Krs One Plus Specai Guests July 1, 2005

Urban Hype Presents the biggest hip hop gig of 2005:

KRS-ONE plus Special Guest

+ Ri-Ra & Dj Mek

+ Ghost?n?Jay

+ Geneses

July 1st 7pm till 10:30

Temple bar music centre, Dublin 2

Tickets from www.ticketmaster.ie .

KRS-One b. Lawrence Krisna Parker, 20 August 1965, New York, USA. The
kingpin of Boogie Down Productions and a genuine hip-hop pioneer, at
the peak of his career in the late 80s and early 90s KRS-One's
standing was reflected not only in terms of his music, but also his
lecture tours of the USA, appearing at Yale, Harvard, and countless
other institutions to the dismay of some members of those
establishments. He was also given the keys to Kansas City,
Philadelphia and Compton, California, was nominated for the NACA 1992
Harry Chapman Humanitarian Award, and holds the Reebok Humanitarian
Award and three Ampex Golden Reel Awards. He inaugurated the Stop The
Violence Movement, and recorded "Self-Destruction", which raised over
$600,000 for the National Urban League, and the human awareness
single, "Heal Yourself'. Collaborations with R.E.M. (rapping on Out Of
Time"s "Radio Song", Michael Stipe returning the favour by assisting
on the HEAL project), Sly And Robbie, Shelly Thunder, Shabba Ranks,
Ziggy Marley, Billy Bragg, the Neville Brothers, Kool Moe Dee, Chuck
D. and Tim Dog, among many others, indicate the respect which KRS-One
is given by fellow artists. He has also taken part in several
important benefit shows (including ones for Nelson Mandela, and Earth
Day), as well as attending rallies with Jesse Jackson.

Following the death of his erstwhile partner, Scott LaRock (whose
violent exit in 1987 played a significant role in KRS-One's
anti-violence tracts), he has been joined on studio recordings by DJ
Premier and Kid Capri. His post-Boogie Down Productions work combines
hints of ragga with strong, bass-driven funk and beatbox samples.
KRS-One remains one of the philosophically more enlightened rappers:
in particular fighting against the use of the terms "ho" and "*****"
when discussing women. However, he remains as arrogant as they come:
"I'm not a rapper. I am rap. I am the embodiment of what a lot of MCs
are trying to be and do. I'm not doing hip-hop, I am hip-hop'. His
first album to be released outside of the Boogie Down Productions
banner was 1993"s Return Of The Boom Bap, though many references to
his past remained. "KRS-One Attacks", for instance, looped part of the
Criminal Minded title track, and "P Is Still Free" updated his 1986
anti-crack opus, "P Is Free". The early 90s also saw some words and
actions that would seem to contradict earlier statements, notably his
physical attack on Prince Be of P.M. Dawn. "The way I stop the
violence is with a baseball bat and beat the **** out of you . . . If
negativity comes with a .22, positivity comes with a .45. If
negativity comes with .45, positivity comes with an Uzi: The light has
got to be stronger than darkness". An adequate rebuttal, but
apparently all P.M. Dawn had done to diss KRS-One was to suggest in a
copy of Details magazine that: "KRS-One wants to be a teacher, but a
teacher of what?". In retaliation, KRS-One and his posse invaded the
stage during the following night's P.M. Dawn gig at the Sound Factory
Club in New York, throwing Prince Be offstage and commandeering the
microphone for his own set. The whole event was filmed live by Yo! MTV
Raps. Though he later apologised publicly, in private KRS-One was
telling the world that he was tired of MCs and hip-hop crews
disrespecting him. That he felt it necessary so piously to protect it
was an unsightly blemish on his reputation. By that point, however, a
new rap hierarchy had already superseded the old school style of MCing
represented by KRS-One. His commercial and creative decline during the
90s should not, however, detract from the importance, quality and
influence of his work.