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Thread started 08/25/02 6:45pm

Supernova

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PE In The Houuuse!

From the back when hip hop had substance files, I give you:


Public Enemy's shot heard 'round the 'Planet'

August 25, 2002

BY JIM DEROGATIS POP MUSIC CRITIC of the Chicago Sun-Times


Crafted by a group of artists at the peak of their creative powers, Public Enemy's third album arrived in the spring of 1990 amid considerable controversy, and its impact was incendiary: Musically and lyrically, it was the most revolutionary disc since "Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols," and it stands as a work that is every bit as important and influential.

A graphic design student at Adelphi University, Carlton Ridenhour (better known as Chuck D.) formed Public Enemy in 1982, after meeting fellow hip-hop fan Hank Shocklee (soon to be known as the leader of the Bomb Squad) while DJing on the student radio station. Strongly influenced by Afrocentric politics, the Nation of Islam and the writings of Malcolm X, Chuck D. envisioned a group that built on the hard-rocking, streetwise sounds of Run-D.M.C. while addressing political concerns with the authoritative voice of self-described "edutainer" KRS-One, whose Boogie Down Productions pioneered gangsta rap's first-hand reporting of life in the ghetto.

P.E. elbowed its way onto the music scene in 1987 with "Yo! Bum Rush the Show," but it first won widespread attention with its provocatively titled sophomore effort, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." Here the group perfected its musical formula as the production team of the Bomb Squad (Hank and Keith Shocklee, Carl Ryder and Eric "Vietnam" Sadler) paired relentless rhythms (P.E. always rocked more than it bounced) with incredibly dense musical backings. (Unlike many rap groups, P.E. generally avoided long, easily identifiable samples in favor of complicated white-noise collages fashioned from dozens of short, often altered snippets of other records.)

Meanwhile, Chuck D. challenged listeners to question their assumptions about white America and the black community with a booming baritone voice (he said that his biggest vocal influence was sports announcer Marv Albert), while his friend and comic sidekick William Drayton (who became Flavor Flav as he donned ridiculous sunglasses and hung a giant clock around his neck) deftly tap-danced through the mix, cracking wise and seconding his pal's heaviest pronouncements ("Yeee-ah!").

Hardcore hip-hop fans tend to hold "It Takes a Nation of Millions" as the group's masterpiece. But the follow-up was just as powerful, and its impact was even greater.

In 1989, director Spike Lee used a new P.E. track "Fight the Power" as the theme music for "Do the Right Thing," a politically charged work whose impact in the film world was as potent as P.E.'s on the music scene. The song is the one that Radio Raheem plays on his giant boom box to initiate the climactic confrontation with the owner of Sal's Pizzeria. Chuck D. has just pronounced the infamous line, "Elvis was hero to most but he never meant s--- to me" when Sal takes a baseball bat to the radio, starting a fight that sets off a riot and results in Raheem's death at the hands of police.

Lee had chosen the perfect match of music and movie images: The gripe with Sal was that he only hung pictures of Italian-American entertainers on his wall, refusing to honor any African Americans, even though nearly all of his customers were black. In several recent interviews timed to the 25th anniversary of the King's death, Chuck D. (an ardent student of musical history) made clear that he always respected Elvis' talent, but he was trying to question white America's embrace of him as an idol while slighting or ignoring the contributions of the many black artists that the King built on.

The rapper dealt with the same subject in "Who Stole the Soul?" "Like I wanna know who picked Wilson [Pickett]'s pocket/After he rocked it/Fact he shocked it," he rapped. "Same thing they threw at James [Brown]/And what they did to Redd [Foxx] was a shame/The bigger the black get/The bigger the feds want/A piece of that booty."

Often prone to hyperbole--Chuck D. had earlier claimed that hip-hop was black America's CNN--his lyrics were often taken out of context and misinterpreted by critics anxious to call him a racist, a charge that had earlier been leveled at Malcolm X. In fact, with a few noticeable missteps, Chuck usually expressed his most controversial thoughts as questions, even if he didn't raise his voice at the end of a slogan to indicate an interrogatory. He pointed out problems and challenged assumptions, but refused to provide easy, canned answers--knowing that with issues of race, nothing is easy.

Unfortunately, some of those associated with the P.E. camp weren't quite as deep. Before the release of "Fear of a Black Planet," spokesman Professor Griff (listed on the album as "the last Asiatic disciple") gave a controversial interview to The Washington Times in which he echoed a discredited notion by some extremist Muslims who blame Jewish people for "the majority of the wickedness that goes on across the globe." As a result, P.E. was branded as anti-Semitic, a charge that made Chuck D. recoil. For once, his eloquence failed him, and he completely mishandled the situation, firing Griff, then bringing him back, then temporarily breaking up the group, all without ever adequately addressing the subject.

The brouhaha colored the reception of "Fear" at the time, galvanizing fans and cultural pundits into pro- and anti-P.E. factions. But like the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams," another great album mired in political controversy when it was released, the passage of time has made it much easier to hear and appreciate the disc's real accomplishments.

Clocking in at 63 minutes and boasting some 20 tracks, "Fear" is a long and uncompromising album that requires several listens before you can begin to get a handle on it. But the Bomb Squad and the legendary DJ Terminator X propel you through it with relentlessly moving beats and soundscapes that shift and vary constantly, like the scenery in a crowded cityscape during a high-speed, late-night joy ride.

Early on, Chuck D. urges us to look at "real history, not his story." Then he and Flavor Flav begin to fearlessly push society's hot buttons, examining racism in the entertainment world ("Burn Hollywood Burn"), the contrast between poor black neighborhoods and wealthy white ones regarding vital city services ("911 Is a Joke"), and the problem of miscegenation (the title track and "Pollywanacraka" are equally harsh on black men and women, questioning their own inbred biases).

Effectively book-ending the disc are its two strongest tracks. Following a brief instrumental, the album opens with the catchy and rousing "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," a defiant promise that the community will rise up and fix its problems. It closes with "Fight the Power," a much angrier pledge, and nothing less than one of rock's most memorable calls to arms. (The alternating emotions recall the ambiguous ending of "Do the Right Thing," in which Lee contrasted quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.) That both songs still sound vital, relevant and necessary speaks to how little things have changed in society over the last 12 years.

Playing on the "black CNN" claim, commentators and newsreaders interject dour-voiced criticisms of P.E. throughout the album. Eminem has done something similar with his recent albums and concerts, but his condemnations have arisen from his transparent, simplistic attempts to shock, while P.E.'s rose from a much stronger and braver tradition of artists raising profound questions about the social ills around them.

In recent years, it is a far less ambitious form of gangsta rap that has ruled supreme in the mainstream. But Public Enemy stretched the genre's potential artistically and intellectually. It is only a matter of time before younger musical revolutionaries pick up the gauntlet and carry on the fight.

Pop music critic Jim DeRogatis writes about rock's great albums every other Sunday in Showcase.
This post not for the wimp contingent. All whiny wusses avert your eyes.
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Reply #1 posted 08/25/02 6:48pm

mistermaxxx

Supernova said:

From the back when hip hop had substance files, I give you:


Public Enemy's shot heard 'round the 'Planet'

August 25, 2002

BY JIM DEROGATIS POP MUSIC CRITIC of the Chicago Sun-Times


Crafted by a group of artists at the peak of their creative powers, Public Enemy's third album arrived in the spring of 1990 amid considerable controversy, and its impact was incendiary: Musically and lyrically, it was the most revolutionary disc since "Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols," and it stands as a work that is every bit as important and influential.

A graphic design student at Adelphi University, Carlton Ridenhour (better known as Chuck D.) formed Public Enemy in 1982, after meeting fellow hip-hop fan Hank Shocklee (soon to be known as the leader of the Bomb Squad) while DJing on the student radio station. Strongly influenced by Afrocentric politics, the Nation of Islam and the writings of Malcolm X, Chuck D. envisioned a group that built on the hard-rocking, streetwise sounds of Run-D.M.C. while addressing political concerns with the authoritative voice of self-described "edutainer" KRS-One, whose Boogie Down Productions pioneered gangsta rap's first-hand reporting of life in the ghetto.

P.E. elbowed its way onto the music scene in 1987 with "Yo! Bum Rush the Show," but it first won widespread attention with its provocatively titled sophomore effort, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." Here the group perfected its musical formula as the production team of the Bomb Squad (Hank and Keith Shocklee, Carl Ryder and Eric "Vietnam" Sadler) paired relentless rhythms (P.E. always rocked more than it bounced) with incredibly dense musical backings. (Unlike many rap groups, P.E. generally avoided long, easily identifiable samples in favor of complicated white-noise collages fashioned from dozens of short, often altered snippets of other records.)

Meanwhile, Chuck D. challenged listeners to question their assumptions about white America and the black community with a booming baritone voice (he said that his biggest vocal influence was sports announcer Marv Albert), while his friend and comic sidekick William Drayton (who became Flavor Flav as he donned ridiculous sunglasses and hung a giant clock around his neck) deftly tap-danced through the mix, cracking wise and seconding his pal's heaviest pronouncements ("Yeee-ah!").

Hardcore hip-hop fans tend to hold "It Takes a Nation of Millions" as the group's masterpiece. But the follow-up was just as powerful, and its impact was even greater.

In 1989, director Spike Lee used a new P.E. track "Fight the Power" as the theme music for "Do the Right Thing," a politically charged work whose impact in the film world was as potent as P.E.'s on the music scene. The song is the one that Radio Raheem plays on his giant boom box to initiate the climactic confrontation with the owner of Sal's Pizzeria. Chuck D. has just pronounced the infamous line, "Elvis was hero to most but he never meant s--- to me" when Sal takes a baseball bat to the radio, starting a fight that sets off a riot and results in Raheem's death at the hands of police.

Lee had chosen the perfect match of music and movie images: The gripe with Sal was that he only hung pictures of Italian-American entertainers on his wall, refusing to honor any African Americans, even though nearly all of his customers were black. In several recent interviews timed to the 25th anniversary of the King's death, Chuck D. (an ardent student of musical history) made clear that he always respected Elvis' talent, but he was trying to question white America's embrace of him as an idol while slighting or ignoring the contributions of the many black artists that the King built on.

The rapper dealt with the same subject in "Who Stole the Soul?" "Like I wanna know who picked Wilson [Pickett]'s pocket/After he rocked it/Fact he shocked it," he rapped. "Same thing they threw at James [Brown]/And what they did to Redd [Foxx] was a shame/The bigger the black get/The bigger the feds want/A piece of that booty."

Often prone to hyperbole--Chuck D. had earlier claimed that hip-hop was black America's CNN--his lyrics were often taken out of context and misinterpreted by critics anxious to call him a racist, a charge that had earlier been leveled at Malcolm X. In fact, with a few noticeable missteps, Chuck usually expressed his most controversial thoughts as questions, even if he didn't raise his voice at the end of a slogan to indicate an interrogatory. He pointed out problems and challenged assumptions, but refused to provide easy, canned answers--knowing that with issues of race, nothing is easy.

Unfortunately, some of those associated with the P.E. camp weren't quite as deep. Before the release of "Fear of a Black Planet," spokesman Professor Griff (listed on the album as "the last Asiatic disciple") gave a controversial interview to The Washington Times in which he echoed a discredited notion by some extremist Muslims who blame Jewish people for "the majority of the wickedness that goes on across the globe." As a result, P.E. was branded as anti-Semitic, a charge that made Chuck D. recoil. For once, his eloquence failed him, and he completely mishandled the situation, firing Griff, then bringing him back, then temporarily breaking up the group, all without ever adequately addressing the subject.

The brouhaha colored the reception of "Fear" at the time, galvanizing fans and cultural pundits into pro- and anti-P.E. factions. But like the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams," another great album mired in political controversy when it was released, the passage of time has made it much easier to hear and appreciate the disc's real accomplishments.

Clocking in at 63 minutes and boasting some 20 tracks, "Fear" is a long and uncompromising album that requires several listens before you can begin to get a handle on it. But the Bomb Squad and the legendary DJ Terminator X propel you through it with relentlessly moving beats and soundscapes that shift and vary constantly, like the scenery in a crowded cityscape during a high-speed, late-night joy ride.

Early on, Chuck D. urges us to look at "real history, not his story." Then he and Flavor Flav begin to fearlessly push society's hot buttons, examining racism in the entertainment world ("Burn Hollywood Burn"), the contrast between poor black neighborhoods and wealthy white ones regarding vital city services ("911 Is a Joke"), and the problem of miscegenation (the title track and "Pollywanacraka" are equally harsh on black men and women, questioning their own inbred biases).

Effectively book-ending the disc are its two strongest tracks. Following a brief instrumental, the album opens with the catchy and rousing "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," a defiant promise that the community will rise up and fix its problems. It closes with "Fight the Power," a much angrier pledge, and nothing less than one of rock's most memorable calls to arms. (The alternating emotions recall the ambiguous ending of "Do the Right Thing," in which Lee contrasted quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.) That both songs still sound vital, relevant and necessary speaks to how little things have changed in society over the last 12 years.

Playing on the "black CNN" claim, commentators and newsreaders interject dour-voiced criticisms of P.E. throughout the album. Eminem has done something similar with his recent albums and concerts, but his condemnations have arisen from his transparent, simplistic attempts to shock, while P.E.'s rose from a much stronger and braver tradition of artists raising profound questions about the social ills around them.

In recent years, it is a far less ambitious form of gangsta rap that has ruled supreme in the mainstream. But Public Enemy stretched the genre's potential artistically and intellectually. It is only a matter of time before younger musical revolutionaries pick up the gauntlet and carry on the fight.

Pop music critic Jim DeRogatis writes about rock's great albums every other Sunday in Showcase.
Much Props to You SuperNova for bringing this Piece in here.Right ON!!!
mistermaxxx
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Reply #2 posted 08/25/02 8:44pm

Snap

I have to wonder what the real motivation is behind this article and where, if anywhere, other races (more likely social classes) fit into these same arguments. More colors are our brothers than we realize. 1 Corinthians 8:2

---

"Have u ever felt the presence of a brain? We have all seen them standing amidst the surprise. Sometimes a man smiles; at what, I often wonder, but u can tell he's a thinker by the far away look n his eyes. When God's children start thinking 2gether... learning 2 live and love one another, hey, hey, hey..." = Parliament's Presence of a Brain
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Reply #3 posted 08/26/02 12:08am

Supernova

avatar

I agree. It seems conspiratorial in nature.
This post not for the wimp contingent. All whiny wusses avert your eyes.
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Reply #4 posted 08/26/02 12:56am

Essence

Supernova said:

I agree. It seems conspiratorial in nature.


I'm always ready to spot propagandist agendas but this article reads as a pretty straight forward run through on PE's career/importance to me. Where's the controversial statements?
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Reply #5 posted 08/26/02 1:21pm

tommyalma

Oh yeah! Blaming all on the Jews IN DA HOUSE!!!. Please.
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Reply #6 posted 08/26/02 1:50pm

Brother915

FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET, APOCALYPSE 91'-THE ENEMY STRIKES BLACK are major hip-hop masterpieces and still holds up quite well even today. Chuck D just has it all: the voice, the tone, the lyrical firepower, the strong stance, the intelligence, the demeanor, the ambition. All of the things that makes "one" an enemy to the Establishment.
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Reply #7 posted 08/26/02 2:14pm

Wolf

tommyalma said:

Oh yeah! Blaming all on the Jews IN DA HOUSE!!!. Please.

Cry an ocean.
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Reply #8 posted 08/26/02 3:10pm

tommyalma

Wolf said:

tommyalma said:

Oh yeah! Blaming all on the Jews IN DA HOUSE!!!. Please.

Cry an ocean.

Suck a Matzoh ball.
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Reply #9 posted 08/26/02 10:37pm

Wolf

I got your matzoh balls right here!
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Reply #10 posted 08/27/02 2:38pm

herbthe4

Best rap band ever.
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Reply #11 posted 08/31/02 3:24pm

TheBluePrince

avatar

Brother915 said:

FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET, APOCALYPSE 91'-THE ENEMY STRIKES BLACK are major hip-hop masterpieces and still holds up quite well even today. Chuck D just has it all: the voice, the tone, the lyrical firepower, the strong stance, the intelligence, the demeanor, the ambition. All of the things that makes "one" an enemy to the Establishment.


I agree...Any of you read Chuck D's Book, with a foreword by Spike Lee? It's called, "Fight The Power" it's a must-read.

He speaks of his...

Plantation Theory ~ African-Americans (black people) don't have communities. Simply because they don't have control over them, they have plantations.

Control= control over the 3 E's; Enforcement, Education and Economics. I group of people have no control over their communtities if they don't have those 3...

It's a really good read, he has a brilliant mind, and a drive that never lets up...

Blue cool
Drink Blue Kool-aid drink
Blue music
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Reply #12 posted 08/31/02 9:13pm

NuPwrSoul

The

article said:


Effectively book-ending the disc are its two strongest tracks. Following a brief instrumental, the album opens with the catchy and rousing "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," a defiant promise that the community will rise up and fix its problems.


If you listen close enough to "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" you can hear their looped sample of Prince's guitar solo finale and scream from "Let's Go Crazy."

I would say that "Fear of a Black Planet" and "It Takes a Nation of Millions..." were their strongest without a doubt and are shonuff classics.
[This message was edited Sat Aug 31 21:13:38 PDT 2002 by NuPwrSoul]
"That...magic, the start of something revolutionary-the Minneapolis Sound, we should cherish it and not punish prince for not being able to replicate it."-Dreamshaman32
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Reply #13 posted 08/31/02 10:04pm

Supernova

avatar

NuPwrSoul said:

The

article said:


Effectively book-ending the disc are its two strongest tracks. Following a brief instrumental, the album opens with the catchy and rousing "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," a defiant promise that the community will rise up and fix its problems.


If you listen close enough to "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" you can hear their looped sample of Prince's guitar solo finale and scream from "Let's Go Crazy."

I would say that "Fear of a Black Planet" and "It Takes a Nation of Millions..." were their strongest without a doubt and are shonuff classics.
[This message was edited Sat Aug 31 21:13:38 PDT 2002 by NuPwrSoul]

Indeed. Also in the same song you can hear JB's "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" rhythm, a Sly & The Family Stone vocal sample, and a Hendrix sample from the title track to "Are You Experienced."
This post not for the wimp contingent. All whiny wusses avert your eyes.
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Reply #14 posted 09/01/02 1:49am

mistermaxxx

Supernova said:

NuPwrSoul said:

The

article said:


Effectively book-ending the disc are its two strongest tracks. Following a brief instrumental, the album opens with the catchy and rousing "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," a defiant promise that the community will rise up and fix its problems.


If you listen close enough to "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" you can hear their looped sample of Prince's guitar solo finale and scream from "Let's Go Crazy."

I would say that "Fear of a Black Planet" and "It Takes a Nation of Millions..." were their strongest without a doubt and are shonuff classics.
[This message was edited Sat Aug 31 21:13:38 PDT 2002 by NuPwrSoul]

Indeed. Also in the same song you can hear JB's "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" rhythm, a Sly & The Family Stone vocal sample, and a Hendrix sample from the title track to "Are You Experienced."
I Applaud the Genius they used at Sampling.they made it cool back in the day.a Strong Mixture of many Cool Elements.but nowadays you would be sitting in Music Court for all the many Artists featured on that one Song.but I Miss that vibe when Sampling truly Sounded like Art¬ just a 80's to Late 80's All You Can Take.
mistermaxxx
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Reply #15 posted 09/01/02 2:16am

NuPwrSoul

mistermaxxx said:

I Applaud the Genius they used at Sampling.they made it cool back in the day.a Strong Mixture of many Cool Elements.but nowadays you would be sitting in Music Court for all the many Artists featured on that one Song.but I Miss that vibe when Sampling truly Sounded like Art¬ just a 80's to Late 80's All You Can Take.


Exactly. When they and the best of producers (like Prince Paul, etc.) sampled something, they pulled ish from all over the place and re-presented in a way that created a new sound.

The Bomb Squad used sampling, looping, and scratching to mask the origins of much of their work, and since they weren't legally required to give credit, I remember spending a lot of time and having a lot of fun trying to decipher the roots of their sounds. It was like a treasure hunt.

Nowadays, sampling has given way to remakes. No originality in the reconfiguration or re-production, no re-arrangements, backwards looping, effects, nuffin. Just play the old song. That dang PDiddy!
"That...magic, the start of something revolutionary-the Minneapolis Sound, we should cherish it and not punish prince for not being able to replicate it."-Dreamshaman32
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Reply #16 posted 09/01/02 3:27am

theC

This is just another reason you are close to being the perfect woman.You have knowledge from all areas.You would be perfect if you didn't like those weak Steelers lol .
As for PE i used to love to play them.They were the first rap group that i can remember that made me feel good to black.And had brotha's showing each other much love.Then came gangsta rap and the dream was lost.Now it's all about money and women.With Pe you had a sense of pride and purpose.Just another reason i feel for the children of today.
[This message was edited Sun Sep 1 3:31:02 PDT 2002 by theC]
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Reply #17 posted 09/01/02 6:19am

TheBluePrince

avatar

theC said:

This is just another reason you are close to being the perfect woman.You have knowledge from all areas.You would be perfect if you didn't like those weak Steelers lol .
As for PE i used to love to play them.They were the first rap group that i can remember that made me feel good to black.And had brotha's showing each other much love.Then came gangsta rap and the dream was lost.Now it's all about money and women.With Pe you had a sense of pride and purpose.Just another reason i feel for the children of today.
[This message was edited Sun Sep 1 3:31:02 PDT 2002 by theC]


Exactly! I feel for the children also...I guess that's why I chose the career I did. Somebody has to rid their brains of all this; bling-bling, platinum this and that: Iced Out! Escalades wit 22 inch rims, Gucci Leather (see any Cash Money song: Big Tymer's, Lil' Payne I mean Wayne etc...)

Materialism, that's what is in...screw the actual music, screw the actual beauty of lyrcil rhyme. Let's all live these lifestyles, where Integrity, Heart and Soul are absent...is what the music suggest.

Give a good close listen to: Slum Village: "Tainted" Didn't get any play from MTV, a lil on BET, but VH1 Soul is the main channel that plays the video. Give it a listen, the song acknowledges both rappers and the industry...Good song, good group. Rap needs them...

Another must read: Bakari Kitwana's "The Rap On Gangsta Rap" This man summed up over a decade of black music in a short 75 page book. Extermely potent with, information and knowledge. Search for: Chicago's Third World Press

Blue cool
Drink Blue Kool-aid drink
[This message was edited Sun Sep 1 6:20:47 PDT 2002 by TheBluePrince]
Blue music
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Reply #18 posted 09/01/02 8:49am

theC

TheBluePrince said:


Give a good close listen to: Slum Village: "Tainted" Didn't get any play from MTV, a lil on BET, but VH1 Soul is the main channel that plays the video. Give it a listen, the song acknowledges both rappers and the industry...Good song, good group. Rap needs them...

Another must read: Bakari Kitwana's "The Rap On Gangsta Rap" This man summed up over a decade of black music in a short 75 page book. Extermely potent with, information and knowledge. Search for: Chicago's Third World Press

Blue cool
Drink Blue Kool-aid drink
[This message was edited Sun Sep 1 6:20:47 PDT 2002 by TheBluePrince]


theC
Thanks Blue,i'll do that.I hate that i don't play that much rap music around my kids because it is today's music.I just want their minds to grow on a wider variety of thoughts other than the BLING BLING!!!
[This message was edited Sun Sep 1 8:50:44 PDT 2002 by theC]
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Reply #19 posted 09/01/02 11:08am

feltbluish

avatar

PE's the best!
Ever since "YO, Bum Rush the Show!"
-------------------------------------------------
Something new for your ears and soul.
http://artists.mp3s.com/a...dadli.html

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Reply #20 posted 09/01/02 11:43am

Supernova

avatar

mistermaxxx said:

Supernova said:

NuPwrSoul said:

The

article said:


Effectively book-ending the disc are its two strongest tracks. Following a brief instrumental, the album opens with the catchy and rousing "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," a defiant promise that the community will rise up and fix its problems.


If you listen close enough to "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" you can hear their looped sample of Prince's guitar solo finale and scream from "Let's Go Crazy."

I would say that "Fear of a Black Planet" and "It Takes a Nation of Millions..." were their strongest without a doubt and are shonuff classics.
[This message was edited Sat Aug 31 21:13:38 PDT 2002 by NuPwrSoul]

Indeed. Also in the same song you can hear JB's "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" rhythm, a Sly & The Family Stone vocal sample, and a Hendrix sample from the title track to "Are You Experienced."
I Applaud the Genius they used at Sampling.they made it cool back in the day.a Strong Mixture of many Cool Elements.but nowadays you would be sitting in Music Court for all the many Artists featured on that one Song.but I Miss that vibe when Sampling truly Sounded like Art¬ just a 80's to Late 80's All You Can Take.

PE's Bomb Squad was probably the first production team that made me realize that you can REALLY be creative with sampling. You can still sample as much as you want; as long as you legally clear the samples beforehand. Although there are more laws in place about sampling now.

NuPwrSoul said:

The Bomb Squad used sampling, looping, and scratching to mask the origins of much of their work, and since they weren't legally required to give credit, I remember spending a lot of time and having a lot of fun trying to decipher the roots of their sounds. It was like a treasure hunt.

Precisely. I remember when I first bought "Fear Of A Black Planet"...I kept listening to some of the songs over and over and thinking to myself, "Hey! I have ALL those records!" It's really ingenious the way they sampled their music. Sometimes it was like controlled chaos.

Nowadays, sampling has given way to remakes. No originality in the reconfiguration or re-production, no re-arrangements, backwards looping, effects, nuffin. Just play the old song. That dang PDiddy!

And before him it was MC Hammer who just looped the recording and rapped over it. That's karaoke style rap.disbelief

TheC said:

This is just another reason you are close to being the perfect woman.You have knowledge from all areas.You would be perfect if you didn't like those weak Steelers lol.

evil My Steelers have a great tradition and legacy. I'm no bandwagon fan that jumps ship just because they haven't won the big one in over 20 years...unlike those outside of San Francisco who pledge their allegiance to the 49ers! razz

As for PE i used to love to play them.They were the first rap group that i can remember that made me feel good to black.And had brotha's showing each other much love.Then came gangsta rap and the dream was lost.Now it's all about money and women.With Pe you had a sense of pride and purpose.Just another reason i feel for the children of today.

I bought "Fear" on the advice of my nephew at the time. I was skeptical, because I wasn't hearing any hip hip that was worth it for me to buy. I mean, I liked a lot of the hip hop that was just FUN to dance to, but I knew PE's music was serious, and I thought it would be predictable. Wow, did they ever rock my world! After that I bought "Nation of Millions," and although I love that album too, I like "Fear" even better. The production is so dense. If you ask me, no other hip hop group has had the MUSICAL impact that they had.
This post not for the wimp contingent. All whiny wusses avert your eyes.
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Reply #21 posted 09/02/02 2:47pm

ian

PE are the best... there is no better representative of what hiphop should be about than Chuck D. He is the man!

I'm digging Revolverlution at the moment...

ian
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Reply #22 posted 09/02/02 5:02pm

theC

Supernova said:


TheC said:

This is just another reason you are close to being the perfect woman.You have knowledge from all areas.You would be perfect if you didn't like those weak Steelers lol.

evil My Steelers have a great tradition and legacy. I'm no bandwagon fan that jumps ship just because they haven't won the big one in over 20 years...unlike those outside of San Francisco who pledge their allegiance to the 49ers! razz


theC
I AM!!!Jumped on the bandwagon and got Five Rings and a Competitive team almost every year.You can jump on the wagon when you get tired of the heartbreak the steelers bring you now lol
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