KRS-One is one of hip-hop’s pioneering lyricists. Alongside figures such as Rakim and LL Cool J, the BDP emcee has become an icon of the 1980s and one of the most prevalent representatives of gold-age rap music.
However, as a strong-minded, outspoken and knowledgeable man, the South Bronx musician (real name Lawrence Parker) has continued to provide commentary on the culture that birthed him and voice his concerns surrounding the flawed state of America.
KRS-One has always had a deep understanding and profound concerns surrounding race relations in the US, and with his stepfather having grown up in 1960s Harlem, where Malcolm X was assassinated, Parker has always felt obliged to carry on the work of those who passed away during the civil rights movement.
In 2009, the controversial and highly incendiary political commentator Alex Jones produced a documentary that featured KRS-One. Jones, the presenter of the infamous online show InfoWars, has been described as a lot of things over the years. From a conspiracy theorist to a white supremacist, the host has found himself banned from many social media platforms.
However, irrespective of his reputation, KRS-One was still happy to appear in his documentary The Obama Deception, which attempted to explain how the president was merely a puppet looking to steal money from the American public and orchestrate a totalitarian world government.
Although Parker didn’t phrase it so bluntly, he was in some agreement with the general message of the documentary and was keen to give his opinion on Obama and dismiss the notion that America’s first black president would do anything for black people.
The New York lyricist referenced a “New World Order”, an idea and conspiracy theory that has now become a significant part of political discourse. Speaking about why black hope about Obama’s presidency was in vain, Parker stated, “If [the New World Order] controlled it before, what makes you think they’re not controlling it now?”
He continued, “The country was on the verge of revolution. They threw a black man up, now we like this (complacent). They put a black face on the New World Order, and now we all happy. KRS ain’t buying it.”
KRS revealed that he was entirely unbothered by the abuse he faced due to opposing Obama in the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election and stated that he just wants his message to go as far as possible.
Concluding with some hard-hitting truths, Parker exclaimed, “Fuck all the dumb shit, he is the President, and he has people that he must answer to that are not me and are not you, and they don’t have our interest in mind! No government does in that sense. It’s about people power, so in that instance, I’m not ashamed of the message.”
You can watch KRS-One speak about Obama at the 15:39 mark of the video below.
