Happy 45th, Blastmaster!
In honor of KRS-ONE's 45th birthday, I am digging into the archives for a repost from 10/15/2009...
Call it a "dick move" and I am unlikely to deny it.
Conversing with Roger one day lastweek year, we came to a realization here about some of the "pioneers" of hip hop. One in particular.
Lawrence "KRS-One" Parker is a pretentious and self-righteous bastard sometimes.
And by "sometimes," I mean "damn near every time he opens his mouth."
For all his "Temple of Hip Hop" pseudo-religion talk and popping up to hate on whomever is popular at a given time -- blatantly or indirectly -- I find it odd that someone who has been "in the industry" since 1980, almost 30 years now, only has 14 (mostly shitty) solo albums released since. Strange, that, when one considers the number of people whose careers who have begun SINCE then who have almost matched that output with WAY more consistent results. One might think that last night's blog was a slight on him, but actually Jay-Z comes to mind as I type that.
For all of his posturing and complaining, one would think that KRS would work on having cemented a better legacy for HIMSELF before doing shit like complaining about Nelly only to be ignored by even those who might have ignored him.
One would think that perhaps he should be WRITING MUSIC [imagine that -- what he DOES for a living?!!?] instead of very insensitively opining on things like September 11th.
One would think that if he had behaved as if he was even TRYING to be a hip hop ARTIST instead of some kind of hip hop Dalai Lama or something, that maybe, JUST FUCKING MAYBE, he would have a catalog that one could look at and call on more than MAYBE 5-6 songs.
One might think that he MIGHT not have felt he had to make statements like "Def Jam single-handedly destroyed hip hop" if he himself, as an artist who was in position at the time to actually DO something to either preclude such an occurrence with his involvement.
Perhaps if he had been WRITING hip hop music instead of writing ABOUT hip hop music, he would be included more in the conversation on the greats of the past generation of hip hop artists.
Don't get me wrong, it is far from my aim to see anyone not named Soulja Boy fail at this hip hop shit, really it isn't.
I find KRS-One's approach to it rather fucking odd though. He seems to have conceded that his participation as an actual participant was not substantial enough to make the ripple one may have wanted for themselves. Being that as it were, he seems to have regrouped his approach so as to cash in on SOMETHING hip hop related, since he apparently bothered not to have any specific experience doing anything else. Instead of making the quality music that we KNOW he is capable of [Seriously, I could listen to 1997's "Step Into a World" RIGHT NOW like it was brand new] he'd rather thumb his nose at people who DO make music that people actually do buy.
Sure, his output has been more than, say... Rakim, who has 2 solo albums (with another coming next month) and 4 with Eric B, BUT I don't recall reading anywhere about Rakim throwing kiddie bitch fits about the state of hip hop not being up to his standard. I have never heard of anyone (well, except Freddie Foxxx, but he was being bitter) with an ill word for Rakim. KRS does not have that going for him.
On the other side of it, it seems that KRS is aligning himself with people who are about hip hop in spite of hip hop, if you dig what I mean. He recently partnered with Buckshot of Black Moon for an album which I have downloaded but not yet had time for, what with Slaughterhouse and all else I have had on my plate at home. I will make a point of test driving it within the next couple of days. I don't HATE the guy, I just have a sincere lack of pleasure with his chosen approach to his involvement in hip hop as a whole. It seems that one would -- if they feel that something is wronging them so egregiously, as he is suggesting hip hop has done him -- then they remove themselves from the fucking situation. Ask me how many times I have THOUGHT about getting on a skateboard after busting my ass back in 87...
If hip hop is doing or has done KRS so dirty, why has he not gone to work managing Kinney shoes, or used that pen he seems to want to use so much to write about something ELSE?
What do I know? I'm pretty sure someone who happens upon this will be waiting on their turn to call me a "hater" or some similarly weak-winded assessment of me based upon my opinions presented. Oh well, can't be prevented I guess.
Call it a "dick move" and I am unlikely to deny it.
Conversing with Roger one day last
Lawrence "KRS-One" Parker is a pretentious and self-righteous bastard sometimes.
And by "sometimes," I mean "damn near every time he opens his mouth."
For all his "Temple of Hip Hop" pseudo-religion talk and popping up to hate on whomever is popular at a given time -- blatantly or indirectly -- I find it odd that someone who has been "in the industry" since 1980, almost 30 years now, only has 14 (mostly shitty) solo albums released since. Strange, that, when one considers the number of people whose careers who have begun SINCE then who have almost matched that output with WAY more consistent results. One might think that last night's blog was a slight on him, but actually Jay-Z comes to mind as I type that.
For all of his posturing and complaining, one would think that KRS would work on having cemented a better legacy for HIMSELF before doing shit like complaining about Nelly only to be ignored by even those who might have ignored him.
One would think that perhaps he should be WRITING MUSIC [imagine that -- what he DOES for a living?!!?] instead of very insensitively opining on things like September 11th.
One would think that if he had behaved as if he was even TRYING to be a hip hop ARTIST instead of some kind of hip hop Dalai Lama or something, that maybe, JUST FUCKING MAYBE, he would have a catalog that one could look at and call on more than MAYBE 5-6 songs.
One might think that he MIGHT not have felt he had to make statements like "Def Jam single-handedly destroyed hip hop" if he himself, as an artist who was in position at the time to actually DO something to either preclude such an occurrence with his involvement.
[Phlip note - isn't it IRONIC that he was involved in hip hop honors commemorating Def Jam just after saying that?]
Instead, he plays the role of the senile old coot on the hill preaching to woodland animals.Perhaps if he had been WRITING hip hop music instead of writing ABOUT hip hop music, he would be included more in the conversation on the greats of the past generation of hip hop artists.
[Phlip note - did anyone notice that book has been in "pre-order" status for over 6 years? Perhaps he is no better as a writer ABOUT hip hop than he is a writer OF it... I'm just sayin']
Don't get me wrong, it is far from my aim to see anyone not named Soulja Boy fail at this hip hop shit, really it isn't.
I find KRS-One's approach to it rather fucking odd though. He seems to have conceded that his participation as an actual participant was not substantial enough to make the ripple one may have wanted for themselves. Being that as it were, he seems to have regrouped his approach so as to cash in on SOMETHING hip hop related, since he apparently bothered not to have any specific experience doing anything else. Instead of making the quality music that we KNOW he is capable of [Seriously, I could listen to 1997's "Step Into a World" RIGHT NOW like it was brand new] he'd rather thumb his nose at people who DO make music that people actually do buy.
Sure, his output has been more than, say... Rakim, who has 2 solo albums (with another coming next month) and 4 with Eric B, BUT I don't recall reading anywhere about Rakim throwing kiddie bitch fits about the state of hip hop not being up to his standard. I have never heard of anyone (well, except Freddie Foxxx, but he was being bitter) with an ill word for Rakim. KRS does not have that going for him.
On the other side of it, it seems that KRS is aligning himself with people who are about hip hop in spite of hip hop, if you dig what I mean. He recently partnered with Buckshot of Black Moon for an album which I have downloaded but not yet had time for, what with Slaughterhouse and all else I have had on my plate at home. I will make a point of test driving it within the next couple of days. I don't HATE the guy, I just have a sincere lack of pleasure with his chosen approach to his involvement in hip hop as a whole. It seems that one would -- if they feel that something is wronging them so egregiously, as he is suggesting hip hop has done him -- then they remove themselves from the fucking situation. Ask me how many times I have THOUGHT about getting on a skateboard after busting my ass back in 87...
If hip hop is doing or has done KRS so dirty, why has he not gone to work managing Kinney shoes, or used that pen he seems to want to use so much to write about something ELSE?
What do I know? I'm pretty sure someone who happens upon this will be waiting on their turn to call me a "hater" or some similarly weak-winded assessment of me based upon my opinions presented. Oh well, can't be prevented I guess.
.jpg)
Comments