KRS-One.

SEPTEMBER 11TH, THE TEMPLE OF HIP-HOP, BREAKDANCING BOULEVARD, HIP-HOP CITY, AZ--Blastmaster KRS ONE has always been ahead of most cats in the rap game. Back in '87 he was the first Emcee to pack a 9mm on an album cover. He was also the first Emcee to have his DJ shot and killed. Throughout the '90s he pioneered and lead the "Stop the Violence" movement. Now he is actively building the Temple of Hip-Hop as a global culture. This ministry along with the Zulu Nation is responsible for bringing cultural balance, education, and political awareness to hip-hop's biased, bling-bling, MTV culture. KRS ONE along with Kool DJ Herc, Kool Moe Dee, Afrika Bambaata, Xzibit and Grandmaster Flash all believe that gangsta rap is not hip-hop's problem, the problem is conscious rappers. Shelblack and I joined the hip-hop illuminati to discuss this, the responsibility to domestic terror, and KRS ONE building a one world nation called hip-hop. JMJ/R.I.P.

As it's 9.11, do you think more is going on here than what we the American people are being told?

Of course, but one thing is obvious and that is the apathy, the non-caring attitude that Americans have towards the political situation, has got to end.

Do you think that's because they are just told what to do 24-7--work, consume, die--and they don't have opinions of their own?

Most Americans don't have an opinion of their own. It's like everything is done fixed upon what someone else is doing. The other part of it is, we don't really know what's going on. It puts the American people in a bad position.

In Europe, 70 percent of people blame the 9.11 attacks on American foreign policy. Would you agree with that?

Yeah. They blame it on US foreign policy but as Dr Dionne Bennett said, no one really knows what US foreign policy is No one really knows what is going on; everyone is in the dark and all these decisions are being made by King George Bush. He is dictating what's going to happen, and if you are not down with the program you are not a good patriotic American.

Are you ever going to run for president of America?

I hope not. There is a new kind of leader coming up, like a leader in hip-hop culture with more power and authority than a president. There is no system, it's just people dealing with people, and if I can somehow gain the trust of the hip-hop nation then I can be blessed with the trust of the real people. They know KRS and will know I have real solutions for solving some of our problems. We have a hip-hop agenda we are putting forward that will be released soon. I find more power in that than running for president. I'd like to take over a small town to be honest with you.

You serious?

Yeah. Take over a small town and build a hip-hop city where the mayor is all hip-hop, the police, the doctors are all hip-hop. I think we could really show up other cities. They ain't doing the service-to the people. Look at Vegas. It took the Mafia and the Church of the Mormons to get together and build a city that's the most profitable city in the USA. That city is built on prostitution and gambling Hip-hop can take that model and say "We are a billion-dollar industry just on entertainment, let alone the turntables and the fashion. Why don't we grab a small town somewhere and blow it up an name it Hip-Hop City? You can come and enjoy hip-hop 24-hours a day. We'll have clubs-on every corner you can come get drunk, get high, have frivolous sex, and we will balance that out with some of the most profound ideas on spirituality, justice, law, and education. It can all be controlled so that people are not running around shooting and killing each other.

What town are we taking over?

I was looking at a small town names Kingman in Arizona just off I-40. I was so impressed with this town. It's like 20 blocks by 20 blocks. It started off as an old folks resort in the desert. Now the old folks' kids are living there and they don't have clubs, but they all listen to hip-hop. We'll take it over and have our own hip-hop city.

Why don't the hip-hap royalty like the Master Ps, The Diddys, invest their millions into real power like education and cities?

Because they don't have. it. The average rap artist is getting 50 cents a, record and that barely pays for the video: The cars are all rented and the houses are on credit. Any rapper can get credit to buy a house.

Do they give a fuck though about anything other than Benji's?

The Temple of Hip-Hop is young, but we're setting up a system where all hip-hop artists Will have to give a point of their album sales to address these issues. Right now there is not even an outlet for rappers to say, "I want to put my money here." Why aren't they up there flossing the new Dell computer instead of all that frivolous wealth and shit we don't even want?

How was KRS ONE going to the United Nations received by hip-hop?

When we went to the UN to claim hip-hop as an international culture, it wasn't like everyone was praising my efforts. People were criticizing me--how can KRS ONE lay down laws for hip-hop? What is the Temple of Hip-Hop? Is that a cult? They were comparing me to Jim Jones who gave them something to drink and killed them all. They were saying it's mind control. We are trying to establish hip-hop as a world culture because we've been doing it for 16 years. Why not send your kids to the Temple of Hip-Hop to hear the story of Tupac and Biggie, of DJ Scott La Rock and so on?

You dissed black cops, what about black GIs?

First of all, I feel for them. When you join the military, there is a system of brainwashing that goes on. But those people Who risk their own lives to defend where I live ultimately get my respect, whether they're cops or GIs. "Black Cop" and "Sound of the Beast" still stand in my mind, but they stand for those lawmakers who abuse their power.

Is that beef with Nelly serious? Are you gonna storm a Nelly show and throw him off stage like you and BDP did with PM Dawn?

Ha ha! No, I am a little older and a little more mature: I have to set examples now. The hip-hop community slapped my hands for that one. It' wasn't as rosy as people think. I also had to apologize to PM Dawn for that I learned my lesson from that. At this point the battle with Nelly in my mind is over and I think in his too. It was a nice battle and it goes down in hip-hop history as a dope battle and we are both still alive--it was a dope battle in the spirit of What hip-hop is all about. When I see Nelly I might congratulate him on the success of Cristal and say nice battle, but don't try it again.

How about Eminem selling more rap records than any black artist ever?

I think it's cool. Eminem's skills are top notch. He is definitely a writer, definitely an Emcee. He deserves to sell the records he is selling. I wouldn't say he is representing whit people in general because he is produced by Dr Dre and his entourage is black folk, Latino folk, and white folk. I commend Eminem--I think he is a breath of fresh air to hop-hop culture. You can't call him Elvis cause there was no Dre behind Elvis or Pat Boone. Those cats just raped the culture. Let's also point the finger to MC Search of 3rd Bass and the Beastie Boys, who also has black producers.

So it's balanced out, that's some justice?

Yeah. Hip-hop has manifested Martin Luther Kings "I Have A Dream" speech where he envisioned that the sons and daughters of former slave owners and sons and daughters of former slaves would join hands in brotherhood towards justice and freedom. Hip-hop express that through Eminem and Dr Dre, through Russell simmons and the Beastie Boys, through MC, search. Run DMC and Aerosmith. This is what it is to be hip-hoppa.

What the fuck is going on these days with MTV and hip-hop?

MTV used to represent hip-hop at one time. Ted Demme, who is the legend who started Yo! MTV Raps, what was a major move for hip-hop as a culture. Then it got watered down, the politics. I see some things I like.

Not the MTV VMA? That was awful!

That's a farce. That's what people want to see, they want that on TV People want to say. "I am sooo drunk." The problem is there is no balance. The real issue is the Source Awards.

Really?

You got to expect that from MTV, but you don't expect that from the Source Awards. From the magazine that claims to be the music magazine of music, culture and politics? But it's our own fault. The Temple of Hip-Hop is still young, eventually we will get our own TV shows and we will show the other side of things. I don't blame MTV, BET, or the Source Awards. That's their money and they want to make more money. I blame the conscious rap community cause they don't support themselves.

Why is that?

The problem is the conscious rappers not the gangsta rappers. The gangsta rappers are clear about getting their money, their courvoisier, their bitches in thongs. Their message is clear--it's about the Cristal and the Benz. Then you get the conscious rappers who tell you: "I am all about the black woman, I am all about black female empowerment."

How was working with Chad Muska on Muskabeatz?

That was dope. He called me and I went over to his spot on sunset. One thing that struck me about Chad was that he grew up on hip-hop. For years we have been hearing about skateboarding, skaters pro skaters--We've been hearing for years that this is hip-hop's official sport. I think this is a major thing, it bridges that gap. It sanctions the skater community as a part of hip-hop.

Show some support for Shelblack's skateboard company.

Yo! This is KRS ONE, coming through, you know how we do with the one and two. My man Shelblack can never be whack, we go all the way back, with hip-hop history and facts. Angel Biotek, you know we get wild and get respect, KRS ONE you can never negelct, Shelblack what's up with that, thinking back like RUN DMC, why is that? I'm gonna spell this name one time for you to see, S-H-E-L-B-L-A-C-K all the way, the Biotek, we get down with DJs, Emcees, graffiti artists all please, breakers, rhyme takers, coming through. I'm out. KRS without a doubt.