KRS-One

Leaving home at 16, Lawrence Parker found himself living on the streets of The Bronx, spending his days spray painting the walls of New York under his graffiti artist name KRS-One (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone). Nicknamed Krisna due to his interest in spirituality and Hare Krishna, he began performing as part of the trio Boogie Down Productions and built a fierce reputation by competing in freestyle rap battles and releasing blistering diss tracks about his contemporaries. Rapping about social issues and his experiences on the streets, KRS-One developed a style inspired by reggae dancehall MCs on his debut solo album Return of the Boom Bap (1993). It produced his signature track Sound Of Da Police and became regarded as one of the great hardcore rap albums of the era. Its follow-up KRS-One (1995) featured Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe and Mad Lion, before he turned to a more mainstream sound on I Got Next (1997), a Number 3 hit in the US and his most commercially successful work. In 2007 he collaborated with long-time rival Marley Marl on the album Hip Hop Lives and later experimented with gospel music on Godsville (2011). He remains a controversial figure within hip hop, but has had a huge influence on the likes of Busta Rhymes, Kanye West and Eminem.