Rapper Consequence questions his patriotism on the single “What Has America Done,” featuring Public Enemy frontman Chuck D. Consequence raps about the injustices done to Black people with Chuck D, and Tony Williams sings the chorus. The single is from his forthcoming Nice Doing Business With You (Deluxe Edition), which comes out on December 6th.
Public Enemy, De La Soul, Cypress Hill, and more are scheduled to perform at Hip-Hop 101: From New York To The Bay, a one-day concert at Oakland Arena. The show takes its name from the role the artists played in hip-hop’s Golden Era. Dilated Peoples, Mistah F.A.B., and Too $hort are also slated to perform at the event, which takes place November 9th. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster and there is a special four-pack for $120, including fees. Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav B-Real of Cypress Hill made a statement about the show in a press release.
“I’m hyped for Public Enemy to come back to the Bay and bring the noise and everything we got for this legendary lineup of hip hop history. In just one day, people will get to see how far hip hop has come and how unlimited its artistry can be,” added PE co-founder Chuck D. “Prepare for minds to be blown by how every act on that stage will be bringing something different to the mix. But the common denominator is that we’re all going to rock the house,” he continued. B-Real of Cypress Hill declared, “We’re comin’ atcha, Oakland! The Hill and all of our brothers about to come through and smash the whole city up. Don’t miss this!”
Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe The Hype” appears on their sophomore album, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, released in 1988. Chuck D’s warning about blindly following the media and The Bomb Squad’s dense agitational noise truly personified the emcee’s famous quote about rap music being the Black CNN. Flavor Flav’s ad-libs were more than the role of hype man but integral parts of the song designed to gently wake up the listener’s consciousness in contrast to Chuck D’s authoritative baritone. “Don’t Believe the Hype” criticized stereotypes about Black people and hip-hop and had a guest appearance from pioneering rap journalist Harry Allen. In 2024, the single is even more relevant because of the explosion of the internet and the rise of Donald Trump. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back went platinum within a year but was recognized for its classic status immediately upon release. The album was remastered in 1995, and a deluxe edition came in 2014 with 13 bonus tracks. Public Enemy released their 15th album, What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, in 2020. Chuck D was named a U.S. Global Music Ambassador as part of the U.S. Department of State-YouTube Global Music Diplomacy Partnership in June 2024.
Will rap artists start to improve the way they do concerts to make up for the lack of administration Chuck D says is hurting the genre?