Public Enemy
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ISSUE #24 MMUSICMAG.COM SPOTLIGHT ong W David PUBLIC ENEMY For founder Chuck D, rap has always been much more than just rhymes CHUCK D WOULD BE SPENDING HIS It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us time clinking champagne glasses now that Back was hailed as a hip-hop masterpiece, Public Enemy is to be inducted into the Rock Public Enemy rarely embraced celebrity. and Roll Hall of Fame. But the man who Instead, the group continued to lead led the charge to revolutionize hip-hop has other hip-hop artists toward music always been on a serious mission. Those Chuck D defined as “CNN for black who knew him as a student at Adelphi culture,” championing often unpopular University recall his passionate debates causes and viewpoints. about politics, philosophy and music, some But that news signal waned as record of which he shared in rap. Those raps caught companies focused on superstar DJs, and the ear of Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin. the DJs in turn enjoyed the celebrity lifestyle. Chuck D initially rejected the opportunity to Chuck D hopes to take the genre back to the Issue #24 become an entertainer, but finally plotted people. That’s why the band produced two M MUSIC & MUSICIANS a hip-hop course—with such revolutionary albums this year with little fanfare: Most of concepts as backup dancers with Uzis and My Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp MAGAZINE friend Flavor Flav as his onstage comic foil— and The Evil Empire of Everything were both that further tantalized listeners. released near the end of 2012. Yet for all his success, Chuck D says “We have our own company. We don’t Public Enemy has only begun its mission. need anyone else,” says Chuck D. “We feel “I think this genre is fantastic, and now that the big artists should have been doing with social networking, we can take it this every year. Once the art form turned, to another level,” he says. “The thing that everyone wanted to make a killing. But that’s kept Public Enemy together for diametrically opposed to our responsibility 25 years is that we’re able to see the world to the community and the music. We want from a bigger perspective.” to help a new generation build this form into Many would agree. Ever since the another form, another infrastructure. self-professed “prophets of rage” released “We’re performing now, we’re relevant their 1987 debut Yo! Bum Rush the Show, now and we use the past as a precedent. the group has been all about uniting the We can help build the next generation of hip-hop community and encouraging music and performers.” other artists to follow suit. When 1988’s –Nancy Dunham 20 M mag 24_cs6.indd 20 1/15/13 12:59 PM.