Top 24 Krs One Quotes & Sayings

Naahhh... I don't like KRS no more 'cause he just think he's too dope.

If I were to critique myself - step out of KRS objectively and look at him - I would say that KRS has introduced the concept of being hip-hop, not just doing it. The concept of rap as something we do, while hip-hop is something we live. The concept of living a culture. Don't just look at hip-hop as rap music, see it as a culture.

I appreciate people who make hip-hop... the way A Tribe Called Quest and Lauryn Hill and KRS-One did it.

Young people may be stupid at times, but they respond to the truth when it is present, and for them, KRS-One is the truth!

For KRS-One, I have a specific sound - sparse drums and bass. I try to steer away from elaborate productions.

Well, I was doing platinum albums back-to-back with Jive when they were the hottest hip-hop label. There was a time when Jive made a lot more money than Def Jam. They had KRS-One, Too $hort, E-40, Mystikal, UGK and Keith Murray. They had Will Smith when he was still the Fresh Prince.

If you look at my career, doing albums with Norah Jones, Justin Timberlake, Gucci Mane and Lil Wayne or KRS-One and Jean Grae, I can't be pigeonholed.

The hip-hop that I really connected with was Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice Cube, and N.W.A. That late '80s and early '90s era. The beginning of gangster rap and the beginning of politically conscious rap. I had a very immature, adolescent feeling of, "Wow, I can really connect with these people through the stories they're telling in this music."

I think Jive was just a shady label that they didn't want artists in the same room like, 'Hey, what you making?' Like I never worked with R. Kelly, I never worked with Q-Tip. I never worked with anybody that was on Jive. I never did a song with KRS-One.

I feel like your city - with hip hop in particular, because we're always beating our chest and shouting where we're from - your city is just as influential as your parents. Even the grimy, hardcore gangster rap from New York - KRS-One and Wu Tang, the stuff acknowledges it.

When I came up with KRS-One and Rakim, everybody had to step their lyrical game up to build a fan base.

I was listening to Chuck D, KRS, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, all the greats, studying them.

I grew up on a wide range of stuff. OutKast, they been around for over 20 years, and some of the L.A. cats like Defari, Dilated Peoples and Likwit Crew. I was always going to these shows and catching the KRS-One tennis ball, as he would throw those out, EPMD. I could go on and on.

The Nike joint 'Classic' with Kanye, Nas, KRS-One, that was a remix - Rick Rubin did the original, and his was a double-time tempo; mine was a regular boom-bap tempo, and they liked it so much that we ended up doing the video to it.

In New York, I was into Kool G Rap and Polo, KRS-One, that whole big 80s boom.

This album is moments that I haven't done before, like just my voice and drums. What people call a rant - but put it next to just a drumbeat, and it cuts to the level of, like, Run-D.M.C. or KRS-One.

Skateboarding was my introduction to rap and the first rap song that I really liked was KRS-One 'Step Into A World.'

Imagine the first time you are about to rap in a studio and you find yourself in a booth with Redman and KRS!

What is American education? What should our students be taught? Is hip-hop something that is worthwhile and useful for students to learn? Of course, if you're learning it from KRS-One, I would say yes.

It's all about the family tree, there's a family tree. You know Melly Mel birthed KRS-One, KRS-One I think birthed Tupac.

Portishead's production is just insane beats you would expect to be on a KRS-One album. But then there's this little white girl with an angel voice singing over it. It was a cool juxtaposition. I like 'It's A Fire.' That's a chill song with kind of a military drum thing going on, like a drummer boy.

Every ghetto kid that walks the earth can see something in KRS-One that reminds him of himself.

KRS One and LL Cool J are the biggest influences in my rap career, along with Heavy D.

KRS-One is one of my favorite rappers ever. I actually don't even know why I have this on my computer, but I do. I really like this album, Criminal Minded.