Military Intelligence Dossier- HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL!
Date: 14 September 2010.
Place: Center Stage, Atlanta GA USA.
Target: Public Enemy (Chuck D, Flava Flav, Professor Griff, and collaborators).
Atlanta connections: Local hero DJ Lord, "The Dwayne Wade of the turntables" in the words of Chuck D, currently touring as DJ for the group. Rival Entertainment.
Distinctive traits:
* Beat- Driving, relentless. The very soul of social/military mobilization.
* Instrumentals- Dense, layered, sophisticated, with samples drawn from an encylcopedia knowledge of funk, soul, pop, and rock. The Bomb Squad is responsible for some of the most intricate and creative orchestration in the history of pop music, let alone hip hop.
* Lyrics- Socially conscious, often militant. Staggeringly intelligent. In the history of hip hop, only KRS-One is Chuck D's equal as a teacher/philosopher. And only Ludacris rivals Flava Flav for comic relief.
* Performance- Stunningly energetic, especially given the age of the two main subjects (D and Flav). In a genre plagued by mediocre live shows, Public Enemy reminds audiences that hip hop began as a live performance medium.
* Crowd reaction- Mesmerized, energized, inspired. Highly mixed in age, class, and ethnicity.
* Highlights- The first live performance in over a decade of "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" as well as the entire album, Fear of a Black Planet on its twentieth anniversary. Plus, of course, "Fight the Power," the greatest hip hop anthem of all time.
* Status- Immortals of hip hop.
* Recommended action- Proceed without delay to secure tickets for next encounter with the Enemy.
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