public enemy
-
28 Days of Album Music Blackness With VSB, Day 27: Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988)
I don’t need a ton of words to describe the way I feel about the cover for Public Enemy’s sophomore album, 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Mostly, I just need to say how bad ass it is. And especially how bad ass it was to a 9-year-old whose big…
-
I Attended the 2020 BET Awards From the Comfort of My Home…Just Like Everyone Else!
I’m pretty sure BET was amongst those of us who wistfully declared, “2020 is going to be my year.” Why BET? Well, because this year marks the 20th anniversary of the BET Awards and is the 40th anniversary of the network itself (the latter of which lent itself to a tribute to BET co-founder Bob…
-
30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 19: Public Enemy, 'Fight The Power'
For a song that came out over 30 years ago, Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power”—created for the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s 1989 classic film, Do The Right Thing—remains remarkably resonant even in 2020. We’re still at war with structural racism and all of the issues that existed at the time of the song’s creation are…
-
In What Has To Be the Dumbest April Fools' Day Prank in Recent Memory, Public Enemy Admits Their Breakup Was a Hoax
I hate April Fools’ Day. Each year, friend and foe alike go to ridiculous lengths to deceive and delude the general public for the sole purpose of raising our blood pressure—as if black folks don’t have enough shit to worry about it. But clearly that’s beside the point since now we have rap legends Chuck…
-
It Only Takes a Nation of Bernie Bros to Hold Us Back: Public Enemy Fires Flavor Flav for Fighting the Power
They’ve survived a prolonged feud with Def Jam Records, rampant substance abuse and alcoholism, accusations of antisemitism and that whole Flavor of Love phenomenon, but it would appear that the straw that finally broke Public Enemy’s back is…Bernie Sanders? As we reported this weekend, the iconic group announced its intention to perform on Sunday during…
-
Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav Slams Bernie Sanders for ‘Deceptive Marketing,’ But Chuck D Has Papers On The Legendary Hip Hop Group
You just “Can’t Truss It.” Although Bernie Sanders’ camp has promoted that Public Enemy will perform at a rally in Los Angeles, one of the group’s most prominent members is trying to shut ‘em down. According to Spin, the legendary hip hop group’s co-founder Flavor Flav slapped the senator from Vermont with a cease-and-desist letter…
-
Kanye Only Wants to Make Gospel Now. But He’s at His Best When He’s Blending the Secular and the Sacred
Kanye West will come out with an album…at some point. At first, he said that his new album would drop on Sept. 27; yet, as is par for the course for Ye, the album, Jesus is King, has been delayed. The reason why is unclear; when it will be released is uncertain. But Ye has…
-
10 Music Biopics I'd Really Like To See
On Nov. 2, 2018, Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic about the group Queen, but mostly about the Freddie Mercury, hits theaters nationwide. I can’t wait because I’m a fan of the group and Mercury in particular, and I generally love music biopics and biographies. I always look forward to finding out things that I didn’t know.…
-
Should Black Artists Care About the Grammys?
“Who gives a fuck about a goddamn Grammy?” These venerable words came from the mouth of Public Enemy’s Chuck D on 1988’s “Terminator X to the Edge of Panic.” It is a sentiment that’s been shared by so many other artists, critics and fans over the years. When it comes to the Recording Academy, black…
-
Why Does the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Keep Snubbing LL Cool J?
Perhaps there are bigger fish to fry. Racism is still alive; they just be concealing it, after all. Or more likely, I’m dazed by the fact that Alabama did the unthinkable, entirely thanks to black people, so I’m feeling greedy. Yo no sé. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced its 2018…