![]() ![]() They have my first album, 'Criminal Minded.' But then they grew up, they had kids, and now when they hear KRS-One is doing a gospel project, it's easier for them to gravitate towards it because of my history of being a 'conscious rapper.' "īut, he adds, there's also an ongoing transformation of the church. "They bought 'Rapper's Delight' and they were in the clubs. "The gospel community of families were hip-hoppers themselves and probably still are," he suggests. KRS-One's credibility has certainly been enhanced by his long-term promotion of self-awareness and education, and his role in the original Stop the Violence movement. There are longstanding criticisms within the church about mixing spiritual messages with secular beats and rhythms, a situation that first played itself out in the blues-fueled transformation of spirituals to gospel in the '30s and '40s, and again with R&B influences that helped the music cross over to larger audiences in the '60s and '70s. ![]() The marriage of hip-hop and gospel hasn't been universally welcome, despite the commercial success of folks like Kirk Franklin and dc Talk. There are also such upbeat affirmations as "Take It to God,' "Lord Live Within My Heart" and "God Is Spirit." As KRS-One puts it in the liner notes, "I am not out of touch with what is in style today, I am simply in touch with God." He addresses sexual responsibility on "Take Your Tyme" ("How you dress makes you constantly blessed or constantly stressed") mourns the passing of allies and peers on "Goodbye," and the victims of 9/11 on "Tears" revisits his own classic on "South Bronx 2002" and generally continues his pointed critiques of materialism, misogyny and violence. What they're hearing is familiar, simply the "conscious rap" KRS-One has championed for years with stronger spiritual and faith-centered lyrics. "Technically, we call it urban inspirational, not gospel rap," says KRS-One, adding that he's nonetheless enjoying this introduction to the gospel community. 22, entered Billboard's gospel chart at No. I see it all as one piece, as one growth." ![]() ![]() "And I just decided this is the natural evolution of the thinking I've been entertaining for years. a couple of years ago afforded him a chance to get into full-time study of theology. "Why does God think like that? Why is life like this? Are we really pursuing God or the material world?" "Usually I've mentioned the whole concept of rhyming about God from a critical perspective," KRS-One says. He also points to more recent tracks like "The Truth," "Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight)" and a trio from last year's "Sneak Attack" album: "Doth Thou Know," "What Kinda World" and "The Raptism." "Spiritual Minded" - the title referencing "Criminal Minded," KRS-One's groundbreaking 1987 debut with Boogie Down Productions - may be overwhelmingly God-centric, but according to KRS-One, its roots are easily traced, as far back as "Why Is That?" (from BDP's 1989 "Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip-Hop") and "Higher Level" (from 1993's "Return of the Boom Bap"). "So for years I've been studying world religions and, being in the United States, that put the emphasis on the Bible and Christian thought, as well as the Torah and Jewish thought." "When I was about 15 years old, I began to embark on an MC career but also to study philosophy with an emphasis on theology," says KRS-One, an acronym for Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone (he was born Lawrence Krisna Parker). It's a seemingly radical journey into gospel rap for one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history. "It's the Temple of Hip Hop coming at youīut wherever God at, I'm a go." THE TEACHER becomes the Preacher on "Spiritual Minded," KRS-One's 10th album. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |