[ No. 13 ]

Public Enemy's enemies?

by Cyclone Wehner

Public Enemy's Chuck D dissed this writer at their Melbourne gig on 15 October over an article in the "Herald Sun's" "Hit" magazine that was published the same day. As disses go, it was fairly civil. Afterwards, I approached Chuck to clarify stuff. It's all good.

It seems Chuck misconstrued the "Hit" piece -- it was not meant to be critical. So what went down? The gist of the article was that, with the rise of playaristic hip-hop, many now regard PE as irrelevant. Following the thread of Chuck's own argument in the actual interview I did with him, this writer set out to expose the industry machinations that determine what is, in fact, deemed relevant -- or 'hot'. It was never suggested that PE are irrelevant, period. Chuck nonetheless took exception to the word 'irrelevant' and indicated to the crowd that PE had just headlined the successful Smokin' Grooves bill Stateside with top selling contemporary acts. What can't be denied, though, is that the industry -- including some parts of the media -- is pushing the line that the likes of the Wu-Tang Clan, Puff Daddy and Canibus are THE cats now, regardless of their level of political consciousness. Contrary to what Chuck intoned, this writer did in fact clearly state that the group continue to hold their own in a live, grassroots capacity, with the Smokin' Grooves Tour a recent triumph.

"There's A Poison Goin' On" -- the title of PE's next and probably last album with label Def Jam, brings to mind one of the illest raps ever. Okay, so William Blake has bugger all to do with hip-hop, but his poem, "A Poison Tree" (1794) perhaps has something to say to all hip-hoppers: 'I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end . . .' The moral is: don't cultivate beefs between potential allies. Squash those poisonous fruits.

One of the most remarkable aspects of hip-hop is that this is a subculture that continues to be in constant dialogue with itself. Most obviously, MCs negotiate conflicts through battles (and best of all, without recourse to lawyers). While this tragically spiralled out of control in the case of hip-hop's bi-coastal war, a phenomenon which was arguably manipulated by higher conglomerate powers, Canibus and LL Cool J have brought back the good, old-fashioned battle. Nevertheless, even this is starting to take a sinister new turn (but more on that later).

It makes sense that rappers publicly respond to press reports and reviews on them. It's a fair exchange and part of that dialogue.

And yet, there exists a wider issue that needs to be addressed. There has long been discord between music writers and fans, artists and even industry types. Writers get their share of playa haters. I have been faced with veiled physical threats on at least one occasion (rather symbolically at a listening party for 2Pac's "R U Still Down?"). But the whole thing has recently taken an extraordinary turn in the US with reports of Wyclef Jean's pulling a gun on the editor of the new "Blaze" rap magazine. Jesse Washington wanted Wyclef's feedback on a critical review of Canibus' LP, "Can-I-Bus", that he planned to publish. Clef produced the album. (Mind, with ANY artist, such a gesture is playing with fire.) Wyclef has publicly denied the accusations. At any rate, the story has been picked up by other hip-hop publications. "Blaze" has come under criticism for milking the alleged drama for all its worth. Meanwhile, poor Canibus' LP has fallen down the charts.

Chuck himself hit the nail on the head with "Don't Believe The Hype". Write-ups should never be taken as gospel but simply as a set of ideas. The prerogative of every reader is to grapple with the text and make up his own mind.

On a lighter note, this writer bugged out when an industry chick at the PE gig came out with, 'You got dissed by Chuck D! That's so cool. That's even better than sleeping with them!' Thanks, girlfriend!