Where does racial profiling end when it’s the law? This is only one of the many questions Public Enemy founder and music visionary Chuck D poses with By The Time I Got To Arizona, an explosive fine art collaboration created under his specific direction that foreshadows the future of America if policies based on profiling continue. For his first foray into fine art, Chuck has worked hand-in-hand with artist Ravi Dosaj of creativity house SceneFour – whose recent art project with RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan was named “The Greatest Painting Of 2010” by Village Voice – re-engineering a variety of traditional 20th century American imagery to create a frighteningly accurate portrait of a country eating itself. With a release set slated for March 4th, those interested in learning more before the public unveiling are encourage to sign up exclusively at www.theartofchuckd.com. (more…)
Chuck D has long been one of my favorite MC’s and have caught many body scrapes and blows during barber shop discussions of Top 5 MC’s lists. I don’t care and I’ll stick by it to the end. We can debate lyricism, tone, breath control, inflection, cultural relevance, longevity, hits, sales, influence etc. etc. and in my book, he still wins. The 12″ single for “You’re gonna get yours”/”Rebel without a pause”/”Miuzi Weighs A Ton”, changed my life and I haven’t looked back.
And, if you think he’s irrelevant and PE is no longer viable, I invite you to sniff around the technology, social & entrepreneurial fronts to see “what goes on, what goes on?? Well……. ”
For that, and so much more, we salute Chuck D. Happy Birthday sir!
In this era of constant global connectivity when disaster strikes the response time has been reduced from days to hours, to in some cases, minutes. This same premise holds true in the artistic world as artists have answered the beckoned call of need in Haiti. (more…)
There are some incredible tributes, mixes, blog posts and personal recollections being shared all around the web. We’ll be updating this for some time with the best of what we find. If you know of others, please leave us a comment and we’ll update with those as well. Check back often, as we continue to update this post.
Quincy Jones:
“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on ‘The Wiz’ and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the ’80s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
Diana Ross:
“I can’t stop crying, this is too sudden and shocking,” Ross says in a statement. “I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting. I am in prayer for his kids and the family.”
‘I am shocked and saddened by Michael’s passing,” Turner says. “I, along with his millions of fans, looked forward to seeing him tour one more time. Now, may he rest in peace.”
. Also peep “Say It Like It Really Is” after the jump, from PE’s salute to soul, featured on the box set: 
