KRS One
You know life is funny
If you don't repeat the actions of your own success you won't be successful
You gotta know your own formula your own ingredients What made you YOU
1987 I was at the Latin Quarters
Listenin to Afrika Bambaata give the order
The call of the order was to avoid the slaughter
He said Record companies ain't got nuttin for ya
Without a lawyer he taught The Infinity Lessons
In how hip hop could be a many a blessing
And that was great so in 1988there was no debate we had to end the hate Afrika
The name of the game was Stop the Violence and unity knowledge and self reliance
We started talkin bout Martin and Malcolm
Had these ghetto kids goin Huh what about him
1989 Professor Griff speaks his mind but his freedom of speech is declined
1990 came with the West coast East coast West coast who is the best coast 1990
Lookin back now of COURSE it was bogus The whole argument was where we lost focus
We got hopeless not with the lyrics and music but with hip hop and how we used it
Or abused it you know how the crew getYou like it cause you choose it
1991 we opened our eyes with Human Education Against Lies we tried to talk about the state of humanity 1991
Remember that Nobody wanted conscious rap
It was like where these ballers atWhere can they call us at All was wack
Hip Hop culture was fallin flat and that was that
So in 1992 I found my crew They said Yo Kris what you wanna do
So I did it don't stop get it get it get it All of a sudden these critics they wanna spit it
Kay Are Ess One is con tra dic to ryJust cause I wouldn't let these rappers get with me
But I'm makin these ends and I got my friends
And I really don't wanna have to sit in the pen So I go back to the philosopher
1993 hip hop is uhh wack Go back check the facts
1994 Return of the Boom BapIt wasn't all about the loot It was all about Harry Allen Rhythm Cultural Institute 1
Blowin up 1995 Conscious rap is still alive
But nobody wanna play it nobody wanna say it Nobody okayed it they'd all rather hate it
1996 it really don't stop We put together somethin called the Temple of Hip Hop
Not just DJin breakin graf and lyrics But how hip hop affects the spirit
Step Into a World that's what I did
1997 I was raisin my kid or kids but I had to go 1997
Cause New York DJ's changed the flows to clothes and h*es but that wasn't me
I'll be d**ned if I dance for the MTV
So in 1998 I began to debate Should I go now or should I really wait
'99 I moved to L A you see and took a gig with the WB
Started studyin philosophy full time To have a full heart full body full mind
But you know what the problem is or was
DJ's don't raise our kids cuz they so caught up in the cash and jewels DJ
How they gonna really see a hip hop schoolHow they gonna really see a hip hop temple
They don't even wanna play my instrumentals but big up Dr Dre Snoop Xzibit
Especially Xzibit he was there in a minute
Mic Conception all of them saidYo you need help I should call them
When I was in L A I held the crown Bloods Crips they held me down
I could never forget Mad Lion killer pride with the gat in the lap in the low ride
Oh I can't forget Icy Ice Lucky Lou Julio G that was the crew Davey D Ingrid David Connor
The list goes on and on let me tell ya FredWreck and my man Protest Much respect no less
To my spiritual and mental defenders Big up to L A temple members
But in 2000 I seen how I wanted to live I wasn't no executive
So I picked up the mic and I quit my job Said to Simone I gotta get with God
She said Don't worry bout these dollars and quarters Record companies ain't got nuttin for ya
D**n she took me back to Bam Took me back to who I am
Brought me back to the New York landNow I overstand
So rap music is something we do but HIP HOP is something we live
And we look at hip hop in it's 9 elements
Which is breaking emceeing graffiti art deejaying beatboxing street fashion street language street knowledge and street entrepenurialism trade and business
And uhh that's where y'know that's the hip hop that that that we're about
We come from the uhh the root of of Kool DJ Herc who originated hip hop in the early
And then Afrika Bambaata and Zulu Nation
Mmhmm
Who instigated something called The Infinity Lessons
And added conciousness to hip hop and then Grandmaster Flashwith the invention of the mixer on to Run D M C and then myself
And uhh we created the Stop the Violence movement you may recall a song Self Destruction and and and so on
All of this goes to uhh uhh the idea of LIVING this culture out and taking responsibility for how it looks and and acts in society
