Mutnuri Krishna Rao was born in 1879 in the village of Mutnur in Divi Taluka of Krishna district. His father's name was Nagbhushanam. He studied Inter at Bandar Noble College and completed his degree in Madras. He joined Krishna Patrika, founded by Konda Venkatapayya, as an assistant editor and got promoted as its editor in 1907 in which capacity he worked till his death in 1945. Soon he earned a reputation that no other newspaper editor. The magazine became extremely popular for its editorials. He was a hero who fought against British rule with his pen as a weapon. He criticized the policies of the British government in his editorials regarding the amount spent on the welfare of the poor and the development of educational institutions. With his editorials, he brought the people of Andhra to the forefront of the national movement against the British government. He also ran a Magazine called Andhra Bharati for some time. He was instrumental in the establishment of the National College at Bandar. Prominent politicians of the day were Pattabhi Sitaramayya, Mocharla Ramachandra Rao, Keta Ramashastri, Kopela Hanumantrao, Ravuri Satyanarayana, D.V. Subbarao, Katuri Nagayya and others were with him. Celebrities like Prakasham Panthulu, and Konda Venkatapayya come and go for the advice of Krishna Rao. Gottipati Brahmayya was a disciple of Krishna Rao, a well-known freedom fighter with the title of Raitu Padda. He was a great man who was instrumental in the development of the Harijan development program along with the independence movement.
He died on 25 June 1945 because of Ascites. The town hall in Machilipatnam is named after him.