Public Enemy’s Chuck D Urges Students To Be Decisive
GREENVILLE, N.C.
Chuck D, the primary voice behind rap group Public Enemy, urged students at East Carolina University to resist the dumbing-down movement occurring in American culture.
“Minds are the real estate of the new millennium,” he said. “The worst thing that can happen is to have someone thinking for you.”
Speaking from the theme, “Race, Rap, Reality and Technology,” Public Enemy’s lead lyricist tackled a range of topics from the Hurricane Katrina disaster to what he called the “virtual pedophilia” of sexually-suggestive programming being targeted to youth.
“BET markets their awards show as playing during prime time. Prime time usually means you’re watching with your family and kids,” he said. “Then the next thing you know, Destiny’s Child is up onstage doing a lap dance. Did the decision to go from being a ‘Survivor’ to doing lap dances take place in some boardroom?”
He applauded rapper Kanye West’s courage for publicly criticizing President Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina. On a televised celebrity fund-raiser, West said that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.”
The controversy surrounding West’s remarks is proof of how far consciousness has devolved, Chuck D said.
He also challenged the students to take advantage of their educational opportunities in order to develop their own minds.
“Don’t be indecisive. Leave here with your own mind,” he said. “You can’t afford not to.”
— Associated Press
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