The Masterpiece in Public Enemys Hip Hop Track - Essay Example

The Masterpiece in Public Enemy’s Hip Hop Track “Fight the Power” The term masterpiece has been defined in differentways. In modern terms, a masterpiece refers to a creation or invention that has been subject to critical praise (The Free Dictionary par. 1). Such a creation is also considered to be a person’s (or party’s) best work in their career. While different definitions of the term masterpiece abound, it is worth noting that masterpieces in various disciplines share some common characteristics; they are works of outstanding workmanship, skill, or creativity. One of the greatest musical works in history is Public Enemy’s Hip Hop Track “Fight the Power”. One of the features that make the track “Fight the Power” be considered as a masterpiece relates to its unique sound according to Mixonline (par. 2). The track features a hard, intense sound – one that is clearly different from the other hip hop-songs produced earlier (Wenner par. 1). This paper will analyse the masterpiece with a focus on the political context. The track “Fight the Power” together with others of public Enemy’s more recent creations at the time ushered in a period in which mainstream hip-hop was pervaded by radical politics that favoured Black Americans(Wenner par. 1). While politics had always featured in rap, the track arguably presented the most extreme political thoughts and yet remained so successful in the market. Produced in June 1989 as a single, at the request of Spike Lee, the track was to be used as the theme song to the movie ‘Do The Right Thing’ (Wenner par. 1). The movie focused on the racial tension that was then being experienced in Brooklyn, New York and in the rest of the United States of America. Contrary to what the title of the song literally suggests, “Fight the Power” was not about fighting the authorities that reigned at the time but rather it had all to do with fighting the abuse of powers by them (Lyrics Depot par. 1). The abuse of power by white authorities led to oppression and violation of human rights. This song came at a very significant point in the history of the black people in America. This is because after the Civil War of the 1960s that was believed to have ended racism, the song revealed the situation on the ground. It was believed that racism did not exist in the 1980s - a notion that is very far from the truth as racism had only taken another shape and form. During the 80s, racism hurt more because most of the black people knew their rights and yet continued to experience its harsh effects. According to the song, being black made one an enemy of the public. If a crime was committed in the U.S. during the 80s, the first suspects were the African Americans. Accusations against people were simply based on their race. The blacks were effectively considered to be guilty until proven innocent in spite of the fact that the law stated that one is innocent until proven guilty. The song urged people to talk against racism and make use of their right to freedom of speech (Lyrics Depot par. 1). The song noted that it was time to do the right thing; talk against all forms of racism. The right to freedom of speech for the black community had long been a foreign concept. The song urged the blacks to fight for their constitutional right to be respected unto death. The lyrics of the song state that “Our freedom of speech is freedom or death” (Lyrics Depot par. 1). The song also viewed everybody as equal regardless of race, age and neighbourhood. The song “Fight the Power” addresses the issue of Blacks’ history. For a long time, it had been assumed in the U.S. that Blacks did not have a history, this in spite of the fact that they had been in existence for a long time. The heroes that were being recognized in one way or another and their pictures featuring on the stamps are the very ones that the Blacks could not relate with. In the song, one example of such heroes is Elvis who was considered to be the king of rock and roll (Lyrics Depot par. 3). The song highlighted the reality that there are several heroes (both men and women) of African descent that deserve recognition (Lyrics Depot par. 3). They can well act as role models for the younger generations who need to know that they can fight for their rights just like their older and past generations did. The Public Enemy’s piece also urged the African Americans not to accept poor treatment from the whites or people who are not open to a modern way of looking at things, and who then will never come to accept that a black person can enjoy the same rights as a white person. In this respect, the song is considered a masterpiece because it opened doors for others to express their views and opinions about racism. Using the song to pass political messages to the youth proved to be an effective means of communication considering that rap was a favourite entertainment. During the late 80s, hip-hop songs were characterised by a few samples each. Furthermore, their beats always featured a single break from an old funk song - not the case with “Fight the Power” (Mixonline par 2). The producers of the track composed a distinctive noisy, layered event-garde-inspired sound that included skittering turntable scratches, sirens, and spoken and musical samples wittingly juxtaposed (Wenner par. 1). Effectively, the track featured numerous samples that were so heavily layered and altered that identifying their sources became extremely difficult. This essentially rendered the song a masterpiece of sound collage and a quantum leap for rap music (Mixonline par 2). Furthermore, the music featured different vocal styles as produced by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. While Chuck D produced anti-establishment rhymes with his booming and authoritarian voice, his counterpart punctuated the piece with questions, teases, and taunts as noted by Wenner (par. 1). During the shooting of the video for the song as people from all walks of life were invited to attend and participate in the event. During the event, people were offered T-shirts that had anti-racism messages written on them. The video was shot with a crowd of Blacks following the rapper, a call to the Blacks to come together and support each other in fighting for their rights. The song encouraged the African Americans to be proud of their race and not to allow great opportunities to pass them simply because they have been made to believe that they are inferior to their counterparts that belong to other races (Lyrics Depot par. 3). It also urged them not to allow the effort of those who came before them to go to waste. It encouraged them to keep the fire burning regardless of how hard the times got. The song predicted that there would be bloodshed and some lives might be lost but in the end freedom, responsibility and respect for the black community would be earned. The most crucial part that the song played is showing people that there is always a right thing to do and an alternative wrong thing to do when fighting for one’s rights. In the movie ‘Do the Right Thing’, it is revealed that racism exists and that there is always a right way to handle a situation. Just like being a racist is not right, being violent against a racist is not right. The song talks of fighting the power with knowledge and power. “Fight the Power” has proved to be a masterpiece with respect to the political context. Hip hop music during the 80s did not take the radical political approach to racism, discrimination and misuse of power like the track “Fight the Power”. The song generally urges the black community to know that change is not out there but instead that change begins with the individual. According to the song, change for the African Americans fighting discrimination starts when one speaks up against racial discrimination and racism. Works Cited Bogdanov, Vladimir. All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-Hop. London: Backbeat Books. 2003. Print. Lyrics Depot. “Fight The Power Lyrics”. Lyrics Depot. 2013. Web. http://www.lyricsdepot.com/public-enemy/fight-the-power.html Mixonline. “Classic Tracks: Public Enemy's "Fight the Power"” Mixonline. 2006. Web. http://mixonline.com/recording/projects/audio_public_enemys_fight/ The Free Dictionary. “Masterpiece”. The Free Dictionary. 2013. Web. www.thefreedictionary.com/masterpiece Wenner Jann. “Public Enemy”. Rolling Stone. 2013. Web. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/public-enemy/biography Read More