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..."
Organ Break
KRS-One Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And away we go
With a crazy flow, oh!
All the ladies know
And they babies know, we pro
Deep in your mind
While I'm repeatin this rhyme, we glow
I'm teachin this time
They just too slow
If you keepin in time, let's go
That b-boy thang
How long you think we gonna hang, I don't know
My style is complex
I got next, indeed we close the show
Still kickin the truth
To the young black youth, we gotta grow
My message is broader
Hip-Hop's the true world order, see it!
Every son, every daughter
If you think you oughta hip-hop, be it
You can sit on the sideline
Or your mind you can free it!
I can rock for a long time
With more rhymes, cause hip-hop WE IT
Who's it, we don't use it
Or do it as music when we spit
That murder, that crime
Never furthered your mind but you, repeat it
Whatever rhyme goes against
your inner purpose you must delete it
As you can see it
I'm the average MC and hip-hop we teach it
All over the world
This goes out to all b-boys and girls
WORLDWIDE! {hooo, hooo, hooo...}
KRS-One's song "Organ Break" is a tribute to hip hop and the culture that surrounds it. The song begins with a fast, "crazy flow" that showcases KRS-One's lyrical ability. He emphasizes that he is "teaching" while he raps, and that his off-beat flow is intentional and unique. He encourages listeners to keep time and embrace the "b-boy thang" of hip hop. He proclaims that his message is "broader" and that hip hop is the "true world order." KRS-One invites all "sons" and "daughters" to embrace hip hop and be a part of the culture, stating that they can either sit on the sidelines or "free their minds" and participate.
Throughout the song, KRS-One emphasizes the importance of hip hop as a force for good. He discourages messages of murder and crime, encouraging listeners to delete any rhymes that go against their "inner purpose." He notes that his rhymes are meant to teach and inspire, particularly the "young black youth," who he believes have the power to grow and shape the future of hip hop. The song ends with a shoutout to b-boys and girls worldwide, emphasizing the global reach and impact of the culture.
Overall, "Organ Break" is a celebration of hip hop and its potential to inspire and empower people around the world. Through his fast, complex flow and powerful lyrics, KRS-One encourages listeners to embrace hip hop as a force for good and to participate in shaping its future.
Line by Line Meaning
And away we go
Let's get started
With a crazy flow, oh!
With a unique, energetic style
All the ladies know
Women recognize our talent
And they babies know, we pro
Even babies recognize our professionalism
Deep in your mind
Influence on thoughts and ideas
While I'm repeatin this rhyme, we glow
Our delivery generates energy
I'm teachin this time
Educating listeners
That off-beat I speak of a rhyme, flow
My unconventional rhythm and meter
They just too slow
Others are not keeping up
If you keepin in time, let's go
If you understand, join in
That b-boy thang
The essence of hip-hop dance culture
How long you think we gonna hang, I don't know
Uncertainty about the future of this culture
My style is complex
My delivery is intricate
I got next, indeed we close the show
I'm up next, and we'll end the show
Still kickin the truth
We're still speaking honestly
To the young black youth, we gotta grow
We need to help our community progress
My message is broader
My ideas are not limited to one group
Hip-Hop's the true world order, see it!
Hip-hop has global influence
Every son, every daughter
Everyone can be part of hip-hop
If you think you oughta hip-hop, be it
If you feel a connection to hip-hop, embrace it
You can sit on the sideline
You can be a spectator
Or your mind you can free it!
Or you can join in and express yourself
I can rock for a long time
I've got plenty of material
With more rhymes, cause hip-hop WE IT
We are the essence of hip-hop
Who's it, we don't use it
We don't conform to trendy styles
Or do it as music when we spit
We see it as a lifestyle
That murder, that crime
Violent lyrics
Never furthered your mind but you, repeat it
These lyrics do not contribute to growth
Whatever rhyme goes against
Lyrics that contradict
your inner purpose you must delete it
We should not support ideas that conflict with our values
As you can see it
It's clear to see
I'm the average MC and hip-hop we teach it
I am a typical rapper and we educate through our music
All over the world
Global reach
This goes out to all b-boys and girls
A message for the hip-hop dance community
WORLDWIDE! {hooo, hooo, hooo...}
All around the globe!
Contributed by Josiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.