Public Enemy "Mine Again"

By Ralo

The urban lifestyle has always been a hive of activity in the world of hip-hop culture. First there is the visually arresting images of graffiti, then there is the hypnotic rotation of turntables. You can't forget the acrobatic display of b-boys or the oral expression of MCing.

The lyricist or the MC has long been the center of attention in the sub-culture of underground hip-hop. There are often many questions about who is the best lyricist or who can beat who in a battle. The topic of discussion also centers on who's new record is wack, and who's new record is heat, or which newcomers sound good and shows promise.  Lyrics, delivery and production all play key roles in judging the quality of underground hip-hop. Noncommercial rap has always had more poetic value than its corporate under produced counterpart.

This week our spotlight is on Long Islands' own, Public Enemy. There is no need to wax poetic about the history of Raps' most important group. They have duration in the business that is almost unmatched. Since 1987 Public Enemy has been leading the way in the sub-genre of conscious Rap. Now, in 2015 Public Enemy is back with their 16th, yes 16th album, entitled Man Plans God Laughs The latest video from the project is called Mine Again. Centred in Africa, Mine Again delivers the  hard hitting message PE is known for.

THE BLACK HISTORY MIXTAPE

THE BLACK HISTORY MIXTAPE

1.    SELF DESTRUCTION - #MALCOLMX   

2.    BLACK N PROUD - #BRANDNUBIAN

3.    DREAM FT MLK JR - COMMON

4.    YOU MUST LEARN - #KRS1

5.    WHO'S GONNA TAKE THE WEIGHT? - #GANGSTARR

6.    EMBRACE YOUR TRUE NAME - #TUPAC

7.    WORD TO THE MOTHERLAND - #BIGDADDYKANE

8.    VERBAL MILK - #XCLAN

9.    THE FEELING - KONCEPT

10. STILL I RISE - #MAYAANGELOU

11. BLACK WOMAN - #JUNGLEBROTHERS

12. AFRICA DREAM - #TALIBKWELI

13. GHETTOS OF THE MIND - #PETEROCKandCLSMOOTH

14. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY - MALCOLM X

15. BY THE TIME I GET TO ARIZONA - #PUBLICENEMY

16. BLACK WISH - #THELASTPOETS

17. BE REAL BLACK FOR ME - #ROBERTAFLACK AND #DONNYHATHAWAY

18. I AM THE BLACK GOLD OF THE SUN - #ATRIBECALLEDQUEST

Visual Caffiene Episode 42: Listen And Learn

 

Peace and bliss planet rockers!

The award winning Visual Caffeine is back! Off The Corner is proud present this monthly program that has become something of an instant classic. It presents the fascinating history of Hip-Hop culture, as well a peek inside the world of  present day underground Hip-Hop.

 

The leaves are falling and it's getting cooler outside-so VISUAL CAFFEINE brings the heat for you in the form of PUBLIC ENEMY!!

Here are the tracks featured in this episode:
1. "Louder Than A Bomb"
2. "Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos"
3. "Bring That Beat Back"
4. "Don't Believe The Hype"
5. "Night Of The Living Baseheads"
6. "Night Train" feat. CL SMOOTH
7. "Can't Truss It"
8. "Crayola" YEA BOYEEEEEEE!!

VISUAL CAFFEINE-episode42-LISTEN and LEARN from SEN ONE6 UZN on Vimeo.

 

CHUCK D OF PUBLIC ENEMY SPEAKS AT THE MISSOURI THEATRE ABOUT HIP HOP AS 'HIGH ART'



Photo by Benita Brown

The co-founder of Public Enemy, one of the most influential Hip Hop groups ever from Long Island was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Chuck D spoke Tuesday night at the Missouri Theatre and touched upon "Race, Rap and Reality." Here's an excerpt of his speech:
 

"I always thought you could be beyond the music; especially as a former college student, I understood the quest for learning about what music can do. Rap culture changes every year and has for decades. The difference between rap music now and rap in the 1980s when he first started is "the teaching of it hasn't been thorough." People think they know what rap and hip-hop are but don't understand the historical context of blacks expressing themselves through music. Their only option in pre-Civil War America, when most were slaves. That music lives on through hip-hop. Rap and hip-hop can be considered high art. For the longest period of time, hip-hop has been my religion, and rap is my military."



 
“If you don’t know the original meaning of hip hop, how can you call it hip hop?” - Chuck D

and -

“The silence of intelligence in pop culture is more damaging than the loudening of ignorance” - Chuck D

- See more at: VOX Magazine

1988 - Classic Hip Hop Albums Celebrating Their 25th Anniversary

When i think of 1988 i think about me getting my license and graduating from high school and being suckered into joining the Army (If i ever run into that recruitment officer i just might slap the shit outta him for selling me false dreams lol ), yeah im ranting and telling my age right now, but 1988 also marked a significant time period in my life that blew my mind. Ask some of my closest friends and they will tell you the times where they used to hang out at my house while i djed for hours and hours. After a while they would either leave, or fall asleep but when they returned or woke up, i was still on those Gemini turntables having fun, cutting up "Im the King of Rock" by Run DMC to "Funky Beat" by Whodini .The music was pure, fresh and raw, and each artist didn't sound like the next one, they all had distinctive flows, styles and the music production was on point. So here we are, 25 years later, and this year these artists celebrated their 25th anniversary milestone debuts. 

So here are the 15 most memorable albums of 1988 in no particular order. I am sure you will agree that the talent of each of these artists reach beyond levels that can never ever ever ever ever be duplicated. 

    The Golden Era of Hip Hop..........  

PUBLIC ENEMY - "BEYOND TRAYVON"

iTunes Review : 

As a hip-hop group soldiering on after 25 years of service, Public Enemy still has a vitality worth enjoying. Coming mere months after the excellent Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp, The Evil Empire of Everything shows PE as a lean, mean machine. Chuck D's definitive bark rages against injustice and keeps up the energy as he makes his points of view known and known again. "Riotstarted," with guitarist Tom Morello and punk icon Henry Rollins, drives with a hard, steely beat and a near-hoarse declaration of Chuck's fierce independence.
"Beyond Trayvon" breaks down the Trayvon Martin era of racial profiling. "Don't Give Up the Fight" takes on a spiritual vibe with Ziggy Marley on board. "Everything," featuring jazz saxophonist Gerald Albright and soul singer Sheila Brody, nicks a beautiful Stax-Volt vibe. "Notice (Know This)" casts a suspicious eye on the egocentric hip-hop attitudes of those battling for the thrones of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Flavor Flav even mocks reality TV (oh, the irony!) on "Broke Diva," adding a touch of comic relief.

                                                   PURCHASE HERE ON I TUNES



Public Enemy Hip-Hop Gods TourFest

Public Enemy is among some of the best acts Long Island ever had to offer. They began their recording career in 1986 with the release of "Yo, Bum Rush The Show" on Def Jam Records. They followed that with two of the most classic albums in the history of recorded rap music, "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" and "Fear Of A Black Planet".

Public Enemy continues to move forward with the release of their latest album, "The Evil Empire Of Everything"- available now on Enemy Records/Spit Digital and iTunes. The latest album from the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame nominees comes with a multi-city tour beginning on November 28th. 

HIP HOP GODS TOURFEST REVIEW HEADLINED BY PUBLIC ENEMY Kicks off in DC 11/28
Check dates for a City near you ..
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 / Washington DC / 930 CLUB
Thursday November 29 2012/ New York / IRVING PLAZA
FRIDAY, November 30, 2012/ PE IN PHILADELPHIA
Saturday, December 01, 2012 / Burlington Vermont / HIGHER GROUND
Sunday, December 02, 2012 / Boston / ROYALE THEATER
Monday, December 03, 2012 / travel
Tuesday, December 04, 2012 / Indianapolis / VOGUE THEATRE
Wednesday, December 05, 2012 / Chicago / HOUSE OF BLUES
Thursday, December 06, 2012 / Minneapolis / FIRST AVENUE
Friday, December 07, 2012 / Lincoln,Nebraska / BOURBON THEATER
Saturday, December 08, 2012 / Denver / OGDEN THEATER
Sunday, December 09, 2012 / Jackson Hole Wyoming / PINK GARTER THEATER
Monday, December 10, 2012 / Aspen. CO / BELLY UP
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 / / travel . Las Vegas
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 / San Diego / 4TH AND B
Thursday, December 13, 2012 / Los Angeles / NOKIA THEATRE