East Tennessean

Issue date: 2/26/07 Section: The Scene

Media Credit: Travis Brown/East Tennessean Rap pioneer and co-founder of Public Enemy Chuck D speaks to a packed house in the Culp Auditorium Feb. 22.

Media Credit: Travis Brown/East Tennessean Chuck D talks race, rap and reality during his "vibe session" at the Culp Auditorium Thursday. The event was sponsored by the Black Affairs Association for Black History Month.

The audience cheered madly as Chuck D stepped on stage at ETSU Thursday. The event, sponsored by the Black Affairs Association for Black History Month, attracted an auditorium full of guests excited to learn about what Chuck D has been doing lately. Chuck D was formerly a member of the rap group, Public Enemy, which became very controversial for their lyrics and appearance.
D discussed the origins of rap and hip hop music in 1979 and fronted the debate about what the music is really about today. He encouraged the audience to listen to what he was saying and provide feedback.
"This is a vibe session and a conversation, not an election," D said.
D discussed the premise of race, rap, reality, and the effects of technology in the music industry, media and society. He blamed Steven Hill, the CEO of BET, Black Entertainment Television, for many of the negative influences and impact of rap and hip hop music. Specifically, he discussed BET and their parent company, VIACOM, and their role in expanding the negative imagery of women. He stressed to students that the images and activities on TV are not real. In hip hop, there is a standard that has to be continuously worked on, D said. Talented artists have to be smart and creative and must continuously hone their skills.
"There is no such thing, ladies and gentlemen, as a collegiate thug," D said.
He referenced Tupac Shakur, saying that he was raised as a theatrical, gifted child that attended a school of arts as an actor before being part of the rap group, Digital Underground. He played a thug in the movie "Juice," D said. It means he is a great actor, not a thug. Then in "Poetic Justice," he played a brother with a job and movie critics thought his acting was boring, he said. Media critics do not want to see successful men or decent men portrayed in black roles. Soon after, Shakur started hanging out with the wrong crowd, criminals, D said. His surroundings became his reality.
"Watch who you roll with," D said. "Hold onto your reality and don't get caught up in this fantasy world."
The discussion led to civil rights and slavery, and the need for African-American men and women to claim their positions in society, urging them to go out and get passports as part of the process. He said 78 percent of America's population have no plans to travel.
"How the hell are you going to have a statement on foreign policy," D said.
D then spoke on the subject of politics and the upcoming elections. He said Barack Obama would not be elected president, and that the first president to be elected after Bush has four years to clean up after him.
The audience sat in silent reflection as they were urged to think for themselves, to make up their own minds and not be afraid to form their own opinions.
"The real estate of the millennium is minds," D said..
He said older men and women who are looking for mentors should be mentors themselves. He salutes the black man in college because he faces a lot of challenges to get there. To be 25 or 30 and not be in jail deserved props. Graduating from college in 1984 was the proudest moment of his life, he said.
He finished his speech on the topic of hip hop and its role in society. He referenced "Planet of the Apes," saying that the music industry has become like Charlton Heston's friend when the apes had removed his brain. Society doesn't reflect the images of hip hop; hip hop is a reflection of society. Music brings people together and exposes hypocrisy, he said.
"You can't own the soul and minds of people," D said. "Challenge information and leave [college] with your own minds."

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