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..."
Slap Them Up
KRS-One Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
motherfuckin' house and shit, ya know what I'm sayin'? But yo,
yo Kris, run that shit, ya know what I'm sayin'? That, that shit,
my joint. Run that motherfucker, it's only right kid
(Do it, do it, do it)
Drop that bassline
(Do it, do it, do it)
When we come in all de dance 'nuff D.J.'s shut up, woy!
Gal! Will ya come slap dem up
When we come in all de dance 'nuff D.J.'s shut up, woy!
Ill Will, slap dem up
MC's get ate, get broken like a pretzel
and get dissed if they ever try to step to
They can't take a MC with loose lips
Talk a lotta shit [but sink no motherfuckin' ships]
Lyrics make bigger holes than hollow tips
Watch another rapper body get stiff
Just like in church, we pass the basket
as I preach over his casket
Fuck it, kick the body right over
and say "See ya, hmm, nice to know ya"
Got another rapper to see
Yo Kris, bust that ass [certainly]
If you're shiverin' get off the pot
Let the original rapper rock the spot
You stand there and jock, goin' [mumbles]
This is absolutely ludicrous, what can you do to Kris
Chattin' foolishness, step along quick with that stupidness
It's me rippin' this for self, where else ya lookin'?
I got more rhymes than all the Jamaicans in Brooklyn
So beat it or be seated, Gee I'm mad undefeated
Young boy, you can't see me, run along and make pee-pee
I was rockin' rhymes when "La-Di-Da-Di" was a demo
Admit you been on my tip for years and just can't seem to let go
Go, go call your mother, tell her you want to battle KRS quick
I bet the minute you get home you'll get your ass whipped
Crazy ill mad styles is what I give 'em
Not a run-of-the-mill 'em, I drill 'em, I got ridiculous rhythm
None of my styles you can get with 'em
Still um, will um, your crew come get some so I can kill 'em
Well I roll by myself but don't let it fool ya
If I got beef my crew'll damn step to ya
We don't play no games, I'll come straight to your rest
Lift up your shirt and blast you in your chest
[Well that was fresh]
A fad doesn't fill the bill, but mad skills will
Don't let me have to kill you kid, god forbid still
Greed will lead your need to succeed
but your speed, your speech
Your outreach is a breach of what I teach
For lyrical styles you're a leech
If I was Spanish I'd say, ["You lie like a beech"]
Wow-wow-wow-wow, wow-wow-wow, wow-wow-wow...
Wow, for a amateur you really looked hard
But you're really a bitch, when you get it together
call me, here's my card
Check the list: you lack breath control, mental behavior
Lyrical talent, imagination and flavor
I got no time for amateur rhyme, you could be hurt
Thinkin' you're hard because you wear a gangsta T-Shirt
I'll smash your want to-be ass in the deep dirt
Black, you'll come up dizzy sayin' "How da fuck he do dat?"
'cause you're yappin' like you can't be reached
If your name ain't Arrested Development, well save your speech
Time to ill, I got mad skills to fill
Not a fake, I got more styles than Drake's got Tasty Cakes
Gotta be the best Gee, don't try to test me
You'll get jacked son, even if your name is not Jesse
Let's be up front when I meet ya
Peace, uh, I'm the motherfuckin' teacher
When we come in all de dance 'nuff D.J.'s shut up, woy!
Gal! Will ya come slap dem up
When we come in all de dance 'nuff D.J.'s shut up, woy!
Gal! Will ya come slap dem up, up, up, up, up
(Do it, do it, do it)
(Do it, do it, do it)
Yo, South Bronx, South South Bronx
South Bronx, South South, yo, Uptown
Brooklyn's in the house, lemme tell ya 'bout Staten Island
What about, Queens?
The lyrics of KRS-One's song Slap Them Up address his superiority as a rapper and his ability to take down any competition with his skills. The song is full of boastful lines where he confidently raps about his skills and the inferiority of those who might try to challenge him. He starts off by calling out all the DJs in the house and telling them to give him some space to perform his song. He then goes on to assert his dominance as a rapper, saying that he can break any MC who tries to come after him. His lyrics are full of metaphors and imagery, comparing himself to a preacher who stands over the casket of a dead rapper and talks about his own greatness. He also boasts about his extensive vocabulary and rhyming skills, claiming that he has more rhymes than all the Jamaicans in Brooklyn combined.
The chorus, "When we come in all de dance 'nuff D.J.'s shut up, woy! Gal! Will ya come slap dem up" is a call to action for his listeners to stand up and take action against those who might try to challenge his status as a rapper. He is essentially asking his fans to "slap them up," or put them in their place and defend his honor.
Overall, KRS-One's Slap Them Up is a powerful display of his talent and confidence as a rapper, while also calling out those who might try to challenge him. It showcases his ability to use language creatively and express himself through his lyrics in a way that commands attention and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
Tellin' it like it is, right about now D.J. Premier is in the
motherfuckin' house and shit, ya know what I'm sayin'? But yo,
yo Kris, run that shit, ya know what I'm sayin'? That, that shit,
my joint. Run that motherfucker, it's only right kid
(Do it, do it, do it)
The artist is excited about D.J. Premier's presence and wants him to play his song. He instructs KRS-One to start playing and expresses his admiration for his joint.
Drop that bassline
The artist instructs KRS-One to start playing the song's bassline.
You want lyrics? We give ya lyrics. Check it out now, one time
The artist promises to provide lyrics for the song and urges the listener to pay attention.
When we come in all de dance 'nuff D.J.'s shut up, woy!
Gal! Will ya come slap dem up
Ill Will, slap dem up
The artist's entrance commands attention and the crowd responds. He then calls for someone to slap up anyone who disrespects them.
MC's get ate, get broken like a pretzel
and get dissed if they ever try to step to
They can't take a MC with loose lips
Talk a lotta shit [but sink no motherfuckin' ships]
If anyone tries to challenge them, they will be defeated. People can say whatever they want, but they won't win.
Lyrics make bigger holes than hollow tips
Watch another rapper body get stiff
Just like in church, we pass the basket
as I preach over his casket
Their lyrics can be deadly and shut down other rappers. They don't mind taking out other rappers, likening them to dead bodies. Preaching over a casket reinforces the idea of their lyrical dominance.
Fuck it, kick the body right over
and say "See ya, hmm, nice to know ya"
Got another rapper to see
Yo Kris, bust that ass [certainly]
They aren't afraid to disrespect rap's fallen soldiers. They make light of the situation and move on to the next challenger, requesting KRS-One to continue playing.
If you're shiverin' get off the pot
Let the original rapper rock the spot
You stand there and jock, goin' [mumbles]
The artist encourages others to step up and take a turn. He doesn't want anyone to waste his time observing others.
This is absolutely ludicrous, what can you do to Kris
Chattin' foolishness, step along quick with that stupidness
The artist dismisses anyone who tries to challenge them as foolish and unworthy. He demands others to step up or shut up.
It's me rippin' this for self, where else ya lookin'?
I got more rhymes than all the Jamaicans in Brooklyn
So beat it or be seated, Gee I'm mad undefeated
Young boy, you can't see me, run along and make pee-pee
The artist brags about his lyrical superiority, claiming he has more rhymes than anyone else and telling others to give up. He feels untouchable and encourages others to leave the game.
I was rockin' rhymes when "La-Di-Da-Di" was a demo
Admit you been on my tip for years and just can't seem to let go
Go, go call your mother, tell her you want to battle KRS quick
I bet the minute you get home you'll get your ass whipped
The artist has been in the game longer than most, and claims that others have followed and imitated him. He challenges anyone to a battle and confidently predicts their failure.
Crazy ill mad styles is what I give 'em
Not a run-of-the-mill 'em, I drill 'em, I got ridiculous rhythm
None of my styles you can get with 'em
Still um, will um, your crew come get some so I can kill 'em
The artist claims that his style is unique and unbeatable. He challenges others to try to challenge him but feels confident in his ability to kill them with his rhymes.
Well I roll by myself but don't let it fool ya
If I got beef my crew'll damn step to ya
We don't play no games, I'll come straight to your rest
Lift up your shirt and blast you in your chest
[Well that was fresh]
Even though he is often alone, the artist warns others not to underestimate him. His crew is also ready to confront anyone who disrespects them. He is willing to use violence if necessary.
A fad doesn't fill the bill, but mad skills will
Don't let me have to kill you kid, god forbid still
Greed will lead your need to succeed
but your speed, your speech
Your outreach is a breach of what I teach
For lyrical styles you're a leech
If I was Spanish I'd say, ["You lie like a beech"]
The artist believes that true talent and skill are more important than fleeting trends. He criticizes others' greed and lack of originality. He views others as parasites who copy and discredit his teachings.
Wow-wow-wow-wow, wow-wow-wow, wow-wow-wow...
Wow, for a amateur you really looked hard
But you're really a bitch, when you get it together
call me, here's my card
The artist mocks others for trying to look tough but being weak. He hands out his card to those who want to improve and learn from him.
Check the list: you lack breath control, mental behavior
Lyrical talent, imagination and flavor
I got no time for amateur rhyme, you could be hurt
Thinkin' you're hard because you wear a gangsta T-Shirt
The artist lists the qualities needed to be a successful rapper. He warns others that he has no patience for those who lack these qualities and will not hesitate to call them out.
I'll smash your want to-be ass in the deep dirt
Black, you'll come up dizzy sayin' "How da fuck he do dat?"
'cause you're yappin' like you can't be reached
If your name ain't Arrested Development, well save your speech
If others try to imitate him, the artist will defeat them and make them feel foolish. He dismisses others' chatter and warns them against wasting his time.
Time to ill, I got mad skills to fill
Not a fake, I got more styles than Drake's got Tasty Cakes
Gotta be the best Gee, don't try to test me
You'll get jacked son, even if your name is not Jesse
The artist is confident in his abilities and notes his extensive array of styles. He responds to anyone who tries to challenge him with violence.
Let's be up front when I meet ya
Peace, uh, I'm the motherfuckin' teacher
The artist notes his role as a teacher and promises to impart his knowledge to those willing to listen.
Gal! Will ya come slap dem up, up, up, up, up
(Do it, do it, do it)
The artist again asks for someone to slap up anyone who disrespects them.
Yo, South Bronx, South South Bronx
South Bronx, South South, yo, Uptown
Brooklyn's in the house, lemme tell ya 'bout Staten Island
What about, Queens?
The artist shouts out different boroughs of New York City, showcasing his love for the city and its rap scene.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DOUGLAS JONES, LAWRENCE KRSONE PARKER, NORBERTO COTTO, WILLIAM BROADY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind