KRS One

Fact Sheet

Musical genre:	Rap/Hip Hop
Birthplace	Bronx, New York, USA

KRS One (aka Kris Parker, The Blastmaster, and The Teacha) is a rapper from the Bronx, New York City. Young Kris Parker first adopted his most famous pseudonym when writing graffiti (bombing) in his neighbourhood of the Bronx - he would sign his artwork as KRIS-One, which later became KRS-1, or KRS-ONE. Together with DJ Scott la Rock, he formed Boogie Down Productions. Their debut album - Criminal Minded - contained mainly dissing records and tracks about crime ("wa da da deng wa da da deng, listen to my nine millimeter go bang"), using James Brown samples and reggae influences. During these years, KRS-One was also famously involved in a rap battle (a beef) 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 track, The Bridge is Ova.

After Scott la Rock got shot, Boogie Down Productions got more and more political, making what is known as conscious rap. KRS One was also the mastermind behind the HEAL compilation and the Stop the Violence Movement that has its own manifesto with the 12" "Self Destruction" featuring many popular rappers. As Kris 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 an acronym (Knowledge Reigns Supreme - Over Nearly Everything).

On his first solo album, 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" as well as Mad Lion, Busta Rhymes, Das EFX and Fat Joe. Sursprisingly enough, 1997's "I Got Next" included a remix of the new hit "Step into a World" (with a sample from Blondie's "Rapture") by commercial rap icon Puff Daddy. "Hearbeat", featuring Angie Martinez and Redman, was based on the old school classic "Feel the Heartbeat" by the Treacherous Three.

After many BDP albums and the solo albums, Jive Records decided to drop KRS, and his 2001 album was released on Koch. In 2002, he released a gospel-rap album, Spiritual Minded, surprising many longtime fans since he had once criticized Christianity as being a "slavemaster religion" which blacks should not follow. He continues in an enlightened way of rapping, public speaking, and mentoring, to this day, founding the Temple of Hip-Hop, and releasing a new album, Kristyles, in late 2002, as well as a new mixtape of classics and a few new tracks, KRS-One: The Mixtape. He has most recently released Get Right in the summer of 2004, which several critics hailed as KRS returning to his older Blastmasta style, while still preaching the enlightened hip-hop kulture that he continues to promote.

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