Hip-hop is 40 and a celebration's in order. So KRS-One is touring the nation, bringing real hip-hop back to where it belongs -- the streets.
"The revolution will not be televised," the MC recently told allhiphop.com. "You keep looking for real hip-hop on these bullshit stations. You're not going to find it! Real hip-hop is meeting in small places. Why? Because it's real culture, it's real street."
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Of course, hip-hop has changed a lot since 1973, maybe most in the last decade or so, and not always for the best.
As KRS just told Gawker: "When hip-hop first began, you had to prove every word out your mouth. You couldn't just say, 'Oh, I'm the greatest,' and put out a marketing plan, or buy an award, or buy Billboard magazine, and suddenly you're the greatest."
Unlike the pretenders, this Teacha has the power of mind, body, and soul to show that his skill is the real deal, and he feels the responsibility to keep that standard alive. "We preserve our culture by preserving ourselves," he says. "This is the key to hip-hop, self-creation."
KRS-One. With Pdoe Luna, Thirstin Howl III, and Serum, plus DJs Klassik and Heron. Friday, May 3, at The Stage, 170 NE 38th St., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $20 plus fees via brownpapertickets.com. Ages 21 and up. Call 305-576-9577 or visit thestagemiami.com.
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