KRS-One Cheers on WTC Attacks?

Ex-Nirvana rocker Krist Novoselic, who was on the panel, yelled back: "That is wrong, man. Suicide is not the answer."

he's always been a big bullshit artist, occaissionally brilliant.

Overseer! Overseer! Overseer! Ovasuh ovasuh ovasuh OFFICER!

The atrocity of 9/11 "doesn't affect us [the hip-hop community]," he said. "9/11 happened to them, not us," he added, explaining that by "them" he meant "the rich ... those who are oppressing us. RCA or BMG, Universal, the radio stations."

...invoking the names of record companies and radio stations -- GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DEATH OF THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE HERE -- THIS HAS FUCKING NOTHING TO DO WITH MUSIC, YOU SHIT ON A STICK!

In terms of inserting-entire-leg-in-mouth-to-the-point-of-earning-entirely-justified-homicide, this ranks right up there with Falwell's accusation that homosexuals and unwed mothers helped cause 9/11.

Fuck people, man.

oh shit, so THAT'S why 9/11 happened. al qaeda was pissed at the big labels for giving artists crappy royalty rates and charging them for promos. and they're still plotting against us 'cause the damn big labels are STILL doing it. now it all makes sense.

Think this was supposed to be a dig at KRS-One's participation in the Stop the Violence "Self-Destruction" track?

-- M@tt He1geson (matt@game[remove]informer.com), October 14th, 2004.

one of the things Rollins focused on was a comment KRS made about why "the hip hop community" doesn't vote, and generally ridiculed the idea of the "hip hop community" voting bloc and KRS's claims to speak on its behalf.

If I would've been in that room, I would've walked up to the panel and put my foot 12 inches up his fat ass, went to jail for assuault, smiled for the cameras and called every male on that panel a fuckin' pussy. Where's Lydia Lunch when you need 'er.

"I mean, this ought to get him banned from any semblance of airwave ever again"

baffles me. America isn't about making people who say ridiculous things shut up.

baffles me. America isn't about making people who say ridiculous things shut up.

I suppose I should've been clearer about this. I don't necessarily condone banning (Stence's point about it not being the American way OTM), but if Andrew Dice Clay can get banned for life for reciting a lude limerick on MTV, surely this is a worse case, no? My point is that after this statement, surely KRS-One should be releaved of the burden of credibility from here on in, as he's clearly a deluded spouter of ignorant vitriol.

I do feel, though that statements like this -- and Falwell's statement I alluded to earlier -- ought to inspire some responsibility in broadcasters. No one should put a microphone in Falwell's fat fucking gob ever again as a result of that statement and the same should apply here.

I wanna hear R.E.M.'s comment.

Jesus. Relieved.

rollins is right....half the lloyd banks (or whoever) fans out there probably wouldn't know KRS from MC Breed, and I doubt they give fuck what he thinks

Sometimes, but there's a handful of classic singles....Why Is That?, I'm Still #1, Jack of Spades, South Bronx, The Bridge Is Over, My Philosophy, Sound of the Police, Self-Destruction, bunch more i'm probably leaving out...shit, Duck Down off Sex & Violence was pretty great....Some great beats and rhymes there....sometimes he made his didactic psuedopolitical shite dance!

also, if we're condemning psuedophilosophical didactic bullshit then ILM fames (and rightly so) Public Enemy would be shite too....and they've released albums I like as much as anything ever released by anybody....

Why not? It's His fault.

rollins is right....half the lloyd banks (or whoever) fans out there probably wouldn't know KRS from MC Breed, and I doubt they give fuck what he thinks

I was going to ask the more Hip Hop inclined here if KRS-One was still considered relevant in community. I think what blows me away about his comments -- apart from their herculean insensitivity -- is he tireless adherence to the belief that life begins and fuckin' ends with Hip-Hop and that, clearly, nothing else matters.

Fair point. But still -- the Dixie Chicks kerfuffle was about partisan politics, whereas KRS-One's statements were purely just in abysmally poor taste.

Hahhah...sorry, I'm just being reactionary.

Yeah, "Mein Kampf" is a great read too, so long as you turn a blind eye to what happened later.
Alex that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say, joke or no.

The night is young. I'm just following KRS-One's lead.

And fuck that Mein Kampf thing, for two reasons:

1. BDP's records ARE good; MK is incomprehensible.
2. KRS-One's comments are stupid but he didn't kill anybody.

For a start, my allusion to "Mein Kampf" was obviously a joke -- equating KRS-One with Hitler is obviously an extreme exaggeration -- but that doesn't excuse KRS-One's statement. No he didn't kill anyone, but he displayed an extraordinary lack of respect that blazes new frontiers in bad taste.

I'm still bumping "The P Is Still Free" though.

I got your point, Stence. Please don't compare me to Ari Fleischer. I promise not to compare anyone else to Hitler this evening.

What I mean is, KRS's statement should loudly telegraph the fact that he's CLEARLY a deluded moron, so no one need interview him for his perspective on anything ever again. I don't want it to be official policy.

Well, i also suggested that someone should shoot him in the mouth -- that's not really very American either.

But no, I don't think anyone should be banned, nor actually shot in the mouth.

What the fuck was the New Yorker doing putting him on a panel? Even when he had some position in the spotlight, he was consistently saying stupid, irresponsible, and contradictory things. Is he someone's idea of the go-to guy for the "educated voice of hip-hop" after Chuck D or something?

even Stipe can't bear to show his face on this one

"America sat back and watched Hitler kill as many Jews as he wanted to until Hitler said, 'I'm coming for the world.' Then America got together with the rest of the continents and they went and took Hitler out. I still think he's alive actually. It's only history. If you look at it from that perspective, does anything I say sound irrational?"

The answer is yes. Though after dealing with so many faux-revolutionaries who basically hint at this kind of lunatic fatalism re: America, it's actually vaguely refreshing to hear somebody state firmly they want to see America go belly-up.

"No [other rappers are on my level], none of them. Here, let me put it like this...In the sky, there are a million stars, but when the sun appears, you see none of them. I am the sun."

"I am rap music. Where I go, rap goes. Rap is like my dog, it's like my little pet. And where I go, I lead my little pet with me."

"I am the most humble rapper in the industry."

Allegedly this is true, according to the friends who saw him here in town a few years ago.

Hey, it's "Radio Song"

This is the name of the Latvian restaurant down my street.

Has anyone ever tested him for schizophrenia?

"The moral condemnation, the sacred union against terrorism are on a scale with the vast jubilation at seeing the destruction of this world superpower, or rather, at seeing it, in a sense, self-destruct, a beautiful suicide. Because this superpower, by its unbearable potency, has roused all the world's innate violence, and thus (without knowing it) the terrorist imagination that dwells in all of us... Ultimately, it is they who've done the deed, but it is we who have wished it."

Or Stockhausen:

"Characters can bring about in one act what we in music cannot dream of - that people practice madly for ten years, completely fanatically for a concert, and then die. That is the greatest work of art for the whole cosmos."

I don't accept KRS-One's claim to speak for "the hip-hop community", though I do think he was giving voice to an authentic reaction, and perhaps one that is not outside the realm of what we can consider.

I wish I could find an attribution for this quote but there was a guy who was interviewed on The Today Show shortly after 9/11 who made the comment that America in general now knows what it feels like to be black in this country. I can't say that I've experienced that degree of intimidation/harship in my life but I certainly understand where that comment came from.

In college I went on a singing trip to Japan. Two of my best friends in the group (both blonde-haired and blue-eyed) and I were walking down the street of... shoot where were we? It wasn't one of the obvious cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka), maybe it was Nagano. Anyway, we were walking down the street and they were having a conversation about how uncomfortable and out-of-place they felt because people kept staring at them and via body language marking them out as "outsiders". I shrugged and said, "This is exactly the same as being in the US to me." I think that's the feeling/attitude that's being described here.

http://p076.ezboard.com/fpoliticalpalacefrm21.showMessage?topicID=445.topic
I spoke with KRS yesterday and he broke it down for me and explained how
his remarks were totally taken out of context by an overzealous
reporter.. Here's his response to all thaty noise...

KRS-ONE’S RESPONSE TO THE DAILY NEWS

Like everyone I was shocked to read that I and other African-Americans
actually “cheered when 911 happened” and that I have “declared my
solidarity with Al Qaeda”. When I read my words taken out of context I
was shocked and disappointed that the Daily News would go this far to
assassinate my character and distort my views. Such statements with no
follow up explanation or interview from KRS-ONE as to what he may have
meant or even a complete quote of my point is simply irresponsible
journalism on the Daily News’ part. I would never just say something as
crazy as “we cheered when 911 happened!” I was making an objective point
about how many Hiphoppas as well as the oppressed peoples of the world
felt that day. I am a philosopher and a critical thinker, I speak truth
and I urge people to think critically about themselves and their
environment. Yes, my words are strong. Yes, my views are controversial.
But to call me a terrorist is simply wrong!

A young lady asked about what we can do beyond voting to change the
political state of things in our country? I responded not by
irresponsibly stating that “America has to commit suicide if the world
is to be a better place” and that’s all. I am a poet and I speak
poetically. My full statement was “America has to commit suicide if the
world is to be a better place. If you want to go beyond voting American
interests must put a gun to its head and commit suicide because as long
as we are only interested in American interests we go out and invade the
rest of the world. The real question is are you a citizen of the United
States or are you a citizen of the world? And so for me, I would say
voting in a corrupt society adds more corruption.”

I was asked by the New Yorker magazine to discuss “different and
personal beliefs musicians hold and the contribution artists like myself
can make to the nation’s political dialog”. My views were indeed
different and most were personal. However, when I was asked about why
Hiphop has not engaged the current situation more (meaning 911) my
responds was “because it does not affect us, or at least we don’t
perceive that it effects us, 911 happened to them”. I went on to say
that “I am speaking for the culture now; I am not speaking my personal
opinion”. I continued to say; “911 effected them down the block; the
rich, the powerful those that are oppressing us as a culture. Sony, RCA
or BMG, Universal, the radio stations, Clear Channel, Viacom with BET
and MTV, those are our oppressors those are the people that we’re trying
to overcome in Hiphop everyday, this is a daily thing. We cheered when
911 happened in New York and say that proudly here. Because when we were
down at the trade center we were getting hit over the head by cops, told
that we can’t come in this building, hustled down to the train station
because of the way we dressed and talked, and so on, we were racially
profiled. So, when the planes hit the building we were like; mmmm
justice.” And just as I began to say “now of course a lot of our friends
and family were lost there as well” but I was interrupted.

My intent is never to demean or disrespect anyone’s loss or gain; and of
course I did not literally “cheer when 911 happened”. I made an
objective statement about the feelings of those who were oppressed by
world trade policies. I was just as saddened as everyone else on 911.
However, for many of us that were racially profiled and harassed by the
World’s Trade Center’s security and the police patrolling that area as
well as the thousands of American protesters that spoke out against the
World Trade Organization months before in Seattle, Washington there was
a sense of justice, a sense of change, a wake up call watching the twin
towers fall. These are not my views only; these views represent a
popular truth that few people are really ready to hear. No one wished
death on anyone or just sat and “cheered when 911 happened”. But some of
us can see through the bullshit! America must change its approach to the
world and its citizens. This, I believe is what all Americans should be
thinking about. How do we make our country better?

For years my career has been one of promoting peace, love, unity and
having fun; such has always been Hiphop’s cultural principles. So how
all of a sudden now can I be aligned with Al Qaeda? What happened to
honest debate and freedom of speech! I don’t speak for the African
American community exclusively, I speak for HIPHOP! And let me be clear
here; most of the Hiphop community is against the war in Iraq! But to
align me with Al Qaeda is clearly an attempt by the Daily News to
interrupt the street voice of our Hiphop community, KRS-ONE’s leadership
and the increased momentum of our Hiphop political movement. I don’t
think Al Qaeda needs my solidarity nor did I ever offer it, so what’s
the point. For a major news organization to now align KRS-ONE with Al
Qaeda shows the unwarranted contempt that such an organization has for
me. Such is grounds for a law suit!

Finally, no one should ever believe anything that the one-sided Daily
News has to say about the same Hiphop community that it (the Daily News)
has tried so desperately to undermine for years. The only thing the
Daily News seems to be interested in is scandal and controversy and for
years I have challenged the Daily News on its depictions of Rap artists
and Hiphop as a whole. I know they don’t like me. However, I don’t give
a ---- either! They never cover our efforts toward peace and all the
charitable work we do within the Hiphop community. They never air our
grievances or how we feel about the state of the world, nor have they
ever aired our views on America’s invasion of Iraq simply because they
just don’t want to hear them. The Hiphop community forces America to
look at itself; and no one likes to take b.l.a.m.e. for their own for
immaturity Because Looking At Me ain’t Easy!

For the record, I am an American philosopher. I speak and seek truth. If
the slander that the Daily News has printed regarding my political views
has disrespectfully offended anyone in any way I truly apologize. Again,
it was never my or Hiphop’s intent to disregard, disrespect or demean
the tragedy of September 11th 2001 and those that died that day.
However, we do have a voice and a point of view and if you are not
prepared to hear what Hiphop has to say about its view of world events
then don’t ask!

This explanation didn't really explain anything to me....

P.S. drink sprite.

Bahahahahahahahahahaha

I am a poet and I speak poetically.

guess that means he is NO LONGER the drummer for gay dad.

LOL.

Sounds like the masturbatory internal voice of a post-structuralist. By the way, it's a word, not a phrase. But I suppose mentioning such a thing might be construed as "overanalysis," eh? Oh well.

I think this means "KRS 1, Decency 0". Funny, I know.

maria b has the greatest insults - she's like Alex In NYC gone academic!

who/what is a hi-foppa?

And just as I began to say “now of course a lot of our friends and family were lost there as well” but I was interrupted.

*cough* bullshit *cough*

that's what I like about some French philosophers... :(

wouldn't expect anymore from you either Miccio.

(just poking fun, now, ya hear? don't get yr panties in a twist.)

Oh lighten up. I just thought it was a funny comment on Ronan's part.

(x-post)

and that my taste is impeccable

At least I have some substance, then. You're just a foul stench.

? Wha?

Well, unlike you...I do occaisionally step away from the computer and lead a real life.

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Alex in NYC
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vassifer@earthlink.net

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AaronHz
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aaronhz@gmail.com

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Gear!
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drink_to_remember@yahoo.com

"Voting in a corrupt society adds more corruption," he added. "America has to commit suicide if the world is to be a better place."

Ex-Nirvana rocker Krist Novoselic, who was on the panel, yelled back: "That is wrong, man. Suicide is not the answer."

This is still my favourite bit of musician dialogue ever!

Here's the full story to be stored for posterity, btw:

KRS Glad At 9/11 Atrocity, or is it Racist Media Spin?

KRS-One, decency zero

If Osama Bin Laden ever buys a rap album, he'll probably start with a CD by KRS-One.
The hip-hop anarchist has declared his solidarity with Al Qaeda by asserting that he and other African-Americans "cheered when 9/11 happened."
The rapper, whose real name is Kris Parker, defiled the memory of those who died in the terrorist attacks as he spouted off at a recent New Yorker Festival panel discussion.
"I say that proudly," the Boogie Down Productions founder went on, insisting that, before the attack, security guards kept black people out of the Trade Center "because of the way we talk and dress.
"So when the planes hit the building, we were like, 'Mmmm - justice.'"
The atrocity of 9/11 "doesn't affect us [the hip-hop community]," he said. "9/11 happened to them, not us," he added, explaining that by "them" he meant "the rich ... those who are oppressing us. RCA or BMG, Universal, the radio stations."
Parker's screed drew a loud boo from novelist Tom Kelly, who was in the audience. "I lost six friends there on 9/11," Kelly told us afterward.
Parker also sneered at efforts by other rappers to get young people to vote.
"Voting in a corrupt society adds more corruption," he added. "America has to commit suicide if the world is to be a better place."
Ex-Nirvana rocker Krist Novoselic, who was on the panel, yelled back: "That is wrong, man. Suicide is not the answer."
But, judging by Parker's downward-spiraling career, he's already bent on self-destruction.

Saw him live recently. He was on that old "inside job" thing.

But at least he performed the hits from Criminal Minded!

That is wrong, manbro. Suicide is not the answer.

^^in italics, obv

when was krs-one not an idiot?

for 15 minutes in 1987

well, he did misinterpret what the bridge was even about in the first place...

Wish I hadn't piled on, partly because attacking people's imperfect reactions to 9/11 is such a soul-killing game, and partly because KRS-One is great in spite of all the fucked-up things he's said and done, and great right up through a couple albums ago. I'm going to go buy the new one now.

i think that half his fans underrate him, and the other half overrate

although his musical track record is more than spotty, it is remarkable how long of an effective career he's had, despite his well intended/misguided/ever present ranting

Pre-Criminal Minded (1985)
12:41 - Success is the Word

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/b/boogiedownp_criminalm_106b.jpg

That is wrong, man.

should have been an uzi

What's the USB connection for?

Oh of course, durr.

"Voting in a corrupt society adds more corruption," he added. "America has to commit suicide if the world is to be a better place."

Ex-Nirvana rocker Krist Novoselic, who was on the panel, yelled back: "That is wrong, man. Suicide is not the answer."

I still occasionally think about this and chuckle. Makes it even funnier if you imagine Novoselic talking in a drawn-out comedy hippie voice.

Alex if I am a fart, then you are a shit.
At least I have some substance, then. You're just a foul stench.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, October 16, 2004 4:36 PM (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ah the elevated discourse of old ilx