POP AND JAZZ REVIEWS : KRS-ONE an Entertainer and a Poet at Glam Slam
KRS-ONE proved himself to be as much a poet as an entertainer during his show on Sunday at Glam Slam--the most potent moment of the New York rapper’s performance even occurred without backing music. Like a preacher at the pulpit, KRS-ONE delivered a fierce, a cappella version of a new song titled “Higher Level.”
“Emancipation is long overdue,” he rapped. “Freedom is within you / Loosen your mind to the truth and don’t get mad at me.”
With his fiery delivery with astute, lyrical sense of urban issues, KRS-ONE (Kris Parker) appears quite comfortable in the role of messenger. His group Boogie Down Productions has aimed to combine education and entertainment since its inception, and he doesn’t seem to have backed down from this philosophy.
On Sunday, when he rapped “Stop the Violence,” he exhorted the audience to repeat the three words over and over again like a mantra, refusing to end the number until he decided the crowd was sincere.
His 90-minute set was backed entirely by recorded music and was boosted by Glam Slam’s sound system--one of the only club systems in town that consistently supports the bass-heavy music without blowing any speakers.
It helped make it loud and clear that KRS-ONE is one of the most powerful performers in hip-hop.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
