KRS-One Helped Create Hip-Hop Culture

• Originally Published in Billboard August 7, 2004

Copyright 2004 VNU Business Media, Inc.

The roots of hip-hop are firmly planted in the Bronx, N.Y., so it is fitting that KRS-One, one of the borough's most-revered MCs, will receive the Hip-Hop Founders Awards at this year's Billboard/American Urban Radio Networks R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.

Born Lawrence Krisna Parker, KRS-One--an acronym for Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone--rose to fame in the mid-'80s and quickly became one of hip-hop's most influential voices.

As the founding members of Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One and DJ Scott LaRock (born Scott Sterling) made their full-length debut with 1987's "Criminal Minded." That album produced hard-hitting classics like "The Bridge Is Over," "South Bronx" and the title track.

"Criminal Minded" is often described as a precursor to hardcore hip-hop. KRS-One's uncompromising portrayal of the inner city and its many dangers--violence, drugs and teenage sex--over LaRock's sparse production was not for the faint of heart.

The album also chronicled one of hip-hop's most legendary beefs--KRS-One and BDP vs. MC Shan and the Queens, N.Y.-based Juice Crew. The two factions waged a war of words that served to be about neighborhood loyalty and mutual respect.

All of these factors played a role in the success of "Criminal Minded." The album even caught the attention of Jive Records, who signed the group in 1987. Later that year, LaRock was shot to death trying to break up an argument at a party.

A CHANGE IN TONE

Moved by his partner's death, KRS-One forged ahead to craft the 1988 classic album "By All Means Necessary." The title served as a play on the famous Malcolm X quote, "By any means necessary."

On the album, he adopted a more progressive and conscious tone. The result was more thought-provoking tracks like "My Philosophy" and "Stop the Violence."

That same year, KRS-One founded the Stop the Violence Movement. The organization orchestrated the recording of "Self Destruction," an all-star charity single. The song, which benefited the National Urban League, featured a host of then-A-list artists, including Heavy D, MC Lyte, Kool Moe Dee and Doug E. Fresh.

"By All Means Necessary" put BDP on par with groups like Public Enemy and X-Clan, who led the conscious hip-hop movement in the early '90s.

KRS-One went on to record 1990's "Edutainment" and 1992's "Sex & Violence" under the BDP banner before disbanding the group, which had included his brother, Kenny Parker; D-Nice; and Ms. Melodie.

In 1993, the rapper made his solo debut with "Return of the Boom Bap" (Jive). KRS-One continued to carry the mantle for conscious hip-hop with tracks like the anti-police-brutality anthem "Sound of Da Police," "Brown Skin Woman" and "Black Cop."

After releasing a self-titled set in 1995 and 1997's "I Got Next," KRS-One severed ties with Jive Records.

He briefly served as head of A&R at Warner Bros. Records before launching his own Front Page imprint through Koch Records. Front Page's releases include 2001's "The Sneak Attack" and 2002's inspirational "Spiritual Minded."

KRS-One severed ties with Koch in 2003 after the label released his seventh solo set, "Kristyles," with unauthorized and unmastered material. The rapper later rereleased the album independently in its intended form.

Following the rerelease, KRS-One guested on the "Saturday Night Agenda" compilation from Boston-based Grit Recordings. His affiliation with Grit led to him headlining the inaugural Peace & Unity Festival in Boston and a new album, "Keep Right," independently released earlier this year.

In addition to his music, KRS-One also founded the Temple of Hiphop, a nonprofit organization whose manifesto states that its purpose is to "continue decriminalizing Hiphop's public image and promote the unity of the Hiphop Kulture."

"I presented the idea of hip-hop being a culture 10 years ago in pieces for Fresh, Source, XXL [and] even when I was ethics editor at Blaze," the MC told Billboard last year. "Now the mainstream has accepted hip-hop as a culture. Harvard University is doing a hip-hop archive. For the next five years, it will collect all of the hip-hop artifacts and knowledge it can to begin teaching a legitimate cultural studies course.

"What we're moving toward is self-government," he added. "That's very scary to the entertainment industry, which just wants to use us as slaves: 'Give me your talent, and I can fling you whatever bone I think you're worth.'

"So this is the struggle," he continued. "Are we product to be bought and sold? Or are we a free, self-governing people who happen to have this resource that includes breakin', MC-ing, graffiti art, DJ-ing, beatboxing, fashion and language as our intellectual property?"