"It's a shame" - KRS-One critcizes Hip-Hop for only honoring artists when they die following Fatman Scoop's death

KRS-One bashed the hip-hop community for only honoring artists after their death after Fatman Scoop's death on August 30. During an appearance on 97.9 The Box, KRS-One praised the rapper's music talent and said,

"It's a shame we're talking about him in this way. Hip Hip gotta stop doing that. Only when dudes pass, that's when they get on."

KRS also lamented that fans need to appreciate an artist's talent while they are witnessing them,

"We should've been looking at Fatman Scoop when his career was blowing up. He never got played on no stations or nothing, only DJs that knew would throw his music on."

Isaac Freeman III aka Fatman Scoop, died last week on August 30 at 53 years after collapsing on stage mid-concert in Connecticut. The cause of death was unmentioned. The rapper was also a hype man and radio personality best known for his raw vocal presence and guest performances on singles like Lose Control by Missy Eliott, It's Like That by Mariah Carey, and his 1999 hit single, Be Faithful which topped the 2003 UK Singles Chart.

His music was widely recognized and he won several accolades including a Grammy for best short form music video in 2006 for Loose Control by Missy Eliott featuring Ciara and the rapper.

Outside of rapping, Fatman appeared on various television shows including the UK TV show Chancers in 2004, and Celebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs. USA in 2015.

Since the news of his death, hip-hop and rap communities have taken to social media to give tributes and honor his legacy.

His family announced his passing in a social media statement on August 31 while remembering him as a "world class performer" "a father, brother, a uncle and a friend."

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KRS-One comments on the hip-hop community

This isn't the first time KRS-One has expressed his opinions on the hip-hop community. During a 2023 panel at the Essence Festival KRS called modern rappers "traitors" while describing the original intent of the musical genre,

"What people call rap or hip-hop today is a disgrace to our culture. An absolute betrayal, disrespect and a disgrace...If you know what original hip-hop is all about and you choose to do the opposite, you a traitor."

During the recent interview, while talking about Fatman Scoop only getting attention at the time of his death, the interviewer asked the artist if other music genres honor their dead justly, to which the rapper denied saying, "Other genres suck". KRS noted that he "doesn't give a f**k about them" and said, "Hip-hop runs s**t."

While speaking about the current state of hip-hop with Billboard in May 2023, KRS noted that hip-hop is now gaining mainstream recognition, with universities like Harvard creating a hip-hop archive. He mentioned that while hip-hop is moving towards self-governance, it is threatening the control the entertainment industry earlier had.

During a guest lecture at the Northeastern University's in April. 2023, KRS-One stressed that Hip-Hop is more than just rap, graffiti, DJing, or break dancing and is a genuine culture.