Chuck D has long been one of my favorite MC’s and have caught many body scrapes and blows during barber shop discussions of Top 5 MC’s lists. I don’t care and I’ll stick by it to the end. We can debate lyricism, tone, breath control, inflection, cultural relevance, longevity, hits, sales, influence etc. etc. and in my book, he still wins. The 12″ single for “You’re gonna get yours”/”Rebel without a pause”/”Miuzi Weighs A Ton”, changed my life and I haven’t looked back.

And, if you think he’s irrelevant and PE is no longer viable, I invite you to sniff around the technology, social & entrepreneurial fronts to see “what goes on, what goes on?? Well……. ”

For that, and so much more, we salute Chuck D. Happy Birthday sir!

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Hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the release of their third and arguably most popular album, Fear of a Black Planet.

Although it was the You’re Gonna Get Yours/Rebel Without A Pause 12″ that first turned me on to PE and changed my life, the social impact of Fear cannot be denied. Billboard has a great piece chronicling the revolutionary and controversial aspects of the album, along with it’s place in history. Peep the clip and check out the article here.

Keep up with PE here, (yes, they’re still touring the world, making records, challenging the status quo and pushing the technological envelope). “Follow for now”, Chuck D on twitter.

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Social Media guru Brent Leary and part time Twitter DJ (check him out — #FridayNiteMix) has an interesting blog post correlating social networking with being a DJ. At first glance, it appears to be an odd analogy.

However, some very valid comparisons were presented: instant communication (for better or worse), collaboration and the “viral” nature of social media along with your reputation as a DJ. Be sure to check out his post which also includes an interview with the legendary Daddy-O of Stetsasonic. Oh, and don’t get it twisted, in addition to being to being a legendary rapper, speaker and celebrity DJ — he’s also a well-versed tech-head has some very exciting things in store. Stay tuned…… Truly, ‘Bridging The Gap’.
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Classic joints from Whodini (“Magic Wand“), Doug E. Fresh (“Keep Risin’ To The Top“) & Public Enemy (“Welcome To The Terrordome“).
Bonus freestyle from Craig G!

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I have much respect for the Bomb Squad and what they’ve pioneered in hip hop. Best known as the production force behind the greatest hip hop group of all times (IMHO), Public Enemy, they’ve also blessed 3rd Bass, Run DMC, YBT, True Mathematics and many, many more. It was their unique, complex, hard hitting sonic & sampling structures that had me amazed and in awe from the first sounds of “You’re Gonna Get Yours“.

Bomb Squad production + Chuck D’s powerful voice, educational and challenging lyrics, crazy word flow, inflection + Flav’s comical antics (Happy belated 50th B-day Flav!) = Hip Hop Heaven. Of course, we’ve got to pay homage to Professor Griff, Brother James Norman, Brother Mike, Terminator X, DJ Lord, DJ Johnny Juice and the S1W’s. Check out the video and follow the links to see how the Bomb Squad is still representing worldwide, in 2009.

MySpace
Keith Shocklee
Shocklee Entertainment
Public Enemy
Professor Griff the Xminista

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