KRS-One

Active on the New York hip-hop scene since the mid-1980s, KRS-One, born Lawrence Parker in Brooklyn in 1965 and raised in the South Bronx, first made his mark with the group Boogie Down Productions alongside DJ Scott La Rock. With BDP he helped establish a rap rooted in urban social reality and street culture, notably through the 1987 album Criminal Minded, and after Scott La Rock's death he continued releasing records in which political commentary and community self-defense play a central role. From Return of the Boom Bap in 1993 KRS-One developed a solo career marked by an energetic boom-bap sound, a direct flow and lyrics that mix autobiographical narrative, hip-hop history and spiritual references, earning him the nickname The Teacha. Alternating solo albums like KRS-One (1995) or I Got Next (1997) with collaborative projects, notably with Marley Marl or Buckshot, KRS-One also gave lectures, made public appearances and launched educational initiatives gathered around the Temple of Hip Hop, pursuing an approach to rap conceived as a cultural, educational and philosophical practice.