Chuck D never seems to run out of things to say.
Born Carlton Ridenhour, the political activist and front man for
the rap group Public Enemy will speak today at 7 p.m. in Ackerman
Grand Ballroom. The man George Clinton once called “the Bob
Dylan of rap” hopes to spread his message to a younger
generation less familiar with him and his music.
“I think the younger generation is a little bit
misinformed,” said Chuck D. “There are pieces of
information out there, but it’s not being presented to them.
I think if they got a hold of some of that information, they would
become a little more proactive.”
Chuck D burst into national consciousness in the late ’80s
as the lead rapper of the controversial group Public Enemy. In a
genre and culture obsessed with braggadocio and one-upmanship,
Public Enemy transformed hip-hop ““ and popular music as a
whole ““ with its politically charged and socially aware
messages.
The group’s now-canonized achievements, 1988’s
“It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” and
1990’s “Fear of a Black Planet,” are two of the
most influential hip-hop albums ever recorded.
Since the group’s commercial and critical apex, Chuck D
has continued to record with Public Enemy (though he took a brief
hiatus) and remained true to his revolutionary vision in many other
ways. He has hosted his own segment on the Fox News Channel, served
as a national spokesman for Rock The Vote, the National Urban
League and the National Alliance of African American Athletes, and
published his best-selling autobiography “Fight the
Power.”
“I was a child of the sixties,” he said. “I
grew up with political activism all around me. I know it firsthand,
and I just carried it over through the years.”
Recently, Chuck D has made headlines by butting heads with MTV,
criticizing the network ““ which refused to air Public
Enemy’s video “Gotta Give the Peeps What They
Need” because it contained the phrase “Free
Mumia” ““ for censorship and “successfully
tailoring a generation through the thread of popular
culture.”
“It’s the case of one company, Viacom, controlling
all aspects of the music business with a monopoly,” Chuck
said.
He also expressed his view that all the major record labels were
“in cahoots” to possess radio control. But Chuck had
more to say about the music business, and the state of hip hop in
particular.
“A lot of (mainstream) rappers these days rap for the
companies they’re signed to instead of for the people,”
he said. “Artistically, a lot of great things are happening;
they just need more exposure.”
Exposure is one thing Public Enemy as a group hasn’t been
getting much of in the United States as of late. However, Chuck is
more focused on building up an international fan base. He said that
worldwide exposure (Public Enemy has performed concerts in 40
countries) is more important to him than popularity in the U.S.
mainstream.
Although Chuck has been more or less off the radar recently from
a commercial standpoint, he has never slowed in the spreading of
his views and his constant questioning of this country’s
policies. On Public Enemy’s latest album, last year’s
“Revolverlution,” Chuck pulls no punches in calling out
America’s current president.
“It’s just that son of a Bush wanting to play his
worldwide videogame of Grand Theft Oil,” he said. ” If
there’s a war they’re going to be drafting you, so I
hope it doesn’t come to that, for your sake, in addition to
the fact that war is silly and stupid.”
There are few moments in protest music that compare to the rush
of hearing Chuck’s louder-than-a-bomb voice come tearing out
of a pair of speakers. Today, that voice will be used in a more
subdued, but no less urgent and authoritative manner.
“I want to teach them the importance of thinking for
themselves … using your own mind, instead of being programmed
like a robot,” Chuck said.
Chuck D comes to Ackerman Grand Ballroom today at 7 p.m.
Admission is free and tickets are not required. The event is
co-sponsored by Cultural Affairs Commission and Campus Events
Commission.