In a new interview with Houston’s radio station, rap legend KRS-One calls out the hip-hop community for not celebrating legends while they’re still alive.
The Teacher blasted hip-hop while talking about the recent passing of New York DJ and the Crooklyn Clan legend Fatman Scoop. “It’s a shame that now that he’s passed that we’re talking about him in this way,” says KRS-One about the genre not appreciating heroes while alive. “Hip Hop gotta stop doing that. Like, only when dudes pass, that’s when they get honored and stuff like that. We shoulda been looking to Fatman Scoop when his career was blowin’ up. He never got played on no stations or nothing like that. Only DJs that knew would throw his music on.”
In response to comparing other genres’ appreciation of their respected stars, KRS-One ignored the question. “Other genres suck, we don’t give a fuck about them,” he replied. “Hip Hop runs shit, so fuck all these other genres really. Hip Hop runs this whole music industry. So if we don’t get it right with Hip Hop? I’m sorry Reggae, I’m sorry Jazz, I’m sorry Gospel, I’m sorry Rock: we’re not gonna get it together with nothing.”
KRS-One’s comments follow the legend’s presentation of the Hip-Hop Declaration of Peace. In the interview, he recalls other genres putting down hip-hop while rising.
He continued: “People always putting Hip Hop down, these other genres putting Hip Hop down, but we rising up! And that’s what I’m saying: these other genres, they can do that to their artists if they want; we don’t give a f*ck about them. We can’t do that to our artists, okay? Fatman Scoop? That’s the way a Hip Hop DJ sounds. So dudes on the radio talkin’ about, they no. 1 for Hip Hop, you should take a listen to the real dude.”
Chino XL, Foolio, and Rich Homie Quan are other recent Hip Hop deaths.