12.24.99  The Year That Was 99
(from Entertainment Weekly Magazine Online)
GREAT PERFORMANCES
The Year's Most Dazzling Turns On Stage And Screen
Chuck D
The hip-hopster made a comeback this year, and we don't mean Public Enemy's new album There's a Poison Goin' On. Chuck D's biggest hit was as a mouthpiece for the MP3 digital music revolution. By explaining how a nation of millions of modems could buy and listen to new releases online (thereby combating the overpriced music business), he made MP3s freaky instead of geeky. As he says in the oft-quoted single "Swindler's Lust": "If you don't own the master [tape], then the master owns you." And if rap is the music world's CNN, Chuck D should be named chief correspondent. --NR


12.15.99  Nude As the News Names Fear of a Black Planet 9th Most Compelling Album of the 90's
(from NudeAsTheNews website)
It's easy for some people to talk endlessly about 1988's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back and forget how incredibly well Public Enemy followed up in 1990 with Fear Of A Black Planet.

At the time of the album's release, PE was already at the height of its notoriety, with controversy finding the band daily in papers and radio broadcasts all across America. Given the same circumstances, any other group might just as soon tone down its views and cash in with a few radio-friendly tracks.

Instead, Public Enemy bounced back harder, meaner and even more full of ready-made controversy. Besides the dismissal of Professor Griff, Fear Of A Black Planet gives listeners everything Millions promised and more, booming out the speakers in full shocking, mezmerizing force.

Read the complete review in the Album Reviews section or by clicking the link above.


12.12.99  RapStation.com Presents Chuck D & DJ Yutaka as East Meets West Online at THE PALACE
Public Enemy's Chuck D is stopping by The Palace on December 21st at 6 PM EST (3 PM PST) to chat about what it feels like to be The Father of the Rap Movement.  Currently on tour in Europe, Chuck D has been entertaining rap fans for years. He co-founded Public Enemy in the late 80s, a formation that has had a dramatic influence on the rap world. Chuck D is also the founder of RapStation.com, the sponsor of this event. In addition to his music, Chuck D is an activist who speaks out about the importance of education and the dangers of drugs. Joining Chuck D from Japan is world-renowned DJ, DJ Yutaka. Long time friend to Chuck D, Yutaka is getting ready to release his debut album, UNITED NATIONS. Join these two as East meets West to talk about the past, present and future of hip-hop.

When: Tuesday, December 21
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm (EST)  3:00 - 5:00 pm (PACIFIC)  8:00 - 10:00 am (JAPAN)
Where: The Arena Palace  http://www.thepalace.com:8000/perl/palinfo.pl?ID=VKXEUFF8  palace://arena.thepalace.com:9998
Who: RapStation.com http://www.rapstation.com
Event Info: http://www.thepalace.com:8000/perl/events.pl

Go NOW Using your Browser: http://www.thepalace.com:8000/perl/palinfo.pl?ID=VKXEUFF8
Go NOW Using The Palace Client: arena.thepalace.com port 9998


12.4.99  Public Enemy Live Cybercast From Zurich:  Performance To Air Live On Sunday, December 5
Can't make it to a PE Show, then they'll come to you. Public Enemy, long known for their energetic, kick ass performance will be coming to your house this Sunday, December 5th, live off the There's A Poison Goin On European tour from Zurich Switzerland.

The netcast will air live at 9:00pm in Zurich, 3:00pm EST and 12:00noon PST and can be accessed by logging onto http://www.rapstation.com or http://www.boombox.net.

For information on Public Enemy visit their official website at www.publicenemy.com.


12.3.99  Atomic Pop Forms Joint Venture with 'Bring The Noise' Worldwide Underground Hip Hop Radio
(from NewMediaMusic website)
Atomic Pop reaches out to the underground hip-hop community, with the joint venture of bringthenoise.com, a global radio station for underground hip-hop. BringtheNoise.com is the brainchild of rap visionaries Chuck D and long-time Public Enemy producer Gary G-Wiz.
The new hip-hop venture will focus primarily on streaming radio and will be accessible through www.bringthenoise.com and www.atomicpop.com.

"BringtheNoise is something I've always wanted to do because Rap music doesn't get the recognition it should on traditional radio or MTV,"says Chuck D. "This is an opportunity for good music, by new artists you would normally never hear about, to get out to fans around the world regardless of the gatekeepers of traditional media."

BringtheNoise will feature six new daily radio shows, streaming at 9:00PM nightly, except Saturday. Each daily show will be archived and accessible for two weeks after the original air date. Chuck D will have his own weekly "suitcase" radio show, "When The Shit Hits The Fans" (the hottest unsigned and indie label music), which he programs or broadcasts live from a suitcase he takes with him on the road. Additional shows include, "2 Angry Listeners" (average listeners reviewing signed and unsigned music), The Hip-Hop Spot" (veteran New York Rap DJ Wildman Steve spins hip-hop classics), "The Strictly Hot Shit Mix Show" (DJ Kamron's mix show), and "1/2 Pint's Hot Spot" (the hottest new underground jams, old school flavor and artist interviews).

"Chuck and Gary wanted to do something for the real hip-hop fans," says Al Teller, Atomic Pop's founder and CEO. "With BringtheNoise we are able to bring underground and independent hip-hop music to fans around the world." As part of an ongoing commitment to further promote the unity among hip-hop fans, an interactive "Noise Board" section was integrated into the site. Hip-hop fans are able to communicate with one another, the DJ's, and the hosts of the shows.

In addition to communicating with one another,fans will be able to access the hip-hop news that is updated daily. "Over the past few months Chuck and I began airing random radio shows of artists we really liked under BringtheNoise.com and over the past nine months we have developed a very loyal following," says G-Wiz. "Atomic Pop has joined us to take this venture to the next level, kicking off with 6 guaranteed streaming radio shows a week."

About Atomic Pop

Atomic Pop was founded by Al Teller, the former head of MCA Music
Entertainment Group, President of CBS records, and CEO of Alliance
Entertainment. Atomic Pop is an Internet-centric music company committed to leveraging the digital medium to change the way music is acquired, marketed, promoted, sold and distributed. The company is based in Santa Monica, California. Additional information can be found on the Internet at www.atomicpop.com.

12.3.99  Public Enemy's concert in Zurich, Switzerland is to be aired live on the net on Sunday December 5.
(from Music365 website)
The legendary rap combo's netcast will air live at 9:00pm in Zurich, 8.00pm GMT, 3.00pm EST and 12:00 noon PST and can be accessed by logging onto frontman Chuck D's (pictured) website www.rapstation.com or www.boombox.net.  

Visit www.rapstation.com. For further information on Public Enemy, please go to www.publicenemy.com.


12.2.99  Chuck D gets His Own Radio Station
(from Davey D's FNV Newsletter)
'Radio! Suckers Never Play Me!'. These were the words Chuck D of Public Enemy first uttered over 10 years ago on his landmark record 'Rebel Without A Pause'. Since that time Chuck D has been outspoken about his concerns on who controls the flow of information. He has often pointed out that people and Black folks in particular, tend to be 'religious' to their favorite radio stations. Their undaunted loyalty sets up an interesting scenario in the sense that Black people over time develop a mind set that has them addicted and dependent on a media source that they ultimately don't control. The result is a whole lot of folks walking around thinking 'If it ain't talked about or played on radio then it don't exist'. Many stations, in particular white owned 'Black music stations' that target young people take advantage of this loyalty by keeping an imbalance of pertinent information that can positively impact and uplift the community. In other words, folks are being fed a steady diet of substandard material, and useless information that keeps them wallowing in the pathological conditions that effect them. Black ignorance has become a commodity that is aggressively projected, highlighted and marketed by white corporate radio owners who ultimately reap huge profits.

The impact has long lasting behavioral effects that many people are just now starting to realize. How can some one tell Little Johnny from the Hood to do do something good and act intelligent when his primary media source is constantly showing him by what they present, that you can be handsomely rewarded for doing something bad and acting dumb? Many community leaders and activists are starting to raise questions about the type of influence radio stations are having as well as the type of access the community has to insuring that it's needs are being supported. With some of these corporate giants now owning up 8 stations in large metropolitan areas, is there a balance of material and information being fed to the community?

In a recent interview Chuck noted that since the month of June he has done more then 500 interviews where he has spoken about the various new technological ground he has been covering and how there are new opportunities on the horizons for young brothas and sistas if they too get involved. While he's been on everything from CNN to C-Net, very few of these interviews have been conducted on these white owned Black radio stations that have effectively used Hip Hop music and culture as a way to attract our inner city youth. He pointed out that this has not been his choice. There oftentimes appears to be a media middle man who is disconnected from the community who decides what should and should not be exposed. In a recent issue of Chuck D's Terrordome Column which appears on his new venture http://www.rapstation.com gave one reason radio is poisoning the Black community. 

"White-owned Black Radio sucks in '99 because the masters endorse the policy of more music, less talk. This policy further limits the information delivered to the people via the creation of the transparent DJ --- Colorless individuals unable to interpret the sounds they're playing for their audience. Mix and college hip-hop jocks are the closest thing we have today to the Black personality jocks of the 1950s and '60s - DJs who the people relied on for everything in the 'hood from local business support to various community activities. But corporations consider air time that could be devoted to such services to be sponsor time and not DJ time. That way it doesn't take much talent to be a radio jock these days. (Who wants to hear a damn weather report 30 times a damn day?!)"

When such criticism is launched, there are many who would immediately say, 'Don't complain, go out and get your own'. We'll that's exactly what Chuck D has done. He and his partner Gary G-Wiz along with Chuck's record label Atomic Pop have hooked up and formed a global radio station for underground hip hop. It's called Bring The Noise http://www.bringthenoise.com and it will feature six new daily radio shows. Among them include Chuck D's weekly radio show called 'When The S--t Hits The Fan' which highlights unsigned indie label music from around the world. There's another show of Hip Hop classics which features longtime New York deejay Wildman Steve. There are a couple of mix shows, tons of interviews and lots of information. Bring The Noise is a very sophisticated feature that has been around for about a year and has developed a huge online following. It is now perched to reach new heights and be a big factor in the online communications game..

FNV readers be on the look out for an upcoming newsletter where Chuck D gives you an indepth look and analysis about radio and the undue influence it has on our community. the interview is very timely when you consider the recent reports about the serious drop over the past year of African American owned radio stations and the continued merging of media conglomerates who now have 'lock down' on Black listeners.


12.2.99  Chuck D Goes Pop for New Online Radio Centure
(from Blaze website) by Kenji Jasper
Veteran rapper Chuck D of the legendary hip hop group Public Enemy, has joined forces with his label, Atomic Pop for BringTheNoise.com, a new online radio website. Focusing primarily on streaming media the site will be avalable from both the Bring the Noise page as well as from Atomic Pop's site. Bring the Noise will feature six streaming radio shows everyday of the week except Saturdays, each beginning at 9pm. Some shows will focus on unsigned and independent artists while others will spotlight everything from the old school to the latest underground 12-inches. "BringtheNoise is something I've always wanted to do because Rap music doesn't get the recognition it should on traditional radio or MTV," Chuck D said in a statement. "This is an opportunity for good music, by new artists you would normally never hear about, to get out to fans around the world regardless of the gatekeepers of traditional media."


12.1.99  Digital Music Flashback: Public Enemy Befriends MP3s
(from SonicNet website) Staff Writer Chris Nelson reports:
By posting songs on Net without label's approval, the group's frontman Chuck D put focus on digital format.

(Editor's note: This is the first in a weekly look back at the most important moments in music's digital revolution. Each Wednesday, SonicNet will turn back the clock to trace the development of music in cyberspace.)

In the digital music revolution's battle over MP3s, it was the shot heard 'round the Internet.

One year ago this week, Public Enemy's outspoken rap star Chuck D began in earnest his career as a front-line commander in the downloadable revolution with one simple, yet groundbreaking, move.

His first salvo was to post five MP3 tracks from Bring the Noise 2000, an album he claimed Def Jam Records refused to release, on the official Public Enemy website (www.public-enemy.com). The rapper was among the first high-profile artists to use the downloadable, near-CD-quality MP3 format as a vehicle to get out his music.

Soon thereafter, Def Jam parent company PolyGram forced the band to remove the cuts without an explanation. The move prompted Chuck D (born Carlton Ridenhour) to brand the label "weasels" in a missive to fans posted on the website Dec. 2, 1998, and helped focus attention on the rift between artists and labels over MP3s.

"The execs, lawyers and accountants who lately have made most of the money in the music biz, are now running scared from the technology that evens out the creative field and makes artists harder to pimp," he wrote.

Def Jam and PolyGram refused to comment at the time, but ties between the label and the band were severed in the following weeks.

Public Enemy went on to release their next album, There's a Poison Goin' On, in MP3 format through the Internet label Atomic Pop before sending CDs to stores.

Chuck D has since become one of the foremost proponents of artists empowering themselves through the Internet.


12.1.99  Atomic Pop, Chuck D Launch Hip-Hop Web Service
(from Billboard website)  Edited by Julie Taraska
Al Teller's Internet music company Atomic Pop has started a hip-hop Web radio service with label act Chuck D and longtime Public Enemy producer Gary G-Wiz. The venture, BringtheNoise, features six daily shows that stream at 9 p.m. ET every evening except for Saturday; each program is archived and accessible for two weeks after its air date at www.bringthenoise.com and www.atomicpop.com.

Among the programming is a weekly show hosted by Chuck D, "When The S**t Hits
The Fans," featuring unsigned and indie acts. Additional programs include "2 Angry Listeners" (average listeners reviewing signed and unsigned music), "The Hip-Hop Spot" (veteran New York rap DJ Wildman Steve spinning hip-hop classics), "The Strictly Hot S**t
Mix Show" (from DJ Kamron) and "1/2 Pint's Hot Spot" (hot new underground jams, old-school flavor, and artist interviews).

An interactive "noise board" has also been integrated into the site. The board will allow fans to communicate with one another, the DJ's, and the hosts of the shows, as well as feature hip-hop news updated daily.


12.1.99  Atomic Pop Links with Chuck D's BringtheNoise Website
(from Vibe website) by Mark Allwood
Online record label Atomic Pop has just formed a partnership with BringtheNoise.com, a global radio station for underground hip hop founded by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D and P.E. producer Gary G-Wiz. The new hip hop venture will focus primarily on streaming radio and will be accesible through www.bringthenoise.com and www.atomicpop.com. "BringtheNoise is something I've always wanted to do because Rap music doesn't get the recognition it should on traditional radio or MTV," Chuck D said. "This is an opportunity for good music, by new artists you would normally never hear about, to get out to fans around the world regardless of the gatekeepers of traditional media."


12.1.99  AtomicPop Wants To Bring The Noise
(from MusicNewsWire website)
Internet label, AtomicPop has announced it's joint venture with Chuck D's online radio website, BringTheNoise.Com. The venture will primarily focus on streaming radio and be accessible not only from the BringTheNoise site but also from AtomicPop.

The site will now have six streaming radio shows everyday at 9pm est, except Saturdays.

"BringtheNoise is something I've always wanted to do because Rap music doesn't get the recognition it should on traditional radio or MTV," said Chuck D. in a statement. "This is an opportunity for good music, by new artists you would normally never hear about, to get out to fans around the world regardless of the gatekeepers of traditional media."

Chuck will also have his own radio show on the site.