KRS-ONE

KRS Philosophizing on Obama

KRS Dropping an UNBELIEVABLE Freestyle last January

KRS Wants You to WAKE UP

Spring Jam's 2009 headliner, born Lawrence Parker, is a former Hare Krishna, a strict vegetarian, and the founder of the "Stop the Violence" movement in 1988. He ran away from home at 13, got his GED at 17, and became a national voice of the South Bronx around the same time many of us were born. For followers of the Temple of Hip-Hop, KRS-One needs no introduction. He is one of the seminal East Coast MCs, a pioneer of both what would come to be known as gangsta rap (as a member of Boogie Down Productions in the late 80s) and an inimitable brand of socially conscious hip-hop perfectly summarized by his assumed mantra-acronym "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Everyone". The due respect for The Teacha's 20+ year career has recently earned him accolades from BET (the 2008 Hip-Hop Lifetime Achievement Award) and the Billboard Urban Radio Networks (2004 Hip-Hop Founders Award) but this in no way means The Philosopher is slowing down. In fact, his output this year includes a hip hop leadership DVD, a motivational audiobook, and several YouTube videos that range from live acapella freestyles to philisophical explorations of Barack Obama's significance and his 2008 resurrection of the Stop the Violence movement with 50 Cent, Ludacris, and others. KRS's many modes continue to shape hip-hop culture; The Teacha continues to educate, The Philosopher keeps on asking tough questions, but most importantly The Blastmaster still knows how to rock a party with a combination of old school hits (the anthem "Sound of Da Police", the dancehall inspired "Remix for P is Free") and inclusionary tactics (at a recent concert in Brooklyn, KRS invited B-Boy and B-Girl break dancers to share the stage with him, often breaking flow to remark on their noteworthy moves). Hampshire College may not have a killer break dance program, but we do have a nationally renowned Slam Poetry Collective, as well as a productive, resourceful Hip-Hop Collective whose heads (Kamil Peters, Reuben Telushkin, Andre Woodberry) played a large part in getting in touch with KRS and getting his agent to book with COCA. Last year's Triggering Change conference at UMass may have serendipitously brought Dead Prez to Hampshire, but the planning of this Spring Jam is more Hampshire-based than it has been in years. But the success of Spring Jam, as always, depends on the campus at large. To all fans of hip-hop, slam, poetry, philosophy, urban politics, and non-violence, get ready: a major player is coming to the Library quad for two hours from 9-11PM on April 18, and you might want to hear what he has to say.