This article appeared in a newspaper and I thought it was quite interesting. Wanted to get others' feelings and input on it.
PUBLIC ENEMY'S CHUCK D STRIVES FOR INNOVATION
By Rob Clark
The Dallas Morning News

The diagnosis from Chuck D of Public Enemy is grim:"Hip-hop is flatlining."
The group, celebrating it's 15th anniversary this year with the new album Revolverlution, has long been the social conscience of rap. Landmark efforts such as 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and 1990's Fear of a Black Planet are arguably among the best albums of the past 20 years, regardless of genre.
So when Chuck talks, people listen.
"If it doesn't peak and it doesn't valley, flatlining means everybody's doing the same thing the same way," he says by phone from Oakland. "It doesn't mean it's wack, doesn't mean it's great. If you flatline you might as well be dead."
Chuck(real name:Carlton Ridenhour) says his frustrations come from rappers all trying to make the perfect record and not allowing for experimentation.
"Soul is half execution and half accident," he says. "You got better rappers today technically than ever, but also as far as innovation, they're taking (fewer) chances. You can't treat art that way."
With Revolverlution he says he wanted to change the way records are created, taking a rock'n'roll attitude of reinvention. The album includes eight new songs, four remixes and four live versions of PE's classic songs including "Fight the Power" and "Welcome to the Terrordome."
"They're gonna use your past against you," he says, "so use your past to your advantage."
The Internet-savvy Chuck developed a remix contest for budding young producers. He posted his and sidekick Flavor Flav's vocals on their Website. Fans downloaded them more than 11,000 times, he says, and they submitted a total of 462 remixes. The four best re-creations are included on the album.
"Let's make use of this community," he says. "Instead of of being a fan, can we make them a participant as well? So we took the a cappellas and put it on a hook, took the fishing rod and threw it into an ocean full of producers."
One of the new tracks is bound to get criticism, as have many of the group's politically minded songs through the years. The president-bashing "Son of a Bush" features this lyric: "I ain't calling for no assasssination/I'm just saying, who voted for that (expletive) of your nation?"
"Rather than taking a current stab at Bush, let's talk about where Bush came from," Chuck says, "and why we're forgetting so easy that he came from a hothouse in Texas where he was frying people left and right."
The song, which he calls "a funny record," was written around the 2000 election, and he had considered releasing it last year. He held it back after Sept. 11.
He weighed in on Michael Jackson's recent cries of racism against Sony and Tommy Mottola, first with a joke: "Yes, they are racist, because Michael invented his own race."
But then : "Race is a fabric, and a part of everything in America. The bottom line is you're living in the place where racism was invented."

WHERE U BEEN MCGEE?

VERY busy this summer with house and property projects. Jobs and family.
I've also found other discussion forums on the internet that have greatly perked my interest.
Writing.

I think Chuck D was talking about Rappers the same way I talk about Sports Athletes today: in that they are probably more Gifted in terms of Working out more,Quicker,Faster,etc.. but seriously Lack Fundementals&Basics.it takes alot of Cats twice as long at Winning&that's if they ever do? in Rap you have the Widest FOrum Ever to do your thing.as little as 10 Years Back Rap wasn't as WIde open as now.so nobody wants to Bring the Goods they are all too Happy with getting by or Blinging.Cool Thread&Much Props to you.Chuck D.is a Sharp Cat&knows that the Game is Ran like a Game of Monopoly.the Powers that Be don't want another Public Enemy.they don't even want another Run DMC who were very Cross-over but yet were down but that isn't good enough now.Nelly&the Logo Label is where the Big Wigs are at nowadays.Watered Down Industry Clone Era of Music.

mistermaxxx said:

Exactly!!

mistermcgee said:

PE ALWAYS had that rock and roll attitude.

I have no qualms with Chuck, PE is my favorite hip hop group to this day, for many reasons. Though, I don't co-sign every single lyric they've ever written. Still; PE was/is an important group.

He speaks the truth in that interview.

Oh, and as far the new album: I have so many new discs I'm supposed to listen to, and although I have listened to Revolverlution, I can't yet give a fair assessment. My attention is sort of divided.