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Chuck D speaks at Union
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by Luke Schneider
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Public Enemy’s Chuck D tackled social problems from war to corporations for an engaged crowd Monday night as part of the Wisconsin Union Distinguished Lecture Series.
Chuck D helped form one of the most influential and controversial rap groups to ever hit the airwaves, whose music has often tackled social issues.
D openly commented on the current administration.
“[Bush is] just sitting in his office playing Grand Theft Oil,” Chuck D said.
D compared the current situation in Iraq to that of Vietnam.
“I’m a child of the ’60s. I experienced that sh-t,” Chuck D said. “Now it’s coming back around with Bush.”
Chuck D combined humor and sarcasm as he mimicked President Bush.
“Hmmm so the American public says they don’t want to go to war. OK, so f-ck it — we’re going to war,” Chuck said.
“[Bush] says we got to fight,” Chuck added. “He don’t do sh-t; they send you all over [to fight].”
Chuck D also talked about how people should learn to put stock in character and respect themselves.
“You go to college to raise your level of thought and think for yourself,” Chuck said. “If you leave here and say, ‘Chuck D, he was whack,’ good, you’re thinking for yourself.”
Chuck D summed up music’s place in his life succinctly: “I love hip-hop, but I don’t love it more than myself,” he said. “I don’t love it more than my family or more than my black people.”
D also offered a slice of advice for society.
“Culture should progress the people because it comes from the people,” Chuck said. “Corporations think they can bottle it up and sell it.”
Chuck used anecdotes to stress much of the advice he was giving. He cited Vanilla Ice’s arrival on the scene to make a point about race relations: “All the black crowd saw that sh-t. Then they didn’t like it because it was a white kid,” he said. “You’re judging off the characteristic, not the character. We don’t want that done to us, so what are you doing?”
