From being one of the founding members of Boogie Down Productions (BDP) with such hits as "My Philosophy", "I'm Still Number 1" and "Love's Gonna Get You" to such solo records as "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" and "Step Into A World (Raptures Delight)", KRS-One has been making hit music for over 30 years. He is one of the most well-respected artists in the industry and commonly called "The Teacha" for his style of rapping and speeches that always provides little known facts and food for thought. He is also the creator of The Temple of Hip Hop, which is recognized by the United Nations and frequently tours colleges and universities delivering speeches on politics, non-violence, and health.
MUST READ: Doug E. Fresh Gets A Little "Dougie" For Health
But instead of living the living the "rapper lifestyle" that is commonly portrayed in today's media: smoking weed, drinking alcohol, having multiple women, etc, KRS not only talks, but lives a healthy lifestyle. Mostly a vegetarian with occasional fish, he speaks about why he chose this path.
"The first way to eat healthy is to think healthy. Remember that food is mood. Everything we see, eat, smell, is all apart of our consciousness. How do you feel after you eat some of the things you eat? When you eat food that is raw, and from the original essence of how it's grown. then you're truly eating healthy."
KRS, who's now 56, can see that his message of "health is wealth" is also on the minds of other veteran rappers. Just take a look at the physical transformations of many rappers from Scarface to David Banner, Fat Joe, Timbaland, the list goes on and on.
"The most valuable thing you have, you already have," instructs KRS-One. "It's your body. What's the value of your entire body? It's priceless."
He even reinforces it in some of his lyrics. Check out the lyrics from KRS-One’s “Beef” (1990):
Let us begin now with the cow...
The way it gets to your plate and how
The cow doesn’t grow fast enough for man
So though his greed he makes a master plan
He has drugs to make the cow grow quicker
Through the stress, the cow get sicker
21 Different drugs are pumped
Into the cow in one big lump
Just before it dies, it cries in the slaughter full of germs and flies
Off with the head, they’ve packed it, drained it, and cart it
And there it is in your local supermarket
A corpse, neatly packed
And you wonder about heart attacks?
KRS-One finishes by saying, "Once you say with your heart that you want to do something different, something better, the universe has to listen to it. Say it with your heart and be a blessing to someone else who may be trying to do the same thing.
Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone (KRS-One). Always teaching.