KRS-ONE: JUDGEMENT DAY
THE TEACHA KRS-ONE INTRODUCES RIP NICHOLSON TO HIS SCHOOL OF HIP HOP.
KRS-ONE interviewed for Rip2Shredz // Street Press Australia // Hiphop.sh @ @ 08.45 AEST Saturday, 04th February, 2012
Oprah visited down under, even Queen Elizabeth and her grandson Prince William walked our red carpets last year. Now we wait, firmly held in 2012 for the inaugural visit of hip hop’s leading protagonist, acting strictly for the cause and survival of a culture. KRS One, (born Lawrence Parker) is poised in San Francisco to board a boat and head for our golden shores. Afraid of flying, Parker will take the month-long trip down under with an agenda to inject knowledge into our our hip hop culture with a “booster shot.” Following some stringent protocol to get him in session, Parker lets loose over 50 minutes with a booming authority over his words. Holding a genuine concern for the upkeep of his culture, Parker lays out an economic model for the survival of Australia’s hip hop scene in today’s new world, which he believes finds the balance of power shifted in favour of it’s forebearers and creative souls who maintain the culture’s equilibrium behind it’s commerce.
What would your main objective be on this auspicious trip down our way?
I’ve waited a long time for this. There is a couple of places I’m trying to go to over the next three years. And Australia is just one of them that I’ve been trying to get to for a many years. There has always been challenges, so when i come to a place i don’t just want to come to the place, perform and leave. I don’t like flying into a country, flying over a country. Beyond that, go straight to the hotel from the airport and to the venue and to the hotel and to the airport and then say ‘OK, I’ve been to Australia.’ That’s not my style at all so i waited it out.
Promoters have been calling me over the last 10 years, people been calling. Some called but the money wasn’t right, others called and the transportation wasn’t right. Others called but there was opening acts on the bill that i didn’t agree with. So now i have a great promoter and he suggested i get over here by sea. So when i realised we can sail from San Francisco, California to Sydney, Australia i was ecstatic to be able to get this opportunity and this is how the tour all starts. That’s the personal reason as to why it’s happening now, in that sense. This promoter that I’m dealing with is pandering to KRS One and the way KRS One would like to come to Australia. Other promoters were telling me how to come to Australia. This certain promoter is assisting me in coming to Australia…
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