Vol. 46
Sunday, July 6, 2008
©Marc Allan
All Rights Reserved
Chuck D of Public Enemy is part of "Hip Hop vs. America," a BET town hall-style program scheduled to air in the fall.
Q: You used to say that rap was the black CNN. What's it now?
A: Rap is a worldwide religion now. Cultural religion. It's very important to at least get a hold of itself, to be able to say that it's diverse and it's balanced. That's with any genre. If rock 'n' roll was just the '80s hair bands and stayed there, it would be in trouble.
Q: But it doesn't seem as if anyone has carried on your mantle as the political face of rap.
A: We have a big, diverse crew. We take on a lot of different elements. But you've got fragments like The Roots, people like Talib Kweli and you've got new guys like Rhymefest. There's not going to be another PE, because we bring too many elements in one group. A group might come out nowadays and might not think it's financially feasible to stay together. One group I admired a lot, Jurassic 5, they couldn't stay together because of financial and personal reasons. That kind of hurts. Groups are really important.
marc-allan.com
BIO:
Marc Allan is a freelance reporter/ writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and many other newspapers and magazines.
He's based in Indianapolis.
If you need something written, contact him at marc@marc-allan.com
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