{"id":1351,"date":"2025-05-20T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/chuck-d-interview\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T14:00:00","slug":"chuck-d-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/chuck-d-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck D Is Calling You Out"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/unnamed-14-e1747687056905.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\" alt=\"Chuck D. (Photo courtesy of Def Jam)\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Chuck D is prepping for a busy summer. <\/strong>Following a Public Enemy performance in Napa Valley and another at Boston Calling at the end of May, Chuck, Flavor Flav, and crew head overseas for a handful of shows in June before joining Guns N\u2019 Roses on their <em>Because What You Want &amp; What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things<\/em> tour. It\u2019s a grueling schedule, with dates peppered all across Europe. They\u2019ll eventually return to the States toward the end of July, landing in Athens, Georgia, on July 22.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Chuck, this is nothing new. As Public Enemy\u2019s frontman, he\u2019s been trotting around the globe since the 1980s, bringing the group\u2019s politically-charged anthems and militant style of the S1Ws to audiences in every corner of the world. Now 64, Chuck is one of hip-hop\u2019s few sexagenarians still rocking the mic, a topic he addresses on his new compilation project, <em>Radio Armageddon<\/em>. While the 14-track effort bridges the generational gap\u2014contributions include gangsta rap innovator Schoolly D and Stetsasonic\u2019s Daddy-O alongside up-and-comers like Miranda Writes\u2014Chuck is laser-focused on the lack of respect given to our hip-hop pioneers.<\/p>\n<p>More from Spin:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/new-book-on-bob-dylan-explores-the-artists-most-influential-period-of-music\/\">New Book on Bob Dylan Explores the Artist\u2019s Most Influential Period of Music<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/they-might-be-giants-for-the-children-9-year-old-twins-review-a-tmbg-concert\/\">They Might Be Giants for the Children: 9-Year-Old Twins Review a TMBG Concert<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/pearl-jam-dark-matter-tour-finale\/\">Pearl Jam Bash Trump, Salute Chris Cornell At Tour Finale<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe ism of ageism is up there with sexism and racism,\u201d Chuck D tells SPIN by phone. \u201cAgeism is derailing elders.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"872\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2180284992.jpg\" alt=\"Chuck D and Flava Flav at the 2024 Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 19, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Credit: Sara Jaye\/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)\" class=\"wp-image-464669\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2180284992.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2180284992-340x247.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2180284992-768x558.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2180284992-498x362.jpg 498w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chuck D and Flava Flav at the 2024 Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 19, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Credit: Sara Jaye\/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unlike rock \u2019n roll, where artists like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger are touring into their 80s, hip-hop is still a relatively youth-focused genre, so there aren\u2019t as many older artists blazing the trail. Ice-T, Chuck, Flavor Flav, Kurtis Blow, DJ Kool Herc, and Grandmaster Flash are among the hip-hop legends in their 60s, and they often have to fight for their rightful place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaddy-O, to me, did the best album of 2024 and nobody covered it,\u201d he points out. \u201cThere\u2019s no classification for classic hip-hop. The curation of classic hip-hop has to be at least half of what classic rock has done. I\u2019m traveling with a classic rock act this year in stadiums. Now, classic rock is made up of so many groups out of the \u201990s. Green Day is a classic rock group, and they do whatever they want.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was with a rock group that was damn near a cover band [Prophets of Rage] that did great tours around the world, although we had original music and played Rage Against the Machine songs, Public Enemy songs, and Cypress Hill songs. When are we going to start seeing hip-hop cover bands? I think we\u2019re right around the corner. It\u2019s about the songs. The songs are the gods. And then the best way to turn on new generations to old songs is performers that have the passion to connect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"860\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2197186764-1290x860.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-464668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2197186764-1290x860.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2197186764-340x227.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2197186764-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2197186764-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2197186764-498x332.jpg 498w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2197186764.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chuck D and Flavor Flav perform onstage during Jelly Roll &amp; Friends: A Concert for All First Responders at Rose Bowl Stadium on February 1, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Credit: Amy Sussman\/Getty Images for Jelly Roll)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite the uphill climb, Chuck is still testing the boundaries of his musical (and lyrical) craft, as evident on <em>Radio Armageddon<\/em>. From the chaotic, Bomb Squad-flavored lead single, \u201cNew Gens\u201d featuring Daddy-O, to the frenzied feeling of \u201cRogue Runnin\u201d with Phill Most Chill, some people aren\u2019t going to \u201cget it,\u201d and Chuck is at peace with that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s me doing a new style of being a master of ceremonies,\u201d he says of the project. \u201cYou have the hip-hop god Daddy-O on \u2018New Gens,\u2019 and he\u2019s more conventional, straight up with the rhyme on the beat. My thing was coming unorthodox from left field, and it\u2019s not meant to be liked. Sometimes we could go on a tangent. I don\u2019t give a fuck about likes, and I don\u2019t give a fuck about approvals on art because I come from an art background. However, when I\u2019m presenting an MC, it\u2019s different. I think MCs like 1\/2 Pint and Miranda Writes on \u2018Is God She?\u2019 are doing a phenomenal job and should get the look.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As far as the production, Chuck has entrusted David \u201cC-Doc\u201d Snyder, who he describes as the \u201cBrian Eno of hip-hop,\u201d to weave supercharged sonic threads into his own slightly tattered tapestry of sound. Rough around the edges at times yet interesting enough to warrant a head nod or two, <em>Radio Armageddon<\/em> primarily relies on Chuck\u2019s authoritative voice to command attention. Nearly 40 years after releasing Public Enemy\u2019s rallying cry, \u201cFight the Power,\u201d he continues to spotlight important issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMake racists afraid again,\u201d he raps on \u201cHere We Are Heard.\u201d \u201cThey wanna build a wall between us and Mexicans\/Still on the outside lookin\u2019 in\/Based on the skin I\u2019m in,\u201d a somber reminder that the United States hasn\u2019t made much progress in that department.<\/p>\n<p>As Chuck said, not everybody is going to \u201clike\u201d <em>Radio Armageddon<\/em>, but for those who want an experience that equates to \u201clistening to a radio station dipped in acid with Wu-Tang Clan fighting at the door, trying to get in\u201d\u2014as Chuck puts it\u2014let the record play.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very hard to introduce a sonic audio revolution in 2025, when everybody\u2019s addicted to their screens,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople don\u2019t listen with their ears first anymore, they listen with their eyes, but C-Doc has invented the sudden turn production, and he\u2019s learned from the blueprint of the Bomb Squad but has turned it into this drive into a ditch-type style that I don\u2019t think is precedented. He\u2019s running with the words and dancing with the beats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2021\/07\/the-greatest-rock-stars-of-all-time\/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=bottomlink&amp;utm_campaign=yahoolink\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chuck D is prepping for a busy summer. Following a Public Enemy performance in Napa Valley and another at Boston Calling at the end of May, Chuck, Flavor Flav, and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[701,31,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chuck-d","category-features","category-pushly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1351\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}