a message to those who are critical of me to cease their criticism and listen to what I have to say.
Fuck Your mom fuck your dad fuck grandma fuck grandpa fuck em all
This line is inappropriate and insensitive and does not carry any insightful or detailed meaning.
Rob your house take your shit fuck your daughter face to face kill em all
This line is inappropriate and violent and does not carry any insightful or detailed meaning.
Sorry that was too harsh
I acknowledge that my previous lines were too vulgar and violent and express regret for that.
I never thought we'll get this far
I am surprised at how successful we have become and how far we have come, despite the doubts and obstacles in our way.
It's hard work it wasn't luck
Our success was not achieved by good fortune or chance, but through hard work and perseverance.
Dream big things so don't give up
I encourage others to have big aspirations and never give up on their dreams, even if the journey is tough or takes time to achieve.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOSIE JAMES, NIGEL MARTINEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rondo Nael
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