“Weapons of mass distraction,” or black stereotypes promoted by popular media outlets, are the latest threat to the American public, rapper Chuck D told a crowd of about 170 Wednesday night. Black student alliance For Members Only sponsored the event.
Chuck D, the founding member of rap group Public Enemy, told the audience gathered at the Ryan Family Auditorium that outlets such as MTV and BET promote unrealistic images that mask the truth about black life in America.
“Right now the fantasy world is being sold to the people who don’t know the reality,” he said.
He expressed disdain over the prevalence of “thug” imagery in today’s hip-hop music.
“When Viacom bought BET, they turned it into the Black and Thug network,” he said. “At the end of thug life, there are two roads: jail and death.”
Chuck D criticized rappers 50 Cent and Nelly, asking audience members to imagine how the offensive lyrics in songs like “Hot in Herre” would affect their younger siblings.
He urged his audience to be more impressed by artists’ messages than their album sales.
Chuck D, born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, is called “one of the most colossal figures in the history of hip hop, not to mention its most respected intellectual” by MTV.com. Public Enemy released “Yo! Bum Rush the Show,” its debut album, in 1982 followed by a slew of albums that earned the group critical praise for groundbreaking musical techniques and radical political messages.
Chuck D emphasized the significance of education for those in and out of the black community.
“We’re at a time when dumb-assification and anti-intelligence are common,” he said.
He commended the Northwestern students in the audience, saying the “fight for your own mind” is one of the most significant fights against bigotry.
“The people who border on intelligence will have the best shot to fight off racism,” he said.
Music videos are filled with expensive rims, cars and designer outfits, Chuck D said. He balked at the United States’ transformation into a superficial nation.
“We’re in a society that doesn’t tell us to be good about yourself if you’ve got nothing,” he said.
The only way to fix society is to fight against it, he said.
“If you don’t rage against the machine, if you don’t get on top of the machine, the machine will get on top of you,” he said.
Julian Hill, FMO’s vice-coordinator of programming and a Weinberg freshman, said the group “wanted to bring someone who had a draw outside the black community.”
“A lot of people get the misconception that FMO is just for black people,” he said.
Southern Illinois University freshman Earl Brooks, who attended the speech, shared Chuck D’s frustration with today’s hip hop.
“It’s true, the music is based upon image, and the images I get are stereotypes.” he said.
Reach Vincent Bradshaw [email protected].
