The first time I ever heard KRS-ONE was sometime around 1989-90. I was with some friends on the way to a punk show in Tampa and we stopped off at a Subway sandwich shop to get something to eat. The neighborhood was kind of sketchy and we were probably the only white kids for miles. I remember someone making a joke about how we didn't have anything to worry about since we had a Public Enemy sticker on the car we were driving. There were 3 or 4 of us and no one was older than 16, I think I was 14 at the time. Anyway, we ordered veggie subs and the kid behind the counter asked if we were vegetarians. We started talking and he said he'd been reading a lot about vegetarianism since hearing about it in a KRS-ONE song and pulled out a walkman so we could listen to it. The next day I bought a Boogie Down Productions album and became an instant fan. The idea of "Edu-tainment" and trying to send a positive message was something that really struck a chord with me and fit in well with all the other posi-core / youth-crew / straight edge stuff I was listening to non-stop at the time. [note: KRS-ONE stands for "knowledge reigns supreme over nearly everyone"]

Since then I've always had a lot of respect for him and thought he was trying to do something good.

But this is just fucked up.

I heard about this piece on Arizona Central and thought it had to be taken out of context or something. He couldn't have really said this stuff could he? It says...

The rapper, real name 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 Blacks out of the World 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 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."

And it looks like I'm not the only one asking questions about this. If anyone has a transcript of the panel, I'd really like to read it. I think I understand what he's trying to say, but I think this is DEFINITELY the wrong way to go about it, but I want to read a full transcript before passing any further judgment.

UPDATE: One friend of mine says this:

"...obviously it's a pretty ignorant statement overall, how many in the hip-hop community are in the army, or reserves, and are now dead or fighting, so his statement is pretty selfish and short sighted on some levels. many of us hated what those buildings stood for and even their architecture, but to say what he did? who knows... he used to wear all leather outfits while pledging he was a vegetarian, so it's obvious he's not fully understanding or conscious. He also hung out with krishna's while homeless (hence the origins of his nick name KRS, short for KRIS, short for Krishna). I wouldn't waste time thinking of a loose cannon "has been". I still love his old songs and some newer ones. He has a right to say what ever he likes, shit i still like Ted Nugent songs, but i surely don't agree with one political statement he makes! people got to get over the cult of personality and star worship, in the end they're all just human."

And as posted in the comments, looks like KRS-ONE denounced the statements shortly there after. MTV.com quotes:

"Like everyone," he wrote, "I was shocked to read that I and other African-Americans actually 'cheered when 9-11 happened,' and that I have 'declared my solidarity with Al Qaeda.'

"I would never just say something as crazy as 'we cheered when 9-11 happened'!" he continued. "I was making an objective point about how many hip-hoppas as well as the oppressed peoples of the world felt that day."

The rapper said that when he was asked why hip-hop has not "engaged the current situation more [meaning 9-11], my response was 'because it does not affect us, or at least we don't perceive that it affects us. September 11 happened to them.' I went on to say that 'I am speaking for the culture now; I am not speaking my personal opinion.' "

KRS said that after he stated that the hip-hop community's response to the attacks was "Mmmm ... justice," he had hoped to say, "Now of course, a lot of our friends and family were lost there as well," but was interrupted.

In the lengthy statement, KRS went on to explain that his words were taken out of context and that some of what he said may have been misunderstood because "I am a poet and I speak poetically."

And an official statement can be found here.