Rapper KRS-One has spent nearly 20 years spreading knowledge in hip hop. Now he educates the masses through song, lectures and concerts with his Stop The Violence Movement.
As one half of the legendary rap collective Boogie Down Productions (BDP), KRS-One shaped an influenced the landscape of recording gritty urban folklore about inner city street life.
Medusa, KRS-One and MC Lyte embrace after encouraging young voters at the Rap the Voter HipHop Voter Empowerment Rally in Compton, CA in 2002.
“The Stop the Violence Movement isn’t going after the Commons, Talib Kwelis or Mos Defs,” KRS-One said. “We want the brothers who are aggressively shooting at one another to stop shooting each other and come together.”
KRS-One shares his well wishes with Rev. Al Sharpton at the activist’s 50th Birthday Celebration in New York in 2004.
KRS-One helps Fat Joe (left) celebrate the release of his album Elephant in the Room along with Slick Rick (front) and Rick Ross (right) in March 2008.
“Now when I wake up in the morning do I think I’m a role model? Yes. I’m not trying to have a pristine image because a real role model shows you to the good and ugly,” KRS-One said. “For me I see myself as a role model because everything I do there is a person somewhere who needs to hear me spread a message of non-violent conflict resolution.”
“I don’t see enough peace talk in society. Back in the day even commercials tried to be pro-active. Remember when they cracked an egg and dropped it in a skillet and as it fried they said, “This is your brain on drugs-don’t do it!”? We don’t have enough of that today—people paying to put out those messages," KRS-One said.
KRS-One embraces fellow intellectual Dr. Cornel West.
