Damn right he isn't. If he wants to stand on the work that he's put in a capitalize on interest shown my Nike, Smirnoff, and whoever, more power to him. He's earned that and people seem to forget that there is a weak (at best) link between selling out and going after yours. He put in the work, he deserves his. In a world where everyone has their opinion on what you do, you still need to do for you. KRS has built his brand equity, who the fuck is anyone to front on him for receiving his due? Pharrell, Ice Cube, Nas, Rakim, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, and countless others have done the same with anyone from Nike to Sprite over at least a decade. Why do people only seem to front on The Teacher? Because he's an easy target and fools got nothing better to do, that's why.
Excerpt:
DigitalJournal.com: So how do you think the hip-hop business model is changing?
KRS-ONE: Today, artists like myself or Chuck D or Talib Kweli hold a degree of credibility that’s attracting companies like Red Bull, Cadillac, or Nike. Executives at these companies are our fans. And they are really sick of the state of music. So what they’ve done is spend $250,000 of their own money, in the case of Nike, to create a song with Kanye West, Nas, Rakim, and KRS ONE. We don’t rap about the shoes because they don’t want us talking about that. They just want us to create a song they can play on their website. Authenticity is the new business model and these companies need a product that’s not destroyed by an artist’s shady image.
DigitalJournal.com: But won’t some old-school hip-hop fans say you’re selling out?
KRS-ONE: When you get KRS ONE, I’m not changing my message for nobody. If you do business with KRS, you’re getting anti-war statements, you’re getting stuff about the Temple of Hip Hop. A sellout is someone who buys you and changes your message, but we’re not doing that.
Sourced at Grandgood via Digital Journal.
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