1.26.01  No PE Black Album
(from Davey D's FNV Newsletter)
I got an email from my good buddy Chuck D about the Black Album Last week we reported that the group was in the studio working on an album.. He noted that he's not working on an album at least not in the way traditional albums are done.. He explained; "I just don't necessary believe in the industry sanctioned, contractual required 12 song album...maybe a DOORS like 7 cut piece or hot buttered soul like 4 cut lp with some 10 minute plus track..gradually doing 1 cut at a time..." He concluded by noting " with thousands of groups majors, indies and inties i feel enjoyment outta checkin out new talent....people ask me all the time 'you in the studio?' when i got 4 digital studios always working...the gap between those that really know how this biz operates and the general public is so wide its kills me. I am completely creating with no clock or obligation. Artist feel is where I'm at presently and I'm cool with that..." Sorry folks I goofed


1.19.01  PE is Back in Black
(from Davey D's FNV Newsletter)
First Things First...It looks like Public Enemy is set to make a return to the Hip Hop arena. They are hard at work in Atlanta recording what is being called 'The Black Album'. As has been the case in true PE fashion the album will touch upon a blistering array of politically charged topics. One cut 'Son of a Bush' is a revitalization of a song Chuck D and Professor Griff did with their new band Confrontation Camp. They performed it last July during the Republican Convention. Initially the song was more of a chant, but the new version will lay down the social and political impact Bush's presidency will have on many in America...Currently the group has a new track circulating around the Internet called 'We Don't Need You' which was produced by up and coming producer Bill Tha Pharmacizt out of Santa Cruz. Professor Griff in a recent interview with the Source magazine noted that if Bush does what he did in Texas, America is in deep trouble.. Many of the album's new songs will be performed with a band.

In addition to recording the new album.. Chuck D will be in Washington DC today [Friday] to participate in an Youth Speak out event....Known as Urban Campfire, this will be a big gathering of Hip Hop artists, Civic Leaders and members of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington DC, at Cordoza High School to discuss pertinent social issues of the day. It's called Urban Campfire Youth Speakout 2001 and it will included Chuck D, Arianna Huffington, Mayor Anthony Williams, Mayor of Washington, D.C, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (Rep. Dallas), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

For those unfamiliar with Urban Campfire Live, its a traveling talk show and concert event featuring celebrities and performing artists who discuss today's social issues with young people. Urban Campfire Live is specifically designed to allow young people to interact with celebrities they know and look up to while being entertained, enlightened and informed. Personalities well-known to generation Y offer their viewpoints fueling the discussion through taped interviews, live panel discussions, recorded music, live performances and video clips. For more info contact Kwame Anku at 415.348.1023 or Lathan Hodge at Rapstation at 510.655.3166


1.19.01  Chuck D Is MLK Day Speaker
(from Davey D's FNV Newsletter) by Lorenzo Komboa Ervin
Usually the talks at the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday program at Western Michigan University-Kalamazoo are sparsely attended, and are deadly dull, but this year with more student input on the planning committee, Chuck D, frontline rapper for the radical hip hop group Public Enemy (and his newly-formed rap-rock group, Confrontation Camp) was chosen as keynote speaker. Excitement (and fear and loathing) has been in abundance.

This caused an uproar among the conservative political establishment of Kalamazoo, who apparently felt some businessman, educator, or politician would be more appropriate to the occasion. The staid Kalamazoo Gazette newspaper first disrespected Bro. Chuck D by mixing up his picture with that of Public Enemy co-lead rapper, Flava Flav. To make matters worse however, they questioned his intelligence and integrity to the effect as "what could a rapper possibly say" that was relevant to the nonviolent legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. They also claimed that the 1991 video "By The Time I Get to Arizona" advocated the murders of the governor and white officials, and was "irresponsible and contrary to Dr. King's beliefs." They obviously saw Chuck D himself as a real public enemy, and he was coming to Kalamazoo.

In his talk tonight, he alluded to these critical newspaper articles, pointing out that although he may be best known as a hip hop artist, he in fact has been on the college lecture circuit for over ten years, and had spoken at over 381 colleges. He indignantly pointed out that he was a college graduate, and that as a rapper/musician was an articulate person who fashioned together "lyrical poetry", not mindless violent phrases. He also pointed out that for years he was a leader who had spoken out about police brutality, racism, and the issues of the day for his community and the poor. He said his voice has been heard on all manner of issues effecting the Black community, and that he had a right to speak in honor of Dr. King. He was clearly offended.

He pointed out that like Dr. Martin Luther King, jr.- he respected the ethnic differences in people, and that nowadays because of the pervasive culture of hip hop it was impossible to even tell whether a youth in baggy clothes and hoods were Black, Asian, white or Latino.

He pointed out that hip hop had a world wide reach, and was the major youth culture of this past century, more so than even rock and roll. One of the major parts of his talk dealt with the dominance of major record labels, which has pushed "gangsta rap" as the dominant expression of Black youth culture. He said the Black innovators of rap music have been almost forgotten or relegated to secondary status, while the major corporations push people like Eminem, a Detroit white artist as the current best selling rap star. He said this cultural theft of Black art forms has historically happened over and over, aided and abetted by white music moguls.

He talked about how rap/hip hop has been bastardized by major record companies, and many of the artists exploited, and that this was why he had sought an independent approach with his current music efforts, the internet and small labels. Chuck D is one of the major proponents of computer distribution of music, called MP3, which allows samples and whole albums to be sold and distributed online. He supported Napster when it was legally attacked by the Recording Industry of America and major labels in a lawsuit last year. 

Finally, Chuck D talked about the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King as a revolutionary, not just a pacifist, saintly, or weak-willed person. He described King as tough-minded and fearless, willing to confront racists eyeball-to-eyeball. He accused the government and media of selling us a corporate King, to pacify our desires for freedom and strong leadership.

After speaking for 30-45 minutes, Chuck D signed off to deafening applause. He had made his point and captivated the crowd of over 3,000 persons, who hung on his every word. This was a racially diverse crowd, mainly students, but also youth and adults from the community. He had left a lasting impression, reached people who had never been reached, and captured the imagination of youth who had never met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but made the acquaintance of a strong fighter by the name of Chuck D.


1.16.01  The Net's Best Fans (And the Artists They Connect With)
(from RollingStone website)
Back in the not so old days, pop stardom was a one-way trip. There was no way for musicians to share information, get immediate feedback, or even swiftly dispel rumors. And outside of the occasional fan club conference, there was no way for devotees to express themselves.

The Net changed that for good. Now artists can reach fans like never before: posting midnight thoughts on the Web, uploading unreleased demos or jumping into the mosh pit of online chat. As for the fans, the Net allows them to completely indulge their obsessions.

Not all artists excel at -- let alone even want -- such intimacy. But the ones who do have spawned some of the most passionate communities, from Prince's Newpowersoul Family to Pearl Jam's Jamily. In some cases, the fans have done most of the work (calling Mr. Slim Shady?). 

Either way, here's our list of the most zealous online fan communities.

RS PICKS
Artists (Alphabetical order) The Skinny 

Tori Amos - Toriphiles rock each other while Amos brings up baby 
The Beastie Boys - The Ill communication lines are open 
The Beatles - Fab Four fans prove "1" isn't the loneliest number 
Beck - Sissynecks and Jack-Asses know where it's at 
David Bowie - The Sailor's crew download -- and bank! -- together 
Dave Matthews Band - Warehouse dwellers "do it" better 
Eminem - Slim Shady's crew stand up online, with or without him 
Hole - Love her or hate her, Courtney takes care of her fans 
Korn - From album covers to set lists, the Children call the shots 
Marilyn Manson - The Antichrist Superstar lives online these days 
'N Sync - Get ready for the ultimate virtual teenage riot 
Offspring - It pays to be an Offspring fan . . . literally 
Pearl Jam - The Jamily that grieves together, trades together 
Phish - It'll take more than a hiatus to stop the phresh posts 
Prince - The Newpowersoul Family follow the sun 
Public Enemy - Believe the hype: among the Net's most savvy bunch 
Radiohead - Cryptic rockers makes for cryptically cool community 
Rage Against the Machine - With or without Zack, the Comrades rage on 
Britney Spears - Britney fans -- and future husbands -- unite 
Ween - All Ween, all the time for Ween weirdos 

PUBLIC ENEMY
Key Sites
www.publicenemy.com (official), www.shutemdown.com

The Skinny
Chuck D is the digital "it" man, not just for the hip-hop crowd, but for everyone. He's built the ultimate site (MP3s, vitriolic "Terrordome" rants, videos, the works) for his fans and digital pundits, who look to Chuck for wisdom. Chuck's a Web music institution, and P.E. people are some of the smartest, most zealous fans out there.

The Buzz
Chuck D's Terrordome-esque column in Elemental Magazine called "On the Real," which can be read at www.rapstation.com.

Public Enemy Writes:
"I celebrated New Years [in December] 'cause I think I need thirteen months to get done what I need to get done in 2001."


1.15.01  Public Enemy To Drop New Album
(from The Source website) by Lynda Lane 
Public Enemy will drop a new album this summer, titled The Black Album, according to group member Professor Griff. In usual P.E. style, the group will get political on a song about our new president, titled "Son of a Bush." 

Griff told the SOURCE.COM The Black Album will definitely remind fans of P.E.'s legendary rap beats, but with a new edge. 

"We're gonna take 'em back to the second album," Griff said while sitting in the group's studio, The Chamber, in Atlanta. "But this time we're doing it with a live band." 

Griff describes one song they've completed, "Son of a Bush," as heavy. It talks about what Americans are in for as George W. Bush takes office as President. Griff, staunch as usual, remarks, "If he does for America what he did for Texas, people are going to be in trouble." 

The new album, the Enemy's first since 1999's There's a Poison Goin On, will only be available through the Internet on the group's website www.publicenemy.com, Griff revealed. He added that a tour will only be likely if fans show extreme interest. 

P.E.'s surprise performance at the FunkJazzKafe Festival in Atlanta Saturday (Jan 6) showed that the seminal rap group still has what it takes to rock the crowd. 

Following a headlining appearance by UK "Soul Don" OMAR, Chuck D. and Professor Griff took to the stage in the wee hours of the morning and had folks banging their heads to a 15-song set of P.E.'s hype classics including "Public Enemy #1," "By The Time I Get To Arizona," "Burn Hollywood Burn," "Channel Zero," and "Shut Em Down."