Chuck D vs. Hot97 re: summer jam

[staxwax]

summer jam 2014 - Chuck D wasnt feeling it - taking hot97 to task

Chuck D on Hot 97's 'Sloppy Fiasco' Summer Jam: 'Goal is to Change Urban Radio'

Chuck D wants Urban radio to "get it right or be gone" -- and he's not just talking about Hot 97 in New York. The Public Enemy co-founder has been in a Twitter war of words with the Hot 97 team since the station's Summer Jam concert on June 1, when he derided "what a sloppy fiasco (the station) has made of Hip-Hop."

Reached by Billboard backstage before the group's Parklife Weekender festival appearance Sunday in Manchester, England, Chuck D (born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour) said his unhappiness about the Summer Jam -- particularly over the prolific use of the N-word and a line-up he felt did not adequately represent the New York hip-hop community -- was "the last straw" in a general dissatisfaction over the state of rap and radio stations that play and brand themselves with the music.

"My goal by year's end is to change the face and sound of urban radio," Chuck D, 54, promised. "I've been in this shit 30 years, too long to just sit and let it be. I'm not going to be the grim reaper. I don't want to be the grim reaper. But people have to stand up and we need some change, and it's time."

This year's Hot 97 Summer Jam featured performances by Nas, 50 Cent, Childish Gambino, Iggy Azalea, the Roots, Nick Minaj, Wiz Khalifa and many more. Ridenhour says he was particularly disturbed that the use of the N-word was so readily tolerated by the station and festival organizers.

"That shit is over," he noted. "If there was a festival and it was filled with anti-Semitic slurs... or racial slurs at anyone but black people, what do you think would happen? Why does there have to be such a double standard?"

Citing the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival as an example, Ridenhour added that he felt it would be proper to include a contract clause for performers "to at least be civil in the presentation of the art form they've been granted with."

And though he said that he's "not trying to be a moral compass," D added that he also feels it's time for record labels to also consider clauses "saying you can't be derogatory to the community you can from" in contracts with their artists.

D said he was also disappointed that the Summer Jam lineup did not include enough local artists, especially for a radio station from the birthplace of rap and hip-hop culture.

"It's just a sloppy presentation of the art form, the worst presentation known to man," D explained. "It's negligent. There needs to be a greater representation of the culture and the community on that radio station." Broadening the discussion to the state of Urban radio in general, D said that, "When people say the word Urban, they don't know what that means. When they say urban music, they mean playing black artists -- and artists outside the community. It should be a representation of playing music by a lot of different artists -- non-black artists, too. I just want to see artists be able to have fair game."

Though D labeled comments that Hot 97 personalities Ebro Darden and Peter Rosenberg made to Billboard in response to his criticisms "a bunch of hogwash," the MC said his argument is less with them and more with station ownership.

"It's about their bosses," D said. "That's where the discussion needs to go."

But D said he doesn't require a direct role in that discussion for himself. "Why would I sit down with them? I don't have time for that. I don't have to show 'em shit; they're grown people. I ain't wasting my time. Let them sit down with the community and the artists. They'll tell 'em. I'll watch from afar. But they better get it right or we'll destroy the platform of Urban radio across the country."

D did, however, say he'd continue to monitor and speak out about the situation, mostly via written commentary and via his Rapstation.com site and radio station, as well as other outlets.

gauging by the twitter reaction he's got rosenberg et al. schvitzing - the situation is nagl for hot97

 

[batmon]

Chuck is OLD,....... and right about that shit, but Hot 97 isnt really shaping shit in 2014.





From gitty-up they were on a "HOT" format, and way removed from the Golden Years of Hip Hop Radio.


Biggie and Big Pun 50 times a fuckin' day?


Let them self implode and erode. Ride that shit out.





Its different when he confronted 'BLS for playing Crack It Up joint back when the game was fertile.





I dont really see that station as a serious cultural threat.

 

[HarveyCanal]

"Rap" radio sucks all over the country and has for many years now.

 

[batmon]

HarveyCanal said:Rap sucks all over the country and has for many years now.

 

[staxwax]

[media]//www.youtube.com/embed/NZ4wgg3H1Ls[/media]





I just like the fact that Chuck is stirring the shit - if we all agree basically, with what hes saying, why not get behind it.


I hope he can garner support and at least kick up a lot of dust.


like the man says - fuck a corplantation.





btw i actually enjoy the ebro and rosenberg morning show - the banter is great, the playlist - not so much.

 

[HarveyCanal]

batmon said:HarveyCanal said:Rap sucks all over the country and has for many years now.




Mostly, I agree. But there is still a fair amount of good ish coming out...but unless Drake is featured on it, it gets no play anywhere.

 

[Big_Stacks]

HarveyCanal said:"Rap" radio sucks all over the country and has for many years now.




Radio has been virtually irrelevant in my life for nearly 20 years now (other than talk radio). I got fucking sick of hearing the same 10 songs all day long back then and just stayed away. As a child of 70s radio, it's inevitable that I would hate today's radio formats as administered by the 'Clear Channel regime.'





Peace,





Big Stacks from Kakalak

 

[fishmongerfunk]

Chuck D calling for artists to be compelled to sign contracts "saying you can't be derogatory to the community you came from" before they are entitled to perform is so very wrong.

 

[HarveyCanal]

Starting to perturb me that people still refer to the hip-hop of today as a "culture".





Y'all all buy and wear the same shit does not a culture make.

 

[fishmongerfunk]

chuck d is old. he should go hang out with henry rollins and all those other dudes who think they are the voice of some past generation carrying some torch rather than doing interviews and pretending they have some relevance to the current generation.

 

[batmon]

I have no problem w/ old artists like old folks speaking out against shit that harms their community.





You dont have to be 15-25 years old to make an impact on the younger generation.





But I just dont think kids are lead by the radio anymore.

 

[kala]

hot 97 is unlistenable


clear channel owns everything and or viacom, and it's all payola





plenty of great new hip hop out there but you ain't gonna hear the new jay zone record, Hologram Kizzie or starlito EVER on channel zero





its up to the informed open eared listener to find their own way





that paradigm of commercial radio being relevant today is dead,I think chuck is righteous and his age has nothing to do with this conversation.


he is doing the right thing,but forcing artists to sign waivers about vocab seems harsh but i understand where he is coming from.





there is no real easy answer to this equation in 2014 since media is now streamed and there is no "yo MTV raps" or "the box"


informing the hood/household





look at what kanye and jay z have turned into


shit is just horrifically repugnant





that coupled with the shit production values and so called super stars like lil wayne,drake,manaj and all the other garbage hoisted on the population = one big pile of shit





ps


i always want to ask one of the clear channel "dj's: whats its like listening to black dog and baba o'reily 10,000 times a year....does your soul crumble a little bit more when you cue up "fly like an eagle" again mark coppalla?

 

[staxwax]

kala said:hot 97 is unlistenable


clear channel owns everything and or viacom, and it's all payola





plenty of great new hip hop out there but you ain't gonna hear the new jay zone record, Hologram Kizzie or starlito EVER on channel zero





its up to the informed open eared listener to find their own way





that paradigm of commercial radio being relevant today is dead,I think chuck is righteous and his age has nothing to do with this conversation.


he is doing the right thing,but forcing artists to sign waivers about vocab seems harsh but i understand where he is coming from.





there is no real easy answer to this equation in 2014 since media is now streamed and there is no "yo MTV raps" or "the box"


informing the hood/household





look at what kanye and jay z have turned into


shit is just horrifically repugnant





that coupled with the shit production values and so called super stars like lil wayne,drake,manaj and all the other garbage hoisted on the population = one big pile of shit





ps


i always want to ask one of the clear channel "dj's: whats its like listening to black dog and baba o'reily 10,000 times a year....does your soul crumble a little bit more when you cue up "fly like an eagle" again mark coppalla?




cosizzle. plus someone oughta force these guys to start putting some money in pockets of artists outside of the drake wayne jayz circle. I can understand a lot of frustration from golden era acts who rightfully should still be getting their shine for their contributions all being blacklisted by clearchannel and the like. I mean seriously fuck these guys and their capitalist bukkake fest. I hope Chuck and the interwebs tear them a new asshole and so doing put a slight brake on the mindless brainwashing of youth. for all the smarmy salty jaded old man wisecracks we all have on offer here are we seriously going to deny how much pe nwa pharcyde etc etc et shaped our generation, the way we think - they made a huge impact on youth culture - now theres minaj and drake.

 

[cai]

I love the fact that Chuck is going at them.


Something about Rosenberg makes me cringe horrendously.





Have any artists chimed in to support Chuck?

 

[LaserWolf]

This is some 'get off my lawn' shht.

 

[Gary]

If radio could make money playing that reall schitt then they would...?

 

[batmon]

what is the real schitt in 2014?

 

[kala]

you really got to ask?


how about this?








[media]//www.youtube.com/embed/iR5XJCvKZOQ?list=RDiR5XJCvKZOQ[/media]











https://soundcloud.com/ninja-tune/solid-steel-radio-show-8-11





or this


[media]//www.youtube.com/embed/RRHLb9gySzA[/media]





or this


[media]//www.youtube.com/embed/uQNOxp3y4Zo[/media]





[media]//www.youtube.com/embed/c7UNHzmswTs[/media]





new york stand the fuck up


[media]//www.youtube.com/embed/Petu5fqJ04k[/media]

 

[kala]

[media]//www.youtube.com/embed/kGaRbhat-FA[/media]








yea and immortal is gonna have primo do his next album

 

[Ricky Forcefield]

- if Chuck had his way, his own songs like 'Anti-N*gger Machine' and Black Steel would have been banned/censored. That would have been a way 'back then' for AmeriKKKa to 'suppress' expression. I realise nowadays the use of the N word is excessive and ignorance is at an all-time high, but Chuck's way would have censored him and NWA etc





- I don't want to ever hear Rosenburg talk shit about/to Chuck D. Even if Chuck is in the wrong, Rosenburg should play his position. Watching all these DJs like him, Ebro etc. they believe they are on a level on or above the 'talent'. Convinced they are the celebrities and the force behind the 'culture'. arrrgggh