KRS-One Sounds Off On 9/11

Those of us who grew up with hip-hop are used to seeing venerable Bronx MC KRS-One take up strong positions on race, religion, politics, sex, meat. His numerous, evolving ideologies have run the gamut from entertaining and informative to controversial and even absurd. And while the guy often comes across as opinionated and overbearing—especially for today’s nihilistic, capitalistic hip-hop climate—his passion has become a reassuring constant in the music world. Like Public Enemy’s Chuck D, KRS is an elder statesman, a stalwart watchdog whose bark it would be foolish to simply ignore.
In this clip from WeAreChange.org, KRS-One comes out for what seems like a pretty respectable cause and gets waylaid by some very broad questions. The resulting interview is kind of meandering, but it gets good toward the middle and end as he discusses his personal views on 9/11 and how he views himself as an artist and activist. Plus, it’s nice to see KRS developing the kind of humility and diplomacy that comes with age and experience.