Public Enemy: Chuck D Sounds Off
Public Enemy (PE) has spent three decades refusing to
stay silent as the nation formerly known as the United
States of America becomes even more viciously divided
across racial, ideological, and socio-economic lines. The
pioneering rap group continues to disown the
mainstream notion that hip hop is just music by
jackhammering the bedrock on which so many despotic
American policies were built while simultaneously
distancing themselves from the inconsequential rappers
of the day. Rather than waste a perfectly good rhyme on
auditory gauntlet of “911 is a Joke,” “Welcome to the
Terrordome,” and “Hoover Music” that gave the casual
fans in attendance a panoramic view of what this group
stands for. They’re equal opportunity agitators to
whom the two-party system is an anathema and they
won’t stop until every last supine public servant is held
accountable for contributing to the dysfunction. If
N.W.A. was “the CNN of the streets,” PE is more like an
unfiltered system of checks and balances at a time
when our own federal government’s system of checks
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Bacardi, selfies, or petty territorial disputes, Chuck D
channels his rage toward racism, police brutality, and the
demoralizing effect that the prison-industrial complex
has had on the black community. You know, the things
that actually MATTER. The way in which his professorial
baritone commands the stage is as incendiary as a Jimi
Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire at the 1967 Monterey
Pop Festival, so anyone still suffering from the
disoriented belief that hip hop isn’t music needs to pay
closer attention to what’s really going on.
Thousands of enlightened souls stormed Canalside
Thursday night to join the revolution and experience why
PE was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
2013. Because we’re currently suffering through one of
the uglier election cycles in recent memory, the
atmosphere was decidedly hostile compared to their last
Buffalo visit, but don’t automatically assume that a little
hostility is a bad thing. Chuck's talents are best served
when he has something fresh to dismantle and his kinetic
performance on this night affirmed my belief that he’s
the greatest MC of all time. While “Harder Than You
Think” and “Night of the Living Baseheads” went for the
throat early on, it was the
and balances isn’t living up to its end of the bargain.
Flavor Flav is far enough removed from his reality
television days to remind people that there’s plenty of
artistry and satirical jocularity behind the clock just
waiting to bring the house down. His solo material was
loose and funky, which counterbalanced the rest of the
evening’s antagonistic vibe quite nicely. Throw in the
authoritative presence of DJ Lord, Professor Griff and
the S1Ws, and there's no other rap outfit in the game
that can touch them. A thumping tribute to Buffalo’s
own Rick James followed by a home stretch of the
“Shut ‘Em Down” and “Fight the Power” put the
finishing touch on a glorious night in the Queen City,
but I don’t think anyone would have objected to the
show carrying on well past midnight. It can’t get much
better than PE playing a free outdoor show during an
election year, so, if you weren’t there, you should have
been. Perhaps it’s unfair of me to expect all rappers to
adhere to Chuck D’s standard, but, when the world
appears to be unraveling a little more every day, we
need social commentators with his fearless intellect to
step up and “say it like it really is.”
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