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In relation to golden-age hip-hop, the enduring South Bronx artist KRS-One, standing for ‘Knowledge Reigns Supreme’ (KRS), is taken into account one of many forefathers of aware rap music, one in all New York’s most potent lyricists in the course of the Nineteen Eighties.
The emcee (actual identify Lawrence Parker) was half of the duo BDP (Boogie Down Productions) alongside his late crewmate Scott La Rock and, accompanied by Rakim, modified the best way musicians method lyricism regarding creativity and complexity.
Parker can be a proud pan-Africanist who, not like many rappers, is and invested within the development of black folks worldwide versus the microcosm of the US.
KRS-One is a legend, and one proven fact that few know is that previous to changing into an icon in hip-hop, between the ages of 16 and 21, the emcee was homeless. In reality, he even unveiled that he was nonetheless dwelling on the streets when he launched ‘South Bronx’ and ‘The Bridge Is Over’. Each of those have been diss tracks aimed toward the Juice Crew from Queensbridge.
The lyricist’s music was well-known, however folks didn’t know his face as he had by no means been invited to a photoshoot, so his model wasn’t publicised or BDP (Boogie Down Productions) his crew alongside Scott La Rock.
In an interview with The Alchemist, Parker defined, “At 12 years old, I told my mother, I said ‘I’m gonna be an emcee, so as time goes on when I hit about 16, I left home for good, and I lived on the streets of New York from like 16 to 21. I’m on the E train, sleeping on the E train!”
He continued, “I’m sleeping in the World Trade Centre. I had ‘South Bronx’ out and ‘The Bridge Is Over’, and I was still homeless. I would be sitting there on the edge of the train, and people would have a boombox, and they’re blasting ‘South Bronx’ like ‘Did you hear this new shit!’ and I was sitting right there because back then there was no video, no magazine.”
He concluded, “You put out a record, and no one knew who you was, so I’d be sitting right there like ‘South Bronx’ I didn’t want no one to know or even think this is me, the guy you think is large and all of this is right next to you. Homeless with no money, no nothing. Sometimes, I went to sleep, woke up, and there would be $110 on my lap!”
Fortunately, Parker was saved by the house owners of B-Boy Data, who signed him and Scott La Rock as BDP to their file label, the place they launched the enduring 1987 Legal Minded album. You may hear Parker communicate on his homeless journey under.
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