Ruminations - Book Review

Black Issues Book Review, July-August, 2003 by Malcolm Venable

by KRS-One Welcome Rain Publishers June 2003 ,$25.00 ISBN 1-566-4974-2

Aptly titled, Ruminations finds KRS-One a.k.a. Kris Parker. mulling over myriad topics, but always through Hiphop (author's spelling), which began as a response against poverty, ignorance, violence and chaos. Parker presents Hiphop as an all-encompassing ethos--a theology, if you will--able to unlock consciousness and enlighten.

It's a comprehensive tome, part self-help, part manifesto. Parker aims to ease suffering and promote peace in a society he deems fundamentally driven by egoism, consumerism and individualism. He narrowly escapes preachiness, conducting probing, piercing metaphysical inquiries on everything, including government, religion, the music industry, reparations and September 11.

Parker also presents original theories--a school of thought called "Urban Inspirational Metaphysics,' a scientific breakdown of rap, and "The HipHop Declaration of Peace;' first unveiled at the United Nations in May 2001. Consider: "If you believe in God, where is the real benefit in that? ... God does not need you to believe in Her! Him! It! However, what a blessing if ... God believes in you! What a service if you can actually assist God in the manifestation of his will."

On reparations, Parker asks how to expect an "uncivilized" nation right its barbarian acts, or if bondage benefited blacks. His commonsense revelations and "aha!" moments make the text joyful; agree or not, partaking in the discourse empowers and nurtures the free-spirited, free-thinker dwelling within everybody.

--Malcolm Venable is a Manhattan-based journalist and writer.