TONIGHT

• Home
• Video
• Podcasts/RSS 
• Archives
• Young Voices
• About the Show
• Tell Tavis
• Features
• Mobile

RELATED LINKS

• Temple of Hip-Hop
• KRS-ONE's bio

E-mail a friend

Tavis: KRS-One is a hip-hop pioneer who, from the very beginning, saw music as much more than a means just to entertain. Throughout his career, he's been an outspoken and influential activist and one of the primary voices of socially conscious rap.

He's also an author. His most recent book is called 'Ruminations.' I'm pleased to welcome KRS-One to the show. KRS, how you livin', man?

KRS-One: I am pleased to be here.

Tavis: Oh, nice to see you.

KRS-One: Oh, man.

Tavis: It's nice to see you.

KRS-One: Likewise.

Tavis: Let me start with that phrase which we overuse--'socially conscious rap.' Now, there are a few guys whose names stand out immediately when you start talkin' about socially conscious rap. There's Common. There's Dead Prez. There are a few guys that stand out in that category in a contemporary sort of setting. But what's the difference between socially conscious rap and, I guess, rap that ain't so socially conscious?

KRS-One: Well, personally, all rap is socially conscious. The concept of rap itself is socially conscious. But the real difference between socially conscious rap and, I guess, another expression would be the personality of the person his or herself. It's not enough to just rap about socially conscious issues. The question is, 'Are you a socially conscious person?' So even though your rap may be something that is questionable or controversial or thuggish in nature, but you could still be a socially conscious person and use the resources that you gain in one arena to help out in another.

Tavis: And yet, in the context of what we mean today in a contemporary setting when we say 'socially conscious rap,' the socially conscious rappers do not get the kind of radio airplay that the other expression, to use your word, of the music genre gets on radio. Why d...s one get radio airplay and the other d...s not?

KRS-One: Well, it's obvious. You know, the truth d...s not sell. The truth helps you live. Now, you have to decide. Are you a product, or are you a human being? And most people prefer to be products.

I mean, let's face it. Slavery is very comfortable, and freedom is where the work is at. Most people prefer slavery. They will never admit it, but they will prefer that, and that's--when you say socially conscious, again, that's the concept of being socially conscious. 'Am I free, or have I been freed?' So it's basically what kind of consciousness you're actually dealing which will give you the result.

Tavis: We could have this debate ad nauseum here. Tell me, though, before I go further, what's your assessment of where rap is as an art form today--as a genre of music? Assess to me where you think it is as we speak.

KRS-One: Well, rap is now starting to level out. It's part of the mainstream now. Everyone knows it. It's no more a mystery. The excitement is kind of leaving.

What's really getting bigger and more exciting is hip-hop, the culture that rap music comes out of. Rap has run its course. It will always be around. It has made its point in music history in American pop culture. But hip-hop, the other parts, break dancing, graffiti art, deejayin', beat box, and the way we dress, talk--these things are gonna take precedence more in the future as people, you know, begin to learn more about what the culture and the movement and the consciousness of hip-hop is all about.

People are growin' up, and life teaches some real lessons. So even though you may watch a rap video that may advocate this or that, at the end of the day, if you have a mother or father or older brother or if you watch a show like Tavis Smiley's, you will be guided throughout life.

Tavis: I suspect you know these numbers better than I do, but I was--I guess I shouldn't say astounded. But it sort of peaked my interest when I saw a statistic the other day that suggested that 72% of rap music is purchased by white kids in the 'burbs.

KRS-One: Yes.

Tavis: 72% of rap music is bought by white kids, and what do you make of that?

KRS-One: 80% of that 72% are white females.

Tavis: Say that again.

KRS-One: 80% of your 72%...

Tavis: Are white females. OK, so now you got 2 numbers that are about to knock me off this chair. So explain to me what those 2 numbers mean as you see it.

KRS-One: Well, rap music, and I will say hip-hop culture in and of itself, but rap music as its calling card, offers to young white males a sense of rebellion, freedom, manhood, courage. That's what it means when you see a 50 Cent or Snoop Dogg or someone on television just blatantly defying the law and doin' what they're doin'. No one sees the thug and the criminal. They see courage. They see, 'This is my chance to wild out and be rebellious in the form of music.' Sort of, like, a video game kind of thing. Release certain tension through the fighting of some violent games on television--on your PlayStation or whatever.

But, you know, it's funny what you mentioned here. Because--and I'm just gonna direct this in a different direction. Because I want to point to the importance of why people like yourself are so important to this movement of hip-hop. You have been a beacon of light in our community, and it's important that people know that. You're always the one who is peeling past what you see on television, what you hear on radio to get to the truth, and if more people in your position did that, we wouldn't have the problems we have on television. You would see more KRS, Public Enemy, XClaim, Queen Latifah. I mean, it g...s--Talib Kweli, and so on and so forth.

Tavis: Let me probe that. I appreciate the compliment. Thank you very much for that. But let me probe a little deeper, though, and ask why it is, given the billion-, multibillion-dollar industry that hip-hop music and hip-hop culture has become and is becoming--given these numbers that we just suggested, it ain't just black kids no more. It's more often kids who ain't black. 'Cause the black kids can't afford to buy the stuff in the first place. Having said that, tell me why it is that we don't see more discussion about this and why hip-hop, never mind its billion-dollar status economically, is shall we say pooh-poohed by much of the culture?

KRS-One: Well, give it time. We are growing. We're only about 33 years old--34 now if you start us from 1970 with Kool Hurt in the Bronx. Give us time. Let the years go. Let our audience grow. Let us have some children, get a mortgage, so on. We'll begin to look at hip-hop a little more seriously than what we're looking at now.

Tavis: Yeah, speaking of looking at it seriously, there are classes at certain institutions now that are being taught...

KRS-One: Oh, they're poppin' up every day.

Tavis: Yeah. What do you make of that?

KRS-One: I think it's wonderful. The only issue is that we should be careful of what is being taught in these universities about hip-hop. There is no single body of knowledge that explains hip-hop to the hip-hopper by hip-hoppers. Like, the hip-hopper authors the book for other hip-hoppers. Now we're working on that right now--everyone who's been involved with the Stop the Violence movement and Human Education against Lies and all this stuff and so on. Give it time. In the next 10, 15 years, you will see a more socially conscious hip-hop culture, and then it'll be on television. We have to wait our turn.

Tavis: I suspect that some folk would find it laughable to think or to know that on the campus of an Ivy League institution...

KRS-One: Yes.

Tavis: That there is a course being taught about hip-hop. What ought to be--to your point earlier...

KRS-One: Sure.

Tavis: What ought to be, in a nutshell, taught in that class? If a class is gonna be taught at an institution of higher learning, say nothing of an Ivy League institution of higher learning, what ought to be taught in that class?

KRS-One: First of all, life skills. Because that's what hip-hop is all about. What is your purpose, and what is the meaning of your life purpose? What is the purpose, and what is the meaning of your purpose? That's what hip-hoppers' consciousness gives us. It gives us the courage to be us, and most people walk around with a mask on. They can't be themselves.

Hip-hop teaches you to be yourself, be assertive, stand up for yourself, believe in your ability to overcome any obstacle. That's what the course should start with. Then, of course, we go through the elements of hip-hop: breakin', MCing, graffiti art, deejayin', beat boxin', street fashion, street language, street knowledge, and of course, street entrepreneurialism.

Our children need to know at a young age how to manage money, how to save, invest. You can teach your child at 10 years old the entire banking system. You could teach an 11-year-old healthcare, hygiene, I mean, real stuff that you may learn in college, if you really wanted people to know. So hip-hop really as a course, it raises your self-worth, it raises your value, it teaches you to bring value to yourself when you have nothing.

Tavis: Speaking of teaching about hip-hop, every year, your organization, the Temple of Hiphop, sponsors, on a national basis, a Hiphop Appreciation Week. That's comin' up sometime soon?

KRS-One: Yes, May 16th to the 23rd in 2004. That's May 16th to the 23rd of 2004 is Hiphop Appreciation Week.

Tavis: And what happens during that week?

KRS-One: This week--every week-- every year during this week, we have a theme each year. Last year, the theme was charity. The year before that, the theme was gratitude. This year, the theme is faith, and we're advocating that the entire hip-hop community exercise a degree of faith in whatever they are doing personally.

But with hip-hop as a culture, its development in and of itself, we have to visualize ourselves better than where we are today, and so this where--this is what Hiphop Appreciation Week is about. The way to appreciate hip-hop is to appreciate the hip-hopper. If you a hip-hopper and you sayin', 'I'm representin' hip-hop. I respect hip-hop,' then the way to respect hip-hop is to respect your fellow hip-hopper. We can't be runnin' around shootin', robbin', stealin', killin', lyin', doin' all this nonsense to each other, and then say, 'But I represent hip-hop.'

Tavis: Yeah, but that d...sn't represent the breadth of the folk in the game. There are just a few fools in the game who act that way, correct?

KRS-One: Of course. But in everyone's life, there is a reason for faith, there is a need for faith, and a need for forgiveness. Because it's hard to have faith if you can't forgive, and we discussed this, too, last year about people blocking their own spiritual blessing by lacking the ability to forgive. Like, when you have a beef with a person, you stop all your spiritual ability because you believe that this is the only way the situation can be. If you use a universal mind, you say, 'Well, this is the way it happened to me, but how can I manage this situation? How can I manage the failure?'

Tavis: You still rockin' the mike...

KRS-One: Oh, of course. We just did Colorado.

Tavis: And writing books.

KRS-One: Absolute. Got another one comin'.

Tavis: Tell me what this 'Ruminations' book is about, and tell me about the new CD you're workin' on.

KRS-One: The new CD is called 'Keep Right,' and I just left Koch Records, which was a fast split. I'm totally independent. Free at last.

Tavis: Free or been freed?

KRS-One: Free.

Tavis: Proof to your earlier point.

KRS-One: Right, and there is a difference.

Tavis: There is a difference.

KRS-One: Free at last, and so the album comes out May 18, during Hiphop Appreciation Week. It's a conscious album. It gives you the raw street, socially conscious--something that people need right now as well, with the way government is going, looming of war and the economy and so on, we urge people everywhere--you know, 4 million people just lost their jobs, just. This country's on the verge of revolution. We say to those 4 million people, sometimes when you lose your job, you find your work, and don't just look at this situation as 'I lost my job.' Sometimes you lose your job so that you can find your real purpose in life, and that's what the album 'Keep Right' points you to. Keep right. Stay on your purpose in life, no matter what is going on around you.

Tavis: I got 30 seconds left. Tell me, in this all-important election year, what your message is to those in the hip-hop generation, with regard to their involvement politically.

KRS-One: Sure. First and foremost, we have to understand that we are a body of people. We are called hip-hop culture. We should surround ourselves around that body. That is our name in world history: hip-hop culture. We should recognize that first and then use that unified power to elect, or join in the political process, the people we want to have-- up there running, uh, policy and law and so on. Personally, I would elect Tavis Smiley.

Tavis: Time to go. Time to go. Nice to see you, man.

Tavis: This cat's busy all the time. The book is 'Ruminations.' The new CD 'Keep Right' coming out in May during Hiphop Appreciation Week. Always a pleasure seeing you.

KRS-One: Always.

Tavis: Love you, man. Up next, actor Andy Serkis from the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Stay with us.