Flavor Flav celebrates after a rendition of Bitch, Gimme That Baby in Spain.
Mass hysteria swept the hiphop world last week after it emerged that one of the biggest names of the last three decades is back in the studio, putting together a release that could prove devastating to fans.
Prematurely leaked recordings made by legendary rap collective Public Enemy indicate that more than 20 years into their career, the group is aiming to bolster an already widespread reputation for being the most aggressively dictatorial act in the business.
As the band that repeatedly and vehemently commanded listeners to Fight the Power, Bring the Noise, Watch the Door and Raise the Roof, Public Enemy have attracted a dedicated following consisting largely of politically aware - yet cripplingly submissive - hiphop fans. A fierce sense of loyalty has developed among their listeners, prompting many to go to extraordinary, sometimes life-threatening lengths to satisfy orders given by the group.
For one devotee, the strain of Public Enemy’s relentless browbeating has truly taken its toll. Clifford Coles, a 42-year-old former meat packer from Dodge City, Kansas, has been an avid fan of the band since their formation in the 1980s, but it was the release of 1991’s Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Back that he says dragged him to new lows. Speaking from a high-security psychiatric facility in Los Angeles, he told TWAJJ:
“When I first heard that song, Get the Fuck Outta Dodge, my life just fell apart. Within 48 hours I was in the car, leaving my family and my job in Kansas, and since then I’ve just been hopping around the country trying to keep up with PE’s demands.
“In Arizona, I was evicted from three apartments in a row. That was during my Raise the Roof phase - I’m still trying to pay the repair bills. But it wasn’t until I moved across to LA in ’96 that things really started to get out of hand.
“Up until then I’d been a Public Enemy purist but then I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. They introduced me to all kinds of heavy shit, you know, stronger, more dangerous hiphop: I wore a neck brace for eight months after hearing the Wu Tang Clan’s Protect Ya Neck; Run DMC’s Kick the Frama Lama Lama just confused me but I’m told I blacked out and assaulted some famous old guy from Tibet. Then a friend played me NWA’s Fuck Tha Police and… well, here I am.”
When asked about his reaction to news of Public Enemy’s forthcoming release, Coles continued:
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle this new stuff. As of last Thursday, I’m now on six types of medication. The orderlies here have so far managed to prevent me from hearing the new record but we all know it’s only a matter of time.”
Prematurely leaked recordings made by legendary rap collective Public Enemy indicate that more than 20 years into their career, the group is aiming to bolster an already widespread reputation for being the most aggressively dictatorial act in the business.
As the band that repeatedly and vehemently commanded listeners to Fight the Power, Bring the Noise, Watch the Door and Raise the Roof, Public Enemy have attracted a dedicated following consisting largely of politically aware - yet cripplingly submissive - hiphop fans. A fierce sense of loyalty has developed among their listeners, prompting many to go to extraordinary, sometimes life-threatening lengths to satisfy orders given by the group.
For one devotee, the strain of Public Enemy’s relentless browbeating has truly taken its toll. Clifford Coles, a 42-year-old former meat packer from Dodge City, Kansas, has been an avid fan of the band since their formation in the 1980s, but it was the release of 1991’s Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Back that he says dragged him to new lows. Speaking from a high-security psychiatric facility in Los Angeles, he told TWAJJ:
“When I first heard that song, Get the Fuck Outta Dodge, my life just fell apart. Within 48 hours I was in the car, leaving my family and my job in Kansas, and since then I’ve just been hopping around the country trying to keep up with PE’s demands.
“In Arizona, I was evicted from three apartments in a row. That was during my Raise the Roof phase - I’m still trying to pay the repair bills. But it wasn’t until I moved across to LA in ’96 that things really started to get out of hand.
“Up until then I’d been a Public Enemy purist but then I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. They introduced me to all kinds of heavy shit, you know, stronger, more dangerous hiphop: I wore a neck brace for eight months after hearing the Wu Tang Clan’s Protect Ya Neck; Run DMC’s Kick the Frama Lama Lama just confused me but I’m told I blacked out and assaulted some famous old guy from Tibet. Then a friend played me NWA’s Fuck Tha Police and… well, here I am.”
When asked about his reaction to news of Public Enemy’s forthcoming release, Coles continued:
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle this new stuff. As of last Thursday, I’m now on six types of medication. The orderlies here have so far managed to prevent me from hearing the new record but we all know it’s only a matter of time.”
Chuck D is forced to tie his own shoelaces after attempts at intimidating an audience member fail.For Coles and the thousands of Public Enemy fans like him, the situation looks set to worsen. Early reports have listed track titles such as Yo! Punch That Horse, Eat a Motherfuckin Battery and Strip the Elderly, while several sources are citing the album’s working title as Obey, thought to be inspired by the work of graphic artist and self-professed Public Enemy fanatic, Shepard Fairey.
As well as a drain on hospital resources predicted for the album’s estimated April launch, police forces across the US and Britain have been instructed to act with extreme caution when approaching suspects wearing oversized clock pendants.
Although the group’s leader, Chuck D, refused to discuss the new material before its release, he did encourage TWAJJ to cut his toenails and ‘stay the fuck in school’.
Mr D’s co-vocalist, Flavor Flav, was also unavailable for comment due to filming commitments on an upcoming game show spin-off of his VH1 reality TV hit, Flavor of Love. In spite of the channel’s attempts to keep the programme’s content strictly under wraps, a source at VH1 has been able to divulge some key details.
TWAJJ can exclusively reveal that Flavor of Love: Mystery Emission will involve a blindfolded Mr Flav sampling the sexual secretions of up to six men, before attempting to correctly match the ‘Flavor of Love’ to each participant. Those contestants whose seed Mr Flav does not correctly identify will receive a small cash prize and a commemorative hip flask.
As well as a drain on hospital resources predicted for the album’s estimated April launch, police forces across the US and Britain have been instructed to act with extreme caution when approaching suspects wearing oversized clock pendants.
Although the group’s leader, Chuck D, refused to discuss the new material before its release, he did encourage TWAJJ to cut his toenails and ‘stay the fuck in school’.
Mr D’s co-vocalist, Flavor Flav, was also unavailable for comment due to filming commitments on an upcoming game show spin-off of his VH1 reality TV hit, Flavor of Love. In spite of the channel’s attempts to keep the programme’s content strictly under wraps, a source at VH1 has been able to divulge some key details.
TWAJJ can exclusively reveal that Flavor of Love: Mystery Emission will involve a blindfolded Mr Flav sampling the sexual secretions of up to six men, before attempting to correctly match the ‘Flavor of Love’ to each participant. Those contestants whose seed Mr Flav does not correctly identify will receive a small cash prize and a commemorative hip flask.
The programme is due to air in late spring.
Photo credits go out to AngryCitizen.org and Jeremy Farmer
Photo credits go out to AngryCitizen.org and Jeremy Farmer
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