KRS-One Calls It ‘A ‘Shame That Fatman Scoop Is Recognized Only Posthumously
Veteran emcee KRS-One shared his thoughts on hip-hop fans only acknowledging Fatman Scoop after his untimely passing.
In an interview with Houston-based radio station 97.9 The Box, published Tuesday following Fatman Scoop’s death, KRS-One voiced his frustrations with the influx of tributes and the community’s habit of waiting until an artist dies to celebrate their legacy—pointing out that this behavior sets an unfortunate example for other genres.
“That energy should be on the radio. It's a shame that now that he's passed, we’re talking about him in this way. Hip-hop gotta stop doing that,” the emcee explained.
“Like, only when dudes pass, that's when they get on it and stuff like that. We should have been looking at Fatman Scoop when his career was blowing up. He never got played on those stations and that. Only DJs that knew would throw his music on,” he added.
However, when asked about other genres celebrating their artists, the NYC rapper simply responded, “Other genres suck. They don't give a f—k. We don’t give a f—k about them.”
According to KRS-One, “Hip-hop runs shit, okay? So fuck all these other genres really. Hip-hop runs this whole music industry. So if we don't get it right with hip-hop—I'm sorry, reggae, I'm sorry, jazz, I'm sorry, gospel, I'm sorry, rock. We're not gonna get it together with nothing.”
Fatman Scoop, a legendary hypeman and media personality, was rushed to a nearby hospital last month after collapsing onstage during a performance at Town Center Park in Hamden, Connecticut, on Friday, August 30. Sadly, he did not survive. He was 53 years old. His cause of death has not been made public.
