TRUTH DECAY - FROM WATTSTAX TO WTF?

June 23, 2008

TRUTH DECAY - FROM WATTSTAX TO WTF? State Of The Art 2008

From the recent HOT 97 Summerjam concert we performed in front of 50,000 people in GIANTS STADIUM, I knew we were thrust in front of alien territory. While being very grateful to have been invited to play that event, and being the old school choice in 2008, I had no other choice but address the crowd of some of the stark realities taking place in the area, amerikkka, and the present earth at that particular time. You see PE had just completed TOUR61, a momentous tour that had us perform the entire It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back album from beginning to end. The tour also was supported by HANK SHOCKLEE and KEITH SHOCKLEE of THE BOMB SQUAD playing a very live set of new sounds and music, as well as the legendary KOOL KEITH. While we played throughout the UK we were able to relate the Scots and the Irish struggles a bit with the black planetary issues, and even make known of the fact that slaves docked at LIVERPOOL in the past recent centuries. Going to PRAGUE CZECH REPUBLIC we did not make light of the fact that the concert was an impossibility when PE started 21 years back, because of the second world curtain of communism. Everyone could FEEL the story and plight we were evolving from to create our-story via rap music and hip hop. Witnessing the stares and mass attitude of many that night on stage was a alarming sign on how far something has fallen off, and I don't think I'm talking about PUBLIC ENEMY.

I have long understood the BILL RUSSELL line, ' Its easier to understand than to be understood.' I gotta roll with that and flow on as I've also learned that you cannot connect if you are angry at your subjects. In other words teaching is difficult within the language of anger, as with people misunderstanding from both sides about the recent ICE T - Souljah Boy conflict. I personally don't mind artist dialogue, it's the pundits and intermediaries that confuse me in the middle. Every opinion can air itself out thanks to the Internet, and I should've expected that it web is technically another 'mouth'. and a lotta folks will type before they do research or think about what before they text. I know you really believe right now a lotta cats are giving their 'real' to the bone feelings about what they really see and feel about what's right and wrong with hip hop culture and its surroundings. I see a nation of robotic followers right now. More confused people between 25-40 than ever before. Like if you don't stand up for something you will fall for anything. And a lot of black Americans have fell to amerikkkas knees. Consumers, robots, believers of the hype.

The chicken and the egg analogy has long been used in the marketing conversation and exploitation of black culture, as in the excuse of the powers that be saying 'we're just giving the people what they want'. Much of the nodded excuse has been to validate it by the most numbers accrued. The more counted and automatically its the sht. Never mind the quality. It's the same problem the electoral process has in the USA meaning that many agree, majority wins, more is better, quantity rules over quality. If that's the case we as a so called black race within a so called human race are in deep trouble. I'm game to figure out a direction if there's a line somewhere to logic. Which is hard to see in 2008. And not really by who we call artists but I'm talking about the ones guarding and sitting by the door.

Now here we go. Before we came on at HOT 97 at Giants Stadium right after KANYE WEST, I heard some of the stations DJs who was introducing us to the crowd as' Look out for these MF nig--rs who if it wasn't for these rap MFs wouldn't be doing s--t.' Now while I overstand these are props given, I had to wonder who and what demographic was in the house? HOT 97 like most 'urban' network radio says their crowd is 12-19. While they say they're urban and not black the radio DJs , as well as the people making the music they play is none other than black. If not 1005 its about 97% ok. The station wont admit to saying their main targeted listenership is black teens, but its spread over their projection. Of course I saw everybody in the crowd, all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds of people. The tactic of engagement by the hosts on TV, and radio is that of 'jailbird'. With the Prison industry gearing up to fatten that complex with a million more people during the next presidential tenure , one should be leery of such vernacular. What I'm saying is that the direction of the selectors over the past 15 years has been 'toxic'. Leading artists to leave their soft beliefs for the jailroad of marketing departments, who's mostly college educated professionals hung check to check by their balls to the corporations for the sake of their economic safety only to get laid off in the record collapse and the radio merger consolidation complex.

And now look. The thing is I never expected the DJs, radio, TV, personnel to dip down to the level of the artist. I expect Lil Wayne to act like a 'rock star'. So what he made Mixtape DJs angry. Although it has attempted to organize, it has little responsibility other to itself. And this evolved because the industry was for years selfish and greedy to the street DJs who made them and hip hop happen. That was then though. Most mix CDs are so raw that thy can take a young head and steer them to the joint rather than any book. The mixtape DJs are smart, older dudes, doing anything to survive , however spreading the worst of hip hop and what rappers got to say on that tip with no balance or diversity is just pimping in any other language. Question; where else does a 35 year old former quiet ,and shy cat drag influence on a teenager? If an artist is a teenager different thing. Even 20. My take is if a 30-45 year old range cat can't figure out how to throw some knowledge , wisdom, and understanding in their game of direction and selection, then what good are they? Can't just blame R.KELLY here there's been virtual pedophilia for years. On wax, on CD, on DVD, on video, now on the web. Yup. Like I said I understand teens for not knowing. Old heads saying nothing, and just reflecting, then selling.......well shut em down, eh?

KANYE WEST came on before us and did a brilliant set, and gave it his all. I call KANYE the ELTON JOHN of hip hop just like KOOL KEITH is The FRANK ZAPPA of hip hop...diverse parallels. Souljah Boy makes me laugh when he talks and I don't put his music exactly in my racks next to Nat King Cole, DE LA SOUL or my ICEberg T collection. I can listen to a few of his songs but my old ass won't be making comparisons- yet I understand, he makes songs for teenagers and is energetically pushing the envelope. I don't expect my songs in his or his peers collections either, at lest not for another 30 years perhaps. Grown topics pushed to kids been pushed for 50 or more years in the music. But it's all them grown folk pimping circles around him to get their silent cut. To get their piece, they can't say no to the almighty dollar. It's that pattern that has sold black folk way down a waterfall ,not just a river. Flavor Flav has his show on VH1, people who are mad at him don't even know who the f-k Summner Redstone is or even the producers, even after they flash their names in the end. There's a lot of people who know better, in the way just out to get their 'cut'. But that's television where they really ain't trying to have a spook that sits behind no door anyway. Still I got enough balls to want to punch Mr Red in his old chest. But probably have a gang of dumbass blogging clogging the question of 'Yo why he did that?

One of the most articulate cats today in the rap game doing interviews to me is 50 Cent. He's almost flawless when he speaks to an audience. His background is well documented. He said when he was sitting on the curb in South Jamaica Queens a new Benz rolling through the hood appeared to him like a spacecraft. That was real talk as you can get. I understand this cat if something irrational comes out of him , which 95% of the time it doesn't. What I don't understand is the one sided fascination of cats who try to dumb down or compress their decent existence into validating what deems as legitimate hip hop standard. I think the age factor and the college, decent upbringing cat trying to prove the square in the circle syndrome applies here. 50 Cent can afford to make a lopsided call based on his beginnings, but he doesn't. He is a thinker. We have these so called hip hop thinkers who are branded by MTV, Clear Channel, the streets, or some magazine nearest you , who corrupt the flow and water of the game by co signing that the crime and grime of rap make the best art. The legendary singing group the Platters ushered their classic 'The Great Pretender in the mid 1950's, while today's great pretenders have stood by and said nothing to what's really wrong down to the core of their heart.

The reasons that hip hop has lacked fuel in necessary areas is because of the inability to make the right call from the head and heart, not from the so called street they struggle to relate to. Its one thing running in the streets , conforming to the order that has been set by forces that have swept many blackheads into the Prison Industrial Complex. But its entirely another flow when 'running' the streets. and creating an aura around your own agenda. Creation is a dare. It's the daringness of the initial hip hop generation that started the movement in the first place. The flexibility of interactivity formed a checks and balance between crowd and rapper/ deejay that ultimately created what we know of as a standard. I am puzzled by someone who has gone to college pretending that they'd never gone there in the first place. I am confused by the dude who used to write for their college paper on their resume, to now get gully in the BX and BK while transplanted from Ohio, Texas , or whatever to legitimize their hip hop self. I'm not really seeking an explanation here, but this is the cycling brain trust that has forfeited the integrity and foundation of the form. Somebody always have to keep a standard, principal , and guard- over the music, culture and art. We don't need the service areas to be more stars than the stars themselves whoever they may be. The great black DJs of the past they knew they were stars but they knew the importance of the right thing. When I made some records in my past, I never expected some outlets to play the record or video in many cases. I knew my statements would stain all around it. We made censored versions for the airplay while never expecting mainstream attention. The audience is a direct result in what it is fed. No excuses. After 10-15 years you see the result. In the audience. It's almost like those that know better are so afraid to be not accepted, fearful of being unappreciated for holding the grounds, and in the denial of intellect and nerddom. That they will do their best to hide their heads while putting their bodies in mindless motion.

If this is false then here're more questions. Like if surveys say 70% of the hip hop sales come from white audiences then how come we don't see billboards in suburbia? How come the majority of the people behind the record, radio, TV company scenes remain anonymous to the public it broadcasts to? If Urban means everybody how come we ONLY see and hear acts with black faces and blackgrounds? There are sooo many rappers spitting who may not be considered 'black'....yet aren't they urban? You tell me. BROTHER ALI and my man SLUG who is black by these twisted USA racial rules will probably never get heard on urban stations. Sht they're doing more numbers than what major labels are delivering. Answer me. Somebody. What are the modern survey criteria in 2008. Ok, some cat got media burn for some inner city crime sht. Made the major city news. Maybe the ENQUIRER. Are the BEASTIE BOYS rap? Why is TOM MORELLO a brother in the group RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE who admitted his style of guitar was influenced by TERMINATOR X's DJ scratches with PE, ever heard on anything black or ummm..urban? By the way people both of them had a white parent by USA racial law. All this is sounding stupid right? The intellect and the honesty of the art form is only as good as the middle people explaining it, writing about it, and covering it. Hip Hops guard has been soft in its fact of reality, way worse than the artist who make it. Those who have the license to make it up if not ILL.

And now the blogs are where it all hangs out. Or comes out. We have a public opinion as a group mass that may reflect an energetic read of an adolescent state of frivolous mentality, as opposed to a necessary focus to not only vote for BARACK versus a John McCain but support him in what looks to be a stormy 4 year aftermath. We just need to know the mechanics of whatever the f-ck we be talking about. I recall that when I threw my name in the hat for the DEF JAM post, I heard bloggers post like how many records did I sell recently, what style I possessed , when was the last relevant thing I did. Now I know you can only treat a blog with a grain of salt, but other than BET, and whatever urban radio gibberish and rumor news broadcast, there's little else regarding the black voice in major media, unless somebody pulls a major nationally known crime. Then the voice and profile is immediately magnified.

We as black people had been sacrificed by a belt of black individuals that have represented the mass, as far as media is concerned, for their greedy quest for the self centered amerikkkan dream, which has furthered the 'nightmare of niggativity'. A negro attitude that has shrapnelled and splintered into the endorsement of the creation and cloning of 'niggers headed into virtual 0-dec ( this decade of zeroes) ovens'. This is the biggest reality show on earth people, as the world watches and waits for BARACK OBAMA as a change in the world. And while there may be euphoria for 6 months after election, come April it will take overstanding to be able to understand the duty ahead, and not just for his task, but our individual then collective task even more. Like what you gonna do to do you for all of us beyond yourself?

Bottom line is this- I don't expect myself to ever be relevant to anyone under 30. Never really ever did. The legacy is there, the records and videos will be there. The world will be here regardless if there's anyone on the earth left. When people get to a mature state to handle it, that's what its there for. As an art and design graduate from 1984 I 'I've always understood its purpose even for a time being knowing that it paid not only mine but a corporations bills. I'm not mad at that. I over-stood. But never did I stoop over to undercut so it could be swallowed by younger folks as a toxic audio-meal. That's just me. I knew that money was printed and made in a respective government mint depending where you was at. It didn't come from the heavens, and it was to be made not hustled cause I knew they was gonna keep printing it. My problem is we began being sold out because the 'smart' acted dumbed down just to sell something, the good became bad just for street cred, the innocent transformed into hip to fit in, and the clowns became frowns just to be 'down' and appear hard and tough against literally nothing at all. I expected something more lead-worthy from the DJs , selectors, business heads, collegians, journalists, producers, and program and music directors, to be themselves and judge wisely and not just reflect to feed their face. They're in charge and they dropped the ball. If it was sports they'd never be writers, analysts, coaches, or any of the surrounding ancillary areas needed to make their respective games fantastic. There's a reason its where amazing happens. The reason I say that is that hip hop so called borrowed GIANTS STADIUM for one day. We got a long way to go because cats in hip hop from the top to the bottom lack in sooooo many areas of organization, knowledge, accountability, diversity, responsibility, and selflessness.

My question is what if DON IMUS was there in GIANTS STADIUM, what would he say and what could we say to him?

Truth decay , brush up on the damn facts yall.... ================================================ MTV and OTHER GREATEST RAPPER, GROUP ALBUM POLLS So what I find now is that this adoption of a certain element by those cats who have always looked at this element from the outside looking in, has led into their determination and evaluation of things I've created , associated with .and participated in. As time goes on I see what Bo Diddley to Grandmaster Flash felt about their legacies being pushed to the back. Perception is a bitch but its not reality either. I saw when MTV was making their lists of the greatest groups in rap and I see that our accomplishments are getting pushed back only because of the age relevance of their selected critics. A 2 album burst doesnt solidify greatest of anything to me. NWA had 1 great album, 1 good one. Without ICE CUBE NiggaZ 4 LIFE ended up being a parody and a young white males outside looking in fantasy, none of the team really believed what they were rhyming about. CUBE was their wit. Now individually DRE, REN,CUBE, EAZY,carried innovative weight , but if thats the case WU TANG needed to even be above them even if you add SNOOP and EMINEM. Same with BIGGIE an album and a half with Brooklyn banners taped all over it doesnt qualify top of anything only within. All though these cats may have only gone to a handful of arena and stadium rap concerts, to me it seems they're judging from a flow, recording, video, stylized viewpoint. Doesn't performance count for anything or stats for that matter. PE headlined for 10 straight years 1988-1998 , but then again people in ball spend more time ignoring KARL MALONES 36,928 points , just because he wears a cowboy hat, boots,and tight jeans hip hip discounts it. Same feeling with PE ,the power beat the flow in the ass and we had a little of that too which went rebelliously against criminal mindedness, which is the excuse of these pundits. But my man RUN cosigned; Co-Signer: Run, Run-DMC "They were just amazing. Powerful. [The Bomb Squad] were a part of Public Enemy; the music was just as important as the lyrics. Flava was just as important as Chuck. Flav was a character — the best character around, the best sideman there is. Their unity and the way they put together records and put on a show was very exciting. The records were so powerful, the beats were so big and the voices were so commanding. A lot of times now, the lyrics are more laid-back — except for crunk! Back then, it was all about screaming: 'I'm the king of rock!' 'Yes! The rhythm, the rebel!' Now it's: 'I grew up on the crime side/ The New York Times side,' which is fly. Back then it was a different thing: who could out-yell each other and sound dope. I'm not saying it was a better time back then, it was just different."

Entertainment magazine pushes Nation out and further back of its essential albums of the last 25 years... but keeps the 90s rock and latest rap albums up high,BIG , WHITE STRIPES, NIRVANA, etc. I can expect critics to not even listen or consider PEs recorded and live accomplishments of the past 15 years, they don't even know how to call it cause they can't fit it. But I can't accept NATIONS being underneath BIGGIE, PACs or many other albums as far as forming influence in this genre. Who's keeping the stats here? The relevance is unto its respective era, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 is not in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame because of their album sales , its because of their dominance and innovation, same for Run DMC Raising Hell, same for Nations. Head and shoulders, this is why I refuse to acknowledge many of the judges and critics of hip hop ...limited on total outlook in their polls. I like and many other groups they name but please when it comes down to NATIONS you gotta weigh the all around magnitude of the time.....cmon, number 10?.

10. UGK

9. Fugees

8. Salt 'N Pepa

7. EPMD

6. A Tribe Called Quest

5. Wu-Tang Clan

4. Outkast

3. Public Enemy

2. N.W.A

1. Run-DMC

--------------------------------- RIP BO DIDDLEY One of my most memorable moments in music period was the day I spent with Mr Bo Diddley. Scott Free arranged a meeting which started from his beside after he was recovering from his burns. He was talking music, chess as in records, and things that was on TV at the minute. Bo was motivated by this idea he had been working on that he sprung out of bed and rolled into the studio next door. He and Scott lit the board up with some super futuristic layered funk I couldn't describe. It was very percussive. I later rapped on a project that he was working on. Couldn't help the fact that I better had paid attention because it took 10 years for folks to catch up for what he did in the 1950's. I figured in order to get down with Mr Bo I'd better set my mind, skill, and soul somewhere around 2025. Elvis was a hero to most but yall better make some room for Bo Diddley.

Bo Bo Bo

Godfather of rock and roll

try to leave you out

what is that all about?

they don't know

bout the guitar flow

gotta jam my man

to the Diddley band

c'mon

can't hold him back

now the this is the rap game mixed with the hall of fame

we get down low

wit the Bo sound

how it go?

chan , chan, chan, cha, chan...chan

came a long way baby

Duchess wreckin it lady

from crazy governors to governments shady

sax machines

don't be so mean

thump it like a trumpet

if you can't tear it down

jump it

can't take it for granted

over the pacific and Atlantic

rock and roll I guess

put it to the test

Bo got soul up in that chest

king of checker and chess

can't stop

backdrop beats

reason rock and roll got em out dem seats

fast cars, faster women

took it to the limit

the struggle

Takin names down wit it

History's quick

On sick guitar lick

Bo Diddley

How can we ever forget? =

mistachuck@rapstation.com myspace/chuckdpublicenemy