Public Enemy's Chuck D gives Pacific crowd a history lesson

Rapper Chuck D, famous for being one half of the platinum-selling group Public Enemy, jokes about the Bush Administration during the opening of his speech Thursday night at University of the Pacific. (Dan Evans/News-Sentinel)

Public Enemy's Chuck D gives Pacific crowd a history lesson

By Amanda Dyer
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Friday, February 29, 2008 7:01 AM PST

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Chuck D, co-founder of politically conscious rap group Public Enemy, schooled a crowd of nearly 150 people at University of the Pacific on Thursday night on the importance of knowledge.

As the keynote speaker of the university's Black History Month celebration, Chuck D, 47, covered everything from the Louisiana Purchase to how manufacturers use platinum to coat the inside of mufflers to the U.S. prison system.

"I don't have lectures. I have conversations and vibe sessions," said the outspoken rapper, who also said that he forgot his speaking notes in San Francisco.

Sans notes, Chuck D was still able to engage students and adults alike with his message to gain as much knowledge as possible.

"You have to be fully equipped from the head on up," he said.

Chuck D encouraged students to get their money's worth at Pacific by tapping into as many resources as possible, while not being brainwashed by pop culture.

The rapper railed on channels like MTV and BET, which he called the "Booty and Thugs Network," and told young people to decide who they are for themselves instead of having other people define them.

"You cannot be in college and be a thug at the same time," Chuck D said. "I don't care how many times you've seen 'Menace to Society' and 'Juice.'"

Not short on opinions on this year's presidential race, Chuck D joked that Sen. John McCain's head reminded him of an "exploding Alka-Seltzer."

Chuck D at a glance

• Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, better known as Chuck D, was raised in Roosevelt, Long Island, N.Y. He co-founded the rap group Public Enemy in 1982 at Adelphi University.
• The group released its first album "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" in 1987. It wasn't until the group's second album, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back," that Public Enemy attained commercial success.
• In 1989 the group released "Fight the Power." That same year they recorded the theme song to Spike Lee's film "Do the Right Thing.".
• The rapper has been traveling the world as a speaker for 17 years.
— Rolling Stone, Chuck D.

Instead of McCain, R-Ariz., Chuck D said he'd like to see Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., serve 16 years in an executive office — eight years as vice president and eight years as president.

During a recent trip to France, a man, noting that both Chuck D and Obama are black, asked Chuck D whether or not he would vote for the Illinois senator.

"I want to," Chuck D replied. "I want him to be right, though."

Chuck D encouraged the listeners to vote, but said they should know what they're voting for.

"Make up your own mind. Don't have somebody make it up for you," he said.

McNair High School sophomore Monazia Hunter, 15, said she took Chuck D's message about thinking for herself to heart.

"It's good advice for people who are struggling here," Hunter said.

Alex Cordova, 32, a substitute teacher at Stockton Unified School District, said he enjoyed Chuck D's thoughts on the prison system, a small but recurring theme in his talk.

Cordova, along with Chuck D, thinks government spending on prisons is disproportionate to some of the country's other needs.

While Stockton resident Cleveland Gordon found Chuck D's lecture very informative overall, he took odds with the rapper's thoughts on Obama's place in Washington, D.C.

"(Obama) is best in the president position," Gordon said.

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

steve wrote on Feb 29, 2008 5:06 PM:

" Wow, nearly 150 were able to hear the obligatory anti-Bush comments and the now famous "exploding Alka-Seltzer" head joke. I bet most of the nearly 150 couldn't get enough of the brilliant "what goes into making a muffler" message he put forth. "You have to be fully equipped from the head on up", deep, very deep. "

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