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KRS-One (rapper)

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KRS-One
Age
Also known as KRS, Teacha, The Blastmaster, Big Joe Krash
Birth date August 20, 1965
Birth name Lawrence Krisna Parker
Born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York
Origin South Bronx, New York, U.S.
Current City South Bronx, New York, U.S.
Styles
Occupation(s) Rapper, record producer, actor, activist
Instruments Vocals, turntables
Years active 1984-present
Label(s) Jive, RCA, Duck Down
Associated acts Boogie Down Productions, Fat Joe, Geologic of the Blue Scholars Scott La Rock, Marley Marl, Diamond D, LL Cool J, Nas, Rakim, Public Enemy, Buckshot, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, EPMD, Beast 1333
Website

Lawrence Krisna Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (a backronym for Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone, also, K, R, and S are letters from both his middle name and the name of the Hindu god, Krishna), and Teacha, is an American rapper of Jamaican descent. At the 2008 BET Awards, KRS-One was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for all his work and effort towards the Stop the Violence Movement as well as the overall pioneering of Hip-Hop music and Hip-Hop culture.

Biography[]

Lawrence Parker was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York during the summer of 1965. Parker left home at 14 to become an MC, coming to live at a homeless shelter in the South Bronx where he was dubbed Krishna by residents because of his interest in the Hare Krishna spirituality of some of the antipoverty workers. By the time he met youth counselor Scott Sterling, he was also writing graffiti as KRS-One (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone). Together he and Sterling, a.k.a. DJ Scott La Rock eventually created Boogie Down Productions, releasing their debut album, Criminal Minded, in 1987. KRS-One has been a vegetarian since his youth. He was also a founding member of hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions.

Boogie Down Productions[]

Main article: Boogie Down Productions (rap group)

KRS-One began his recording career as one-third of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, or BDP, alongside DJ Scott La Rock and Derrick "D-Nice" Jones. They met during a stay KRS-One had at the Bronx Franklin Avenue Armory Shelter. La Rock (real name Scott Sterling) worked as a social worker there. The duo would begin to create music. After being rejected by radio DJs Mr. Magic and Marley Marl, KRS-One would go on to diss the two and those associated with them, sparking what would later be known as The Bridge Wars. Additionally, KRS had taken offense to "The Bridge", a song by Marley Marl's protege, MC Shan (later on, KRS One produced an album with Marley Marl in 2007); the song could be interpreted as a claim that Queensbridge was the monument of Hip-hop, though MC Shan has repeatedly denied this claim. Still, KRS "dissed" the song with the BDP record "South Bronx"; next, the second round of volleys would ensue with Shan's "Kill That Noise" and BDP's "The Bridge Is Over". KRS-One, demonstrating his nickname "The Blastmaster", gave a live performance that devastated MC Shan, and many conceded he had won the battle. Many believe this live performance to be the first MC battle where rappers attack each other, instead of a battle between who can get the crowd more hyped.

Parker and Sterling 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 produced by David Kenneth Eng, and Kenny Beck was released on indie Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records (under the group name "12:41") but did not enjoy commercial success. Boogie Down Productions released their debut album Criminal Minded in 1987. The album, whose cover pictured BDP draped in ammunition and brandishing guns, is often credited with setting the template for the burgeoning genres of hardcore and gangsta rap. Scott La Rock was killed in a shooting later that year, after attempting to mediate a dispute between the teenager and BDP member Derrick "D-Nice" Jones and local hoodlums.

During this time KRS-One also gained acclaim as one of the first MCs to incorporate Jamaican style into hip-hop. Using the Zung gu zung melody, originally made famous by Yellowman in Jamaican dance halls earlier in the decade. While KRS-One used Zunguzung styles in a more powerful and controversial manner, especially in his song titled "Remix for P is Free", he can still be credited as one of the more influential figures to bridge the gap between Jamaican music and American hip-hop.

Following the fatal shooting of Scott La Rock in 1987, KRS was determined to continue Boogie Down Productions through the tragedy, releasing the album By All Means Necessary in 1988. He was joined by beatboxer D-Nice, rapper Ramona "Ms. Melodie" Parker (whose marriage to Kris would last from 1988 to 1992), and Kris's younger brother DJ Kenny Parker, among others. However Boogie Down Productions would remain Kris's show, and their content would become increasingly political through their subsequent releases Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop, Edutainment, Live Hardcore Worldwide, and Sex and Violence.

KRS-One was the primary initiator behind the H.E.A.L. compilation and the Stop the Violence Movement; for the latter, he would attract many prominent MCs to appear on the 12-inch single "Self Destruction". As Parker adopted this "humanist", less defensive approach, he turned away from his "Blastmaster" persona and towards that of "The Teacha", although he has constantly used "Blastmaster" throughout his career.


Discography[]

Main article: KRS-One discography

Boogie Down Productions[]

  • 1987: Criminal Minded
  • 1988: By All Means Necessary
  • 1989: Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
  • 1990: Edutainment
  • 1991: Live Hardcore Worldwide
  • 1992: Sex and Violence

Solo albums[]

  • 1993: Return of the Boom Bap
  • 1995: KRS-One
  • 1997: I Got Next (KRS-One album)
  • 2001: The Sneak Attack
  • 2002: Spiritual Minded (KRS-One album)
  • 2002: Prophets Vs. Profits
  • 2003: Kristyles
  • 2004: Keep Right
  • 2006: Life
  • 2008: Adventures in Emceein
  • 2008: Maximum Strength
  • 2010: Back to the L.A.B. (Lyrical Ass Beating)
  • 2012: The BDP Album
  • Just Like That (TBA)

Music[]

Music Videos[]

Videos[]

Links[]

See Also[]



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