by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
A video appeared online on the YouTube channel of Harold St. Louis of KRS-One sharing his feelings about the Grammys, which he feels has not treated hip-hop with the respect it deserves in the first 49 years of the genre’s existence. He starts the video off by stating why he did not accept a personal invitation from another pioneer of hip-hop, LL COOL J.
“I was asked about two months ago; they asked me to do it, and I turned them down,” he said. “With all due respect, LL COOL J himself called me, spoke to my wife, and pretty much begged for me to be on the show, but we turned him down. And reason being is because I know other people don’t understand this, and I say this respectfully. Meaning that KRS-One is a hip-hop extremist. I’m not violent, a violent extremist, no. I’m insane with this culture. I know I must have lost my mind in this.”
The legendary rapper stated that he doesn’t apologize for his experience or the reason for feeling this way. The “temple of hip-hop” is “our home,” and the corporate entity behind the Grammys has exploited the culture; hence he will never stand “in the environment” where hip-hop is being taken advantage of.
Check out the full interview below:
Source: Black Enterprise
