Chuck D Wants More Hip-Hop Headliners At Major Festivals
Chuck D is not impressed with today's live hip-hop performances. A recent and rare blog post from the Public Enemy frontman found him venting over an apparent gripe with this generation's performers, who he claims just aren't up to par with the vets in terms of their stage show. And thoguht most of what he's written is basically a ringing endorsement of his own forthcoming PE record Man Plans, God Laughs and the subsequent tour with The Prodigy (slated for the end of the year) Uncle Chuck's sentiments are heard and loudly at that.
He indicts the current generation for relying to heavily on turntables instead of treating audiences to a live band and shows as actual events, like he & PE have over the years, something he claims to have picked up from The Rolling Stones. And it is hard to argue with that. Outside of our very ownRoots crew, Kendrick Lamar and, say,Chance The Rapper, what other major acts are out here performing with a full ensemble? Sadly, not very many. And perhaps that is why there's a serious shortage in headliners from our neck of the woods. So, to all you fledgling MCs out here, step your live game up and claim your throne. Read a few excerpts from Chuck D's thought-provoking blog post below and get the full script by hitting the link.
>>>Read Chuck D's Full Post (via NME)
On Kanye's progression as a live performer:
"People ask me whether there should be more rap and hip-hop artists headlining major festivals, and it makes me think: once you ask for it, you better handle it. If you look around UK festivals this summer, we’re headlining NASS Festival, and Kanye’s headlining Glastonbury. Public Enemy can handle a stage, and I think Kanye's gotten better over the years although he's a solo performer. He's like a hip-hop Paul McCartney, in some ways."
On learning from rock greats:
"Public Enemy has a full live band and we put on a show. We learned that from the great bands of the Seventies. From The Rolling Stones, we learned that you've got to present an event. You present an event, and you don't prevent a good show. That's what it's about. It’s the art of performance."
On laziness in the current generation of MCs:
"But the most important thing for rap acts is that, to win over a festival crowd, you can't just write good songs, you've got to perform them well. If you've got something in your catalogue and people want to see it then you can't go about it lazily. You've got to be able to handle it. You've got to deal with it."