KRS-One, Nelly and you

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

If you like. After Yet Another AllHipHop.com 'alert,' I wondered on a mailing list what KRS-One was thinking with his response to Nelly's attack via the "Rock the Mic Right" remix. I thought it smelled of a publicity stunt, but friend Angus came out squarely in KRS-One's corner and forwarded this press release, which I now post for you:
The Real Hip Hop Is Over Here!"
(Battle statement by: KRS-ONE)

Well, after speaking with Nelly's management, and after consulting with a few other un-named associates, in addition to some hard contemplation of my own, as well as after reading many of the e-mail responses and hearing some of the radio responses to Nelly's performance on the re-mix of "Rock the mic right," I've come to the conclusion that a battle (or rather a response) to Nelly's comments may just be good for Hiphop after all. The last thing I wanted to do was look like I was using a battle with Nelly to somehow boost my career. However, my personal wants may be unimportant in the larger scheme of separating real Hiphop from fake hip-hop for future Hiphop historians.

I had put forth an "olive branch" statement which Nelly, and his management, ignored! I had kept as quiet as I could. Even though I am well prepared for any threat, I chose to practice restraint. His management and production team had even sent me some tracks for my Kristyle album (only later to take them back). Now I am wondering what makes Nelly think he can call me out like this? What made the staff of Universal, Rock-a-Fella or Def Jam records think it was wise to allow Nelly to appear on such a re-mix and make such a statement? As I listen to Nelly's weak dis, and as I read some of these ignorant e-mail responses, I constantly hear a repeated reference to KRS-ONE being old and trying to make a come-back .Many of these ill advised comments miss the whole point that I make when I suggest that we, as Hiphoppas, have an important responsibility to the future preservation of what we call Hiphop.

How long are we (Hiphoppas) going to sit quietly and allow these major recording institutions to validate what success is for our culture and way of life? How long are we going to allow rap music performers to participate in our cultural degradation and international humiliation? I'm not talking about what a rapper's video looks like, or the content of a rapper's song. I'm talking about the idea of an industry of rappers, deejays, music editors, radio programmers and television producers allowing cultural elders to be disrespected by new-comers when such disrespect breaks Hiphop's cultural continuity! Even if my critique of Nelly's image is debatable, where is the respect for my cultural seniority and acquired wisdom. Do I not know what I am talking about? Or are we at a point in hip-hop where cultural contribution takes a back seat to record sales?

Normally, I would have just sat this one out. But as I think about it, there seems to be more at stake here than whether I am perceived as arrogant, contradictory, or trying to make a come-back. The lesson that must be taught to those recording corporations, doing business with Hiphop Kulture, is that they cannot think their artist can disrespect a cultural elder and not expect a fierce cultural retaliation! Nelly is only a symbol for rappers that are willing to trample over the achievements and developments of over 30 years of Hiphop Kulture! However, the real battle is with those major distributors of rap music that care little for the preservation of Hiphop's culture, and actually disrespect us as they exploit us! This is unacceptable! Nelly may perform in ignorance because he is new to the game. But someone, knowledgeable of Hiphop's history, should have fore-warned him. Unfortunately this did not happen, and as a result, he (and his distributor) will serve as an example to all recording corporations that allow such mistakes to occur.

It is of extreme importance that all true Hiphoppas concern themselves with the idea that being an elder, being a classic, being an adult, being a longtime contributor to Hiphop's cultural continuity is not something to be looked down upon; but in fact, it is something to look up to. Such a status is something to look forward to. A community that respects only what is young and new, lacks even the wisdom to continue itself. It cannot even learn from its own past successes and failures because it does not respect the collective voice of its experienced leaders. Such a community is bound to continuously repeat the mistakes of its past, or trap itself in continuously re-inventing its own wheel-- never learning, never growing, never developing.

As I think about this whole thing, it becomes obvious to me that we shall all become elders of this or that one day. That our children shall also be elders one day. But what if being an elder is not cool? What if being an adult is not cool? What if being wise and experienced is not respected by our children? Do we not then find ways to destroy ourselves at younger and younger ages? This is what Nelly's comments mean to me. They mean that, being an experienced elder (or cultural icon) means nothing if you have not sold a million of something for your employer. This message stunts the growth of Hiphop Kulture, because to be a Hiphoppa (in Nelly's opinion) you must act and live like you are forever 16 years old. In addition, its strips our youth of the motivation to contribute to our on-going cultural experience because in the end, no matter what there contribution has been it can be disregarded and wiped away by any platinum selling performer of the future. This too is unacceptable!

As a result, I have launched several missiles designed to disrupt the idea of disrespecting the cultural icons that made it possible for others to artistically exist and prosper. Through a superior display of skill, I shall teach the rap industry a much needed lesson regarding who can, and who cannot be disrespected. This battle shall not have a winner, or a loser. This battle, shall once and for all, define what is real Hiphop as oppose to fake hip-hop. Deejays, editors, rappers, music executives and television host that continue to degrade Hiphop Kulture by exposing the public to an exclusively criminal, irresponsible and imbalanced image of Hiphop Kulture shall bare the title of fake, and shall expose themselves as traitors in Hiphop's history. Those that present Hiphop as a culture that is made up of many artistic styles, diverse ideas and multi- dimensional characteristics shall bare the title of real, and shall be forever remembered in Hiphop's history as patriots in the cause of Hiphop's cultural expansion.

Hiphop is not all about KRS-ONE. Hiphop is not all about Nelly. Hiphop includes a variety of styles. But presently, radio and television programmers, as well as rap music and hip-hop editors refuse to acknowledge KRS-ONE's work, while steadily pushing Nelly (and similar styles) to the general public as authentic Hiphop culture. This is an act of fake hip-hop simply because such presentations are imbalanced and one-sided. Real Hiphop is not about one music production style, one rap style, one radio and video play-list, one type of Hiphop image, one or two cute faces on all hip-hop magazine covers, and one or two recording companies monopolizing the rap music market place! Hiphop is about originality, creativity and a variety of talented people building upon the greatness of Hiphop's elements.

I do not care what Nelly, or anybody else's, response shall be after I drop these bombs! However, I do care about the free future of Hiphop Kulture. I do care about what future Hiphop historians shall say of our time. I refuse to sit quietly as ignorant rappers and non-caring music executives, present Hiphop Kulture to the future as a bunch of mindless fools who squandered there temporary wealth and popularity on platinum jewelry with no response from its own cultural leadership. Remember,Š fifty years down the line you can start this/cause we'll be the old school artist/ And even in that time/ I'll say a rhyme/ a brand new style/ ruthless and wild/ running around spending money having fun/ cause even thenŠ I'M STILL NUMBER ONE!

KRS-ONE

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

New 'who stole the soul?' answers...

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Considering KRS hasn't done any significant battling (aside from his beef with... uh... PM Dawn) since the infamous Queens vs. Bronx back- and-forth with MC Shan and Marley Marl, I'm interested in hearing what he's capable of. He's had a single or two in recent years ("Hot", "Hush") that sound like fierce battle rhymes directed at nobody in particular, so I think he's probably still got it in him. Even if he has gotten kinda odd lately ("Kulture"?).

― Nate Patrin, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Good lord, talk about being thin-skinned! What a pompouse, blowhardy, yawnsome, self-serving response that was. I mean, really. Much ado about precious fuck-all.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Pompous, not pompouse....which sounds like the name of a rare mammal.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"If we're very quiet, we may catch a glimpse of the rare pompouse as it feeds in its natural habitat..."

― Dan Perry, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Pamplemousse?

Anyway, the lesser spotted Papousse Rap Veteran is still about eleventy billion times more interesting, relevant and entertaining than another callow youth in a doo-rag droning on about bangin', bling and bitches.

Point about his absence from battling is valid - then again, there haven't been that many battles in recent times: since hip hop got big people don't want to risk everything, it seems. LL vs Canibus vs Wyclef was a belter, Eminem vs Everlast neat, Jay v Nas diverting and intermittently inspired. KRS has dissed people heavily on record since PM Dawn (most notably X Clan, though that was a while ago). He'll run rings round Nelly though. It'll be like watching a 1-on-1 football match between Zinedine Zidane and... oh, I dunno. Me.

There's a Realaudio of KRS's Nelly dis at this address, which I shall try to turn into a link but having never posted here before I dunno if it'll work: http:// urban.mvremix.com/media/rams/krsovah.ram

― Angus (Friend Of Ned), Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

He had a beef with Radio 1 controllers in 1997 for not playing his records on daytime (heh I even heard NICKY CAMPBELL playing "Step Into A World", what more did he want?).

I love how Alex in NYC always makes his criticisms sound so elegant. We should all hate things that wordily.

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey is that Angus Batey on here? If so hi, I've been reading your stuff for years!

(LL/Canibus/Wyclef = classic example of diss defining and trapping entire career = "Second Round Knockout" still awesome but also the only thing Canibus has done I can actually remember)

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hello Robin, yes that's me. Years, eh? And you're still reading now? Blimey. I'm flattered.

Canibus is one of the ones that got away, isn't he? There's loads of great material on both his albums but people only ever want to talk about LL. To me, Eminem's success proved that Canibus could be massive. They're stylistically very similar - verbose, intelligent, hysterically funny - and came up through the same battle/mix tape/guest verse treadmill at about the same time. While some argue that it's because Canibus never had Dre's beats, it's probably more to do with Em being white. Which is basically what MM seems to be saying on the new LP, if what those who've heard what they've heard of it are reporting it correctly. (Not that he mentions Canibus. But he should.)

Cheers,

― Angus (FoN), Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

goddammit ned, i was gonna post something about this to nylpm when i got home.

(and even steal ethan's "the arch is over" joke.)

― jess, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Much ado about precious fuck-all.

and alex once again demonstrates his innate lack of understanding, re. hiphop.

― jess, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You miss the point Jess - Alex's ignorance is obvious and clear but I can't hate him for it because he is so elegantly OTT in his language (I'm a sucker for anyone who puts a superfluous "e" at the end of words, like Nathalie and her "musick").

Angus is spot on here - I know I thought Canibus was great, and I know I heard and liked a lot more than "Second Round KO", but I just can't *remember* it (that's the infuriation).

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Does one have to be a "Historian of Hiphop Kulture" to know vaccuous braggadocio when he sees it? I think not.

The man speaks as if the very survival of the human species relies on his rebuttal to what was assuredly an equally self-important potshot.

Yawn.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Honestly, go out and get both Canibus albums. (There's apparently a third one that came out last year but I've not seen it as yet.) You won't be disappointed. Here are some of my favourite lyrical moments...

---

I make your bitch crew shit stools Put a pistol in your mouth and then feed you to the pitbulls Don't even talk about guns The only "nine" you got is a five dollar bill and four ones So I don't give a fuck what none of y'all niggas say Cause anything that can't penetrate ricochets Rhymin' with me on a record? You might as well have died and went to hell instead of heaven 'Cos my rhyme weapon is like a medieval torture method Your four limbs tied to four horses all pulling in different directions In this profession I get busy without a question Seein' me is like seein a vampire's reflection Fast or slow flows connect like electrodes I make cassette tape decks blow when I'm in wreck-mode Explode, leavin' areas abandoned With more radiation behind than spots UFO's landed in

Rappin is a raw business But as an individual I'm as different as anybody's fingerprint is If boring is the norm I'm the antonym Put me in the same category you would put Marilyn Manson in

Both from "Patriots" off the first LP ---

I stand outside the gates of Buckingham Palace sellin' reefer, Puffin' the chalice with the Beefeaters Gettin' so high that whenever I drop shit It'll land on the window of your airplane cockpit Canibus with the hot shit, crazy hot shit Niggaz is bloody idiots thinkin that they can stop this I'll increase my strength to a super human extent Nigga - your rhyme ain't worth six pence And if you can hear, smell, see, touch, and taste Then you don't need six senses to feel me punch you in the face From Brixton, to Clapham Common, my lyrics invade Europe like Joseph Stalin And murder niggaz for rhymin Spittin' fire, with gasoline for saliva Drunker than Lady Diana's driver with reporters behind her Like alcohol in the hands of a minor I got you panickin' like bombs with 30 second timers Clear the buildin', evacuate women and children Fuck what you feelin' nigga, I came here to kill 'em Straight shittin, from New York to Great Britain And when we do shows we make the Queen pay admission

"Buckingham Palace", 1st LP

---

My offense is a mixture of Mike and Muhammad Knock a nigga unconcious and talk shit In bare-knuckle boxing speed is the object Weavin' and dodgin' with defensive blockin' So in the ring you cannot win The top ten become nine dead if I ever decide to hop in With the one-two, one-two shot to the chin Knock you out like ten shots of vodka and gin The beautiful blend of power and strength From the top of my head down to where my toe cuticles end I verbally burn a nigga, lyrically hurt a nigga Pull a voodoo verse on a nigga, Kennedy curse a nigga Who can spit the words quicker than the average man? Who can embarrass a man? Bite you with fangs and mangle ya hands on candid cam? The Canibus can The Canibus can with the stamina to damage a man

Yo! I spit for it, lie for it, Live for it, die for it Back out the nine, commit a homicide for it If I'm handcuffed with the right to remain silent for it I'mma blow trial and do the federal time for it You mad at the last album? I apologise for it, Yo, I can't call it, motherfuckin' Wyclef spoiled it, But this time for 99 I got 5 on it You should double up and put a dime on it, Matter of fact, triple your nickle and put 14.99 on it I'mma shine on it, Watch Flex drop a bomb on it About ten times on it Watch people call a request line for it Cypher sounds keep pushin rewind on it Look out for the album with the Canibus design on it 12 O'Clock in the morning you'll be standin on line for it I'm a live poet, with a sharp ear and eye for it 'Cos I tear down mics and put a out of order sign on it

First two verses of 2000 BC from the 2nd LP

---

I'm faster than leopards running across the vast desert In twenty-two yards per second to catch me daily delicatessen With thirty minutes to eat'em, forty minutes to digest 'em And fifty minutes for it to pass through my intestines So ask yourself a question - can the Canibus rhyme? Is a fuckin porcupine half swine? No time to make up your mind, you wanna run or die? Clip you while you're running by, trip you up from behind My rhymes confuse niggas like somebody try to gang-bang Wearin' a blue shirt and red pants, Throwin' up signs with their left hand Standin' out on the corner of Wetlands With a confederate flag for a headband

From Mic-Nificent, 2nd LP

---

I feel like I'm one of the livest One of hip hop's finest elite rhymers And I plan to graduate with honors But one day we'll all be a bunch of old-timers with Alzheimer's Lookin' at our label's roster wonderin how the fuck they forgot us After we done recorded dozens of albums And made em hundreds of thousands of dollars They still dropped us We givin niggas what the fuck they want A holocaust, stompin niggas with a thousand man march I ain't livin in hell, hell's livin in me That's why I'm always screamin on you fuckin MC's The shit that I quote, floats with the buoyancy of a boat with the potency of a scorpion sting to the throat Overdose that's extremely fatal Doctors in white labcoats scramble for an antidote to save you You can't breathe, your chest feels painful Your skin colour's goin' from dark brown to beige-blue Your whole room's full of angels All in your ear tryin' to tell you which God you should pray to You pray to Jesus, but He don't wanna save you 'Cos you unfaithful, so He gives you to Azazel You're paralyzed on the operatin table Prayin for Canibus to slice you from head to navel You banned from TV, banned from CDs Banned from DVDs and downloadable MP3s

From "Hell", on Pharoahe Monch's LP

---

And don't get me started on 100 Bars, from the 2nd LP.

Is this long enough?

Cheers,

― Angus, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think ilm was where I originally found this, but: http://www.daveyd.com/krsonenews.html Nelly hasn't done anything anywhere near as good as "Criminal Minded" OR "the Blueprint," so he can step off. Yes Krs-One's style & stance are a little on the I-was-there side, but Christ...he's Kris freaking Parker, he can be pompous if he wants.

― John Darnielle, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That's sort of vicious - seeing a new rhymer, and thinking up a rhyme that would destroy his career to keep in the back of his mind just in case? Is that not really strange psychologically?

― Clarke B., Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Especially considering his current Christian rapper stance, I think it would be great fun to see KRS get some limelight with some hard battle shit.

― Jordan, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

KRS-One is an ancient fogey fraud who need to retire and take his dredlocks with him. Even his "classic" albums are medicore half the time. His massive reputation is a result of critics having such low expectations for black intelligence that they're willing to call this fool a "prophet" or a "genius." He's the embodiment of so- called conscious hip-hop, and I think that's appropriate.

― Chris H., Saturday, 11 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

a bit to my utter astonishment i'm pretty much with chris herbert on this: not abt krs-1's age (obv) (he's younger than me prob) or rite to fite (fites = my life, I AM DON KING), but jeeps he had respect for his POLITIX and his politix = k-lame surely?

a fite wd be fun tho: do em both good?

― mark s, Saturday, 11 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

um, has anyone actually heard the remix in question? can we get a quote of Nelly's dis or what? i'm curious what the hell he actually said.

― al, Sunday, 12 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"I strike a nerve and old emcees wanting to come back / I had respect and it lost; and that's that / K - No one here even said your name / R - You really feeling guilty about something man / S - sad to see you really just want this / One more hit; please please / You the first old man to get a rappers pension..."

― Siegbran Hetteson, Sunday, 12 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

more confirmation for my "KRS-ONE is hiphop's greatest villian" theory. he's more destructive than Suge is, but with an entirely different kind of pervasive ignorance.

― bc, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The frustrating thing about KRS-One is that he was a completely vacuous ass when he first came out who thought he was brilliant. Age and experience mellowed him a lot and led him to developing some brain cells/rational viewpoints. I was getting to the point where I was really starting to dig him, but whipping yourself into a frenzy over NELLY? Taking Nelly seriously is undermining his stance more than the self-importance, and I by-and-large agree with where he's coming from (at least with the "viewing hip-hop as monochromatic is damaging to the genre and people who play into that stereotype should be stopped" moral).

― Dan Perry, Monday, 13 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If KRS-ONE is a vacuous ass and hip-hop's greatest villain what does that make Nelly? I certainly have issue with KRS myself (most notably for the Sprite "Revolution Will Not Be Televised" commercial which showed incredibly poor taste), but I don't think he's lacking in ideas, intelligence, or purpose. Just try and see it from his point of view: lived on the streets for years, found hiphop (I prefer it hyphenated or spaced but whateva) to be a way to lift his spirit and improve his life, decided to use it as a means to try and educate and raise people's consciousness, then gets shat upon by donkey-voiced, manicured-toe-lovin' Nelly to the chuckles of today's "rap fan". You would be somewhat disturbed too. But I guess he is pompous, unlike all other rappers who are so modest and polite and never make grand statements about themselves. This is a rap battle. Pick a side. And don't forget to celebrate Hip-Hop Appreciation Week (I've already got a great hip-hop flag to put on my porch).

― Gilgamesh, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What's a hip-hop flag look like? Does it have a big adidas logo on it?

― Nate Patrin, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, it's the fifty logos of Modern Hiphop Kulture in the shape of a dollar sign. And it's made out of platinum. And it has a Playstation 2 built into it. It's really a great flag.

― Gilgamesh, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If KRS-ONE is a vacuous ass [...]

Reading comprehension is your friend. I said KRS-One was a vacuous ass. Recent years have given his viewpoints more complexity and maturity.

As far as picking sides is concerned, I've alredy picked KRS-One's. I just wish he'd gone about drawing the battle line in a different way (and no, I don't know what that different way should have been).

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, excuse me Mr. Harvard! Anywho, you weren't the first person to throw around the whole vacuous slur in this thread, but point taken. You were, however, the only one to call him an ass, so I'm sorry if I gave anyone the impression that you currently think he is an ass. The real question is: If reading comprehension is my friend, what does that make Nelly?

― Gilgamesh, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

As has been well albeit arguably documented, I don't proclaim to know dick about Hip Hop, but it just strikes me that KRS-One is simply refusing to grow old gracefully and is demanding that the rest of the Hip Hop community show him respect. Now, granted, it seems that Nelly started this particular dispute, but KRS-One's assertion that disrespecting KRS-One is somehow equal to endangering the future of Hip Hop is, frankly, absurd. I mean, really, what an ego! Sure, maybe Nelly's a lippy boob, but KRS-One has to learn that he can't be Lord High Executioner of the sandbox for eternity. He may lambast Nelly for not being "real Hip Hop" (whatever that may be) and go around pushing the fat one from PM Dawn off of stages, but it strikes me that his cringe-worthy cameo on REM's "Radio Song" was as detrimental to Hip Hop as anything PM Dawn or Nelly could ever pull out of their respective bags of tricks.

― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The real question is: If reading comprehension is my friend, what does that make Nelly?

Does it matter what it makes Nelly? I have far too many things going on in my life to waste brain cells worrying about Nelly, which may go some way in explaining why I think devoting a nine-paragraph rant towards the man is not the best use of one's energies. I probably would have just dropped my battle rhyme and dismissed the fucker from my mind. If the entire point is that Nelly isn't "true hip-hop" (debatable) or that the style he represents is not representative of the entirety of hip-hop culture (undeniably true), spending that much time harping about him lends more credence to the idea that Nelly is an important figure in the hip-hop arena. Considering that he had a single called "#1" that peaked on the charts somewhere in the teens AND he seems to be basing his definiton of success on chart placement, Nelly shoots himself in the foot in the longevity/"serious artist" stakes and isn't worth worrying about. (I guess I do have an opinion on how KRS-One should have handled this. My bad.) (I also apologize if the previous paragraph is disjointed; I'm hella hungry and am having issues focusing on the screen right now. I would wait and post when I'm more clear-headed, but I don't care enough about Nelly to do so.)

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

KRS's battle rhyme is no match for Nelly. Nelly never tried to be somebody, though, KRS did. I don't know what that means as far as who should win, except that KRS has more styles than Nelly but Nelly has better production.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.