KRS- one stands for Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone. He is a lyricist, an author, a college professor and a philosopher. Helping the hip- hop revolution move forward, he revealed the four elements of hip- hop.
1. DJing. To be a DJ, to create music is one of the main elements of hip- hop. Without the music, there is no hip- hop. Without hip- hop there is no music.
2. Emceeing. Emceeing is the art of spoken word. The ability to rhyme freely over any type of music and to have it make sense.
3. Breakdancing. Breakdancing is perhaps the oldest dance outlet for hip- hop music. Although it is not widely practiced today, there is still much respect for those with the agility to do it.
4. Graffiti. It is extremely prevalent in the inner cities, as well as extremely beautiful. The artists often paint murals, depicting things that only hip- hop people can understand.
It is obvious why rap is a type of music and hip- hop is a way of life. Hip- hop combines so many elements but not all of them are directly related to music. KRS One has also stated, "This is rebellious music, not gangster music." The violence that is associated with the life of hip- hop is not at all new, however, many lyricists loose sight of why they came into the game, or perhaps more importantly, why the game came to them.
"Reached back like a pimp and slapped the ho."- Eazy E.
Eazy- E is an extremely influential gangster rapper who put Compton, CA on the map. he brought out such high- profile rappers such as: Snoop Doggy Dog and DR Dre. And the off shoot artists that Snoop and Dre produced are endless. .
Eazy E was criticized for his use of violence and exploitation of women. However, his albums were extremely groundbreaking and proved that anyone could come up in the rap game. Listeners need to remember that rappers, even gangster rappers are not glorifying violence but rather providing an accurate depiction of what life on the streets is like for them.
