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..."
HIP HOP
KRS-One Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm the dust on the moon, I'm the trash in the sewer
Let's go, I come back, every year I get brighter
If you thinkin' hip hop is alive, hold up your lighter
Let's go, I come back, every year I'm expandin'
Talkin' to developers about this city we plannin', c'mon
I come back through any endeavor
Hip means to know, it's a form of intelligence
To be hip is to be update and relevant
Hop is a form of movement
You can't just observe a hop, you gotta hop up and do it
Hip and hop is more than music
Hip is the knowledge, hop is the movement
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement
Or relevant movement we sellin? the music
So write this down on your black books and journals
Hip hop culture is eternal
Run and tell all your friends
An ancient civilization has bee born again, it's a fact
I come back, every year I'm the strongest
KRS-One, Marley Marl, yup, we last the longest
Let's go, I come back ?cause I'm not in the physical
I create myself, man, I live in the spiritual
I come back through the cycles of life
If you been here once you gon? be here twice
So I tell you, I come back ?cause you must learn too
Hip hop culture is eternal
Hip hop, her infinite power
Helpin' oppressed people, we are unique and unequaled
Hip hop, holy integrated people
Havin' omnipresent power, the watchman's in the tower of
Hip hop, hydrogen iodine phosphorous
Hydrogen oxygen phosphorous, that's called
Hip hop, the response of cosmic consciousness
To our condition as hip hop
We gotta think about the children we bringin' up
When hip and hop means intelligence springin' up
We singin' what? Sickness, hatred, ignorance and poverty
Or health, love, awareness and health, follow me
I come back, every year I get newer
I'm the dust on the moon, I'm the trash in the sewer, that's right
I come back, every year I get brighter
If you think hip hop is alive hold up your lighter, let's go
I come back, every year I'm expandin'
Talkin' to developers about this city we plannin'
I come back through any endeavor
This hip hop we gon? last forever
We will be here forever
We will still be here forever
Get what I'm sayin' forever
Marley
I come back, every year I get newer
That's that, that's that
I come back, every year I get newer
That's that, that's that
The song "Hip Hop Lives" is a collaboration between KRS-One and DJ Marley Marl, released in 2007. The lyrics of the song keep emphasizing the theme of the longevity, relevance, and immortality of hip hop culture. KRS-One's opening verse, "I come back, every year I get newer, I'm the dust on the moon, I'm the trash in the sewer," suggests that hip hop keeps reinventing itself and refuses to be reduced to irrelevance.
The chorus of the song, "Hip is the knowledge, hop is the movement, Hip and Hop is intelligent movement, or relevant movement we sellin' the music," discusses the core of hip hop culture. It is not merely music, but a combination of a particular set of values, knowledge, and a particular way of life. The culture represents the plight of oppressed people as well as their new-found ways of expression.
The third verse of the song, "We gotta think about the children we bringin' up, When hip and hop means intelligence springin' up," is a call to action on the part of KRS-One. He cautions listeners not to corrupt young minds with a disrespectful, vulgar interpretation of hip hop, but instead to teach them to understand the roots, meaning, and significance of the culture.
Line by Line Meaning
I come back, every year I get newer
KRS-One's presence in hip hop culture continues to evolve and grow with each passing year.
I'm the dust on the moon, I'm the trash in the sewer
KRS-One represents the nitty-gritty, raw elements that make up hip hop culture, from the highest heights to the lowest lows.
Let's go, I come back, every year I get brighter
KRS-One's influence on hip hop shines brighter with each passing year and is something worth celebrating.
If you thinkin' hip hop is alive, hold up your lighter
KRS-One challenges listeners to recognize the power and influence of hip hop culture by posing a simple question.
Let's go, I come back, every year I'm expandin'
KRS-One's presence in hip hop culture continues to grow and expand, reaching new heights with each passing year.
Talkin' to developers about this city we plannin', c'mon
KRS-One is working with others to help build and shape the future of hip hop culture.
This is hip hop, we gon' last forever
Hip hop culture is an enduring force that will stand the test of time and continue to influence people for generations to come.
Hip means to know, it's a form of intelligence
Hip is more than just a word, it's a state of being that represents a form of intelligence and awareness.
To be hip is to be update and relevant
Being hip means staying up-to-date and in touch with the latest trends and cultural developments.
Hop is a form of movement
Hop is a physical expression of the energy and excitement that comes with hip hop culture.
You can't just observe a hop, you gotta hop up and do it
Experiencing hip hop culture means actively participating and expressing yourself through movement and empowerment.
Hip and hop is more than music
Hip hop culture extends beyond just the sounds of music and represents a way of life and a cultural movement.
Hip is the knowledge, hop is the movement
Hip hop culture combines intellectual and physical elements, representing both knowledge and action.
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement
Hip hop culture is not just about physical movement, but represents a form of intelligence and awareness that empowers individuals and communities.
Or relevant movement we sellin' the music
Hip hop culture represents a relevant and constantly evolving movement that is reflected in the music that is produced and shared.
So write this down on your black books and journals
KRS-One encourages listeners to take note of the importance and power of hip hop culture and to keep it close to their hearts and minds.
Hip hop culture is eternal
The power and influence of hip hop culture will endure and continue to shape and inspire people for generations to come.
Run and tell all your friends
KRS-One encourages listeners to spread the word about the power and influence of hip hop culture and to share it with others.
An ancient civilization has been born again, it's a fact
Hip hop culture represents a rebirth and revitalization of an ancient and rich cultural tradition that has endured for generations.
I come back, every year I'm the strongest
KRS-One's presence in hip hop culture continues to strengthen and grow with each passing year, reflecting the power of hip hop culture itself.
I create myself, man, I live in the spiritual
KRS-One sees his role in hip hop culture as transcending the physical and material realm, living instead in the realm of spirit and creativity.
I come back through the cycles of life
KRS-One's presence in hip hop culture is enduring and cyclical, reflecting the never-ending cycle of life itself.
If you been here once you gon' be here twice
Once you experience the power and influence of hip hop culture, it will continue to draw you back and inspire you for years to come.
So I tell you, I come back 'cause you must learn too
KRS-One's role in hip hop culture is to teach and inspire others, sharing his knowledge and experience to help others learn and grow.
Hip hop culture is eternal
The power and influence of hip hop culture will endure and continue to shape and inspire people for generations to come.
Hip hop, her infinite power
Hip hop culture holds a deep and enduring power and influence that transcends time and space.
Helpin' oppressed people, we are unique and unequaled
Hip hop culture serves as a means of empowerment and liberation for oppressed people, making it a one-of-a-kind cultural movement.
Hip hop, holy integrated people
Being part of hip hop culture means being part of a community that is united and integrated by shared values and experiences.
Havin' omnipresent power, the watchman's in the tower of
Hip hop culture represents a powerful and ever-present force that watches over and guides its followers and practitioners.
Hip hop, hydrogen iodine phosphorous
The elements that make up hip hop culture are as fundamental and essential as the building blocks of life itself.
Hydrogen oxygen phosphorous, that's called
KRS-One points to the basic elemental nature of hip hop culture, which reflects the building blocks of life itself.
Hip hop, the response of cosmic consciousness
Hip hop culture represents a response to the cosmic consciousness and the larger forces and energies that shape and influence our world.
To our condition as hip hop
Hip hop culture reflects and responds to the human condition and the challenges and opportunities we face in our lives.
We gotta think about the children we bringin' up
Hip hop culture has a responsibility to nurture and inspire the next generation of youth who will carry on the tradition and legacy of this powerful cultural movement.
When hip and hop means intelligence springin' up
Hip hop culture represents a form of intelligence and awareness that is embodied in the very music and movement that defines this cultural movement.
We singin' what? Sickness, hatred, ignorance and poverty
Hip hop culture challenges us to consider what we are singing and sharing with the world, and to strive to bring healing and positive change to our communities.
Or health, love, awareness and wealth, follow me
KRS-One invites us to embrace a different way of singing and sharing with the world, one that uplifts and empowers us and our communities.
We will be here forever
Hip hop culture's enduring power and influence means that it will continue to thrive and inspire us for generations to come.
We will still be here forever
KRS-One reinforces the idea that hip hop culture will endure forever, reflecting its enduring power and influence.
Get what I'm sayin' forever
KRS-One encourages us to recognize and embrace the enduring nature of hip hop culture which will continue to inspire us forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAWRENCE KRSONE PARKER, MARL MARLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@angeld7689
Folks, you must understand, this man is in his late 50s, so am I, and he still spits lesson's, think about that....Tha Teacha🙏
@tomswill9189
Facts
@alistairdavies4715
The guy is full of BS.
@Futura2500
yeah man 50's where it at now
@skelter
Yup! Krs just just dropped the best hip hop video in 2022 with this!
@natturnajr5009
In his song mad Izm with channel live he said he would rip microphones when he’s 60 lol
@danielnyundo1180
I wish all the 90's emcees can join KRS to revive Hip Hop, this is fire...much respect.
@danielnyundo1180
@Victor Spoils true that it would be nice especially for those who value Hip Hop in it true essence.
@cissembaye1174
YES RESPECT OF MR STREET !! no drake , no snoop hip hop rock !!
@space_dogg
hip-hop is bigger than ever. my neighbour can rap like nas and my other neighbour can produce beats like dj premier. it is so widespread that it lost value though. no one cares. and the same is true for almost every city, village or whatever, in the world. it wasn't like this in the 90s. you had about 20 good rappers in the world. now you have like a million easy