Public Enemy Live Review

So last night I had a chance to see Public Enemy live for the first time.

Let me write that again- last night I saw Public Enemy live for the first time.  And not only Public Enemy, but also the rest of the "Gods" on the Hip Hop Gods tour making it's way through the country as we speak, though wrapping things up within the week.  So I thought it would be a great opportunity to just kind of share some of my thoughts in the same spirit as the AD live review I recently did after they performed at the same venue in October.


The tour was designed with a unique vision.  At first glance, the lineup might make you think: "Are these a bunch of has-beens," as some of the artists have not released new albums in twenty years.  But that is not the case at all.  Many performers have been cast by the wayside by the "machine" yet remain viable artists and this tour serves as a reintroduction into the marketplace for some and a reaffirmation to their place in the market for others.  So let's break it down and start from - where else? - the beginning.



The show opened promptly at the 9:00 starting time, which is all too uncommon at concerts these days.  After a brief but energetic set by DJ Johnny Juice the show moved into our first MC, Awesome Dre from Detroit.  I'll be honest and say I didn't know anything about him coming in, but he started things off great and is someone I'll be looking into more. Dre is one of the original artists from Detroit, well before that one guy you may or may not have heard of.

From there Son of Bazerk was out with their unique act.  This is a group that made a stir in the early 90s but had their album basically flop despite a warm critical reception.  They burst back on the scene a few years back and they are definitely a different sort of group, somewhat foreshadowing the ODB style of rap that followed them.  A strong performance.

Then it was Wise Intelligent from Poor Righteous Teachers.  Other than PE this was my brother's favorite performance and it was definitely up there.  Thought provoking stuff that slots in perfectly to this show.

I should mention that before each performance Chuck D comes out and introduces each act. I did not expect that and it was one of the cool touches that made this show so amazing. Recognizing that some of these artists may be unfamiliar to fans, Chuck sets the stage for them and serves as sort of a "ringmaster" to the circus, so to speak.  He also encouraged fans to take pictures, videos, etc. and to spread them far and wide on the Internet, another example of his forward looking acceptance of social media unlike many of his contemporaries who often have recording equipment banned.

Wise Intelligent was followed by Dinco D from the Leaders of the New School, who dropped verses from some of his classic performances on songs such as "Scenario" and "Case of the PTA." This was one of the standouts in my opinion.  I later found Dinco watching the PE show from the crowd and had a little chat with him while he was having the time of his life watching PE on stage.  That was another cool aspect of this show, with artists coming in and out of the back to watch other artists perform as well as to interact with fans. After the show Flavor Flav and Griff seemed to sign and talk to everyone and anyone, among other performers.  A very fan friendly atmosphere.

Next up was Schooly-D, who is acknowledged as the originator of gangsta rap. I had mixed feelings on this one.  On one hand, the performance was good with a lot of energy and "PSK What Does It Mean" is and always will be a classic. On the other, I thought his raunchy escapades with some female fans pulled on stage - and to be clear, they all participated willingly - did not fit the overall vibe of the show.  On a bill with artists like Wise Intelligent, Monie Love, and Public Enemy it didn't really work for me, but on the other hand it was great to see one of the true legends of hip hop.  So mixed feelings.



I believe Monie Love followed and she promptly tore it down with some of her classics, as well as her break-dancing moves and uplifting statements to females in the crowd.  This was more along the lines of what I was looking for from the show!

X-Clan was up next and I won't lie, for some reason this group used to scare me back when I was 12-years old watching Yo! MTV Raps - watching the video now I'm thinking it was the giant nose rings!  Ha ha. Anyway, they gave a really good performance, and to me one of the highlights was when Brother J introduced the female performer in the group as his daughter.  Nice moment and made me feel the opposite of how I did when I saw Schooly D doing his thing...



The legendary Davey DMX ripped a short DJ set before Public Enemy came out and ripped the place down. I think they performed for nearly an hour and a half, and it was as epic as expected. PE drew a really interesting mix of people - there were Nebraska farm boys mixed with hipsters, gray hairs, and all other ends of the spectrum. Power to the people indeed. Simply put, it was a fantastic show and a great execution of a concept by Chuck D, who at the end of the night looked simply exhausted after ring-leading the entire thing for over four hours.

I would be remiss if I did not mention my opportunity to meet up with Kel Arroyo, who is working on the tour and has been a long-time supporter of this site. I probably could have sat and talked hip hop with him all night, but he had work to do and I had a show to watch. Such is life!



Great night and I hope if the tour happens to head your way you go see it, or hopefully they will add dates next year and make it your way that time. Public Enemy number one, and they proved it once again.

*While I apologize for this not being an AD-related post, to me Public Enemy goes hand in hand with AD so I'm making an exception.  ;)