KRS One's recently published The Gospel of Hip Hop is a most ambitious Hip Hop based self-help / life-manual that was tirelessly written by the author, artist, and activist over a fourteen year period. Next Wednesday, July 28th, at 6pm, KRS One will be at Amoeba Hollywood to lecture about the book, sign copies, and field questions in an intimate setting in the SoCal store's Jazz Room. This is the second in a series of Amoeblogs leading up to that instore. Each post includes excerpts from the recent in-depth phone interview conducted with KRS about his 832 page book.

Like most bibles, KRS One's Gospel comes in hardcover with a gold laminated biblical like font on its cover and an attached string to mark its pages. It has lots of reading, no pictures, and sets about laying down the exact meaning and intentions (IE, the gospel) of hip-hop itself. However, unlike the good book, KRS's Gospel comes with a "shout out" section; and, like the Bible, the Gospel is clearly on a spiritual tip.

In the introduction section of the book, titled "A New Covenant," KRS writes about "the voice" that led him to leave home in his mid teens and "drop out of high school to pursue Hip Hop." It was this voice that "recited to me the poetry that I recite to others. It was this voice that instructed me to battle. It was this voice that inspired the Stop The Violence Movement (1989), and the Temple of Hip Hop (1996), and this gospel for Hip Hop."

Announced just last week, anticipation is already mounting for the very special appearance by KRS One at Amoeba Music Hollywood on July 28th at 6pm. The Teacha himself -- one of hip-hop history's most articulate and prolific spokespersons -- will give a lecture and field questions from the standing room only audience in relation to his most recently published book The Gospel of Hip Hop (Powerhouse Books).

The Gospel of Hip Hop, which is subtitled First Instrument presented by KRS One for the Temple of Hip Hop, is more than simply another book on rap and hip-hop. The tome is something that the longtime emcee/educator/lecturer/activist & author born Lawrence Parker (later known as Kris Parker) has been diligently working on and fine-tuning since the mid nineties.

And unlike, say, Jeff Chang's invaluable hip-hop history book Can't Stop Won't Stop, which examines the history of hip-hop music and culture, KRS One's latest book (the author's third, following The Science of Rap and Ruminations), which does outline the history of hip-hop's elements,  is really more like a Hip Hop Kulture rooted philosophical, spiritual manual/day-to-day living guide for the Hip Hop generation, particularly for those who may feel disaffected with organized religion but can relate to all things Hip Hop.

At next Wednesday's standing room only Amoeba lecture (in the Hollywood store's intimate Jazz Room) the Teacha will discuss The Gospel of Hip Hop, sign copies of the book, and take questions from the audience. Note that due to the intimate nature of this event plus obvious space constraints, Amoeba will sell advance Gospel of Hip Hop packages, which, for the nice price of $25, include a copy of the book on event date (7/28), guaranteed space in signing line to meet KRS One, plus a ticket to hear KRS speak and answer questions. Note that all sales are final.