What a band, what a night!  Last night Prophets of Rage celebrated the release of their debut album at the Apollo Theater.  The self-titled disc will be unleashed on Friday.  The video above is the band’s official video for Radical Eyes directed & edited by D.J. Sing.  Before the pictures I snapped, take a peek at this setlist of doom chock full o RATM, PE, and Cypress faves and an Audioslave track (Like A Slave) to boot!  The new material sounded great but it was more a night to celebrate the legacies of Tom Morello, Tim Commerford , Brad Wilk, DJ Lord, Chuck D, and B-Real than to go deep on the fresh disc.

Prophets of Rage – Public Enemy
Unfuck The World – Prophets of Rage
Testify – Rage Against The Machine
Take the Power Back – Rage Against The Machine
Living on the 110 – Prophets of Rage
Hail to the Chief –Prophets of Rage

Guerrilla Radio –Rage Against The Machine

(Rock) Superstar – Cypress Hill
Fight the Power – Public Enemy
Hand on the Pump/Cant Truss It/Insane in the Brain/Bring the Noise/I Aint Going Out Like That – Cypress Hill/Public Enemy/Cypress Hll/Public Enemy Medley
Sleep Now in the Fire –Rage Against The Machine

Like a Stone – Audioslave 
Radical Eyes –Prophets of Rage

Know Your Enemy – Rage Against The Machine
Strength in Numbers – Prophets of Rage
Bullet in the Head – Rage Against The Machine

How I Could Just Kill a Man – Cypress Hill, also recorded by Rage Against The Machine on Renegades
Bulls on Parade –Rage Against The Machine

Killing in the Name – Rage Against The Machine

The show was a sort of homecoming for Tom Morello who was born in Harlem and featured Living Colour, who released their own new album Shade, opening up the festivities.  Living Colour and Public Enemy were both included in recent 10 Essential New York Artists post.

The News: Chuck D and DJ Lord of PE will perform at the Apollo on Tuesday, September 12th as members of Prophets of Rage with support from Living Colour. 

There’s no one who is more important from what’s come to be known as the golden age of hip hop than Public Enemy.  Last Tuesday evening Betsy Head Park in Brownsville was the place to be as Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and Professor Grif rocked the mics and treated the Brooklyn neighborhood to a free concert as part of the Summerstage series.  On this day, June 28th, in 1988 – 28 years ago, PE released It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.  That album’s Don’t Believe The Hype and Bring The Noise figured in the setlist.  The former read like a manifesto for the kind of perceptive street reporting that’s at the root of the group’s vitality.  The latter, with its Yoko Ono and Anthrax references along with ones to Run DMC, LL Cool J, and Eric B, suggested the crew’s omnivorous musical appetites and sense of context and continuum.

Delivering overtly political social commentary on record, as genius as it may be – (911 Is A Joke from 1989’s Fear Of A Black Planet was also performed) – doesn’t guarantee an exciting live experience.  Having  DJ Lord and Khari Wynn in the band, however, does.  DJ Lord put on an absolute exhibition on the turntables while Wynn offered guitar thrills on the other side of the stage that toughened and elevated the sonic stew.

Another track on It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Prophets of Rage gives its name to  the group that Chuck D formed last year with B-Real from Cypress Hill and three quarters of Rage Against The Machine: Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk! Seeing those guys at The Apollo promises to be wicked.  

Go to #3 artist Rakim

The News: The new Andre Betts produced Living Colour album Shade was unleashed today!  Living Colour is supporting Prophets of Rage at the Apollo Theater on this Tuesday.  Prophets of Rage members are Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk along with DJ Lord and Chuck D of PE, and B-Real of Cypress Hill.  

The first taste of the album was their cover of the Notorious B.I.G. track Who Shot Ya that originally appeared in ’95.   It’s a powerful statement against gun violence that people can rally behind as an alternative to throwing their hands up at the omnipotent NRA.  Vocalist Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Will Calhoun are just the guys to serve it up.  I spoke with them about it after their show at City Winery on Wednesday evening, August 17, 2016.

I have enormous RESPECT for these guys as artists and as people and our conversation was significant to me personally.  It was meaningful not only because I enthusiastically support what they are trying to accomplish in speaking out against gun violence but also because Living Colour was the first major band that I interviewed as a college radio DJ.  It was live on the air at WICB in 1991 making it a 26 year old interview.

Something else that I got a boot out of is after the interview with all four members wrapped up, I got to speak with Doug Wimbish a little bit and enjoy some brief recollections of his days as a session man in the house band of Sugarhill Records.  It’s him playing arguably the most famous bass line of all time, White Lines by Melle Mel!  He was also on The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five among a million others.  Something Doug told me that I didn’t know was that he was guy who, years before he joined the band, took Mick Jagger (who he played with on Primitive Cool among other things) and Jeff Beck to see Living Colour at CBGB.  This moment was also referenced in the ’91 interview as it was a key one in getting their career rolling…

Here’s a bonus bit:  Corey speaking about The Notorious B.I.G….

Go to #5 artist Jesse Malin & D Generation

Public Enemy Does Brownsville Freebie 6-21-16

There’s no one who is more important from what’s come to be known as the golden age of hip hop than Public Enemy. Last Tuesday evening Betsy Head Park in Brownsville was the place to be as Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and Professor Grif rocked the mics and treated the Brooklyn neighborhood to a free concert as part of the Summerstage series. On this day, June 28th, in 1988 – 28 years ago, PE released It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. That album’s Don’t Believe The Hype and Bring The Noise figured in the set list. The former read like a manifesto for the kind of perceptive street reporting that’s at the root of the group’s vitality. The latter, with its Yoko Ono and Anthrax references along with ones to Run DMC, LL Cool J, and Eric B, suggested the crew’s omnivorous musical appetites and sense of context and continuum.

Delivering overtly political social commentary on record, as genius as it may be – (911 Is A Joke from 1989’s Fear Of A Black Planet was also performed) – doesn’t guarantee an exciting live experience. Having DJ Lord and Khari Wynn in the band, however, does. DJ Lord put on an absolute exhibition on the turntables while Wynn offered guitar thrills on the other side of the stage that toughened and elevated the sonic stew.

Public Enemy will be back in Brooklyn, in Coney Island no less, next month as part of The Art of Rap traveling showcase which features a stacked lineup of heavy hitters like Ice T, Naughty By Nature, and Kurtis Blow.

Another track on It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Prophets of Rage gives its name to a new group that Chuck D has formed with B-Real from Cypress Hill and three quarters of Rage Against The Machine: Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk! Those guys have put together an election year ‘Make America Rage Again’ tour that will hit the Barclays (Brooklyn again!) in August.