Is KRS-One A Hypocrite?

Here's a letter I got the other day regarding KRS-One and my response to it...

Davey D,

I lost all faith in him [KRS-One] , because he's such a fuckin' hypocrite. To me, that's wack.

KRS says "I'll never do records for commercialism", yet he does a Puff Daddy remix, and he's planning to have Puffy on 2 songs on KRS's next album. KRS also did a SPRITE commercial! KRS also did a BASKETBALL commercial, saying "the revolution is basketball". What a fuckin' sell-out! A hyprocrite is a sell-out. He's gotta think before he says his word, because lately, he's been stickin' both feet in his big mouth.

I hope Canibus tears that old motherf&*^ a new mouth hole.

Nate-N8-7

Dear Nate,

I have to disagree with KRS being a hypocrite.. To start he's done an awful lot for hip hop and hip hop culture.. A lot of what he's attempted to do has not been supported by the so called headz of the world... For example..during an interview at the NU Upper Room in Oakland about a year ago he asked about his hypocrisy. KRS talked about this lack of support and cited the HEAL Project and other attempts that weren't supported as his reasons for making different types of moves.. In a nutshell he found himself having to make business moves.. Because hip hop in many ways had evolved into a business.. In addition the lack of support that so called fans were showing for him and others who were trying to make impact was an indication that they were really about business and not the art form. He noted that he had only one or two albums that went gold and none that went platinum..It wasn't that his records weren't appealing.. It was just that a lot of heads brought bootleg tapes..

I recall him discussing The HEAL Project..and how it received very little support.. He deserves much props for trying something educational and innovative..The money from that project were supposed to buy school books. But because all the beats weren't tight.. kids [especially those in the hip hop media] kicked it to the curb. What was ironic was that it was one of the first hip hop albums that featured a lot of dancehall.. So it was ahead of its time. A lot of headz overlooked the messages and his attempts to try and make social impact. To me, that's selling out and that's being commercial.. That's not supporting a movement.

You had fans that were yelling along with him To Stop The Violence.. yet they never attempted to actually join the movement... Not only that, they never tried to show the sort of activism that hip hop called for. It's one thing to say you agree with KRS-One's message.. It's a whole other thing when you step forward and help carry out some of his suggestions. In short very few fans were willing to take the weight. His music was just that music and not an inspiring tool to get the majority of us moved into some sort of activism..

For example, I hear so many complaints about Puffy.. yet I see very few people who are against his commercialism doing one of two things.. I don't see them writing letters, flooding radio stations with phone calls and being active in having a say so about his over abundance of radio play.. I also see very little activism on the part of these so called fans in terms of flooding these media outlets with requests for alternatives to Puffy. Heck, I see very little activism on terms of people just propping up and letting the world know about those outlets that truly represent hip hop ie college stations/ comunity stations etc. KRS has always asked for people to be active beyond just saying you agree with his words. He's asked that people actually take steps above and beyond what is convient and what you normally do try and make a difference..

People say KRS sold out by doing a Nike commercial.. How many of y'all are sporting some sort of Nike gear? If it was that repulsive and you're supposedly against overt commercialization.. You should've ideally been leading the charge to shut Nike and KRS's commercial down.. Here you got some kid sporting a two hundred dollar pair of Air Jordans complaining that KRS sold out.. You got kids running down and buying Bootleg tapes of KRS's latest album, bypassing his HEAL Project and then complainng that he's hypocritical...

Lastly KRS in his 15 years has written a comprehensive book on emceeing.. Founded the Stop The Violenece Movement.. Founded the Heal Project, Started The Temple Of Hip Hop and is working on a cirriculum and text book to help educate people about hip hop culture.. He started his own label, has lectured on his philosophy all over the country.. He founded hip hop appreciation week..and called out Hot 97 for frontin' on it.. He has been an editor for Rap Sheet and has penned columns for the NY Times.. The list goes on..

The question I gotta ask.. is what have you done lately? How are you trying to impact hip hop? Heck, its even hard getting people just to engage in intelligent discussions about hip hop. In a nutshell.. a lot of folks aren't really serious about hip hop..They really just enjoy the music.. but don't take to heart the message.. A lot of folks point to hip hop being a movement but very few people actually move beyond their comfortable circle and confines...

Davey D
c 1998
Hip Hop Think Tank