When hip hop came to town

Inside the jam-packed Hammersmith Odeon, three men in military uniforms stalk the stage. Wearing sunglasses and carrying uzis on their backs, men go through military drills, ranting about “Armageddon” and “revolution.” Through the loudspeakers, wailing sirens filled the air, unable to completely drown out the cries of whistles emanating from the crowd. The date is his November 1, 1987. Thanks to Run DMC’s sophisticated rap-rock and Beastie Boys’ flat-boy japes, hip-hop is already on its way to becoming a world-conquering genre.But it’s safe to say that no one in London has ever seen anything like it before this.

One of the men in uniform raises his fist and faces the crowd. “London, England,” he bellows over the sirens. “Think of yourself… I warned you!‘

Then the drums start blaring and two sweatsuit-clad New York rappers rush onto the stage. A public enemy has arrived in the capital.

“The expectations were high,” recalls group frontman Chuck D. A whistle could be heard from behind the curtain, and when we stepped onto the stage, we started a war on stage. Kind of like when the Beatles hit America. We were invading the British Isles! 35 years later and nothing compares. I think he’s one of hip-hop’s great moments. ”

If this sounds like hyperbole, one look at the raucous YouTube footage will convince Chuck. Featuring his Def Jam label mates from Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, and LL Cool J, the impact of that concert on the nascent British hip-hop scene was enormous. Kevin Foakes (aka DJ Food, producer of legendary London label Ninja Tune) was attending gigs when he was 16 years old. “I lost myself in some ways. There was already a scene going on in the UK, but that concert energized it. Basically, if I hadn’t been on that show, the hip I was never a fan of hops.

Chuck recalls something similar: “The seeds were growing in the UK and we encouraged them. We enjoyed the box, talked to the fans, I think we were the first American rappers, we wreaked as much havoc offstage as we did onstage.

story continues

reason S magazine Chuck and I reminisce about our first stay in the capital that caused this mayhem. Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the WorldThe series charts the genre, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, from its beginnings in the slums of the Bronx to its billion-dollar, chart-topping behemoth. Through interviews with everyone from Ice-T to Eminem, each episode intertwines rap’s history and socio-political context, from the crack craze of the ’80s to the recent #BlackLivesMatter protests. “It’s a celebration of this brilliant, beautiful art form that came out of a city that was left for dead in the ’70s,” says Chuck.

Because Public Enemy remains unparalleled when it comes to changing people’s worldviews through hip-hop. When this group came out in his mid-80s, they were unlike any group that had come before. Surrounded by camouflage-clad, gun-toting bodyguards (“First World Security”), Chuck and his watch-necklace rocking the Hype Man Flavor. I avoided rhyming “party” to reinforce it. Brutal. They quoted Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey and even called one of his entourages “Minister of Information”.

“There was nothing like Public Enemy on the planet,” Chuck says with a laugh. Forks can confirm this. “I got goosebumps the first time I heard it,” he recalls. ‘they just seriousI often had no idea what they were talking about, but it was an education in itself.

The group’s fiercely pro-black stance initially made it difficult to air in the United States. “England had the best DJs and journalists,” he says Chuck. ‘Through the summer [of 1987] I had an interview with melody maker When NMEthey really understood our musical scholasticism.

But while our music press may have been positive about hip-hop, the tabloids weren’t. I was greeted with squeaky headlines such as “Pop Group Arrives Today”. Foakes recalls the commotion: “The tabloids made a fuss and people started coming to the Beasties.” expectation Aggro. But I never felt unsafe. I remember Mike D was wearing a necklace with a Volkswagen badge on it, so I immediately started ripping his VW badge off the car. The bigger the better; from the camper once he got the 12 inch one it was great.

The hysterical press reaction to the Beasties was also what sparked Public Enemy’s own UK tour. “The Beasties were just three carefree white kids from New York. [tabloids] Finely chopped them! Chuck laughs. “So I was like: ‘I’m ready to take them on!’ We went to the interview as if they were performance afterwards. For us, interviews were another part of the show.

By 1987’s gig at Hammersmith, Chuck’s accusations in the music press had made a name for the group here. But he still wasn’t expecting the kind of raucous response they’ve received. ’” he recalls. ‘The company hadn’t started making [merchandise] Still, London kids were spray painting our logo on their jackets. A relic from the punk era. Amazing. Foakes was just one of those kids: “On his black bomber jacket he stenciled the Public Enemy logo,” he recalls. increase. “Before the show, Chuck and Flav came out to greet the fans and someone grabbed me and said, ‘Look at this guy’s jacket! It turns out Chuck was thinking, “This is wild.”

But Public Enemy didn’t just inspire a homegrown fashion among London fans. As Foakes points out, “a lot of the London crew was trying to make time with them” – and true to their “people’s man” representatives, the group was a burgeoning British Then, up-and-coming teenage UK rapper Betty Boo tracked Chuck and company to Hammersmith McDonald’s, where she performed an impromptu freestyle for them (“We got that footage!” Chuck laughs). From there, they spent some time riding tubes and chatting with aspiring rappers who wanted to follow in their footsteps.

“Many of them were fascinated by the United States and adopted the American approach. [with their accents]’” recalls Chuck. we told them Be yourself and you guys will be bigger!” They were the seeds for the next layer of UK rap.

The advice seems to have been taken seriously. By 1988, early British hip-hop groups such as the London Posse and Demon Boyz had released records focusing on real life in Big Smoke, all proudly delivered with a London accent. rice field. In 1989, Brixton collective Hijack caught the attention of his LA gangsta his rap star, Ice-T, and signed a deal with his own label. UK hip-hop has taken the first tentative steps into a larger path that has led to the creation of entirely new genres such as grime. And today, the likes of Stormzy, Dave and Little Simz are exploding on a global scale.

So is Chuck still interested in UK rap? “Of course,” he grins. “I still like classic cats like Hijack, Sea Rockers and London Posse. , citing Irish-Ugandan poet/rapper Amy True: “Britain always shines,” he adds. But so are other parts of Africa and Europe. Hip-hop has been around for about 50 years and is coming from everywhere.

This is ultimately fight the power The documentary seeks to celebrate and explore the bizarre fact that a genre born in burned-out buildings and built amidst poverty and racial inequality somehow manages to conquer the world.

“European mindset is not used to calling black people ‘kings and queens,'” said Chuck, as our chat drew to a close. “But I accept nothing less. Hip-hop changed the world and did it with grace and dignity. Music has been castrated and subverted over the years. The story is , hip-hop is often for kids: The game of adolescence.In this documentary, we’re bringing back the story.London, England: Be careful.Also.

‘Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World’ now available on BBC iPlayer