Chuck's Still Fighting

You gotta love Chuck D, a true original and a genuine badass. Even when he's wrong, you nod your head and throw up a fist. Chuck took part in a hip-hop summit at the University of South Florida last night: "Perspectives of Hip Hop in Today's Society," a rather wonky title for a decidedly hot-button event. I'm not that crazy about the story I filed on deadline -- it's pretty stiff -- but I've provided it below nonetheless. There's definitely more to be said about hip-hop perpetuating the very stereotypes it claims it hates.

Anyway, at the very least, I can clarify here what Chuck D said about Viacom media mogul Sumner Redstone, puppetmaster of MTV and BET: "I wanna whup that cracker's ass!" Again, god bless Chuck D.

TAMPA — Listening to rapper Chuck D's persuasive state of the union smackdown at the University of South Florida on Tuesday, you could envision the incendiary mouthpiece of Public Enemy debating head to head with our presidential hopefuls.

Forget about YouTube. The sucker would be better suited as a boxing match on ESPN.

Taking part in a passionate panel discussion called "Perspectives of Hip Hop in Today’s Society," sponsored by the school’s University Lecture Series, the musician took aim not just at the consumers who gobble up misogynistic, racially demeaning rap music, but also the executives and powers-that-be who sell the party-centric songs with little care for the negative message.

Chuck's pull-no-punches hit list included octogenarian media mogul Sumner Redstone — chairman of Viacom, owner of MTV and BET — whom D offered to, ahem, teach a few things in a most unpleasant manner. Speak loudly and threaten to beat someone's a-- — that's the Chuck D way.

“Young people have been tricked by older people,” said the famously in-your-face musician, whose body of work in the ’80s stressed pro-unity in the African-American community rather than pro-booty, pro-bling, pro-I gotta get mine, who cares about yours.
The money men driving the hip-hop machine are "not family." They don’t care about anything but the bottom line. And if we keep buying harmful music, why would executives stop selling it?

“You have to be accountable,” D urged in his booming voice. “When you don’t stand up for something, you don’t stand for anything.”

D was joined on the panel by four other hip-hop notables, all of whom urged the hundreds of students in the jam-packed Sun Dome to help steer hip-hop — not just the music, but a thriving culture which has come to value hot thongs more than deep thoughts — in a more positive direction.

The first female rapper to go platinum, Da Brat, was seated next to filmmaker Byron Hurt. In the juiciest pairing of the night, spoken-word poet Bridget Gray, who urged a full-on boycott of all hip-hop that denigrates women, was cozy-close next to Karrine Steffans, a.k.a. “the Video Vixen,” who has written two bestselling tell-alls about her bedding a who’s who of hip-hop stars.

Gray opened the night with a rousing recitation of her poem Letter to Hip Hop, which both celebrated the culture but also ripped it good and hard for treating her as nothing more than a sexual accessory.
“No, I won’t back my thing up!” she shouted to the delight of the crowd.

You couldn’t help but search Steffans’ face for the sting as Gray unveiled her verse. But when Steffans, whose well-known nickname in the industry is a no-no in this newspaper (psst: "Superhead"), took her turn at the mike, she stressed not what she’s done in the past, but how she now knows better. “Men be accountable for other men,” Steffans said. “And women, watch out for your own.”

The discussion couldn’t have come at a better time. Sales of hip-hop music are on the downturn, a result of listeners tiring of one-hit wonders and brain-dead (if admittedly catchy) party raps. However, hip-hop culture — the clothes, the movies, the attitude — remains a dominant consumer force in our country. So we’re at a crossroads, and thus it was refreshing to hear five astute artists tell an auditorium full of fans where things should be going.

Da Brat, who’s been known to sling a profanity or two, offered some resistance to the wholesale changes.  “There are two sides to every story,” she said, defending rappers who boast of their wealth. “You’re happy to come from nothing to something.” And as for women in videos, she said, “I like to show my curves, but I don’t like to get things because of them.”

For the most part, though, the panel called for change. And it was Chuck D, of course, who summed it all up in point-blank terms. Rap musicians have to stop chasing dreams of money, and start being true to themselves. "Once you define yourself with money, you’re liable to do anything," he said.

He pointed out that there aren’t even any black faces on U.S. currency.

"If there’s racism even in the dollar, how can that be your guide?"

Comments

[Mike]

So again, in a roundabout way...it's all white people's fault? If he wants to scold people for giving bad influences to our youth, why doesn't he look in the mirror? This is the person who employed Flavor Flav. Quit blaming white people!

[Matt]

I'm trying to imagine "It Takes a Nation of Millions..." without Flava Flav- I can't do it.