KRS One responded at Eurweb to his detractors, here are various parts of his letter, recognize!
“…why is there an assumption that my career is somehow over, and I need to ‘jumpstart or try to re-ignite’ my career by dissin’ Nelly. I don’t believe my 16 year, 5 gold album career is over yet….I just completed a ten city tour, performing before packed houses. I recently released a Gospel rap album (Spiritual Minded) that charted at number 4 on the Billboard Gospel charts. I continue to lecture at hundreds of Universities, and everywhere I go I am publicly praised and sought after by people of all backgrounds…Why do I need to dis Nelly to get my career started? Just because I do not regularly appear on MTV does not mean my career is over. Just because radio programmers refuse to acknowledge my work does not mean my career is over.”
For your much needed information, it is the people of Hiphop Kulture that sustain my career, not broadcast media outlets! Very simply, my performances pay me in respect, admiration, and money. My choruses and music are sampled continuously, and whenever dope emcees are mentioned, my name appears. How is my career over? Your letter, to me, seems to lack knowledge, or it is simply another attempt to save a wack rapper from the ass whipping you know he’s about to get! People are tired of the mindless drivel continuously passed off, and pumped into our homes as authentic Hiphop Kulture, and it is time to draw the line!
Your letter states that ‘KRS is a very good lyricist … one of the best, but when was the last time he had a hit?’ What do you mean when you say ‘hit?’ What is the criteria for a ‘hit’ … record sales? I don’t think so! I write songs, not records. I write lyrics that influence people toward right thinking, right action and self-empowerment. If these concepts fall below your criteria, or are simply above your head, that’s fine! But do not try to diminish the content of a 16 year cultural campaign to a ‘hit’ recording…Rap is something we do, while Hiphop is something we live. Hiphop is the name of our culture. We do not sell our culture. We do not rate our culture on charts that monitor the sales of products. Hiphop is not a product…”
“This issue is not even about Nelly, it’s about the corporate exploitation of our intellectual property and the image of our collective consciousness through out the world. It’s not about how much money you can collect, it’s about how many lives you can empower. Therefore, as long as my children (and the children of others) must bear the brunt of the images portrayed by today’s rappers, I shall always be there as an alternative voice to our obvious self-destruction whether you like it or not! Long live real Hiphop!! There it is!”