by James Di Fiore

Created on: August 30, 2007

While there are countless emcees who have earned the right to be considered as the greatest rapper in the world, there is only one name that literally every member of the hip hop community respects. His name is KRS ONE.

KRS ONE is the last pioneer of the Golden Age of hip hop who can still command respect with his skills on the microphone. He was discovered while staying in a men's shelter by a counselor who would later be known as DJ Scott La Rock. The circumstances behind this discovery are a testament to how KRS' knowledge of spirituality helped propel him to legendary status. Fiercely intelligent, KRS breaks the mold of your stereotypical emcee by showing America and the world that rappers are here for one purpose - to communicate their life experiences through rhyme.

There are people who think he is too preachy about hip hop culture. Most of those individuals are proprietors of a bling-infested scene where cash and thongs hold more credence than microphone prowess. KRS is a stand alone pillar of the hip hop movement. He can move the crowd, spit lyrics with meaning and has a career spanning three decades. While albums sales might be the gauge for some, nobody really believes that a well designed marketing plan can ever replace quality music. If that were the case then Blink 182 would be seen as better than Nirvana, if you catch my drift.

There are hundreds of dope emcees, but there is only one who ranks above all others - The Teacha, KRS ONE. Peace...

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