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Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is known for his songs, "
Sound of da Police In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
", "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)", and "My Philosophy". Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, '' Criminal Minded'', fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after Scott's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists.


Biography

Lawrence Parker was born in the New York City borough of
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
in 1965 to an American mother. His father is reported to be from the island of
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, and his step-father was Jamaican. At age 16, he left home to become an MC, and began living at a
homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously r ...
in the
South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris. In the early 1900s, the South Bronx was orig ...
where he was dubbed "
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
" by the residents due to his curiosity in the Hare Krishna spirituality of some of the anti-poverty workers. During his stay at the community shelter he encountered youth counselor Scott Sterling a.k.a. DJ Scott La Rock and there began a DJ/ MC relationship. He also engaged in the street art activity
graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
under the alias KRS-One (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone). Together he and Sterling created Boogie Down Productions, releasing their debut album, '' Criminal Minded'', in 1987.


Boogie Down Productions

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. Additionally, KRS-One had taken offense to "The Bridge", a song by Marley Marl's protege, MC Shan (KRS-One later reconciled with Marley Marl, producing an album with him in 2007 titled
Hip Hop Lives ''Hip Hop Lives'' is the collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and record producer Marley Marl. It was released on May 22, 2007 via Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at House Of Hits in New York and at Westlake Recording ...
). 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-One "dissed" the song with the BDP record "South Bronx". A second round of volleys ensued with Shan's "Kill That Noise" and BDP's "The Bridge Is Over". KRS-One, demonstrating his nickname "The Blastmaster", gave a live performance against MC Shan, and many conceded he had won the battle. Many believe this live performance to be the first MC
battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...
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. Scott La Rock was killed in a shooting later that year, after attempting to mediate a dispute between teenager and BDP member D-Nice and local hoodlums. During this time KRS-One also gained acclaim as one of the first MCs to incorporate
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
n 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 KRS' show, and the group's content would become increasingly political through the 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 emcees to appear on the 12-inch single " Self Destruction". As KRS 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.


Solo career

After five largely solo albums under the name "Boogie Down Productions", KRS-One decided to set out on his own. On his first solo album, 1993's ''
Return of the Boom Bap ''Return of the Boom Bap'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper KRS-One, released on September 28, 1993 by Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios and at Battery Studios in New York. Production was handled by DJ Pre ...
'', he worked together with producers DJ Premier,
Kid Capri David Anthony Love Jr. (born February 7, 1967) is an American DJ and rapper better known by his stage name Kid Capri. Early life Kid Capri's humble roots can be traced back to his parents' home in the Bronx, where ten year old David Antho ...
and Showbiz, the latter providing the track "
Sound of da Police In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
". His second album, 1995's '' KRS-One'', featured Channel Live on "Free Mumia", a song in which they criticize Civil Rights activist
C. Delores Tucker Cynthia Delores Tucker (née Nottage; October 4, 1927 – October 12, 2005) was an American politician and civil rights activist. She had a long history of involvement in the American Civil Rights Movement. From the 1990s onward, she engaged in a ...
among others. Other prominent guest stars on ''KRS-One'' included
Mad Lion Oswald Priest, better known as Mad Lion, is a dancehall, ragga musician and rapper.Larkin, Colin (1998) "Mad Lion", in ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 178 He frequently collaborates with fellow hip hop artist KRS-On ...
, Busta Rhymes,
Das EFX Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Dray (also known as Krazy Drayz, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970) and Skoob (also known as Books and Boogie Bang, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970). They named the ...
and Fat Joe. In 1991, KRS-One appeared on the
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
group R.E.M.'s single "
Radio Song Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
", which appeared on the band's album '' Out of Time'', released the same year. In 1992,
Bradley Nowell Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician and the lead singer and guitarist of the ska punk band Sublime. Born and raised in Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an interest in mus ...
from Sublime featured an acoustic song named "KRS-One" with his voice and DJ's samples. In 1995, KRS organized a group called Channel Live, whose album '' Station Identification'' he produced most of, along with Rheji Burrell and
Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...
. In 1997, KRS surprised many with his release of the album '' I Got Next''. The album's lead single, " Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)", containing an interpolation of punk and new wave group Blondie, was accompanied by a remix featuring commercial rap icon
Puff Daddy Puff may refer to: Science and technology * Puff, a small quantity of gas or smoke in the air ** Puff, a light gust of wind ** Exhalation ** Inhalation * Puff model, volcanic ash tracking model developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks * ...
; another track was essentially a rock song. While the record would be his best-selling solo album (reaching #3 on the ''Billboard'' 200), such collaborations with notably mainstream artists and prominent, easily recognizable samples took many fans and observers of the vehemently anti-mainstream KRS-One by surprise. In August 1997, in an appearance on Tim Westwood's
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
, KRS-One criticized the station for not playing underground hip hop while also crediting Westwood for his promotion of hip hop over time. KRS-One said that Jive Records and Radio 1 did not support him, but finished by saluting Westwood with "you know you're my man". In 1999, there were tentative plans to release ''Maximum Strength''; a lead single, "5 Boroughs", was released on ''The Corruptor'' 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 Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
. The shelved album was again scheduled to be released in 2008, but ultimately an unrelated album entitled ''Maximum Strength 2008'' was released in its place. He moved to southern California, and stayed there for two years, ending his relationship with Jive Records with '' A Retrospective'' in 2000. In 2000, KRS-One and DJ Tomekk made a video for their single '' Return of Hip-Hop'' with German rappers Torch and MC Rene, in which hip-hop was revived by hospital staff. The song stayed in the German charts for nine weeks. KRS resigned from his A&R position at Reprise in 2001, and returned to recording with a string of albums, beginning with 2001's '' The Sneak Attack'' on Koch Records. In 2002, he released a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
-rap album, ''
Spiritual Minded ''Spiritual Minded'' is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer KRS-One. It was released on January 22, 2002 through Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Slammin' Studios. Production was handled by BB Jay, B ...
'', surprising many longtime fans; he had once denounced
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
as a "
slavemaster Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
religion" which African-Americans should not follow. During this period, KRS founded the Temple of Hiphop, an organization to preserve and promote "Hiphop Kulture". Subsequent releases included 2003's '' Kristyles'' and ''D.I.G.I.T.A.L.'', 2004's '' Keep Right'', and 2006's ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...
''. The only latter-day KRS-One album to gain any significant attention has been '' Hip-Hop Lives'', his 2007 collaboration with fellow hip hop veteran Marley Marl, partly attributed to The Bridge Wars between the pair, but also the title's apparent response to
Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...
' 2006 release '' Hip-Hop Is Dead''. While many critics have commented they would have been more excited had this collaboration occurred twenty years earlier, the album was met with positive reviews. KRS-One has collaborated with other artists including Canadian rap group Hellafactz, Jay-Roc N' Jakebeatz and New York producer Domingo. He and Domingo publicly squashed their beef, which started over financial issues, and released a digital single on iTunes on November 25. The single, titled "Radio", also featured Utah up and comer Eneeone and is dedicated to underground MCs that don't get the radio airplay they deserve. In 2009 KRS-One guest-starred on several albums, including ''Arts & Entertainment'' on the song "Pass the Mic" by fellow hip hop veterans Masta Ace and Ed O.G. KRS-One also featured on the posse cut "Mega Fresh X" by Cormega (alongside DJ Red Alert, Parrish Smith, Grand Puba, and Big Daddy Kane) on his album '' Born and Raised''. KRS-One and Buckshot announced that they would be collaborating on an album set to be released in 2009. The first single, "ROBOT", was released on May 5, 2009. The music video was directed by
Todd Angkasuwan Todd Angkasuwan is a Thai-American music video and documentary film director. Biography Angkasuwan grew up in Riverside, California and has been making films since he was 9 years old.
and debuted as the New Joint of the Day on 106 & Park on September 4, 2009. The album itself, called ''Survival Skills'', leaked on the Internet on September 9, 2009, and the album was officially released on September 15, 2009. It debuted at #62, making it onto the ''Billboard'' 200. It sold around 8,500 copies its first week and was met with generally positive reviews. Steve Juon of RapReviews.com gave the album a flawless 10 out of 10, claiming, "Buckshot and KRS have achieved something rather remarkable here – an album I can't find a single fault with. There's not a bad beat, there's not a whack rhyme, there's not a collaborator on a track that missed the mark, and the disc itself is neither too short nor too long." In 2010 KRS-One was honored, along with Buckshot, by artists Ruste Juxx, Torae & Skyzoo,
Sha Stimuli Sha Stimuli (born Sherod Khaalis on August 9, 1978) is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City. He is known for his mixtape releases, beginning with ''Let Me Show You the Way'' in 2002, which earned him a spot in ''Source Magazine''s "U ...
, Promise, J.A.M.E.S. Watts and Team Facelift, on their mixtape ''Survival Kit'', an ode to the 2009 album ''Survival Skills''. The mixtape was released for free download on DuckDown.com. The album features new version of KRS classics "South Bronx", "
Sound of da Police In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
" and "MC's Act Like They Don't Know", as well as new versions of well-known Buckshot songs and "Past Present Future" from the ''Survival Skills'' album. The MC Fashawn said in his verse on ''MC's Act Like They Don't Know'', "I did it to make Kris smile / I figured he'd appreciate it". KRS-One was featured as the voice of Chris Cringle in Nike's Most Valuable Puppets commercials. KRS-One performed in May 2010 at SUNY New Paltz at their annual "Rock Against Racism" concert. He narrated the 2011 film ''Rhyme and Punishment'', a documentary about hip-hop artists who have done jail time. The same year, KRS-One was featured in the title song for the film '' You Got Served: Beat the World''. The song is entitled "Hip Hop Nation", and features
K'naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominenc ...
and Lina. It was produced for the film by
Frank Fitzpatrick Francis Edward Fitzpatrick (born April 13, 1961), more commonly known as Frank Fitzpatrick, is an American composer, music producer, author, filmmaker and social entrepreneur. Fitzpatrick is best known for his career in the film and music in ...
. In 2012, KRS-One toured Australia for the first time. He travelled there by cruise ship, as he hates flying. In December 2020, KRS-One released his 23rd solo album ''Between Da Protests''.


Stop the Violence Movement

The Stop the Violence Movement was formed by KRS-One in 1988/1989 in response to violence in the hip hop and
black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
communities. During a concert by Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, a young fan was killed in a fight. Coming soon after the shooting death of his friend and fellow BDP member Scott La Rock, KRS-One was galvanized into action and formed the Stop the Violence Movement. Composed of some of the biggest stars in contemporary East Coast hip hop, the movement released a single, " Self Destruction", in 1989, with all proceeds going to the National Urban League.The Stop The Violence Movement – "Self Destruction"
discogs.com.
A music video was created, and a VHS cassette entitled ''Overcoming Self-Destruction – The Making of the Self-Destruction Video'' was also released. "Self-Destruction" was produced by KRS-One and D-Nice of Boogie Down Productions ( Hank Shocklee of
The Bomb Squad The Bomb Squad were an American hip hop production team known for its work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad is noted for its dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. The ...
is credited as an associate producer).


Temple of Hip Hop

The Temple of Hip Hop is a ministry, archive, school, and society (M.A.S.S.) founded by KRS-One. Its goal is to maintain and promote Hip Hop Kulture. The Temple of Hip Hop maintains that hip hop is a genuine political movement, religion, and culture. It calls on all fans to celebrate Hip Hop Appreciation Week on the third week of May each year. It encourages DJs and MCs to teach people about the culture of hip hop and to write more socially conscious songs, and radio stations to play more socially conscious hip hop. Hip Hop History Month (November), founded by the Universal Zulu Nation, is also recognized.


September 11 comments

In 2004, KRS said during a panel discussion hosted by ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine that "we cheered when
9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...
happened". His comment was criticized by many sources, including the ''
New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ...
'', which called him an "
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...
" and said that "If
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...
ever buys a rap album, he'll probably start with a CD by KRS-One." KRS responded with an editorial written for
AllHipHop.com AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...
, stating: In late 2005, KRS was featured alongside Public Enemy's
Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped creat ...
on the remix of the song "Bin Laden" by Immortal Technique and DJ Green Lantern, which blames American neo-conservatives, the Reagan Doctrine, and U.S. President George W. Bush for the World Trade Center attacks, and indicates a parallel to the devaluation, destruction, and violence of urban housing project communities. On April 29, 2007, KRS-One again defended his statements on the September 11 attacks when asked about them during an appearance on '' Hannity's America'' on the
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...
network. He stated that he meant that people cheered that the establishment had taken a hit, not that people were dying or had died. He also discussed, among other things, the Don Imus scandal and the use of profanity in hip-hop.


''Gospel of Hip Hop'' comments

In an interview with AllHipHop about his book ''The Gospel of Hip Hop'', KRS-One said:
I'm suggesting that in 100 years, this book will be a new religion on the earth ... I think I have the authority to approach God directly, I don't have to go through any religion rtrain of thought. I can approach God directly myself and so I wrote a book called The Gospel of Hip Hop to free from all this nonsense garbage right now. I respect the
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
, the
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
, the
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
but their time is up. ... In a hundred years, everything that I'm saying to you will be common knowledge and people will be like, 'Why did he have to explain this? Wasn't it obvious?'
These comments have been referred to by numerous media outlets such as The A.V. Club, which commented that "KRS-One writes 600-page hip-hop bible; blueprint for rap religion", and "KRS-One has never been afraid to court controversy and provoke strong reactions. Now the Boogie Down Productions legend has topped himself by writing ''The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument'', a mammoth treatise on the spirituality of hip-hop he hopes will some day become a sacred text of a new hip-hop religion".


Personal life

KRS-One is a vocal supporter of veganism. He supported
Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as we ...
for president during his 2012 run. KRS-One's step-son (Randy Parker) was found dead in his
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, Georgia, apartment on July 6, 2007. The Medical Examiner's office stated that Parker had died of a gunshot wound to the head, and listed the cause of death as suicide. His son Kris Parker (born 1992) is an aspiring music producer and DJ known as Predator Prime.


Awards

VH1 * 2004, VH1 Hip Hop Honors BET Hip Hop Awards * 2007, I am Hip Hop * 2007, Lifetime Achievement Urban Music Awards * 2009, Living Legend Award *
Bronx Walk of Fame The Bronx Walk of Fame is a 23-block corridor along the Grand Concourse, one of the main boulevards in the Bronx, the northernmost borough of New York City, with street signs honoring people who have lived in the borough and had worthy accomplis ...
(2001)


Discography


Studio albums

*''
Return of the Boom Bap ''Return of the Boom Bap'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper KRS-One, released on September 28, 1993 by Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios and at Battery Studios in New York. Production was handled by DJ Pre ...
'' (1993) *'' KRS-One'' (1995) *'' I Got Next'' (1997) *'' The Sneak Attack'' (2001) *''
Spiritual Minded ''Spiritual Minded'' is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer KRS-One. It was released on January 22, 2002 through Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Slammin' Studios. Production was handled by BB Jay, B ...
'' (2002) *'' Kristyles'' (2003) *'' Keep Right'' (2004) *''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...
'' (2006) *'' Adventures in Emceein'' (2008) *'' Maximum Strength'' (2008) *'' The BDP Album'' (2012) *''Never Forget'' (2013) *'' Now Hear This'' (2015) *''The World Is Mind'' (2017) *''Street Light (First Edition)'' (2019) *''Between Da Protests'' (2020) *''I M A M C R U 1 2'' (2022)


Boogie Down Productions albums

*'' Criminal Minded'' (1987) *'' By All Means Necessary'' (1988) *'' Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop'' (1989) *'' Edutainment'' (1990) *'' Sex and Violence'' (1992)


Collaboration albums

*''
Hip Hop Lives ''Hip Hop Lives'' is the collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and record producer Marley Marl. It was released on May 22, 2007 via Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at House Of Hits in New York and at Westlake Recording ...
'' with Marley Marl (2007) *''
Survival Skills Survival skills are techniques that a person may use in order to sustain life in any type of natural environment or built environment. These techniques are meant to provide basic necessities for human life which include water, food, and she ...
'' with Buckshot (2009) *''
Meta-Historical ''Meta-Historical'' is a collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and fellow record producer True Master. It was released on August 31, 2010 through Fat Beats Records. Production was handled by True Master, who also served as executiv ...
'' with True Master (2010) *'' Godsville'' with Showbiz (2011) *''Royalty Check'' with
Bumpy Knuckles James Campbell (born March 27, 1969), better known by his stage names Freddie Foxxx and Bumpy Knuckles, is an American rapper and music producer from Long Island, New York. Biography Foxxx got his start rapping in the early 1980s. In 1986, he ...
(2011)


Filmography


Publications


See also

* Suicide, it's a suicide


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1965 births Living people People from the Bronx 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians African-American male rappers American male film actors American graffiti artists Artists from New York City East Coast hip hop musicians MNRK Music Group artists Hardcore hip hop artists Hip hop activists Jive Records artists Male actors from New York City Rappers from the Bronx Songwriters from New York (state) African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people American male songwriters