Sound of Da Police Introduction
In a Nutshell
He's hardcore, old school, and in your face. He also calls himself a Teacher who believes that Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Almost Everything (KRS-ONE).He's on the bad side of people like Sean Hannity and the good side of people like Jay-Z, Styles P, Redman, Game, Ne-Yo, Method Man, Busta Rhymes, Wise Intelligent, Rakka, Talib Kweli, and Rah Digga (listen to the track they all created together in 2009 for KRS' "Self Construction" project).
Self-appointed old school by the mid-1990s, KRS-One has since ascended to a broadly respected status as a hip-hop veteran. KRS-One's "Sound of Da Police" is a hard-hitting track that speaks out against police violence and racial profiling in the middle of an incredibly turbulent time in racial politics.
Even if you don't agree with him on every point, "Sound of Da Police" guarantees a raucous ride through KRS-One's unique hip-hop worldview.
About the Song
| Artist | KRS-One | Musician(s) | KRS-One (vocals) |
| Album | Return of the Boom Bap | ||
| Year | 1993 | ||
| Label | Jive Records | ||
| Writer(s) | R. Lemay, L. Parker (KRS-One), T. Washington, A. Lomax, B. Chandler, E. Burdon, J. A. Lomax, S. Stewart | ||
| Producer(s) | Showbiz | ||
| Buy this song: Amazon iTunes | Try Listen and Learn (BETA) | ||
Shmoop Connections
Born Lawrence Parker, KRS-One came up during the decline of the Black Power Movement and the rise of Reaganomics. His youth was marked by homelessness and violence, and he left high school without graduating, caught up in street life and later in the burgeoning hip-hop scene.A lack of formal education did not stop him from declaring himself "The Teacher" in the early 1990s. His debut solo album and its most popular track, "Sound of Da Police," is part dance-able beats, part debatable diatribes and part history lessons.
Read on to find out what lessons KRS shares in "Sound of Da Police" about slavery, the Jim Crow era, and the future of the relationship between Black America and the U.S. legal system.
On the Charts
"Sound of Da Police" peaked at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #79 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart in 1994.Return of the Boom Bap peaked at #37 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and #5 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums.
KRS-One received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 from BET.