|
| |
 |
|
|
|
 |
Check Chuck Ds Terrordomes Past and Present.
|
| Chuck D Speaks SLAMjamz, DEF JAMjob and MIDEM Conference |
Chuck D: Fat cats still trying to control who plays
Katti Gray
February 4, 2008
A day after returning from what's been touted as the largest global conference on the future of music, Chuck D, rap star and rebel, was sharing his take on that meeting, on record-industry greed and on how the digital-music consumer has industry titans in a royal, hand-wringing panic.
"They were hovering around like buzzards, trying to figure out how they can dominate the space," said Chuck D, of Public Enemy fame. He was summing up the behavior of those circling music industry chief executives and their sidemen, their bank accounts in free fall, which is what happens when songs downloaded over the Internet are selling at 99 cents a pop.
By Chuck D's guesstimate, fat-cat attendance at the conference - MidemNet's fifth-annual January gathering in Cannes - had doubled since last year, when the general discussion also was about where music has headed. Last year Chuck D was asking and provoking questions, such as why corporations keep trotting out, say, Paris Hilton and her ilk as actual talents. "That's no standard," said Chuck D, who again was an invited speaker at MidemNet, tapped for his insights and his firebrand tendency for telling the powers that be where to put it.
From his Slam Jamz recording label office, outpost and studio in Roosevelt, the Long Island community that birthed him and his old rap group back in the 1980s, Chuck D has been addressing music-industry issues in a more hands-on way. So far, he has assembled a stable of 50 ensembles and solo artists, mainly age 25 and older. At his insistence, they do not mime the sort of music already in oversupply, dominating bestseller charts and the increasingly tacky awards shows. Of the 50 artists, 36 are in digital-only distribution. For Chuck D was, almost 30 years ago, in the tiny chorus and vanguard forewarning that digitized music would be the next big wave.
Sure enough, anybody with an MP3 player or of-the-moment cell phone can download music at a fractional cost or for free. Technically, the latter is stealing, prosecutable, though some democracy-minded musicians have been bucking that rule by nudging people to take their stuff for free. This is good PR, and fires back at the fat cats. If you're sick of hearing the same sad 17 songs in circulation on local radio, so are these recalcitrant musicians.
The next wave of "music is not about having your CDs pressed and doing it in the 1980s-1990s kind of way. We're not an over-the-counter operation," Chuck D said of Slam Jamz, which he hopes will model for musicians on the fringe how to get smack in the middle of things. "Our barometer for success is based on having to create more at a low cost ... and seeing what comes in as a result of that. Simply wanting to get rich is the wrong road to take."
Wealth should not be an artist's primary motive, he said. "I tell all my artists to keep their day job." He tells them to be steeped in the music, its history, its markets and merchants. It is necessary, for example, for the newcomer to know what the storied Motown, formed by black people determined not to be sidelined, holds in common with Def Jam Records, the New York hip-hop label that launched Chuck D's career as the disestablishment frontman for Public Enemy.
When Jay-Z resigned as Def Jam president and the company's owner, Universal, opted not to replace him, Chuck D issued a statement from Cannes: "It's really disappointing. ... It's sort of expected, and a primary reason why the music business has collapsed. ... It's quite clear that these folks could care less. The same thing that happened to Motown is Def Jam's fate." (Formed in 1959 by trailblazer Berry Gordy, Motown Records brought international acclaim to a menu of black artists but, today, is an arm of white-owned Universal.)
Later, he told me, "The higher-ups at Universal are happy with their standard of Negro." Which was a jab at Jay-Z but also every other black mogul who lets a fat cat who happens to be white have ultimate control. This is an aside, but somehow central to Chuck D's talk about what has gone wrong with music-
making and how the industry finds itself scrambling and scraping to catch up. Consumers, in no slight measure, are forcing these fast-changing times. They are as intent as any fat cat on keeping a dollar in their own pockets and the kind of music they really want to hear pumping in their ears.
more in /entertainment/music
Copyright © 2008,
|
 |
Hardgroove Speaks With His Bass
|
| Hardgroove Interview 'Why He Doesn't Believe The Hype. |
Q + A |brian hardgroove
Hardgroove Interview 'Why He Doesn't Believe The Hype.
april /may 2008 santa fean 21
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff
A key member of the revolutionary
hiphop group Public Enemy, Brian
Hardgroove is also an activist, producer,
and host of The Fusebox on
Indie (indiesf.com). Hardgroove,
who moved from New York—his
hometown—to Santa Fe in 2006,
talks about his creative mission, the
fight for independent media, and
the power of fatherhood.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
When did you first know that you wanted
to make music?
HARDGROOVE
I always wanted to do something good
in the world. So, as a kid, I was headed
for a career in law enforcement. And
then I saw an Earth, Wind and Fire
concert when I was fourteen and I
realized, after seeing them, that I could
help people before they got into trouble,
by playing music that had an impact.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
And you went from that to being the musical
director and bassist for Public Enemy, a band
whose most famous song is Fight the Power?
HARDGROOVE
Law enforcement is necessary. As a
species we haven’t evolved past needing
that. Fight the Power is not about
fighting authority—it’s not that at all.
It’s about fighting abuse of power.
How did you first become politically minded?
My mother and father were affected,
growing up in the South, by political
decisions that were put in place before
they were born. So you don’t have to be
“political” to be political. It’s about doing
what’s right. And entertainment is just
as effective, if not more effective, than
being a politician. What politicians do
will affect your daily life, but how you
respond to that can be greatly influenced
by people in entertainment.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
And what are you up to these days?
HARDGROOVE
Here in Santa Fe I’m the host of The
Fusebox, a mixture of music and interviews.
And, besides Public Enemy, I’m
also the production manager and bass
player on the upcoming James Brown
Tribute Tour, which is starting in May
and will include dates in England and
Japan. Plus I’m producing three street
punk bands in China: Demerit, Brain
Failure, and Subs. These bands are incredible
because if you choose that life, you
choose failure in life generally, if it doesn’t
work out for you. There is no part-time
work. You do your band or you work.
What brought you from New York to Santa Fe?
When it was time for my daughter to go
to school, my wife and I didn’t want her
in New York. My wife’s father lives here.
We didn’t labor over it; we just went.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
How much has having a child amplified your
concerns about the future?
HARDGROOVE
A lot. Children are the greatest blessing
one can have in life. Once your offspring
start relying on you, you really have to
watch what comes out of your mouth.
This is why you watch what comes out
of the mouth of television.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
It’s ironic that part of Public Enemy’s recent resurgence
stems from [band member] Flavor Flav’s
misogynistic reality TV show, Flavor of Love. How
do you and [band leader] Chuck D, who are very
forward thinking, continue working with him?
HARDGROOVE
Well, what he does is not something that
I would do. And I don’t watch the show,
frankly. I’ve quit Public Enemy twice, but
after a number of conversations I realized
that there is a bigger picture here,
and I continued on. My commitment
has been to what Chuck was trying to do.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
How did popular hiphop get to the sorry state
it currently finds itself in?
HARDGROOVE
It got there when record company executives
realized that they have to make
money, not art. When large corporations
like Thorn—a defense contractor—buys
EMI, or Sony—an electronics company
—buys Colombia. Their purpose is to
create revenue. So when you have to
deliver $10 million more than last year,
you’re not going to go out and sign the
most positive talent for the future, you’re
going to sign talent that can sell as many
records as possible. It’s very easy to get
young black kids who don’t have much
money to say all kinds of negative things
about themselves. Record companies will
tell you, “We’re not going to deal with
you unless you do that.”
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
With bands like Radiohead skirting record labels
altogether, where do you see the future of
music distribution going?
HARDGROOVE
I do think that major record labels are
going to be involved. I don’t get on the
bandwagon that says all record labels are
evil. There were labels that did have
vision. Those labels know where they
screwed up—they are being run by
lawyers and accountants. And do you
know what’s going to help that? When
the multi-nationals drop them because
they’re not making any money.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
You recently spearheaded a battle to save the
independent radio station, Indie 101.5, now no
longer on the air. What was the fight about?
HARDGROOVE
We don’t need one company owning a
whole bunch of stations. Period. This
fight isn’t about [Indie 101.5]; it’s about
keeping things from becoming locked
down. That’s why we have the problems
we have in this country, because the
independent voices are squashed. We are
in [the Iraq war] because all the news
networks, whether they admitted it or
not, supported it.
Defenders of the mainstream media claim that
the market is responding to what people want.
Yeah, the media is reporting on every
move Britney Spears makes. What people
want that? People watch it because
it’s human nature to watch a train
wreck—these things capture our attention.
But is it what they really want if
given the option? You have these moguls
making their decisions based on how
much money programs will make. The
airwaves are public, and there is a
responsibility that goes along with that.
Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff-Q
Is there hope for independent media in Santa Fe?
HARDGROOVE
Santa Fe calls itself the City Different
but I haven’t seen anything different yet,
regarding these critical things. Santa Fe
is either going to go the way the way of
Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles, or
it’s going to do something different. I
hope it’s going to do something different.
“Talk is cheap”—that’s what Keith
Richards said.
Catch Brian Hardgroove on The Fusebox,
streaming from the Indie website, indiesf.com,
Wednesdays, 7–8 PM, Saturdays, 12–1 PM.
22 santafean.com april / may 2008
q + a
interview by Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff
photograph by Karen Kuehn
|
 |
Still Bringing The Noise In 2008
|
| Public Enemy's Bring The Noise Wins Grammy Via Benny Benassi Remix |
Benny Benassi Awarded GRAMMY for Public Enemy Remix Project
February 12th, 2008
Posted by MVRemix
Benny Benassi Awarded GRAMMY for Public Enemy Remix Project
Ultra Records artist, Benny Benassi, took home a GRAMMY last night at the annual award show that has been celebrating the best in music for 50 years. The accomplished DJ and Producer won the coveted award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical, with his ‘Bring the Noise Remix (Benny Benassi Sfaction Remix)? Public Enemy.
“Benny Benassi did a fantastic job remixing Public Enemys classic ‘Bring the Noise’, it is great to see him get the recognition he deserves’, said Patrick Moxey, President and Founder of Ultra Records. ‘This remix sets the example of altering a classic and historic record to appeal to a new generation and audience, and we are proud the label is a part of the project. Congratulations to Benny on his win!”
Benny Benassi has long been known for his production work, with a list of electronic music hits such as ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Who’s Your Daddy?’. He has also been recently commissioned to remix Jordin Sparks’ duet with Chris Brown ‘No Air’.
“The work of Benny Benassi on “Bring the Noise” epitomizes what this remix is all about: Music is music, regardless of branding, labeling or rigid genre descriptions. Any award that elevates the DJ is also a celebration for hip-hop, which has the DJ mentality as the root of our music.” stated Chuck D, from the world-renowned hip-hop group, Public Enemy
The GRAMMY award comes on the eve of a Benny Benassi new project, an artist album that is scheduled to release in May of this year.
Ultra Records was the label behind 3 of the 5 nominations in the same category.
|
 |
Griff, Chuck and DJ Lord @RED BULL
|
| Mistachuck, Professor Griff, and DJ Lord at RED BULL Academy. |
By RICHARD L. ELDREDGE | Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 01:06 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Red Bull Music Academy’s stop in Atlanta is over, but thanks to some fiery participation from Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Professor Griff, the buzz lingers.
The Atlanta-based members of the seminal hip-hop group, along with DJ Lord, were the guest speakers at the energy drink’s globe-trotting gathering of DJs and music producers, brought together to learn about the music industry.
Here’s what D and Griff had to say at the Luckie Food Lounge:
On Public Enemy’s music being sampled: “To hell with hip-hop if it doesn’t respect black people first,” said D, clearly bothered by “Shut Em Down” being used in the late Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments.”
On Public Enemy member Flavor Flav and his reality show: “At the end of the day, he’s family,” D said. “Nothing he does on that thing [‘Flavor of Love’] surprises me. … Remember we knew him way before VH1.”
On how far hip-hop has come: “When people say that, I’m like ‘Really?!’ ” D replied. “After Salt ‘N Pepa, name a female rap group. … How about more than one top female producer?”
On the upcoming presidential election: “No comment,” began D, with a smirk. “Do you really think you pick the president?” added Griff. “You’d be better off voting for your local school board members, or judges or something. … Those are the people you’re going to see if your [expletive] goes to jail,” D continued. “That’s where you can really have an impact — locally.”
|
| More articles
|
 |
|
|
|
|
yes - the rhythm the rebel
