KRS-One: “Def Jam Killed Hip-Hop”

Written by Rizoh. Posted in Chin Check

• TTM

  and what point does Kris have?
  No one killed hip-hop! hip-hop is still there just in many different forms and is that not one of the key elements to be as creative with your craft as possible?

• TTM

  and what point does Kris have?
  No one killed hip-hop! hip-hop is still there just in many different forms and is that not one of the key elements to be as creative with your craft as possible?

• Elbeezy

  KRS definately got a good point there, TTM i agree with you too

• Elbeezy

  KRS definately got a good point there, TTM i agree with you too

• L.O.V.E,

  OK but who ruined his grill

• L.O.V.E,

  OK but who ruined his grill

• someone

  I agree all the corny shit def jam signed AND created.. def jam created rick ross and young joc LOl

• someone

  I agree all the corny shit def jam signed AND created.. def jam created rick ross and young joc LOl

• esbee

  I think its overly simplistic and a bit narrow-minded to blame hip hop’s death on 1 label. Sure did Def Jam have something to do with mainstream’s lack of diversity, maybe but he forgets there’s a company called Universal Music group I believe Def Jam’s current parent, no?

  and Jay is no longer on Def Jam…I hope he wasn’t trying to imply that def jam is the one pushing Jay’s album ‘cos Jay is an artist collabing with livenation.

  Also, I’m really sick and tired of ppl saying hip hop is dead. Mainstream/hip hop on radio lacks balance but hip hop as a ‘culture’ which KRS claims is still alive and very vibrant. All one needs to do is just google.

  Def Jam didn’t create any artist. Def Jam took advantage of what the so called market wanted and pushed that. We often fail to forget as fans of the genre our responsibility to demand better music. You want garbage? Then garbage is exactly what you’re gonna get.

• esbee

  I think its overly simplistic and a bit narrow-minded to blame hip hop’s death on 1 label. Sure did Def Jam have something to do with mainstream’s lack of diversity, maybe but he forgets there’s a company called Universal Music group I believe Def Jam’s current parent, no?

  and Jay is no longer on Def Jam…I hope he wasn’t trying to imply that def jam is the one pushing Jay’s album ‘cos Jay is an artist collabing with livenation.

  Also, I’m really sick and tired of ppl saying hip hop is dead. Mainstream/hip hop on radio lacks balance but hip hop as a ‘culture’ which KRS claims is still alive and very vibrant. All one needs to do is just google.

  Def Jam didn’t create any artist. Def Jam took advantage of what the so called market wanted and pushed that. We often fail to forget as fans of the genre our responsibility to demand better music. You want garbage? Then garbage is exactly what you’re gonna get.

• G

  young joc is not def jam

  SMH

• G

  young joc is not def jam

  SMH

• dtc6102

  esbee u do have a good point but krs does give light to where hip hop as headed. There r many channels of Hip-Hop today but most off it has no substance and just plan trendy.

• dtc6102

  esbee u do have a good point but krs does give light to where hip hop as headed. There r many channels of Hip-Hop today but most off it has no substance and just plan trendy.

• Rezz909

  This shit they play now has no creativity at all!!!

• Rezz909

  This shit they play now has no creativity at all!!!

• bob hope

  these cliche terms are funny like diversity, if u have bullshit in front of ur face are u just going to stare at it or are u going to get rid of it, i love this balance cliche term as well, why would u want balance with bullshit? lol call it what it is, the masses hears so-called mainstream hiphop more than socalled underground hiphop, we are getting closer to not even having that anymore, we are already into a generation that thinks and feels scalled mainstream hiphop 92 era/error to present is the true hiphop.

• bob hope

  these cliche terms are funny like diversity, if u have bullshit in front of ur face are u just going to stare at it or are u going to get rid of it, i love this balance cliche term as well, why would u want balance with bullshit? lol call it what it is, the masses hears so-called mainstream hiphop more than socalled underground hiphop, we are getting closer to not even having that anymore, we are already into a generation that thinks and feels scalled mainstream hiphop 92 era/error to present is the true hiphop.

• Brooklyn in da house

  yo, no joke, the shit that be on the radio now is garbage. I’m a crazy big fan of hip hop, but now I put the radio on, and when I hear the first song thats on, i turn it right off. c’mon man, please. somebody help hip hop.

• Brooklyn in da house

  yo, no joke, the shit that be on the radio now is garbage. I’m a crazy big fan of hip hop, but now I put the radio on, and when I hear the first song thats on, i turn it right off. c’mon man, please. somebody help hip hop.

• J

  WOOOO! Thank you Teacher! So on point. This game IS a only good @ solo promotion. But that’s ok. The REAL Hip Hop culture (w/ the elements) will always prevail… Raw-NESS, Real-NESS AND TRUTH will always shine the cracks…

• J

  WOOOO! Thank you Teacher! So on point. This game IS a only good @ solo promotion. But that’s ok. The REAL Hip Hop culture (w/ the elements) will always prevail… Raw-NESS, Real-NESS AND TRUTH will always shine the cracks…

• pskila

  Man commercial rap music rapping bs…killed it I for one have boycotted the radio and BET for years…..

• pskila

  Man commercial rap music rapping bs…killed it I for one have boycotted the radio and BET for years…..

• Romase

  site best

• Romase

  site best

• Anonymous

  The problem aint Def Jam they a company trying to make money. The problem is alot of real hip hop fans dont buy the music thats put out. Its white america buying all the hip hop music. So real hip hop fans have little say on what is being played.

• Anonymous

  The problem aint Def Jam they a company trying to make money. The problem is alot of real hip hop fans dont buy the music thats put out. Its white america buying all the hip hop music. So real hip hop fans have little say on what is being played.

• truth

  The problem aint Def Jam they a company trying to make money. The problem is alot of real hip hop fans dont buy the music thats put out. Its white america buying all the hip hop music. So real hip hop fans have little say on what is being played.

• truth

  The problem aint Def Jam they a company trying to make money. The problem is alot of real hip hop fans dont buy the music thats put out. Its white america buying all the hip hop music. So real hip hop fans have little say on what is being played.

• Anonymous

  yo ur all so gay hip hop is mad alive there so many creaive guy out there u all suck nuts

• Anonymous

  yo ur all so gay hip hop is mad alive there so many creaive guy out there u all suck nuts

• Blac Ghost

  Kris is right period. those of u who don’t agree are missing the point. what he’s saying is, in Def Jam’s quest for domination due to corporate greed, hip hop as been destroyed cuz its all about money. I defy anybody here to name one artist who’s in regular radio rotation who isn’t talkin about money cars clothes and hoes.

  last point, i find it disrespectful for anybody who wasn’t here during hip hop’s infant stage to deny that hip hop has not been destroyed. IT HAS. those of us who were here know better cuz we’ve watched over the last 15years how it has slowly digressed. younger people need to start respectin their elders and listenin to us. how u gonna tell somebody who was here at the start that it hasnt changed for the worst? no disrespect, but we were doin this shit when most of ya’ll were swimmin in ya daddy’s nut sack. AND i’m willin to bet most of ya’ll no nothin about the history of this culture goin back to the 70′s. yea you may read about it but its an entirly different thing when u experience it. if ya’ll could experience what we experienced comin through the late 70′s thru the 80′s and early 90′s, i’m willin to bet my life you’ll feel like we do.

• Blac Ghost

  Kris is right period. those of u who don’t agree are missing the point. what he’s saying is, in Def Jam’s quest for domination due to corporate greed, hip hop as been destroyed cuz its all about money. I defy anybody here to name one artist who’s in regular radio rotation who isn’t talkin about money cars clothes and hoes.

  last point, i find it disrespectful for anybody who wasn’t here during hip hop’s infant stage to deny that hip hop has not been destroyed. IT HAS. those of us who were here know better cuz we’ve watched over the last 15years how it has slowly digressed. younger people need to start respectin their elders and listenin to us. how u gonna tell somebody who was here at the start that it hasnt changed for the worst? no disrespect, but we were doin this shit when most of ya’ll were swimmin in ya daddy’s nut sack. AND i’m willin to bet most of ya’ll no nothin about the history of this culture goin back to the 70′s. yea you may read about it but its an entirly different thing when u experience it. if ya’ll could experience what we experienced comin through the late 70′s thru the 80′s and early 90′s, i’m willin to bet my life you’ll feel like we do.

• Tupac

  White kids that believe in SuperNigger killed rap.
  Black people killed rap by abandoning Krs-One and Public Enemy and switching to coke raps and bling raps.
  Minstrels killed rap.
  Modern day coonery killed rap.
  Middle aged white jews in management at major labels that encourage and perpetuate black stereotypes killed rap.
  genocide rap ala 50 Cent killed rap.
  Cash Money flossing killed rap.
  East Coast-West Coast monkey show killed rap.
  Rappers killed rap.
  Ringtones killed rap.
  Auto Tune killed rap.
  Vlad TV killed rap.
  Funkmaster “Radio payola” Flex killed rap.
  COINTELPRO’s assassination of Tupac Shakur killed rap.

  Music video directors lack of creativity with whores,cars and guns killed rap.

  many things killed rap including Def Jam.

• Tupac

  White kids that believe in SuperNigger killed rap.
  Black people killed rap by abandoning Krs-One and Public Enemy and switching to coke raps and bling raps.
  Minstrels killed rap.
  Modern day coonery killed rap.
  Middle aged white jews in management at major labels that encourage and perpetuate black stereotypes killed rap.
  genocide rap ala 50 Cent killed rap.
  Cash Money flossing killed rap.
  East Coast-West Coast monkey show killed rap.
  Rappers killed rap.
  Ringtones killed rap.
  Auto Tune killed rap.
  Vlad TV killed rap.
  Funkmaster “Radio payola” Flex killed rap.
  COINTELPRO’s assassination of Tupac Shakur killed rap.

  Music video directors lack of creativity with whores,cars and guns killed rap.

  many things killed rap including Def Jam.

• britt britt

  everybody always talkin bout who killed hiphop and hihop is dead and dis and that. but what they really need to ask their selves is who was suppose to keep it alive and fresh.(if it means so much to them how could they let it just die)ya dig? not just one lable can take a whole culture down. come on! dont be mad cuzz nobody is listen to ya records look at ya self and the times. im not sayin change ya style of how ya do ya thang but times do change in hiphop just like hiphop started in the late 70′s and changed some of what it was about in the 80′s, 90′s and so on and so forth…. just because it not what your use to dont mean dat its not still hiphop it just changed the game like real people.

• britt britt

  everybody always talkin bout who killed hiphop and hihop is dead and dis and that. but what they really need to ask their selves is who was suppose to keep it alive and fresh.(if it means so much to them how could they let it just die)ya dig? not just one lable can take a whole culture down. come on! dont be mad cuzz nobody is listen to ya records look at ya self and the times. im not sayin change ya style of how ya do ya thang but times do change in hiphop just like hiphop started in the late 70′s and changed some of what it was about in the 80′s, 90′s and so on and so forth…. just because it not what your use to dont mean dat its not still hiphop it just changed the game like real people.

• krs-one sucks

  krs one is mad because his lame ass didnt get honored by vh1…all he wants is attention..nothing more nothing less..nobody cares for this bum

• krs-one sucks

  krs one is mad because his lame ass didnt get honored by vh1…all he wants is attention..nothing more nothing less..nobody cares for this bum

• kentuckychrome

  Hip hop, just like punk rock, is a totally unsustainable movement. It just built bigger and bigger on the backs of groundbreaking artists until it got completely full of itself, a bunch of kids with more money than sense started making records, and it lost what made it great.

• kentuckychrome

  Hip hop, just like punk rock, is a totally unsustainable movement. It just built bigger and bigger on the backs of groundbreaking artists until it got completely full of itself, a bunch of kids with more money than sense started making records, and it lost what made it great.

• Perry

  Jay-z isnt even on def jam he needs to go sit down

• Perry

  Jay-z isnt even on def jam he needs to go sit down

• sway

  @#20
  just sad you make a comment that #1 isn’t true and #2 shows an ignorance of hip hop history. KRS ONE was honored on the very first Hip Hop Honors show along with the true pioneers of the Hip Hop movement, DJ Hollywood and Kool Herc. damn shame that some of ya’ll actually think rapping is all hip hop is about…

• sway

  @#20
  just sad you make a comment that #1 isn’t true and #2 shows an ignorance of hip hop history. KRS ONE was honored on the very first Hip Hop Honors show along with the true pioneers of the Hip Hop movement, DJ Hollywood and Kool Herc. damn shame that some of ya’ll actually think rapping is all hip hop is about…

• No-name

  You can tell who’s young and don’t know their history…that type of ignorence will alwasy be around cause noone does the research for themselves..Hip hop(rap) had diversity up untill the mid ’90′s..west coast gangsta rap killed the purity of hip hop cause most everyone followed that trend..then came the “cookie cutters”(that sells lets copy that)does anybody remember you HAD to have skillz to rock the mic..krs,rakim,epmd shit even special ed(i know most of yall dont know them) and I can name soooo many others were true artists..hip hop was never truly about thugin..look at Run dmc the most successful rap group of all time brought hip hop to the masses..Thats what it was about having fun and being original

• No-name

  You can tell who’s young and don’t know their history…that type of ignorence will alwasy be around cause noone does the research for themselves..Hip hop(rap) had diversity up untill the mid ’90′s..west coast gangsta rap killed the purity of hip hop cause most everyone followed that trend..then came the “cookie cutters”(that sells lets copy that)does anybody remember you HAD to have skillz to rock the mic..krs,rakim,epmd shit even special ed(i know most of yall dont know them) and I can name soooo many others were true artists..hip hop was never truly about thugin..look at Run dmc the most successful rap group of all time brought hip hop to the masses..Thats what it was about having fun and being original