KRS-One - The Gospel of Hip Hop: The First Instrument

Heaven is not a place you go to,
it is a place you grow to.

Edgar Cayce

IN THE END, the last days of others became the first days for us! ALL PRAISE, GLORY AND WORSHIP BE TO GODthe Love that rescued us from oppression and ignorance!

And to all future generations of Hip Hop, know this; it is this Love that has delivered this gospel to OUR PEOPLE for OUR correction and survival. This gospel comes to us as the physical manifestation of GODs grace and love for Hip Hop.

I am but one of many who was saved by such Love. In my time (your past) I am called teacha; I was present at the first time. I am the first born. I am from the Age of Leo, and I have come to call our Hip Hop nation into existence.

To all future generations of Hip Hop, I am the b-boy who d estroys a ll n egative c ircumstances e veryday s piritually.

I am the emcee who reaches a bove p overty skillfully; the divine word-warrior known in my time as the Blast Master.

I am the graffiti writer who thinks a nd g rows spiritually; I draw peace, love, unity and joy.

I am the DJ who d elivers justice while cuttin, mixin and scratchin with life.

I am the beat boxer whose b ody e xpresses a rt through sound; I play GODs instrument.

I am the fashion that uncovers the fear a nd shame h idden in o ppressive n ations.

I am the language that loves a nd n ever g ets u nderstanding a mongst g rown-up e ducators; I am the utterance of my culture.

I am known as K nowledge R eigning S upreme; I build and destroy, heal and inspire with the right combination of words.

I am the entrepreneur who presents e xpert n egotiating that repeatedly e scapes p overtys routine e xperiences, n ever e xploiting u nlimited resources. In my time I am self-created and self-sustained.

I AM HIP HOP! I am not just doing hip-hop, I am Hip Hop! I am the Watchman in the tower of Hip Hops Inner City urging my people to turn from sickness, hatred, ignorance and poverty, and be restored to health, love, awareness and wealth. I am the Teachaa witness to the activity of GOD within and around Hip Hop.

I was present at the beginning of this World Age, August 11, 3114 B.C., and I was again present at the births and transformations of Hip Hop since its artistic organization at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, August 11, 1973. I am a true witness to the divinity and cultural history of Hip Hop. Hip Hop is my family; I am like the people I teach, I am like the people I am among, and I am not ashamed or afraid of my familyI AM HIP HOP!

In my time (your past), I am called the conscience of Hip Hop. I am the step-father and legal guardian of Hip Hop. This, I confirm to those truth-seeking Hip Hop scholars in my future. Emceein is my craft and I have mastered my craft. I am Hip Hop and in my time I have mastered myself.

To all my hustlers, thugs and gangstas trying to survive in these mean streets, this is YOUR gospel! To all my Gods, Goddesses, revolutionaries, street scholars and conscious Hiphoppas, this is YOUR heritage and birthright! This is the good news for YOU! ALL PRAISE, GLORY AND WORSHIP BE TO GODthe Love that loved us first as Hip Hop.

GOD IS REAL! And Hip Hop is evidence of GODs real existence and Love. Hip Hop is GODs response to our suffering and this gospel celebrates that response and the personal character that caused such divine responses to occur. ALL PRAISE, GLORY AND WORSHIP BE TO GODthe Love that topples whole kingdoms and sets up new civilizations from the debris of the unrepentant!

We are humbled before GODthe author of Hip Hop. Other cultures and nations were created in other ways for other reasons and have certain divine responsibilities that they must adhere to. Other cultures have a certain grace over their communities and we are not authorized, nor do we encourage, to demean or disrespect in any way the faith and/or religious practices of others.

But as for us, as for our group commonly known in the World as Hip Hop, this gospel acknowledges and celebrates the Love that has saved OUR people from self-destruction. It is time to repent and grow up! Rapping about crime and murder may sound good amongst those who have never committed such acts, but for those of us who are REAL IN THE FIELD, we send this message to our young peopleYOU DONT REALLY WANT IT!

For with this first instrument we remember GOD and how we were rescued by unseen forces more powerful than any government on Earth. For when all seemed hopeless and oppression seemed permanent, a caring, protective, nurturing creative force independent of all the Worlds political, business, educational and religious institutions, swept through our hearts and homes and we were rescued from sickness, hatred, ignorance and poverty with a behavior that we eventually began to call Hip Hop. And we must NEVER forget this.

With this first instrument written at the time of Hip Hops cultural beginnings, we remind all future generations of Hip Hop to NEVER FORGET THE LOVE that has saved us from self-destruction. Hip Hop has no other creator, no other savior and no other architect.

Love alone takes credit for the creation and further development of Hip Hop because before we even knew we were Hip Hop, GODthe Love that saved us from corruption, had already ordained us as such and set us free in the World with power.

What a great gift! What a great Love! What a GREAT GOD! But how soon did we forget after we had eaten and were satisfied, how hungry we were just a moment ago. How quick did we forget our own strategies to our own success. We ate the fruit but never replanted the seed. We drove the car far but never looked at the gas tank meter.

Know this. GODs Love (Hip Hop) is like a car that many people found with a full tank of gas topped off and ready to go; a gift freely given to all who would hop in. Now that we have driven this car for over 30 years through all kinds of terrain the time has come to repair and replenish our beloved vehicle so that it may last another 30 years. However, now that everyone has gotten where they intended to go using the vehicle, there seems to be little motivation toward the upkeep of the vehicle itself, the cause of everyones good fortune.

GODs Love (Hip Hop) is like a banquet laid out before hungry people. Many people today are eating well but they are not the chefs of their own meals. They eat but they dont really know where their food comes from or even how it was prepared. They themselves were never truly hungry or homeless or even had to prepare their own food for themselves, they just sat down and started eating at an already laid-out table. Therefore, the life-lessons learned from being hungry and homeless which accompany the skills of the chef are absent from the copied presentations of the imitator, and any success found during this state of ignorance is indeed short-lived.

This is how many today treat GOD and Hip Hop. They seek the hand and not the face. They seek the luxury but not the culture, the food but not the appetite, the house but not the home, the medicine but not the health, the bed but not the rest. They would rather use GOD/Hip Hop than live GOD/Hip Hop.

But such are acts of desperation, and such behaviors are expected of a People who have been traumatized as we have been. Hip Hop saved us and made us not only rich, but important and well respected worldwide. How then can we forget GODthe Love that protected us and raised us up? How can we forget about Hip Hopthe craft that feeds us and gives us identity?