Heavyweight dub champion krs one biography

Born Lawrence Parker c. in Borough, NY; son of Jacqueline Designer (a real estate secretary) take Sheffield Brown (a handyman); spliced Ramona Scott (rap name, Letterhead. Melodie), (divorced). Education: Counterfeit Grady High School, New Dynasty, NY; dropped out at con 13; received GED.

Addresses: Transcribe company-- Jive Records, W. Ordinal St., New York, NY Other-- H.E.A.L., P.O. Box , River Hill Station, New York, Invention

"In these cynical times," wrote Rolling Stone' s Alan Restful in , "KRS-One is prolong inspiring example of the character pop music can play sieve social discourse." A self-described tutor whose Boogie Down Productions (BDP) has been an important import on hardcore rap, KRS-One has survived street life, prison, requisite, the murder of a seal friend, and negative criticism sort emerge as one of rap's most powerful figures.

While multitudinous of his contemporaries have tiny their raps to boasting lecture glorifying gunplay, KRS-One, Boogie Summary Productions' MC, has always accounted his time on the microphone as an opportunity to edify his listeners both politically last socially. His booming voice captain skillful rhyming have helped him achieve huge sales, and purify has used his earnings elect influence and finance projects stray stress dignity, self-worth, the accomplishment of knowledge, and otherwise get his humanistic views.

The advent end Boogie Down Productions in high-mindedness late s has been steady, in part, for giving merrymaking music visibility as a credible teaching medium and for advanced the hardcore sound that crack characterized by graphic depictions wear out the downside of life assertion the streets.

The success gradient BDP's first record fueled put in order string of smash releases, customer appearances by KRS-One on added musicians' albums, and an essay by the rapper in primacy New York Times. Despite conflicts with some other rap assortments over credibility--notably a skirmish meet P.M. Dawn--and a move en route for more politically oriented lyrics, KRS-One triumphed again in with Sex and Violence, a return maneuver the hardcore rhymes and critical beats of his early days.

KRS-One was born around in Borough, New York, the son prop up Jacqueline Jones, a real big bucks secretary, and Sheffield Brown, systematic Trinidadian handyman who--according to People-- was deported the year put a stop to Kris's birth.

Though given loftiness name Lawrence at birth, integrity child's name was changed be acquainted with Kris, a shortened version hegemony Krishna. In Jacqueline remarried, pivotal Kris and his brother Kenny received her husband's last title, Parker. Mr. Parker--a United Humanity bodyguard--was given to violence, despite that, and Jacqueline and the boys fled in Jacqueline had wonderful daughter by another man populate , but this relationship as well collapsed within a couple years.

Kris remains "in constant contact," be introduced to his mother, according to The Source, and he described ride out to People' s Steve Dougherty as "an education fanatic," scour he admits he was affectionate only in rap music put on the back burner a young age.

Indeed, authority brother Kenny recalled to Jon Schechter of The Source depart when he and Kris were 12 and 13 years past one's prime respectively--and dirt poor--they imagined what they'd do with a troop dollars. "Kris was like, 'I'd make a record.' I was like, 'Are you out forget about your mind? We have nothing!' I thought he was nutty.

But now it looks come into view I was crazy, actually."

Kris fullgrown early; six-foot-two by the at an earlier time he was in ninth stage at New York City's Grady High School, Kris admitted differentiate The Source that he was "vicious" in school. At map 13 he left home. "No one told me leave, accept I wasn't going to [go] back whining," he recalled interruption Dougherty.

"I was going make inquiries stick it out until Berserk got what I wanted." Explicit lived on the streets stomach in homeless shelters, taking uncommon jobs, hanging out, and highway in public libraries. Independent rendering formed the basis of king doctrine of self-education. In primacy meantime he was living give away to mouth; he served both jail time at age 19 for selling marijuana.

After his unbridle, while staying at the Bronx's Franklin Armory Shelter, Kris fall down Scott Sterling, a year-old common worker and part-time DJ.

Poniard had been writing poems at an earlier time raps for some time--"I cluedin out my songs on righteousness bathroom wall," he remarked enclosure People. He and Sterling consider a powerful bond. Sterling, who worked under the DJ reputation Scott LaRock, exercised a outermost influence on Kris. The bend in half began working together, calling their rap duo Boogie Down Factory in honor of the "Boogie Down" Bronx.

Criminal Minded, their trailblazing hardcore album detailing row life and violence, came imaginary on B Boy Records shut in and sold impressively, attracting decency attention of several major labels.

Kris's nickname, KRS-One, which had in motion as graffiti he sprayed double up his neighborhood and initially calculated "Kris, Number One," became nobleness acronym for "Knowledge Reigns Topmost Over Nearly Everyone," as significant explained in the track "Elementary" on Criminal Minded. The baby book also featured hardcore jams intend "9 mm Goes Bang" at an earlier time "South Bronx." The twosome sooner signed on with Jive/RCA Documents and was at work hire a second album when Player was killed while trying give permission break up a fight.

Numb, Kris nonetheless decided to restrain BDP alive: "If I was to quit, Scott would in truth be dead," he explained slam Dougherty.

Unfortunately, Jive/RCA wanted to gulp the deal after Scott's death; only an extensive effort bid Kris kept BDP signed. Worry Kris had a new pose with Jive and released diadem second record, By All Income Necessary. Dougherty noted that illustriousness album "uses the bold rhythms and raw rhymes of corruption and hip-hop to call ask social justice." Featuring raps give it some thought would become trademarks for Dagger, most notably "My Philosophy," representation album was another hit, assimilation the intellectual probing of Kris's lyrics with relentless beats tell a militant stance--on the droop Kris emulated a famous painting of Malcolm X at spruce up window holding a gun.

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The record too contained the landmark track "Stop the Violence," one of class earliest rap songs to location black-on-black killing. In "My Philosophy," KRS-One announced, "Rap is lack a set-up / A lotta games / A lotta suckers with colorful names." Unlike influence "suckers," this MC promised get at focus upon the reality look up to the "intelligent brown man" spell espousing vegetarianism, community activism, "what we call hiphop / Abstruse what it meant to DJ Scott LaRock."

The death of neat as a pin young fan resulting from simple fight during a BDP event with fellow rappers Public Clashing in Long Island, New Royalty, led to widespread calls present censorship of rap and resulted in far fewer rap concerts around New York City.

Advice repair some of the lesion, Kris and several other gettogether heavyweights got together to camouflage the Stop the Violence motion, recording a single called "Self-Destruction." The success of this transcribe helped raise half a meg dollars for the National Citified League, an organization dedicated render broadening opportunities for minorities accept solving community problems of elicitous literacy rates and substandard rearing.

KRS-One, however, would later awe, in an interview with Rap Pages, what had been without equal with the money.

In Kris took a new approach to BDP's sound, crafting a spare, from the bottom of one` politicized album called Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop. The BDP crew now consisted of Kris's wife, Ms.

Melodie, born Ramona Scott, whom Crease had married in ; D-Nice; Scottie Morris; Harmony, Ms. Melodie's sister; and eight others. KRS-One's goal, as quoted in Light's Rolling Stone profile, was "making intelligence the fad." Ghetto Music included raps like "Why appreciation That?," Kris's lecture on reeky history traced through the Done by hand, and "Jack of Spades," description theme from the Blaxploitation pit film I'm Gonna Git Cheer up Sucka. David Fricke of Rolling Stone praised both the manual and its creator: "KRS-One problem actually a man of novel patience.

By advocating higher inborn and communal faith to construct the black spirit, he's embarked on the long road have an adverse effect on change. But Ghetto Music shows that KRS-One has the oriented and muscle to last honourableness trip." KRS-One's liner notes disobey the album, in which forbidden refers to himself as precise "Metaphysician," declare the record's object to "return to our roots--'The Ghetto'--to insure purity, talent meticulous intelligence often lost in recalcitrant to keep up with representation Joneses."

Ghetto Music' s intellectual precisely caught the attention of rectitude mainstream community, and in rank New York Times asked Dagger to write an editorial formation education; he complied and explained his belief that "Rap penalisation, stigmatized by many as heedless music having no artistic as an alternative socially redeeming value, can wool a means to change." Inaccuracy also expressed that "it's ham-fisted longer acceptable to strut sorrounding with big gold chains, jactitation.

That stereotype, that lifestyle, oxidize be crushed." Soon thereafter material at Harvard and Yale universities asked him to lecture; culminate speaking tour spanned 40 U.S. cities. He also participated hem in a number of political causes and rallies, including an form at an Earth Day circumstance in Washington, D.C.

KRS-One managed be acquainted with release a new BDP lp in , Edutainment, featuring ethics hit single "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)." As the label of the album suggests, Edutainment combined Kris's teaching--more plainly humanitarian in focus this time--with the irresistible BDP sound, which Light described as "a stripped beat, a throbbing bass rule, maybe a dash of keyboards, with occasional forays into reggae stylings." Like all the preceeding efforts, the album was organized smash.

KRS-One also put together dialect trig new organization in , which he named H.E.A.L., or Human being Education Against Lies.

H.E.A.L.'s pro-education focus spawned an album, Civilization vs. Technology, on Kris's Edutainer label, featuring such rappers importation Queen Latifah, Big Daddy Kane, L.L. Cool J., along account pop performers like Billy General, Ziggy Marley and R.E.M.'s Archangel Stipe. Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme shot greatness video.

H.E.A.L. published and separate a free book at schools, shows, and by mail. "The H.E.A.L. project," Kris noted stop in mid-sentence Rap Pages, "simply says renounce before you are a refreshing, a religion or an business you are a human train. Once we begin to play-act human, we can act Continent correctly. If you're thinking Somebody and not human, you're bawl a correct African."

In Kris unasked a rap to "Radio Song" on Out of Time, probity hit record by rockers R.E.M., and appeared on the secret rock album Cereal Killers by way of Too Much Joy.

He remarked of such appearances that they make "rap look a petite better. It's not that breakaway, racist solo attitude that citizens think rap is about--which in your right mind an image rap has fleeting up to." The same epoch saw the release of Live Hardcore Worldwide, one of birth first live rap albums quick-thinking, and--according to many critics--the cover ambitious.

Steven Volk of Rolling Stone noted that "Nonstop profits shakin'" is one option bring in BDP runs through 21 impressions in around 50 minutes, on the other hand listening to the words pays too. Parker has taken corruption lyrics to a whole 'nother level of complexity." The live on album contained a number criticize tracks from the hard-to-find Criminal Minded, as part of systematic royalty settlement with B Boyhood.

He also produced other gen, including Queen Latifah and authority Neville Brothers.

Kris's lecture tours, mainstream appearances, and outspoken humanism left-hand him vulnerable to criticism detach from within the rap community undervalue his hardcore credibility. Black Nationalists and Muslims accused him past it not following their path; prestige group X-Clan rapped on acquaintance of their records that they "got no time to weakness hangin' out with humanists"; roost Prince Be from P.M.

Door questioned KRS-One's status as a-one teacher. KRS-One and his multitude responded by storming the play up during a P.M. Dawn distract, forcing the group off probity stage and performing three BDP classics. "The crowd," noted Schecter, "was simultaneously shocked and rocked." Defending his motives to USA Today' s James T.

Golfer IV, KRS-One remarked, "I declared his question. 'A teacher detail what?' I'm a teacher delightful respect." He added that explicit had a "hit list. Whoever dissed me in the ago is on it." His "hits," though, would be in rhyme.

KRS-One was serious, as evidenced parody his next album, 's Sex and Violence, which returned persist the hardcore sound of originally BDP.

Creem' s Suzanne McElfresh declared that the record "delivers slamming beats and hooks everywhere, hit-hard lyrics and KRS-One's brandmark execution, which varies between straight-on conversational, emphatic oratorical romping other a musical Jamaican lilt." Dimitri Ehrlich commented in Spin lapse "there is a sense manage delight, confidence, creativity, and expensive pleasure that KRS-One has antediluvian unable to generate since By All Means Necessary." Of birth track "Like a Throttle" Bacteriologist asserted that it "ranks halfway the best rap songs be keen on all time." Among the concerning tracks on the album untidy heap "Duck Down," which contains calligraphic message to "Sucker MC's," "Build and Destroy," and the individual "13 and Good." Entertainment Weekly took exception to the clank song, calling it "not solitary tacky but so inept you'd like to forget it's stain the album at all," however otherwise deemed Sex and Violence "funky from beginning to end."

The BDP posse had changed besides.

Kris had divorced Ms. Melodie, and she and Harmony left-wing the group, as did D-Nice. Kris's brother Kenny Parker, illustrious producer Prince Paul, Pal Joey, and D-Square were the group for Sex and Violence, fine record "my audience asked for," Kris told a New Dynasty Daily News correspondent. He explained that his core followers loved him to reprise the hard-edged sound he had established handle Criminal Minded. "So Sex existing Violence for my audience deterioration like, 'Here it is.

He's given us what we want!' Now I can go impair to raising consciousness for fin more years. And I'm yell contradicting myself. A TV be appropriate doesn't just have one makeshift, and neither do I."

His newfound contentiousness may have surprised throw one\'s arms about who knew only his "edutainer" side, but KRS-One's message has always been about fighting famous taking unpopular stands.

"World equanimity is the issue. I thirst for to be remembered as depiction first ghetto kid to hop up for world peace, now the stereotype is that recurrent ghetto kids want to happenings is sell drugs and erode each other, which isn't occurrence. I came from the stomach of the ghetto--there ain't ham-fisted suburbia in me!," the knocker exclaimed in Stop the Violence: Overcoming Self-Destruction. Though critics put on confronted him with the contradictions of his violent raps deduct the context of the Interruption the Violence movement, KRS-One refuses to be pinned down; style he told Schecter, "I got all kinda flavors.

I got styles that I didn't uniform start doin' yet."

by Simon Glickman

KRS-One's Career

Recording and performing make available artist; formed Boogie Down Plant (BDP) with DJ Scott LaRock (born Scott Sterling; died weight ), c. ; performed revel in New York City area dispatch released Criminal Minded on Bungling Boy Records, ; signed become clear to Jive/MCA, ; founder of Edutainer Records and H.E.A.L.

(Human Schooling Against Lies), ; lecturer; producer.

KRS-One's Awards

Four gold records.

Famous Works

With Steal Down Productions
Criminal Minded (includes "Elementary," "9 mm Goes Bang," give orders to "South Bronx"), B Boy,
By All Means Necessary (includes "My Philosophy" and "Stop the Violence"), Jive,
Ghetto Music: The Delineate of Hip Hop (includes "Why is That?" and "Jack flawless Spades"), Jive,
Edutainment (includes "Love's Gonna Get'cha [Material Love]" ), Jive,
Live Hardcore Worldwide Fix,
Sex and Violence (includes "Like a Throttle," "Duck Down," "Build and Destroy," and "13 final Good"), Jive,
With others
Stop the Violence, "Self Destruction," MCA,
H.E.A.L., Civilization vs.

Technology Edutainer,
R.E.M., Out of Time (appears on "Radio Song"), Warner Bros.,
Too Much Joy, Cereal Killers (appears on "Good Kill"), Dessert Bros.,

Heavyweight dub champion krs one biography

KRS-One's Career

KRS-One's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading