Chuck D's Response to Kanye Backlash

EmpTy V :; Making Of The Bandwagon & My SuperProps Out To Kanye West

March 25, 2004 Damn, I question something and walls shake, buildings crumble, and spines collapse. Last t-dome my actual points on KANYE WEST and his new album was not questioning the quality that hes bringing to the table, but it was a question about the rap terrains standard that surrounds him at the time. Firstly lemme state that Mr West is a superb lyricist and his point of view is daring and refreshing. For eMpTy V to jump off and say I wasn't impressed was incorrect. But then its typical of our tit for tat thing we got goin on. We're in a time where everything that comes thru the machine has to be accepted as legitimate and only that. I hear and see a lot of rap act, groups, artists, demos, hear many different voices and styles in the rap world, so my evaluations may be different than the average. The rapworld in america responds to what its fed, and now that viacom is doing the feeding so much for a real discussion about the genre.

Lets say when I do I give something props. its just rides with the river or is obscured within a drowning of screams and hollas. I cant take the bandwagon approach on things since the NYC-LA acceptance thing passes out "S's for the average. maybe im too technical in judging cadences and voices

I bring up a point of critical analysis, and they cant even cover that sht right. Lord, I aint even read the ballers over at Okay Players" responses to what I reportedly said. Its like im probably getting the UNCLE JUNIOR from the SOPRANOS treatment like I don't know what im talking about. Well heres the breakdown take it for what its worth.

MTV REPORTED. Chuck D isn't impressed with Kanye West's success. The Public Enemy frontman wrote on his Web site that he was wondering how "somebody gets top-notch producer credits for speeding up old records." He also questioned Kanye's rapping abilities, saying, "I think his lyrics are decent but 85 of cats rhymin' have the same voice with little difference in cadence. That's like the NBA having 200 six-foot point guards."

..Well I personally bought Kanye Wests album at the San Francisco airport for 17 dollars and dug it while driving north on the cali 101 ...but also to try to understand his take on the college dropout thing as well ...which i thought was a sort of a slap in the face to black students ...who i think need it more than ever these days just to survive..in thought alone but

..other than that the lyrics are brilliant, and i enjoyed listening to the album

.but my the question again if producers are putting out albums with their rhymes what does this tell you what he thinks about the abilities of todays rappers? ? Maybe I sensed his frustration in his trying to get cats to spit like he thought they should over his music. His music is nice, but all my question is and was was about a dominance of a production style which has to be assisted with a great lawyer and major label clearance house. Meaning that after seeing tons of lawsuits over sampling, in essence it scared off many a producer from doing similar because they simply could not afford it. I don't think affordability should separate the creators of music but then again ..that's my opinion.

But again I was not really harping on music, lyrics, and clever thought which he supplied, I wasn't even being critical, but just bringing up the aspect of voice similarity today

vocal distinction and its beauty is in the ear of the beholder it means a lot, but after a few listens I think his voice is a combo of Daddy-O from STETSASONIC, Q-TIP, and many other voices today, so there the distinction lies..again maybe im too technical in judging cadences and voices

that's why OUTKAST to me hits it off, if someone whos a producer feels he can be as good as the best emcees and get an album even with the jawthing,..it leaves something to wonder about...of what he thinks of the rest.... with the anybody can do it approach??. .

.in the day some rappers were so good and distinct it scared people to excel in other positions..and it took more than just the rhyme itself... SLICK rick, BDK, RUN-D,PAC, Cube and others were so vocally good they scared potential average voiced cats away. But their voices and styles were very distinct.

JAY Z I don't think people realize what a distinct voice he brings to the game, it's a spark of electric same wit BIGGIE ..a voice And PUFF-STERS genius for slurring MASEs style into distinction...a take off of ERICK SERMON of EPMD

.. A songwriter would write the music, and in many cases the lyrics for the great vocalists in the day . That changed in the era of rap where the vocalists would write their own lyrics. Now we enter the era where the producer has sped past the rhymer. Evolution I guess. Things change. But again KW lyrics are refreshing especially when read.

So the knock wasnt exactly on Kanye outside of the fact of the perceived slap at education , which initially I wasn't thrilled about really he knows that the average person needs it and wont be as fortunate to rhyme , produce or play for the NBA.

If i offended Kanye, his fans and the Roc camp, my apologies..and wish for the best pick up The College Dropout ..for a great artistic ride, and a great deal of insight

.but at the same time emphasize a Dr Cornell West should't be forgotten in the lieu of Kanye West.

Empty V must be on me like the feds, i didnt know when i talk people are so broken by what i say.... ..yeah, whenever i ask a question about sht...it turns to news...makes you wonder. eh?

At least these pieces should reflect the rhyme sometimes, and im qualified to talk about the rapgame.

This reminds me of when the NY POST had me calling JAY Z and JA RULE gangster rappers around JMJs murder..after a speech in NEWARK oh well DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE lol

Wondering at a crucial time in America do we have a high profile , promoted advertisement for black dropping out maybe, while professional sports promoting the fact of young blacks not even dropping in...

speaking of sports hip hop got some cats twisted out...i saw Allen Iverson sitting on bench DNPn with a Milwaukee Bucks 1971 throwback complete with hat...Carmelo Anthony with a Clipper throwback before a game ..i think if i was a coach i'd be pissed, or at least start quizzing them on that years roster..

right now we have a rap demographic between 25-35 who themselves are not as young as they think while calling anything older than themselves "old" and perhaps irrelevant. Everyone is locked into their zone, talking 10 years down. When I attempt to approah critical analysis on rap music I try to address the direct effects on 10-17 year olds many of whom listen and watch 20-30 year olds on the regular. Im always giving every zone its cultural due, I just knock the gatekeepers in the head from time to rhyme.

and this latest news "thru the wire": Chuck D. will host his own talk radio show, "Unfiltered" on upstart radio network, Air America Radio. The network will launch in four different markets in the United States on March 31. The show airs during the mid-morning and will showcase conversation about the political and cultural state of the union. Chuck is joined by co-hosts Lizz Winstead and Laura Flanders.

Some other report had me quitting already What it is is that Im heading into doing a daily radio show thang in new york city. What am i > thinking about? The world travelin pirate-gypsy himself will be locked down > in one city. At this point there's little choice if im to have a voice of > sanity and reason in this election/and olympic year 2004. The Air America > Talk network started as an alternative to the conservative rights domination > of that medium. They as well as others across the american soundscape felt > that the voices and personalities from the right was indeed feeding and > fueling american opinion. The network felt that people like Al Franken, > Jeanie Garafolo,Robert Kennedy jr,represent the liberal balance needed for > the thing to fly right on the airwaves. > > My circumstances were similar but again as a blackman in america, it could > never be as simple. Black talk radio coming through the am 1190 signal of > Percy Sutton Inner City owned WLIB had shaped my opinion as a young black > adult in the 1980s. It was through the daily voices of Inhotep Gary Byrd GBE > (Great Black Experience Show) along with Mark Riley that launched much of my > critical > Idea and thought behind the songs on YO,NATIONS, and FEAR. It was along this > period into the early 1990s that then nationally syndicated Mr BOB LAW > caught my attention as i travelled > to all those places where their great voices ushered knowledge,wisdom, and > understanding to the black masses. Yeah, blacktalk radio was indeed a road > map and navigational ideal which helped my focus of who i was, and what i > should strive to be within amerikkka. > > During the terrordome decade of the 1990s co-opted culture seemed to make > blackness less a threat,more visable, profitable, thus ownable. In the 80s > it was hard finding a black face on television or in the movies, not many of > in news or even crossed over handling of cultural art forms. In the 90s it got fully blown out. > seemed to explode in image projection. Americans were exposed to many flows � of blackness this and that side of the spectrum. Eventually it was all one dimensionalized into the image of us that sold the most. And blacktalk radio seemed to disappear.

All this blackface goin on and less and less explanation. Now I find myself in yet another twirl INNER CItY Broadcasting has leased the airspace of WLIB to the AIR AMERICA network firing the blackfolk working there in the am sales side. AIR AMERICA is offering to buy up shaky am signal stations across the country to hope to reach 35-40 nationally by the years end. It was a matter of coincidence that in NYC I'd be again in a rock and hard place. Inner City must figure to clean up a bit of this mess, then again in the place of blacktalk radio the past few years they resorted to broadcasting carribean music. I believe that the country needs more voices and theres few voices among blacklife. The culture has no narrator.

Everyones feeling it at a for delf attitude.

And black americans especially those 12-40, trust the bowl that amerikkkas pouring hopes, info and dreams into, a bit too much. Reacting to a gut analysis of a rap album, sparked people to write me letters, cool. Now we need to come out on many seen and unseen hands swiping at us. Thus im grabbing the mike at a higher level, so what I say is gonna heat

Ok , im getting ready to speak this night at UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT DENVER ,,..and im gonna avoid big blond chicks at all costs.