The Intrepid ‘Public Enemy’s Role In The Emancipation Of Black People Through Music

Left, Flavor Flav and Chuck D

In the 1930s, the name commonly used to describe individuals whose activities are seen as a threat became the name of a controversial African-American hip-hop group in the late 80s, as ‘Public Enemy.’ 

How did this musical group that later became so famous revolutionize racist America through their music? And what role did they play in bringing African-Americans, or Black people in general, this far before the continuation of the 'Black Lives Matter' force?

400 years ago, a ship carrying human cargo from Africa landed at the shores of the United States of America. Decades after the abolition of slavery, physical and psychological abuse, and denial of freedom and equal opportunities, African-Americans have put the bitter memories of slavery behind them to move forward.

Thousands of African-Americans have excelled in a manner that has shocked institutionalized-racist America. Instead of being recommended, camouflaged-democratic-racist America is now killing the African-Americans they brought from Africa to build their colonies with blood, sweat, and tears because they don't want them to be successful.  

"God's ways are mysterious," they say; out of the lion carcass, the sweet honey was formed. Surviving the brutal ordeal of slavery through spiritual music, African-Americans now dominate R&B and the hip-hop music scene, which started very early with Public Enemy and Run D.M.C. before inspiring many music groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, Nutty By Nature, and other independent musicians such as LL Cool J, KRS-One, Queen Latifah, and many others.

When Public Enemy made their presence felt in the musical mainstream in the late 1980s, their intention was to seek recognition for the Black man, not only African-Americans. They demonstrated that through the names of their music: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Fear of a Black Planet, Rebel without a Pause, and, most famously, Fight the Power.

The politically conscious and eloquent Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, popularly known as Chuck D, with William Jonathan Drayton, better known as Flavor Flav (no longer with the group), expressed the oppression and persecution of Black people, or African-Americans, through music, despite the victories of the Civil Rights movement in the 60s.

The group, through the video 'Can't Truss It,' showed how the slave masters abused their power and cruelly dehumanized and raped African-American women, slaves. The music group 'Public Enemy,' itself, wasn't violent, but the message of the music was sharper than a double-edged sword. In reality, their music changed and improved the lives of African-Americans in a way they weren't expecting.

Public Enemy's 'Fight The Power' music video is an example of the cry for justice that has eluded African-Americans in a so-called democratic America. 

Since the eruption of demonstrations after the brutal murder of George Floyd, Google, the owner of YouTube, has denied the access of showing the videos of Public Enemy on other platforms. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PaoLy7PHwk

The African-Americans music group, 'Public Enemy'

However, a movement under the slogan 'Black Lives Matter,' which exists but has been inactive for some time, suddenly jumped in to continue the similar work of Public Enemy, following the murder of the African-American, George Floyd, by white racist police, spreading to Europe and other countries around the globe.

African-Americans still have a long way to go, but if, through civil rights movements, organizations, and music, they have reached so far, then the victory of collapsing the built-in institutional racism in America is much closer than expected.

African-Americans, or Black people in general, shall overcome.

ALL LIVES MATTER BUT BLACK POLICE OFFICERS DON'T KILL WHITE PEOPLE

Demonstrators in front of the painting of murdered George Floyd

There are jealousy and hate emerging from many parts of the world, not because George Floyd was brutally murdered by white racist police officers but the fact that the spirit of this man who couldn't breathe and was calling for his mama has changed the world.

Yes, the strong spirit of George Floyd has changed the world, prompting action to be taken, forcing those police murderers to face the law and even pulling downing statues connecting to slavery and colonialism into waters. This is what has brought jealousy and hate, and now, they are calling for "All Lives Matter" instead of "Black Lives Matter."

What led to the formation of "Black Lives Matter" in the first place? It was because of white brutality and killings of black people in the United States of America., so why are they fighting for the recognition for ''All Lives Matter," when black police officers are not killing white people? You see how hate and jealousy don't let people think normal?

Many white people are pure racists but they would never admit it, however, we, the black people who are the victims want to know why among all the races, the black ma alone had suffered slavery, colonial brutality, Apartheid and man-made diseases such as Aids, Ebola, Burkitt's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and nodding disease?

What do white people want from the black man that they don't want to give them a breathing space on the surface of this earth? In fact, if the air is for sale, the rich white people would have bought everything for the poor black man to suffocate. God knows this, the reason the air is free, yet white killers want the black man to die in another way.

Crime has no color, yet everyone sees the black man as a threat. They keep on denying the black people equal opportunities and wouldn't even want them to have a better education, just to suppress them but these people are now intelligent after 400 years of slavery. No matter how hard the pressed on their necks, many have liberated themselves from poverty.

Is that what is causing jealousy in America? No, no we "Can't Truss It," Public Enemy will tell them. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qn3e0rk4rjpdp2c/AAAChFjZ77zff_834tRNVg_-a?dl=0&preview=01+2020.mp3 

I love African proverbs because they have moral lessons, one of them says, "A child who wouldn't like his or her mother to sleep by crying the whole night will also have no sleep." If there are white racist there whose aim is to brutalize and kill people, then they should aware that they will never know what is peace just as what we have witnessed after the killing of George Floyd.