SOHH LEFT COAST
Fear of a Wide-Awake Planet
Posted on November 12, 2007 10:00 AM
Before anybody cared about what coast you came from, there was a little group called Public Enemy. This weekend, SOHH Left attended the world premiere of their documentary Public Enemy: Welcome to The Terrordome at the AFI Institute’s annual film fest in Hollywood.
Over 130 hours of tape and 20 years in the game got condensed into the real story behind one of music’s most seminal acts. This honest film, currently awaiting a theatrical release, focuses on the art and insanity a lot more than the politics and the Bomb Squad. Industry heavy hitters like Henry Rollins, Tom Morello, DMC, and the Beastie Boys, among others, discuss their memories of the group. For example, we learn that Henry Rollins got put onto PE by Fugazi and Minor Threat legend Ian McKaye. While Chuck is always quick to drop a motherf**k Elvis or two, the thrill in his eyes when he and his Public Enemy patriots recreated the Beatles crossing of Abbey Road in England, well, it’s childlike. Moments like these truly balance out the more standard fare, like the frantic chills of their live performance of “Son of A Bush” down in Austin “Dubya’s backyard” Texas.
But the real gems are between Chuck and Flav. They bicker, they get annoyed, but they’re honest about it. Chuck and Professor Griff know that without Flav they would’ve only reached a small percentage of their audience today, but they also know his ability to quickly undercut that PE message. Griff calls Flav “a test from God,” and it’s quite apparent that Chuck feels very similarly…even if Flav’s fashion was ahead of his time. Perhaps the greatest thing to possibly come out of this documentary, is that someone who only knows Flavor of Love and has no idea about Fear of a Black Planet, will get some context into what makes Flav more than just a Viacom cartoon.
A question is presented at the end of the film, and we’ll ask you cookie cutters now: In these times of peril, why hasn’t there been another Public Enemy? This isn’t an East Coast versus West Coast thing, and hell, it’s hardly even a hip-hop thing; with everything wrong in the world, why hasn’t someone new stepped up?
Comments
Because everyone is on that bling-bling, murder, death, kill, gangsta, hoe snatchin' non-sense...most of today's rap generation listeners don't want to hear any conscious rap or political rap, which is sad....and then you have some rappers that a more concerned about how many records they sell rather than the art form.....the only group that came close (well somewhat, but not exactly) was X-clan....but no one can duplicate PE and there will probably never be (at lease not this generation) another PE....the only people we got that is on Chuck D's level is KRS-1 and that's it....David Banner trys, but he doesn't have the impact like those two mentioned.
your all a joke!! do demonic attack all you want your just stealing!! goodmorning!! goodluck and goodningt!!
why hasn’t there been another Public Enemy?
^^^^^^^^
Rage Against The Machine
Immortal Technique
Kam(Watts)
Bocafloja
Shysti(San Diego)
Paris(northern california)
Psycho Realm(Pico Union)
Planet Asia(Fresno)
there hasn't been another group with the same impact as P.E but there's plenty of music artists out there that spread a similar message.
Because Hip Hop is under attack. 2 pac was one of the rappers that exposed the truth, so the gov had him killed. There are other rappers out there that speak the real, but that's not what's selling right now, so there is no lime light to it. I think that Talib Kweli is one of those rappers, but he is so deep, most people cannot comprehend what he's talking about, he completly goes over everyones head. He's not selling big numbers, so he's not looked at as a threat. So to answer your question, there are rappers that rap with the Public Enemy content, It's just not moving units, so it's not considered mainstream. Dumb F#@ks that get on here and post 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, rather listen to them ringtone rappers, and fake fantasy as $#!% cause they sum fake @$$ n!@@A's. Real Hip Hop and sellin cause Real Hip Hop Aint sellin out, like these young dumb F#@ks. Get ya money!!!
PUBLIC ENEMY...What's more to say...Never can be another like them. Although that's what I missed about HIP-HOP..Newreporters on the streets out tha speaker. Compared to today's rap's lyrics.. it's nothing but a teenager's game..whom can't talk about real isssues...instead we have to hear...shake my ass for a buck music. Just not tha same anymore.
First of all good post, I think we need less region specific and more universal black commmunity orientated post
@DaEmph
I cosign 100%. Our society has put such a emphasis on materialism that, there seems to be the belief that if you don't have alot your are nobody of importance. This combined with the fact that there is this belief to instant gratification.
I think one of the things that hinder groups like PE is the fact that corporate powers flex their muscle to prevent things that could threaten their profits.TalibKweli/MosDef pretty much gotta fund their own promotional campaing outta pocket. Yet they will advertise the hell out of 50 Cent who got really nothing of importance to say, which is of course followed by your Bill O'Reily claiming this is hip hop and it needs to come to an end.
Its cool though, first everything runs in a cycle and this 100% joke, 0% serious BS will come to end. Second, considering that everyone seems to live by the view, "Money over all, no matter the cost", that probably an indication that we name to step up every aspect of our game.
A lot of people say hip hop is dead. I say as long as you have people who are dedicated and are more concern with staying true to the art, then hip hop is not dead.
YEA PARIS IS THE ONE THAT COMES TO MIND PLUS ALOT OF THE GOOD SPITTERS DROP A POLITICAL REVOLUTIONARY SONG ON THEY CDS. I GOT ALL PARIS CDS.
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Rage Against The Machine
Immortal Technique
Kam(Watts)
Bocafloja
Shysti(San Diego)
Paris(northern california)
Psycho Realm(Pico Union)
Planet Asia(Fresno)
there hasn't been another group with the same impact as P.E but there's plenty of music artists out there that spread a similar message.
Posted by: La Verdad at November 12, 2007 11:16 AM
yo i agree with this, all these groups had a similar message and feel to their music. most of em just didnt break the mainstream as much as PE did, except for rage.
PUBLIC ENEMY is still great. Their newest record (How you sell soul to a soulless people who sold their souls) is a really good record.
Hey. I think Ded Prez doesn't get near the level of props they deserve.
"Let's Get Free" came out like 6 years ago, I still bang it to this day! As a matter of fact, I was listening to it last night!
Thanks for the review of the doc!
LOL @ THE WEST COAST
ONCE AGAIN NOTHING RELEVANT GOING ON ON THE BITCH COAST SO YALL TALK ABOUT AN LEGENDARY EAST COAST GROUP - AGAIN!!!!
MAD PROPS TO PE AND TELL ICE CUBES BITCH ASS TO GIVE YALL NIGGAS A CHECK
^^^ go home lil girl
Public Enemy is one of a kind but their are plenty like them. Talib Kweli Common, lots of underground cats that never get heard, record labels are not pushin them, radio stations dont play em, naturally people do not want to hear it. How many people call the radio station and actually ask for song that has been positive in hip-hop?? not one person. No one wants 2 hear it. Females defnitley dont want 2 hear real hip hop most of them just want 2 hear sumthin snappy (durty durty) so thats all that gets played. Someone new steps up every day to be the next public Enemy, Das Efx, Rakim Big Daddy Kane, Ice cube, No one ever hears them.
Skee..I feel you on that one.. but we also need strong DJ's to push for those records and artist you mention to get played too. Dj's who aren't afraid of changing the main stream.
FUCK THOSE VATOS THAT TRY TO RAP...CEPT LIL ROB FOR SOME REASON I LIKE THAT NIGGA PAUSE
http://www.ballerstatus.com/music/368/
PE came at the right time with the right frame of mind and at the right volume. The Hip-Hop of the younger generation is a Coon Show. I doubt it can get any dumber, any more self degrading, any more sexist, any more self-hating. I wouldn't wipe my ass with a Souljah Boy T shirt. Being outside of the US, catching a glimpse of a modern US Hip Hop video just makes me think ;you deserve all the shit you get.You deserve to get treated like a dumb ass n-gg-, you deserve 0 education and 0 qualifications, you deserve to kill each other off over petty stuff, you deserve racial profiling from the police, you deserve all the crap you get. Hip Hop was once great and innovative, Hip Hop now is a JOKE. And all you self-proclaimed thugs locked up or shot up are just the punchline. Fck Hip Hop.
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