Hip-Hopper Headlines Black History Month at Union
Chuck D. of Public Enemy speaks about Race, Rap, Reality and Technology to students and community members
Kelly Vadney
Issue date: 3/8/06 Section: Black History Month
- Page 1 of 1
Schenectady- The Nott Memorial inside Union College was packed with about 100 people on Thursday, February 23. Union students and community members crammed into the circular auditorium to watch Chuck D., the founder of hip-hop group Public Enemy, speak about "Race, Rap, Reality and Technology."
The Crowd's Reactions
Chuck D.'s presentation drew mixed reactions from the crowd. He spoke for two hours, his focus often changing. Andrew Jean, a 20-year-old black man was clearly in his element. "He had a lot of good things to say," he said. Jean, originally from Brooklyn, is done with school. He traveled from Albany to see the speech and hung on every word.
Chuck D. attracted more than just college age listeners. Baby boomers, young mothers with strollers and school age children were in the audience. Many spectators stood along the wall once chairs were filled.
Daniel Demicco, a Caucasian Union Freshman, left the presentation slightly disappointed. "I didn't hear anything all that new and insightful," he said. Demicco said Chuck D.'s emphasis on the separation of races in society did not impress him. "I think I've come to those conclusions on my own before."
Importance of Education
Chuck D. began his speech by encouraging and commending students for attending college. He graduated from Adelphi University in 1984. "That was my first accomplishment and I'm proudest of it," he said.
"The knowledge that you get in a place like this is more than just your book." He said college students should use their time in school to learn about diversity. He said Black History Month should be called, "Black Misery Month" and criticized public schools for not emphasizing history in general. He added that kids know more about entertainment and celebrities because those things are constantly reinforced and repeated in their lives.
The "Dumbassification" of America
The artist repetitively drew attention to what he called the "dumbassification" of America. He stated that society has been discouraging intellectualism. "Over the last ten years the class clown has been wearing a crown," he said.
The hip-hopper called BET (Black Entertainment Television) the,"Bootie En' ('cause you know you have to spell it wrong,) Thug network." He also referred to MTV as,"Empty V."
He poked fun at his fellow Public Enemy band member Flavor Flav's reality TV forays. "People ask me who ends up with Flav." Chuck D. said people do not realize how unrealistic such programs are after the editing and production process. "The show was filmed in October."
Loss of Black Role Models in Entertainment
Chuck D. pointed out there are fewer and fewer black characters for youth to look up to on TV. "When's the last time you saw yourself on television?" he asked the Black audience. "In A Different World? 1987?"
History
The artist went on to outline the history of music, beginning with the slave trade in New Orleans in the 1800s. He traced it through Ray Charles in the 1960s and eventually into hip-hop.
One Last Thought
Matthew Burr, a Caucasian senior at Union left the event with a lot to think about. "I'm trying not to take for granted all the history we've tried to have been taught," he said. "Americans are forgetting the roots of music."
The Crowd's Reactions
Chuck D.'s presentation drew mixed reactions from the crowd. He spoke for two hours, his focus often changing. Andrew Jean, a 20-year-old black man was clearly in his element. "He had a lot of good things to say," he said. Jean, originally from Brooklyn, is done with school. He traveled from Albany to see the speech and hung on every word.
Chuck D. attracted more than just college age listeners. Baby boomers, young mothers with strollers and school age children were in the audience. Many spectators stood along the wall once chairs were filled.
Daniel Demicco, a Caucasian Union Freshman, left the presentation slightly disappointed. "I didn't hear anything all that new and insightful," he said. Demicco said Chuck D.'s emphasis on the separation of races in society did not impress him. "I think I've come to those conclusions on my own before."
Importance of Education
Chuck D. began his speech by encouraging and commending students for attending college. He graduated from Adelphi University in 1984. "That was my first accomplishment and I'm proudest of it," he said.
|
"The knowledge that you get in a place like this is more than just your book." He said college students should use their time in school to learn about diversity. He said Black History Month should be called, "Black Misery Month" and criticized public schools for not emphasizing history in general. He added that kids know more about entertainment and celebrities because those things are constantly reinforced and repeated in their lives.
The "Dumbassification" of America
The artist repetitively drew attention to what he called the "dumbassification" of America. He stated that society has been discouraging intellectualism. "Over the last ten years the class clown has been wearing a crown," he said.
The hip-hopper called BET (Black Entertainment Television) the,"Bootie En' ('cause you know you have to spell it wrong,) Thug network." He also referred to MTV as,"Empty V."
He poked fun at his fellow Public Enemy band member Flavor Flav's reality TV forays. "People ask me who ends up with Flav." Chuck D. said people do not realize how unrealistic such programs are after the editing and production process. "The show was filmed in October."
Loss of Black Role Models in Entertainment
Chuck D. pointed out there are fewer and fewer black characters for youth to look up to on TV. "When's the last time you saw yourself on television?" he asked the Black audience. "In A Different World? 1987?"
|
History
The artist went on to outline the history of music, beginning with the slave trade in New Orleans in the 1800s. He traced it through Ray Charles in the 1960s and eventually into hip-hop.
One Last Thought
Matthew Burr, a Caucasian senior at Union left the event with a lot to think about. "I'm trying not to take for granted all the history we've tried to have been taught," he said. "Americans are forgetting the roots of music."