Chuck D vs. Hot97 re: summer jam

staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
edited June 2014 in Strut Central
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
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  Comments


  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    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.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    "Rap" radio sucks all over the country and has for many years now.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Rap sucks all over the country and has for many years now.

  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts


    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.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    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_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
    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

  • 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.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    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.

  • 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.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    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.

  • kalakala 3,361 Posts
    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?

  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
    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.

  • caicai spacecho 362 Posts
    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?

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    This is some 'get off my lawn' shht.

  • GaryGary 3,982 Posts
    If radio could make money playing that reall schitt then they would...?

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    what is the real schitt in 2014?

  • kalakala 3,361 Posts
    you really got to ask?
    how about this?








    or this


    or this




    new york stand the fuck up

  • kalakala 3,361 Posts



    yea and immortal is gonna have primo do his next album

  • - 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

  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts

    [removed][removed]


    [removed][removed]

    in rosenbergs defence - i think hes largely coming correct. I think chuck is indeed stirring the pot to make waves but his larger point - and most important one imo - is that corporate execs set the agenda and are pushing their own financial interests via a huuuuge platform masquerading as 'urban' or 'hiphop' radio. As a vet and one of the most significant contributors to the music chuck d has every right to call these guys out and try to readjust the landscape from a tidal wave of schlock to something that has relevance and perspective to the music he co created that they are feeding off - instead of pimping it out in a disgusting fashion so really - go chuck.

    also chuck d has made it quite clear - while engaging in dialogue - that his beef is with the owners and agenda setters and not so much employees like ebro epstein rosenberg and the like.



    chuck is not trolling hes going after a highly visible targets in a provocative way to air out his opinion - which is totally legit so rosenberg still needs to stfu

  • JectWonJectWon (@_@) 1,654 Posts
    batmon said:

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

    Bingo...ain't no kids fucking with Frequency Modulation to get their daily dose of 'what they are supposed to like' in 2014...shit is as antiquated as horse n buggy.

    A kid would look like Benjamin fucking Button if you saw em' fiddling with a radio trying to find their 'fave station'.

    Both cobwebbed parties should save their breath in this 'debate'...because neither are relevant; especially if they are splitting hairs over a dead vehicle for music.


  • JectWonJectWon (@_@) 1,654 Posts
    J i m s t e r said:

    I'm surprised by how low spotify is in this graph I guess that shows how fractured the streaming on-demand music market is. It would be interesting to see if they lumped all on demand streaming sources together (spotify, groove shark, beats, whatever else is out there).

    The killer for radio is that all this stuff is available on a phone and everyday exponentially more people use their phone as their primary music/audio source while in transit.

    b/w

    The wording of that graph is so horrendous that I assumed it was translated from a different language.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    "if only we played Immortal Technique on the radio, the kids wouldn't be listening to YG and Drake!"

    I mean. I appreciate Chuck and where he's coming from, but kids gonna be kids and a bunch of old angry dudes aren't gonna change a damn thing about it.

    His energy could be better spent IMO on shoring up/expanding legacy rap radio, which is already happening on WBLS (Marley's show is apparently #2 rated urban and caters to 35-50 demo)... the Sirius old school channel is hot basurington. start there.

    Kids these days have no CLUE who PE is/was, and that boat sailed when their parents were teenagers. So it goes.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    What he said.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Jonny_Paycheck said:
    "if only we played Immortal Technique on the radio, the kids wouldn't be listening to YG and Drake!"

    I mean. I appreciate Chuck and where he's coming from, but kids gonna be kids and a bunch of old angry dudes aren't gonna change a damn thing about it.

    His energy could be better spent IMO on shoring up/expanding legacy rap radio, which is already happening on WBLS (Marley's show is apparently #2 rated urban and caters to 35-50 demo)... the Sirius old school channel is hot basurington. start there.

    Kids these days have no CLUE who PE is/was, and that boat sailed when their parents were teenagers. So it goes.

    You know I agree for the most part, but at the same time...yes, if the radio played more options than 1. more people would listen to the radio and 2. more of those new options would be embraced more than they are now.

    To me, it's not about content as much as it's that certain artists are ramrodded down our throats 24/7 at the expense of others that basically get no play at all.

    But then it does become about content when those artists being pushed on us are invariably the most consumerist artists anywhere with very little to say beyond LOOK AT ME AND ALL THE STUFF I'VE BOUGHT.

    I don't really think Chuck D is going about it the right way, but it is a mess that needs to be sorted at some point.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Rosenberg actually gets underground/indie stuff played on air occasionally. There is an underground show that he does on Sunday nights. I don't see that in many other markets.

    the Hot97 demo is not. fucking. with. 95% of the shit any of us give a shit about. and most of these kids are not consuming their shit thru the radio so having an ally up there is relatively meaningless.

    if radio doesn't matter, let it die.

    I think it's kind of a great time for rap music right now, a lot of good shit out there that is meeting with success.

    I remember when underground shit never got played on the radio. I remember when PE never got played on the radio. Back then there were precisely NONE of the channels kids have nowadays, including but not limited to the traditional record biz.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    We had good radio in Houston with the beauty of it being that "underground" ish wasn't just segregated into its own remote time slot. It was mixed in along with the big hits throughout the day. Even better than that, there were often broadcasts direct from deejays spinning at clubs and that's where we'd not only hear a full range of music but also all sorts of live turntable tricks. Of course that was a long time ago when radio was still interested in pleasing its listeners rather than just its shareholders. But yeah, things couldn't have gotten any more wack since then.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Jonny_Paycheck said:
    "if only we played Immortal Technique on the radio, the kids wouldn't be listening to YG and Drake!"

    I mean. I appreciate Chuck and where he's coming from, but kids gonna be kids and a bunch of old angry dudes aren't gonna change a damn thing about it.

    His energy could be better spent IMO on shoring up/expanding legacy rap radio, which is already happening on WBLS (Marley's show is apparently #2 rated urban and caters to 35-50 demo)... the Sirius old school channel is hot basurington. start there.

    Kids these days have no CLUE who PE is/was, and that boat sailed when their parents were teenagers. So it goes.

    You know I agree for the most part, but at the same time...yes, if the radio played more options than 1. more people would listen to the radio and 2. more of those new options would be embraced more than they are now.

    To me, it's not about content as much as it's that certain artists are ramrodded down our throats 24/7 at the expense of others that basically get no play at all.

    But then it does become about content when those artists being pushed on us are invariably the most consumerist artists anywhere with very little to say beyond LOOK AT ME AND ALL THE STUFF I'VE BOUGHT.

    I don't really think Chuck D is going about it the right way, but it is a mess that needs to be sorted at some point.

    1990 might have been a golden era of the music you like getting played on the radio in your market. It was not a golden era of radio playing a wide range of music. In fact no era ever was. Radio has always been about corporate control forcing music on the public.

    I would argue that today, with satellite and internet radio, the market is more open not less.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Internet radio where in most cases you select an artist or genre and then hear a narrow selection of supposedly related tunes?

    And hell yes, music in 1990 on the radio or anywhere for that matter was far more diverse than it is now. In the years since, all the different brands of rap and rock and pop have been whittled down to sounding pretty much all the exact same kind of pseudo-melancholy boring. I pull my hair out when I wind up having to listen to the music selection of 20-somethings today. There's very little deviation from what's become the norm for them. They don't seem to mind, but I find it sad.
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