KRS-One

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 the South Bronx.

Lawrence Parker was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn in 1965 to an American mother.

His biological father, who was not involved in his upbringing, was from the Caribbean island of Barbados.

He had a troubled childhood, suffering severe beatings from his American stepfather John Parker when the family lived in Harlem, New York.

When his mother left the marriage both he and his younger brother Kenny moved with her to the Bronx, before again moving a year later to Brooklyn.

Home life continued to be difficult, including further physical abuse at the hands of his mother's new Jamaican partner, and he ran away from home several times.

At age 16 he left home permanently, and spent a time living homeless in New York, before eventually signing himself into a group home in the Bronx.

Growing up, Parker had developed a deep love of the emerging hip hop culture in New York, and by that time he was honing his craft as an MC, as well as being an active graffiti writer.

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", "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.

In 1984, he left the group home and moved into a homeless shelter in the South Bronx where he was dubbed "Krishna" by the residents due to his curiosity about the Hare Krishna spirituality of some of the anti-poverty workers.

During his stay at the community shelter he encountered youth counsellor 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 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.

KRS-One also practices activism in his career and is a leading figure and founder of several hip hop groups that worked to promote peace and education, such as the Stop the Violence Movement and Human Education Against Lies (H.E.A.L.).

He also founded the Temple of Hip Hop, a group dedicated to preserving and expanding hip hop culture and spirituality.

Through this, KRS-One intends to decriminalize Hiphop and "raise hip-hop's identity and self-esteem".

Boogie Down Productions released their debut album Criminal Minded in 1987.

KRS-One was the first Emcee to be holding a 9mm on the album cover, and 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.

He began releasing records under his own name in 1993.

He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after La Rock'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.

In an Interview with Aki X in the January 2003 issue of Thrasher Magazine, KRS-One observes: "Hip-hop has manifested Martin Luther Kings "I Have A Dream" speech where he envisioned that the sons and daughters of former slave owners and sons and daughters of former slaves would join hands in brotherhood towards justice and freedom. Hip-hop express that through Eminem and Dr Dre, through Russell simmons and the Beastie Boys, through MC, search. Run DMC and Aerosmith. This is what it is to be hip-hoppa."

In KRS-One's song, "Outta Here", he reflects on the early days of New York hip-hop, influenced by acts like Run-DMC and Whodini, who he heard on the Awesome Two's radio show on WHBI.

KRS-One explains how the release of BDP's "Criminal Minded", and Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full" had the unintended effect of turning both groups into Hip Hop pioneers.

He also claims that his album "By All Means Necessary" and Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" were a main influence that set off consciousness in rap.

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).

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 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.