Arampant Public Enemy was in magnificent voice on Wednesday at Ministry of Sound (MoS), delivering a two-and-a-half hour set that struck a lot of great chords and hit just one bum note.
Covering the bases musically, Public Enemy played songs from their earliest and latest albums and also took a bite out of other artists' repertoires, with nods to Rage against the Machine, the Wu Tang Clan and most impressively a final encore of Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady, including guitar picking with the teeth and a wall of feedback.
It went wrong when Professor Griff, the former minister of information for the band, started up with a tirade against US President George W. Bush and then advised the Taiwanese and foreigners present that it was best to stick with China against the US in any confrontation.
It all seemed a bit much for many of the locals, who were drifting away in a concussed state toward the end. This was hard, old-school, angry and uncompromising black music, at least 20 years distant from the love-and-money notions of G-Unit that are cutting it today.
Earlier, Chuck D and Griff rolled out the band's manifesto for journalists. They spoke about the "four elements" (DJing, MCing, graffiti and breakdancing), the current state of hip hop and changes in the recording industry -- but managed to veer away from the Jewish question and other thorns that have stuck in their side before now.
But it was all a little flaky. When it came to naming the names of those behind their conspiracy theories -- "who's really running the show" -- they failed to come up with any, except Rupert Murdoch. Maybe. They seemed a little vague on whether the power structure was political or financial and the smart one-liners -- "don't believe the hype" or "fight the power" -- were no longer as relevant or as powerful, since black power politics have transformed and rebellion seems so, like, 1960s.
Like a middle-aged parent worrying about his children, Chuck D laid it on the line when he spoke about young rappers.
"They consider what they're doing is speaking for the street, because that's their lifestyle under the banner of keeping it real."
"But everyone is telling the same story. There's only one video out there. It's a continuation of the same bullshit. Just the pla-yers are switched around. Back in the days when I was coming up in hip hop it was almost embarrassing and disgraceful for you to bite somebody's lyrics or style. You understand what I'm saying? And right now, I think personally speaking, I can't speak for everybody, but hip hop is brain dead."
Later the same day Chuck D was taking a bite out of Jimi Hendrix and the Wu Tang Clan. It wasn't that Chuck D was bitter, he's done well. It wasn't that he no longer has a voice, he spoke thoughtfully and clearly. But the music business is as much about fashion and change as it is about revolution and credibility.
Public Enemy put on one of the best shows seen at MoS, and may well deliver another stone-cold killer of an album later this year. They are classic, powerful entertainers and in the end their politics, thankfully, are secondary to the music.
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