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 donโt 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 canโt 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..."
Rappaz R. N. Dainja
KRS-One Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Expand your consciousness and dismiss foolishness.
No one is new to this or new to Kris.
In hip-hop's atomic structure I am the nucleus.
That is the center of the group we, us.
They, them, you, every squad, every massive, every crew.
Dental floss is lost when a true rapper jumps off.
The cash is incidental, but not mental distract you off course.
It will be bitten, rewritten, then performed for a twenty-five dollar admission;
Reviewed in The Source.
You will listen, then find somethin' missin' of course... it's skills;
That's what you're fishin' for, it's lost.
I'm gettin' too explicit; the track jingles.
I won't do a wack album, then remix it for my single.
Kickin' rhymes till I wrinkle, and my brown eyes twinkle.
God called hip-hop for the nine-cinco.
Tasty like a soufflรฉ french croisant on Tuesday.
Rappers be boo-tay.
Goo-fy, that's how they crew stay;
Bitin' whatever you say to boost they ego.
We know the steelo; your whole character is foul.
Makes me want to shoot a free throw; blaow!
From the git go, no, get go, my flow hits low.
Wherever all the dope shit go; there's where my shit go.
Bee-dee-bee-bo, skank, I think;
Self with ya groups, everyone else, and the bank.
Others like to bring the shottie to the party;
I bring knowledge of self; you cure the mind; you cure the body.
Some rappers like to come to the party hopin' to leave with somebody.
Check, I come with skills, and I leave with your motherfuckin' respect.
Ahh yeah... so check, uh!
New types of verbal hip-hop I bring.
When you know you can sing, boy, you know you can sing.
I do not clutter up the airwaves with stacks of useless facts.
MC's trying to be macks, but acts like ignorant blacks;
Freak that, I'll snap your back as it cracks.
You will experience loss or lack of balance.
Stop the violence; fry from week to week like an allowance.
All of you are cowards; hiding behind the mask of MC.
I remember, thinkin' back to eighty-three;
No video; no you had to be a real, live, MC.
Now you younguns grow up buggin' any new jock you're huggin'
Weak production; let me tell you somethin'.
Any MC can battle for glory,
But to kick a dope rhyme to wake up your people's another story.
Act like you never saw me,
'Cause when it comes to lyrics I'm in a different category.
In this verse of KRS-One's song Rappaz R. N. Dainja, he asserts himself as a superior rapper, claiming to be the nucleus of hip-hop's atomic structure. He dismisses foolishness and encourages expanding one's consciousness. He declares that no one is new to him or to hip-hop, and that he represents the center of the unity of all hip-hop groups, crews, and masses. He speaks to the loss of true skill in the rap game, with dental floss being lost when a true rapper jumps off. He compares his style to chicken, saying that it will be bitten, rewritten, and performed for a price. He speaks to his commitment to excellence, claiming that he won't do a wack album then remix it for a single. He raps about how other rappers bring the shotty to the party, but he brings knowledge of self. He concludes by saying that when it comes to lyrics, he's in a different category.
Overall, KRS-One's lyrics in this verse speak to his pride in his skills and his commitment to excellence in the rap game. He recognizes the loss of true skill and artistry and seeks to elevate the game through his own skills and commitment to knowledge of self.
Line by Line Meaning
Blastmaster Kris, I don't talk ish.
I, KRS-One, am a respected and authoritative figure in hip-hop, and I do not engage in petty talk.
Expand your consciousness and dismiss foolishness.
I urge listeners to broaden their perspective and reject ignorance.
No one is new to this or new to Kris.
No one can claim to be a newcomer to hip-hop, and no one is unfamiliar with my reputation.
In hip-hop's atomic structure I am the nucleus.
I am the central and essential element of hip-hop.
That is the center of the group we, us.
I am the foundation and leader of a collective of hip-hop artists.
They, them, you, every squad, every massive, every crew.
I address all individuals and groups within hip-hop culture.
Dental floss is lost when a true rapper jumps off.
A weak MC is exposed and overshadowed when a skilled rapper takes the stage.
The cash is incidental, but not mental distract you off course.
Financial gain should not cloud one's artistic vision or distract them from their true purpose.
The style that I am kickin' is like chicken.
My flow is both satisfying and irresistible, like the taste of chicken.
It will be bitten, rewritten, then performed for a twenty-five dollar admission; Reviewed in The Source.
My lyrics will be copied, revised, and performed by lesser artists, and their work will be critiqued in hip-hop media.
You will listen, then find somethin' missin' of course... it's skills; That's what you're fishin' for, it's lost.
Listeners will sense that something is lacking in imitated versions of my style, and what they're missing is true talent and expertise.
I'm gettin' too explicit; the track jingles.
My lyrics are becoming more explicit, and the accompanying music is catchy and upbeat.
I won't do a wack album, then remix it for my single.
I refuse to produce a mediocre album and then attempt to improve it by remixing a single.
Kickin' rhymes till I wrinkle, and my brown eyes twinkle. God called hip-hop for the nine-cinco.
I will continue to create and perform rap music until I'm old, and my passion for the genre is divinely inspired.
Tasty like a soufflรฉ french croisant on Tuesday.
My lyrics are like a delicious and sophisticated French pastry.
Rappers be boo-tay.
Many other rappers are inferior and lacking in skill.
Goo-fy, that's how they crew stay; Bitin' whatever you say to boost they ego.
These rappers are unoriginal and copycat, hoping to piggyback off the success of others to boost their own egos.
We know the steelo; your whole character is foul.
I can see through their facade and recognize that their true nature is negative and flawed.
Makes me want to shoot a free throw; blaow!
Their behavior and attitude is so contemptible that I'm inclined to react with physical force.
From the git go, no, get go, my flow hits low.
My lyrics have a profound impact and strike a deep emotional chord from the very beginning.
Wherever all the dope shit go; there's where my shit go.
My music is always in demand and sought after by those who appreciate quality hip-hop.
Bee-dee-bee-bo, skank, I think; Self with ya groups, everyone else, and the bank.
My music is both cerebral and danceable, and my focus is on myself and my fellow artists rather than commercial success.
Others like to bring the shottie to the party; I bring knowledge of self; you cure the mind; you cure the body.
While some rappers resort to violence and aggression, I offer wisdom and insight that can improve one's mental and physical health.
Some rappers like to come to the party hopin' to leave with somebody.
Many other rappers are more focused on romantic conquest than artistic expression and growth.
Check, I come with skills, and I leave with your motherfuckin' respect.
I am confident in my abilities and know that my talent commands respect from my listeners and peers.
New types of verbal hip-hop I bring.
I constantly innovate and push the boundaries of hip-hop with my lyrical style.
When you know you can sing, boy, you know you can sing.
My skills are innate and undeniable, and I don't need to prove myself to anyone.
I do not clutter up the airwaves with stacks of useless facts.
I don't waste time and energy with meaningless lyrics that don't contribute to the art form.
MC's trying to be macks, but acts like ignorant blacks;
Other rappers try to mimic the persona of a pimp, but only come across as ignorant and stereotypical.
Freak that, I'll snap your back as it cracks.
I will defeat and humiliate any rapper who tries to challenge me.
You will experience loss or lack of balance.
If you try to engage in a verbal contest with me, you will suffer defeat and be thrown off balance.
Stop the violence; fry from week to week like an allowance.
I call for an end to the violence and aggression that pervades hip-hop culture, and urge people to focus on improving themselves financially and emotionally.
All of you are cowards; hiding behind the mask of MC.
I accuse other rappers of being cowardly and hiding their true selves behind the facade of their stage personas.
I remember, thinkin' back to eighty-three; No video; no you had to be a real, live, MC.
I reminisce about a time in hip-hop when authenticity and skill were paramount, and there were no shortcuts or gimmicks to success.
Now you younguns grow up buggin' any new jock you're huggin'
Nowadays, young rappers are more concerned with attention and fame than artistic integrity.
Weak production; let me tell you somethin'.
I criticize rap music that is poorly produced and fails to showcase the talent of the performer.
Any MC can battle for glory, But to kick a dope rhyme to wake up your people's another story.
While engaging in a rap battle can be impressive, it is more impactful to use one's lyrics to inspire and enlighten others.
Act like you never saw me, 'Cause when it comes to lyrics I'm in a different category.
My skills and talent set me apart from other rappers, and I am confident that I deserve recognition and respect.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY BEST, OMAR GERRYL CREDLE, CHRISTOPHER E MARTIN, LAWRENCE KRSONE PARKER, JACO PASTORIUS, CHRIS E. MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flyone8350
Rappaz R N Dainja, don't ya bees a stranger
And please don't run me over with the fly Ford Ranger
Cause when I pulls over, what?, and gets parked
Eyes reach for the handle to close and gets the static shock.
Or is it shark, shady shark. Jaws snap shut, It ain't no combination lock
Yea that's right I keeps on flowin, y'alls gets no room to talk
The TRUTH gets twisted like a tropical cichlid
And that's why I gets no peace but would I lives to sign tha lease
@agapechannel
Yo I lovvvvvvvvve this song then and now!!!!! Blast Master bodies this!!!!!๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฟ๐ช๐ฟ
@DarkmanXXL
This beat could ONLY be created by the one and only DJ PremiereโฆDAMN..REAL Hip Hop!
@entertainingsportshighligh7525
WOW , I was 23 years old in 1995 when this came out, lol.... Im now 48 in 2020. damn time flies . . I swear it seems like 1995 was just yesterday :(
@larrygabrieljr615
I feel ya I turned 21 that year. Good times!!
@mikecribbs6428
24 then and still can't figure why boom bap isn't all over the airwaves in '21
@iluvmyboba
I was 21 and just came back to NYC in the summer of '95 after living in Charlotte for 2 years. At that time New York was on FIRE. KRS-ONE, Raekwon, Grand Puba and The Fugees all had new albums out. It was such a great time.
@floyd27860
I was 17 years old, will be 45 next month... & this shit still BANGS! ๐ฏโค๏ธ
@floyd27860
1995 - Golden Era of Hip-Hop
@kevinsimmons2181
I would listen to this back when I was a high school senior back in 95-96
@fedupgamer9075
EASILY 100% better than ALL that mumble auto tune crap out today!