People Get Ready

Johnny Cash got the props for dressing in Black while raging against the machine. He was called the Man In Black. 14 days is two weeks away by the calendars we so called use, and its the distance in what can be a key turning point for the country and of course the earth. Yes, 'm very familiar with the prophecy of Amerikkkas fall and I have no doubt that this place is going through a cleansing of sorts. But what we the people who are darker than blue have to do regardless of who wins is recognize the identified 'WE' as a collective and figure our propelling forward in this rare time. Again regardless to WHAT I think here, the resounding approval of the right time , and the right person by folks who have been here way longer than my near 50 years on the planet , makes me in tune to what this time is calling for.

Echoing my good friend DAVEY D, this is not a Democratic endorsement, nor a 2 party approval. This is a look at the eventual field at hand. All of those negative attributes of the Republican Party are shadowed by the Democratic Party. The Jackass and the Elephant. No disrespect to the GREEN Party but the knowledge of football and the clock applies here. The mathematics of field position and the clock do not favor the wild card. And is not time for a hail mary here. The move for OBAMA is a move for logic over the illogic of John McCain-Sarah Palin period. That pair who have immersed themselves into such a throwback race-retro zone that my neighborhood, demographics, family, race and sanity look to slide deeper into a dependent abyss during the first six months of their term.

I said I was gradually sold on a possible new america by BARACK OBAMA. But again HE didn't have to sell ME. Something was given and passed on, not simply sold. I was at the MILLION MAN MARCH 1& 2 , and still perturbed about the nay-sayers who discounted its reach, and message and the effort of MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN on bringing and gathering BLACK MEN and organizations to a single understanding of what WE have to do regardless. The SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR in this case is someone who is looking to sacrifice his comfort , to FIX this place, and time with effort of knowledge , wisdom , understanding, will and grace. Only fools would think of such thing as a race-takeover with OBAMA at the top. Obviously they don't know the simplest of math, and in car language should know whoever is the next president is , they will be getting a gas guzzling situation, in need of body and engine work, not just a tune up. A oil change, spark plugs, a new DC belt philosophy thats gonna run smoother for longer periods of time. It's gonna take more than just sitting pretty behind the wheel.

I was a 7 year old kid when I witnessed the vehicle of black people skidding off the highway of respect. Black folks still ain' t recovered from the assassination of DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. The more older people who pass on and die, the more he becomes a passive sound-bite for those that can't apply his legacy to the present and future. The many more who 'fall off' from understanding, and create their existence around a legal tender that ain ' t worth the paper it's printed on. The media has turned 'black' into a curse word like it was in the 50s. At the same time people will avoid saying black these next 14 days and nights, when the obvious will be screaming it silently , visually , and behind many a closed door. The 'BLACK ' as in real life hero to replace reel life heros who went up on the walls of black homes post MLK looks to be BARACK OBAMA. Worldwide. What i'm saying that a real person stands to be on the walls of black homes for the first time across the board since MLK, not SHAFT, not the MJs, not JAY, 50, PUFF, RUSS or even ALI. A real man in a very real world , with decisions far away from sport, entertainment, and fantasy. This symbolic achievement needs to be matched by the effort of those categorized by the many and able that will be called 'black' as well.

The HIP HOP Nation can use this for inspiration to catch up to the rest of the world, when it grows up. It's a big chance to really step up from where it's fell off. As the economic picture forced the USA to re look at its FAT FARM ways on capitalism , many adult rappers are now fiendin for a 'topic'. You don't stand up for something, you simply fall for anything. These two weeks ain' t a game. The american hip hop scene doesn't really know what 'bad' is and how worse things can get. The Prison Industrial Complex is waiting for black people. The Military Industrial Complex will take those and send them to sacrifice lives for uncertainty. The financial system has blacks at the bottom en mass. The educational system has failed black men to dropping out of school by 15 years old, and growing. Food is more expensive, bad food more accessible leading to early deaths, strokes, heart, and cancer situation. Black family broken down the middle, can't get the JOBS or without the education can't provide the skills to build businesses to serve the hood. And don't even try to bury anybody, buy much less keep a home or ask for ANY money from a bank. National issues , and more importantly 'BLACK' alarms going off last I checked 1, 2-1-2..

Finally on the world hip hop beat , they are watching US(A) on all of this , trust me. Hip Hop is shrinking its dialogue to a 5th and 6th grade level reflecting the middle school demographic its corporation targets as impulsive spenders, or the level that the mostly advertised black men rhymin , beatmaking , and videogaming is reflecting on that school learning level. All should witness SENATOR OBAMA as a person with great character trying to best share and spread that energy,sense of thought and integrity. As opposed to being a character with the sole intention of thinking of this great challenge for just himself....

WHIPPINGS OF MASS DISTRACTION Part 2

Sat on one of the many OCT-NOV flights going from LAX to JFK actually I was online on those new AMERICAN AIRLINES cross coastal web in the air flights. Sitting behind rapper-actress EVE who was also flying to participate in the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. I had little conversation for anybody on the redeye and when we landed had a couple of words upon walking the new American terminal. Last time I talked to her she must have thought I was senile. It was at a SOURCE panel discussion on the STATE OF HIP HOP smack dab in the middle of the 'greed' era' . Organized by then editor KIM OSORIO , people like BABY, FABOLOUS, DAMON DASH, and TALIB KWELI amongst others were present. If you search the terrordomes prior you might pinpoint the actual time. I called EVE 'KIM' as in Lil Kim a couple of times and later apologized for the slip. She was cool about it and that was that. Here she was headed to her baggage and we had chatted about career, logistics on travel a brief bit and then I moved on to my vehicle. I couldn't help to think here was another person who had rap music and hip hop as a springboard into her present career of acting. I wanted to ask her about this but didn't have the time.

As with many rappers, many have moved into the more organized structure of Hollywood. As if the organization of rappers can only be realized by white moguls or a 'system. I've seen many who act a fool in the 'rap game' but get on their knees from the financial controlling whip of a film or television deal. Number one you HAVE to work with other people to secure your job. With EVE coming out of the RUFF RYDERS camp I couldn't but think about how DMX conformed to the very narrow film-TV itinerary. I for the longest time have called for integrity and respect in the rap game. Its never been a kids thing with me because i didn't enter as anything other than a adult. ICE CUBE told me himself when it comes down to fim you have to WORK with MANY people to come up with an end product.

I made it my business to try to make rap my life and business. Not from a greed point but to look at it from a spreading aspect. I can't really pay attention to any 'whippings of mass distractions, like hearing that BABY gave LIL WAYNE a suitcase full of a million dollars in cash or the they had a party with Cristal bottles full of frozen $100 bills, or a $ 1000 for all I know. The sense of it all is slipping into common nonsense like when some rap cats protested and boycotted a champagne company last year. All for the equal right to pour it over somebody in a club or a video. Or like DA BRAT who I dig very much , but who I think is kinda troubled , the right to bust the bottle over somebody's head in full club action. Almost all as if reality is mimicking fantasy, because its running out of thrill , faith and hope.

Music is a very powerful force and gift. It's all of these great things that reach us. The uses of video, TV, Film, fashion, Style, and opinion should galvanize the art-form not detract from it. Yes , hip hop is a crib that has been set on fire. Arson from its participants who don't find satisfaction for simply figuring how to live and share life in the house, while viewing the well kept manicured industries across the street and next door. Jumping out the attic window to a better place while thinking Hip Hop is dead.

FIGHT THE POWER

The humility i've gained is reflective in the statement appreciating the voting of Fight The Power as the Number 1 rap song/ video. They couldv'e chose any of the top 30 to be number one. Of course I see the blogs and its understandable why somebody born in 1991 would find it hard voting for a record that came out in 1989. EMINEM is officially 'old school' now. The record simply resonates as the most important to reach outside of the limitations that folks thought a rap song could do. It spoke to those issues of 'race' that SPIKE LEE was all too aware of at that time in New York City. SPIKE and Do The Right Thing took it over the top. The power of rap and film we recognized early in the day. I turned 'down' film offers then because I felt and still feel that music is as strong from its vantage point and terms. But also I know when myself, Flav, Griff, S1WS and DJ LORD perform it , it speaks volumes in whatever country we are at. The song jumps out of itself and the rap world with significant meaning and relative cause.

UNIVERSALLY PIMPED

This company works to be just like the one world government. To control everything under its wings. The reason that there's not a continued roll of PUBLIC ENEMY product is a lawyer logjam on clearances and priority. the SOUL OF A NATION , AFRAID OF THE DARK , ALBUM REISSUES probably won't emerge in those particular forms. - It Takes a Nation of Millions 20th Anniversary Reissue

- Fear of a Black Planet/Afraid of the Dark 20th Anniversary Reissue

- Power to the People and the Videos DVD

- Fight the Power Live/ The Enemy Strikes Live VHS-DVD Reissues Neither will a box set anytime soon. But expect some great surprises from 2009-2012 regarding PE releases.

HHHONORS

As said Hip Hop Honors is the closest thing we have to a all star game and a Hall Of Fame event. Maybe I should just keep it to Hal Of Fame event. I enjoyed the organized setting by NELSON GEORGE, FAB FIVE FREDDY and Producer JAC BENSON. This was year number 5 and we had only been in the country 2 of the five years, missing on the induction of ICE CUBE two years back who I wanted to do so bad. Last year I was able to be there for WHODINI and TRIBE CALLED QUEST. This year I was requested personally to dedicate for DE LA SOUL. An honor indeed. My friends CYPRESS HILL, and NAUGHTY BY NATURE was also big. An seeing many cats bRAD jORDAN aka SCARFACE, KID ROCK whos album Rock And Roll Jesus is hot to me, PRINCE PAUL, and MOS DEF made me realize and know that RAP is a highly devolped SKILL by the BEST. Sht , BIG BOI from OUTKAST always a cooool dude ripped through the NBN anthem O.P.P.. ...KID ROCK tore through TOO SHORTS ..in the House....and MOS DEF what more can I say, he made the verses of DANGER by BIGGIE in the ISSAC HAYES tribute and STAKES IS HIGH by DE LA seem like it was his own...a legendary night.

?UEST IS THE BEST

Oh yeah , let me tell you who is the QUINCY JONES of hip hop without really claiming the position. And what I mean is somebody who can call anybody and bring them to a table of some 'meaning' for the genre. Somebody who can also step up and provide help to whatever project that hip hop needs to go forward or remain relevant. Playing the ISSAC HAYES tribute at the HIP HOP HONORS in front of the ROOTS was a masterful treat. But rehearsal was as much a joy watching ?uest bring a sense of order and camaraderie to the planners, the programmers, and the the players. He's a dude who is all over the place yet finds the time for everybody. It is probably inherent as his father LEE ANDREWS is as respected as a leader forefather of DOO WOP as the lead singer of LEE ANDREWS and the HEARTS. As an artist QUESTLOVE and the ROOTS, the 15 year master of the craft thing has taken hold. Dude commands the scene while behind the drums. Like hip hops version of jazz's ART BLAKEY, or just recently passed BUDDY MILES, MICK FLEETWOOD or TOMMY LEE in rock , AMIR THOMPSON has grabbed the blizzard uncertainty of rap/ hip hop and has kept IT in time. We appreciate him for this , if he hasn't heard it in such way. I told BLACK THOUGHT was a pleasure to get down for a couple of days for a band he leads into the land of beatfunkrockville centre almost every night.

ARKANSAS

On the last week of September I had the pleasure of first flying to MEMPHIS to have lunch with MARVELL THOMAS ( The Funky STAX Son Of Rufus Thomas, brother of Carla Thomas, and creator of so many grooves) and the great guitarist SKIP PITTS ( Issac Hayes SHAFT beginning lick, ISLEYS Its Your Thing lick, Push and Pull , The Breakdown from Marvells' daddy Rufus). Introduced them both to PUBLIC ENEMY guitarist KHARI WYNN who cherished every second of the stories, insight, and tips. We all wanna do some things ..yeah. From there I enjoyed my drive to LITTLE ROCK ARKANSAS to speak for the Clinton School at the University Of Arkansas , speaking on the campus of PHILANDER SMITH . I spoke and had folks understand that LITTLE ROCK is deep in some of our hearts and mindsets and that people there shouldn't take it for granted. MR AL BELL of STAX RECORDS was in the front row , so you wanna talk about pressure!!! The students were very progressive, the CLINTON library a fine work of art, and when I said that Hillary Clinton was a dream team favorite of mine until she put such foot in her mouth , you should have seen the faces. Again I was only speaking from the heart, the democratic disunity earlier in the year was disturbing. Also the urban decay around the fringes of the center of the city kind of threw me aback. Still the drive from and back to MEMPHIS made me appreciate the great sounds of HOWLING WOLF.

BARCELONA

Flew there for the RED BULL ACADEMY lectures and despite the massive delay of waiting 8 hours in the HEATHROW London Airport because of what else 'London Fog' .Getting into the area was hell for flights bringing in 'equipment ( planes) as they say. Getting in Barcelona was strictly business since we got in late. Spoke at RED BULL for some hours with Jeff CHAIRMAN MAO . Ran into the ever eloquent BUN B for the second time in 10 days and we exchanged info and I told him i'd hit em while and when I get to TEXAS.

LONDON

On the SOUTH BANK of the THAMES did a one on one panel discussion with a prelude to the released PUBLIC ENEMY authorized biography DONT RHYME FOR THE SAKE OF RIDDLIN by RUSSELL MYRIE. Had a great gathering of talk, questions and answers from NIHAL from Radio One. Signed a gang of books afterwards and got one signed from a parallel line of signing singer JULIANNA HATFIELD who wanted to take a shot with yours truly. When I Grow Up is the name of her book.

MOUNT-REAL CAN ( I GET IN?) ADA

The toughest border for Americans the US-CANADIAN. I don't care if you are driving , flying, or swimming. Spoke up in CONCORDIA University there in front of an extremely intelligent Canadian crowd who were clearly at an advantage over their american counterparts. They know it and feel it now. The OIL of now is in abundance in the big Canadian turf, the oil of the future, CLEAN FRESH WATER pours down into the big north. The campus came out in hundreds to hear me talk, and I immediately threw those props to DUKE EATMON and RON MASKELL who had been keeping the rap sounds and yours truly hot in MOUNT REAL for the past 15 years. DUKE was dropping mad necessary black history like MALCOLM X s parents meeting there at UNIA Garvey-ite meetings back in the 20s. I let everybody know JACK ROOSEVELT ROBINSON entered and turned society upside down there from the baseball path in 1946 while a member of the MONTREAL ROYALS the Brooklyn Dodger farm team.

VAMP

They got me in major music news like in Billboard blasting the major record labels adopting the storage memory card as a new digital way of selling albums. No disrespect to SANDISK the maker of the item and backer of ROCK THE BELLS, but memory cards are brilliant , but not as a new way to look at buying albums. Too small. The artwork is packaging only which amounts to zero useage upon opening it. Then what's the storage of the storage item. Where do you keep them? I'm involved with the vAMP; the Virtual Album, MP3 Player. Its tough, dispensable on the edge of disposable, collectable, and has a built in USB for adding and spreading the data. Plus headphones makes it a perfect bridge device between the CD and MP3 .

CHUCK CHILL OUT

Will be swinging into New York City for my man DJ CHUCK CHILL OUT birthday party. Coming from University of MONTANA and MOORHEAD State near FARGO ND, practically zooming in to appear for my man. CHUCK simply broke all our records for 98.7 KISS FM and any other stations that he has played for. My man ,a real standup dude forever in the PUBLIC ENEMY debt tank. Chuck practically broke REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE off the acetate, immediately after HANK SHOCKLEE and I handed it to him. I last appeared at CHUCKS b-day party OCTOBER 1987 , that same night I met MR BIG DADDY KANE for the first time as ROXANNE SHANTES DJ and FUNKMASTER FLEX was his record man and start up event DJ. Many thanx for all the years of support CHUCK CHILL OUT.

SOME THINGS NEED TO STAY IN THE CLUBS

Sarah Palin is a good sport I guess being on SNL , but again RAP music is spoofed as some dumb , harmless agitation amongst it all. Her throwing her hands in the air , as if she just doesn't care kinda was a paradox to her constituency. The head nodding, hands up, club thing sometimes is best meant to stay in the cliub. The Alaskan club in that case. BELL BIV DEVOE said it best sometimes beware the big butt and a smile ....POISON?

CITY OF NY MUSEUM

A great museum dedicated to the City of New York is across from CENTRAL Park at 1220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029 between 103rd and 104th streets. Its where I did a recent panel , but those that consider themselves New York Centric, need to learn about something in the city. Visit the store , pick up a book, DVD, or some photos from the CITY that never ever sleeps.

TOUR RHYMES AND LIFE

On YOU TUBE soon. Why? I carry around my FLIP CAM a $100 digital camera that has a built in USB to plug and transfer video , not trying to make any reality anything, but webisodes are an extension of what the Terrordome was groundbreaking 10 years ago. It was a blog before a blog was so ordinary. Now I guess i'm a later updater in this regard. Anyways i'll be filming much of my travels and duties , no love stories and personal family stuff. All business related like the terrordomes themselves. As much about everyone else as myself. Its a pull out of my pocket , click and shoot sort of thing. GROUPS

How often does music reflect the society we live in? Im black and i've said often we live in I vs WE' times, the solo era, me , myself, and damn. I. Let me tell you what has crippled hip hop, the lack of groups. To me a soloist cannot MOVE me as much as a group. Hip Hop is at its entertaining best when a combination of acts group up.

DEF INITION

DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop

A great new book by my man at the DRAWING BOARD , THE CLASSIC ART Department at DEF JAM compiled by legendary hip-hop designer Cey Adams, DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop is the first comprehensive anthology published in the name of the genre during the last thirty-five years. This landmark volume celebrates a culture that has made its mark on everything from fine art to the label on a bottle of Hawaiian Punch, including fashion, automobiles, movies, television, advertising, and sneakers. It highlights the careers and artwork of such crucial hip-hop elders as Lady Pink, Haze, Run-DMC, Dapper Dan, Buddy Esquire, Spike Lee, and Snoop Dogg as well as contemporary giants like Kehinde Wiley, Mr. Cartoon, Shepard Fairey, Dalek, Mike Thompson, Jor One, and Claw Money, and dozens of others, DEFinition examines the evolution of hip-hop as a visual phenomenon with the historical depth that only an insider like Cey Adams can provide. Featuring more than 200 stunning photographs and illustrations as well as compelling essays by some of hip-hop's most seasoned voices, DEFinition illuminates the culture in a form that speaks to aficionados and newcomers alike.

It was a pleasure having Bill Adler who had done and orchestrated many of the writing contributors to CEYs book , and CEY himself on my radio show ON THE REAL. CEY is like REID MILES hip hop wise, he established the standard of hip hop graphics but he gives equal props to all the contributors and many of his competitors of the time. A class duo CEY ADAMS and BILL ADLER. Gret teachers of mine in art and the word in their own selfless way.

Raphael SAADIQ

Lastly I haven't bought a R&B album in a long time other than QUESTlove produced AL GREEN record i'm usually passing it by. Tell you this RAPHAEL SAADIQ has a record out that not only did I get , but I cant stop playing it. THE WAY I SEE IT is the name of the album folks. STEVIE WONDER and JAY Z guest appear on a couple of cuts...

gone ...see you on the other side of the election mistachuck@rapstation.com www.myspace.com/chuckdpublicenemy