Chuck D Blasts Kanye West and 50 Cent
Sunday June 11, 2006
Not that this is the first time anyone has noted the over-reliance on sexually inappropriate lyrics by today's rappers, but when Chuck D speaks, hip-hop listens. After all, he's largely responsible for crafting possibly the most politically revolutionizing hip-hop album ever. Plus, he can actually rhyme his behind off.
According to contactmusic.com, the Public Enemy vanguard recently referred to rappers like Kanye West, Ludacris, and 50 Cent as 'lazy' for indulging in explicit lyrics. "Why does an 11-year-old know about the strip club? They can't get in, so why should they know about it?", quipped Chuck D.
First, dissing rappers for their explicit lyrics is so 80's. Second, is Chuck suggesting that rappers should only address issues that kids find applicable to their lives? The latter sounds like a grand idea from a distance. But, while I definitely don't endorse the overuse of sexuality in hip-hop, I have no intention of listening to a CD that tells me how to get my homework done and how to cope with bullies at school from track 1-13.
Also, judging by his consistent vilification of Kanye (who actually breathes new life into hip-hop's ailing soundscape), Chuck echoes a cantankerous old man. Two years ago, hiphopgame.com reported a similar angst-laden story where he fumed:
According to contactmusic.com, the Public Enemy vanguard recently referred to rappers like Kanye West, Ludacris, and 50 Cent as 'lazy' for indulging in explicit lyrics. "Why does an 11-year-old know about the strip club? They can't get in, so why should they know about it?", quipped Chuck D.
First, dissing rappers for their explicit lyrics is so 80's. Second, is Chuck suggesting that rappers should only address issues that kids find applicable to their lives? The latter sounds like a grand idea from a distance. But, while I definitely don't endorse the overuse of sexuality in hip-hop, I have no intention of listening to a CD that tells me how to get my homework done and how to cope with bullies at school from track 1-13.
Also, judging by his consistent vilification of Kanye (who actually breathes new life into hip-hop's ailing soundscape), Chuck echoes a cantankerous old man. Two years ago, hiphopgame.com reported a similar angst-laden story where he fumed:
"I'm trying to really feel the reason why Kanye West is a greater rapper than producer then im trying to understand how somebody gets top notch producer credits for speeding up old records, then again I think his lyrics are decent but 85% of cats rhymin have the same voice with little difference in cadence. That's like the NBA having 200 six foot point guards."Yes, he helped pioneer a unique rap movement, and the N.W.As and the Kanye Wests all owe him an inifinite debt in that respect, but lumping Kanye West, Ludacris, and 50 Cent in the same category shows how out of touch Chuck D really is with the same hip-hop he's posturing in defense of.
Comments
I am definately agreeing that Chuck D is out of touch. No doubt he had his time to shine, and help hip-hop in the making. However throwing 50 cent, Ludacris and lastly the great K. West is ridiculous. It is interesting how he is now commenting on explicit lyrics when semmingly %99.9 of hip-hop/rap albums have “parental advisory” stickers on them. So there should be no shock when the album is played to here a F,B –bomb thrown in. He must not watch the news or listen to albums because I could of swore K. West recieved an award for “JESUS WALKS!”… This is trully absurd, I think Chuck D in his own reality needs to listen to a couple cd’s to get familiar with hip-hop again.
CHUCK D IS NOT OUT OF TOUCH AT ALL. HE IS 100% ON POINT. I CAN ACTUALLY RHYME MY BEHIND OFF AS WELL AND I FEEL THE SAME WAY HE DOES! HE IS LOOKING PAST RECORD SALES TO THE FUTURE AND OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. HE’S TALKING ABOUT SINGLES THAT SHOUD NOT EVEN BE RELEASED TO RADIO. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, HIP-HOP IS A MILLION TIMES BIGGER THAN ALL THE CATS HE MENTIONED. IT REACHES MILLIONS AND HAS THE POWER TO DO SOME GREAT THINGS FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE.HE’S NOT SPEAKING ABOUT AN OCCASIONAL “F” OR “B”. HE’S TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT 99% OF HIP-HOP ALBUMS ARE PURE GARBAGE.SOFT PORN VIDEOS AND A BUNCH OF WONEM HATING, CHEST PUMPIN’, GRILL WEARING, STRIPPER LOVIN BOYS.HAVING PARENTAL ADVISORY STICKERES ON AN ALBUM DOES EXCUSE WACK LAZY LYRICS WITH NO SUBSTANCE!!!HOW TO GET HOMEWORK DONE AND HOW TO DEAL WITH BULLIES WAS NOT EVEN MENTIONED. IF SOMEONE PUT A MIC ON YOU AND YOU WERE ABLE TO REACH MILLIONS WHAT WOULD YOU SAY??? LEAN WITH IT ROCK WITH IT?? BYTCHES AINT SHYT?? GET ON YOUR KNEES AND SUCK DIS??? WHETHER DISSIN’ RAPPERS FOR WACK AZZ LAZY LYRICS IS 80′S, OR 70′S OR 60′ IS IRRELEVENT! TRUTH IS TRUTH! AND IT HURTS BABY! BUT IT’S HURTING OUR KIDS THE MOST.IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO JUST SAY JESUS WALKS. IT’S TIME TO TRY WALKING WITH HIM!!!!WALKING LIKE HIM! THAT’S MY WORD!
Chuck D, sit down!
I Agree 100% Wit What “GETACLUE” Said…
MAd Respect Fo Chuck D !!
Oh god!
Finally some icon being like Chuck D talk!
The atmosphere, the beats and the flows are easy.
Hard is to say some everlasting thing, intelligent rap artist are few.
rap about bitches and money its so basic and reflex an ignorant people.
But that makes my body moving…
Bout Kanye…his music its so easy to make..nothin new under the sun…
Sorry about my bad english!
Respect from Chile
http://www.myspace.com/gatosgordos
I AGREE WITH CHUCK D, HIP HOP AT A CRAPY PLACE RIGHT NOW THEY ALL OBJECTIFYING WOMEN RAPPIN BOUT NUTHION BUT CARS JEWELS AND ICE ITS WHACK GIMME A SONG THAT MEANS SOMETHIN WE NEED TO GET RID OF THE BULL AND PUT CATS LIKE COMMON AND MOS DEF BACK ON TOP AND AS FOR KANYE THERES A WHOLE LOT MORE YOU CAN DO WITH RECORDS OTHER THAN ADJUST THE SPEED AND PITCH AND RUN LOOPS
chuck d is talking sh*t. i had a mad respect for him all my life and that even went up a bit when he started reppin a uk rapper by the name of KANO but now i really think he fell off. everyone know’s hip hop in a bad place right now but if he think it that bad then he should make a real comeback to sort it out. ludacris and kanye are part of the revolution that we gonna get in the enxt couple years. along with lupe fiasco t.i.p papoose saigon the game and some others hip hop will be back to what it was. everyone there has the potential to be seen as one of the greatest rappers we’ve seen. there are so many young rappers that have so much experince and growing to do lyrically and with their swagger and flow and everythign and we gon see a bright future in hip hop. nas gotta kick them in the ass with hip hop is dead aswell. good shout.
I’d don’t why I’m waisting my time at 3:00 a.m. writing this, but for some reason I feel compelled to ask…
What’s the point of this post?
To the author, you sound like you’re trying discount one man’s “informed opinion” with your own “uninformed opinion”. It’s obvious that you’re a fan of the current generation of rappers. So much so that a proven and highly respected veteran of the game couldn’t possibly offer a relevent thought about the current state of Hip Hop.
Is it really necessary to attack Chuck D’s credibility for stating a point of view that raises valid questions about the way the game is being played nowadays? Why not parse through what he’s actually saying and have a proper dialog on the MESSAGE not the MESSENGER.
You don’t have to agree with his point of view, but to take cheap shots at him as a means to validate your own point of view within your own forum demonstrates a lack of maturity and perspective.
At least we still have classics like “Nation” or “Fear”, albums which were philosophically and artistically awe inspiring, to provoke “relevent” thought and debate almost 20 years later.
Rapping about the so-called Messiah doesn’t make you any more profound than giving a third-party narrative about the drug game gives you any real street credibility.
I don’t think any one particular rapper has to be singled out for criticism, but I do believe that Hip Hop is going through it’s Disco phase right about now. We will reach the tipping point sooner or later and there will be a backlash. Nonetheless, as Nature has the ability to correct itself when its’ taken enough abuse, so too will Hip Hop correct itself when its’ had enough.
Sorry for the speech ;o)
You know what maybee they wouldnt be talkin that way if there wasnt all those gurls ready to get down on thier knees for emm i aint disrespectingg im a girl too but you know and they say lots of good stuff too get us thoughh from were im from i can relate too himm and yah know what i bet if u ever got the chance up there u would do the samee so yahh juss shutt ittt!!
I guess its all about why you listen.
I listen to be inspired. I’m not inspired by cars, girls with no self-respect, jewelry, guns, drugs or gettin’ pushed down by ‘the man’.
If these lyrics inspire you or build you up, perhaps you should get off the merry-go-round. Pick up a book without pictures. Raise yourself above some other ‘artist’s’ self-expression. Get a passport. Leave your country. Find someone who needs a pair of shoes or who hasn’t eaten a meal in two days. Inspire that person and you’ll inspire yourself.
Chuck D, out of touch? You’re kidding right? I guess you all fail to see the irony in such a statement from a man speaking about the state of rap TODAY!? Who’s “out of touch”? Kanye West, 50 Cent or Chuck D?
There was a time when rap was a political movement that transcended borders that spoke to people’s consciousness. It became a source of information (Black CNN) that changed people’s understanding of African American history, culture and social condition. Young white kids like me were totally TRANSFORMED because of men like Chuck D.
Today, rap is nothing but R&B rap with almost NO relevance whatsoever.
No, you’ve got it all backwards. Chuck D is STILL the most relevant rapper there is today.
P.S- Mighty Maestro, preach on buddy!!
KEEP’IN IT SIMPLE
TO: ALL FANS OF 50, LUDY AND KANE and the new generaton of Reck.
FROM: THE OLE SCHOOL S1W FAN OF TERMINATOR X
—> Search & listen close to ” CRAYOLA”
Opinions are like A– Holes but it’s really time to GROW UP and think about what these Black Kids are listening too.
And then WHO’s REALLY getting paid off the Uncle Tom’in, MISSDIRECTIONING fake HIP HOP HITs.
YO CHUCK… KEEP THESE CRACK BABIES IN MIND… YO
I live in london,teenagers of all types listen to 50 cent etc
they emulate him,dress like him,talk like him,lyrics are a powerful thing
would he like to see gansta rap take over the whole world ,would he like to see more gun crime ,disrespect for his sisters worldwide
i mean i listened to nwa in my teens and thoght they were cool and funny but as you GROW UP
you realise the lyrics of public enemy
are actually saying something real
people should be spreading love and community what hip hop was born from
im sure bambataa ,flash,rakim ,tribe called quest,de la soul would agree with the mighty chuck know youre history
knowledge is power
we can change the world **** people who
praise negative rap
peace
The writer of this article seems to be an apologist for pimps, drug dealers and all around degenerates. Give me some old school PE anyday over todays crap music.
we need more rappers like Chuck D around.
Peace to CHUCK D !
I blame Radio and TV as well as the artist for exposing kids to this garbage. Today’s youth think that if you’re not a thug or sitting in VIP or if your car doesn’t have 26’s on it you’re nobody. Young women don’t have to walk around half naked to get noticed. And ladies, please don’t allow these young men to call you out of your name. Stop letting that be so acceptable. When I was young, if something was for adults, that’s who got to see or hear it. Now that hip-hop is big business, corporations have taken over and all they care about is money. Black Folks need to understand…They want us to call each other bit*h and ho and shoot up each other. Think about it…The more of us we shoot up, the more of us getting in trouble, the more of us degrading our women, the more of us just wilding out makes them less responsible. We don’t have to be enslaved by the white man anymore, we’re enslaving ourselves. What ever happened to real DJ’s on radio? Now you have someone with a college degree in broadcasting but doesn’t have a clue about music and they’re on the air. The MAN just tells you what to play and you play it. The public falls victim to it because it’s all they hear or see. Even I’ve caught myself singing the hook to a stupid ass song because I have heard it so much. I’m a DJ and when I’m in the club (Adult Clubs supposedely), it burns me up when a 50 year old wants to “WALK IT OUT” or they’re asking for “LIL BOOSIE”. I don’t even listen to the radio anymore unless it’s old school. I haven’t watched a video in about 3 years. Put Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Lupe, and other positive images on the TV and radio and maybe some of these young people will recognize that there is more to music than half naked women and thugged out brothers. I learned more about beinig a black man from Chuck D and Public Enemy than I ever did in school. Let’s incorporate some old school hip hop in there. How can you be a rap star and don’t respect Chuck D? It’s like Lebron not respecting Michael Jordan. Young people need knowledge. Let’s uplift ya’ll !
“im trying to understand how somebody gets top notch producer credits for speeding up old records, then again I think his lyrics are decent but 85% of cats rhymin have the same voice with little difference in cadence. That’s like the NBA having 200 six foot point guards.”
Angst laden? This a musician, an artist making a point about mediocrity in art. He is speaking of skill and innovation or the lack thereof and that it’s lazy to rely on primal sexual responses to get people interested. Madonna was weak and so is booty music.
Even looking at the fact that a woman dancing with her whole body and mind and soul should be reduced to her booty shaking. It’s about reduction, degradation…limitation.
People will say, “Yah, maybe Public Enemy defined this or that” or “So what, maybe they created a whole new sound with the Bomb Squad, Terminator X and Chuck D’s amazing voice, but what gives him the right?”
Actually, any person has the right to attack mediocrity and the backlash against him here is just another distraction from the FACT that there was a culture that formed based on thought and peace and it has be hijacked by fluff and nothingness. This is not isolated to Hip Hop or the “black community” this is everywhere.
Chuck D is a poet and a prophet, never bowing to record companies, money, hypocrisy. Please do not equate him with any of said referenced rappers of today. Come on…
Signed white girl with a brain
Chuck D is 100% right. Most mainstream hip-hop nowadays means nothing and is polluted by talentless clowns with one gimmick or another with the latest (and soon to be forgotten) club-banger. MC’s are getting lazy, there’s nothing raw anymore. Kanye is an average rapper and producer. There’s thousands of MC’s who can lyrically destroy him and produce far better hip-hop who are dying for record contracts. The best hip-hop is being created in the underground and the alternative scenes. As long as we keep celebrating the mediocrity we call hip-hop nowadays then nothing’s going to change.