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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Public Enemy

  • Fight the power!

    Back when I was in the Peace Corps, a few of my colleagues were upset about a local kiosk owner ripping us off. A friend of mine said, “C’mon Jenny, fight the “green shack” power!

    Lately, I’ve been feeling like protesting. Ever since our move in late July, I have had to deal with several companies that seem ill inclined to either do what they are being paid to do or correct their mistakes. I don’t want to get too much into my personal issues because if I start writing about them here, I will likely get carried away and never get around to writing about music. But I will say that these recent issues, which seriously, in the grand scheme of things are probably pretty minor, have made me feel kind of feisty. No one likes to feel like they’re being ripped off or cheated. No one likes to feel oppressed by “the man”. No one likes to pay for services not received. Those feelings have led to some great songs.

    Fight The Power by The Isley Brothers

    I was first introduced to this song by my friend, Weird Wilbur, who had used it as background music for one of his videos on YouTube. There’s something about this funky groove that makes me want to fight the power.

    Fight The Power by Public Enemy

    Years later, Public Enemy had their own hit called “Fight The Power”. It was used as the theme for Spike Lee’s film, Do The Right Thing, and includes samples from James Brown’s “Hot Pants”. Granted, both “Fight The Powers” are about racial oppression, but in the end, we all hate being screwed.

    Cash In Your Face by Stevie Wonder

    “Cash In Your Face” is a great song by Stevie Wonder addressing racial discrimination. The lyrics are heartbreaking; Stevie adopts a flat voice as he plays the man in charge denying housing or employment to people of color.

    Backstabbers by The O’Jays

    “What they doin’?” Smiling in your face, right? While they smile at you, they screw you over. This song is about dishonest “friends” trying to steal the singer’s woman. Personally, I don’t think it’s possible for people to steal other peoples’ significant others. However, the “smiling in your face” motif definitely comes into play when you’re dealing with politicians and customer service people. They bullshit you into thinking they’re helping you, when in fact you’re about to get it.

    Fucked Up, Fucked Over, and Hungry by Weird Wilbur

    Here’s a song by Weird Wilbur about a guy who gets screwed over when trying to launch a record deal because he fell for bullshit promises.

    If I Had The Copyright (The F Word Song) by Carla Ulbrich

    This song isn’t so much about being screwed by the man. It’s more about someone imagining being one of the wealthy making money off others. For some reason, this song skips at the end. Other versions are on YouTube, but they’re bleeped and I’m in the mood for profanity. I must warn you that the above song is not work or kid friendly.

    Anyway, I know I should write letters, make phone calls, and complain a lot. But despite appearances, I don’t enjoy complaining and I hate being on the phone with people who are both unsympathetic and uninformed. Anyway, I hope to be in a better mood by Friday.

  • 2009 Hip Hop Honors Live Play By Play

    VH-1’s Hip Hop Honors show is one of my favorite shows of the year. It’s still amazing that VH-1 of all stations pays respect to the hip hop genre best, but hey, I’m not complaining.

    (By the way, I know that it’s not technically live considering I’m on the West Coast, and I’m DVRing it so that I don’t have to watch commercials, but when people look at this in a few years, will they even know?)

    (Wait, I just let the cat out of the bag. Damn.)

    This year’s show pays respect to the Def Jam label. I hope we see some Rick Rubin tonight. I know we’ll see a lot of Russell Simmons.

    And away we go…

    Russell Simmons at the 2008 VMAs
    Russell Simmons at the 2008 VMAs
    – I think I saw Rubin already. It was either him or Jesus Christ. I’m not quite sure yet.

    – If you like you some Tracy Morgan, this is your show. If you don’t like you some Tracy Morgan, I’m not sure how much of this you’ll be able to stomach.

    – Hey, LL is on this show even though he doesn’t have a record to pimp. Wait, didn’t he just start a new TV show?

    – Black Thought and Eminem tear up Rock The Bells, but I was a bit sad watching because it takes Em doing hip hop karaoke to show that he can still bring it.

    – Jazzy Jeff was spinning and ?uestlove was on the drums by the way. Talk about all-star cast.

    – Why is Jimmy Fallon on this show? Oh yah, he put the Roots on his show. He can be on it.

    – You know how Dr. Dre got all swoll in his later years? Chuck D doesn’t believe in that.

    – Another reason I like this show is because it’s the one time a year where we get to see what Flavor Flav did that truly made him famous.

    – I’m not quite sure that Ludacris deserves to be on the same stage that Public Enemy just graced, but oh well, it’s all about the love tonight.

    – KRS-One doing No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn? Well, he can do whatever song he wants as long as he doesn’t get mad at us.

    – For The Love Of Ray J is still on? It’s amazing that the same station that puts Ray J in his drawers on TV is the same station that puts this show together.

    – Warren G and Trey Songz just doesn’t have the same ring to it as Warren G and Nate Dogg. “And I see my homie Trey,” just doesn’t work for me.

    – Only Brett Ratner would use the name “Method Man” and the words “true genius” in the same sentence. I’m not sure Mef’s mom would say that. Whatever happened their TV show Method and Red?

    – Uh oh, I may get a little excited here. Mary J is here and she and Meth are going to perform I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By, and it’s not the Diddy remix.

    – Onyx is on the stage and everyone watching all said at the same time, “I guess Onyx is still alive.”

    – I think the last time I saw Eve was on last year’s Hip Hop Honors show.

    – Ja Rule and Ashanti are on the stage doing an old favorite. Wait, I’m not sure any of their songs were old favorites. I always thought that they should let Ja Rule stand on a box whenever he was rapping on stage. He looks like Tupac’s mini me.

    (For the first time in the history of this show, I hit the fast forward. I apologize. Ja Rule and Ashanti did a second song. I couldn’t take it anymore.)

    – There’s been an Oran “Juice” Jones sighting. I repeat, there’s been an Oran “Juice” Jones sighting.

    – Hold on, I may have to fast forward again. I think Tracy just introduced Rick Ross. On most of the earlier performances, Russ Simmons and Chris Rock were rappin’ along with the songs. Not with Ross. They’re just pretending to like it.

    bbvsta_dmxvsem– DMX is back! If you’ve been wondering what X is into lately, he’s supposedly “fighting” on an MMA show. Notice the word fighting in quotes.

    – Let’s put it this way; Kid Rock is a more charismatic rhymer than Rick Ross.

    – EPMD is doing Crossover, but poor Parrish’s mic isn’t working.

    – Foxy Brown is wearing the same clothes she wore in 1997, except she’s about 25 pounds heavier in the chest area. Always trying to keep up with Lil’ Kim.

    – I can’t believe they ended the show with Doug E. Doug doing Kanye’s Touch The Sky.

    – Oh well, even though it was probably the worst of the Hip Hop Honors show, there was still some good stuff. Watch for the first half.

    – By the way, was Jay-Z busy or persona non grata?

    Photo of Russell Simmons by Philip Nelson, Live Streaming Expert and shared via creative commons

  • Infatueighties #68: “Self Destruction”

    Get just about every rapper who was someone on one track, lamenting negative images and black-on-black crime. Think you’d be able to put something like that together these days? Not with Young Jeezy-types littering the hip-hop scene. At any rate, this Gold single reads like a who’s who of golden-age hip hop: Doug E. Fresh, Stetsasonic, Heavy D., Public Enemy, Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte (whose verse was written by LL Cool J) and the Stop the Violence Movement’s founder, KRS-ONE.

    Not only was Self Destruction one of the first (and still one of the best) posse cuts in hip-hop history, but it was for a good cause. KRS founded the Stop the Violence movement in response to the senseless death of his Boogie Down Productions partner Scott LaRock, and for a while, it was almost impossible to find a hip-hop album cover without the Stop the Violence logo on the back. Of course, part of what gives hip-hop its’ allure these days IS violence. Ah well, can’t get the glory days back, but at least we’ll always have this video.