Record Store Day with Chuck D
By Kyle Eustice
With Record Store Day officially over, life is back to normal for Chuck D of Public Enemy. As a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, hip-hop pioneer, activist, entrepreneur, father, husband, and all around talented person, the Roosevelt, Long Island-raised native has paid his dues - in full. This year, he was appointed "ambassador" of Record Store Day. Def Jam released a vinyl reissue of PE's groundbreaking album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and PE released 2012's The Evil Empire Of Everything in honor of the event. The holiday took place at participating brick-and-mortar stores on April 19. Chuck D took some out of his busy schedule to talk to HipHopGods about what Record Store Day means to him.
The big news is that you were Record Store Day Ambassador, which has been covered by several music magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stone. What does Record Store Day mean to you?
Being that myself, The Bomb Squad, DJ Lord, etc., all come from DJ culture, we understand the importance and understood the importance of records. Record Store Day not only means the gathering of all stores, independently, going against the blizzard of odds in today's music retail market place, but also the acceptance that other kinds of configurations need to exist with each other. It means never letting vinyl go out of our sight and our minds. It means never letting a corporate sensibility take over the sensibility and soul of music. It's about keeping the music ahead of the business, but also understanding that record stores, especially indie record stores, are our ballpark. I used the analogy that in baseball it wasn't until the small, boutique ballparks came about to really understand that they've kept the feeling, the soul of the game alive, where the big cookie-cutter, corporate, 'let's put a million people in the stands' attitude kind of took a back seat to that because the essence of it was kind of lost. It's the same thing with independent record stores. The Record Store Day ambassador is pretty much picking somebody who could be a center point and I just thought that this year in 2014, I would be able to put at past, present and future spin on the meaning and importance of it all. I've been involved on the periphery of Record Store Day, but being the ambassador is really, really great and over the top. Being influenced by great record stores like the head of Record Store Day, Eric Levin of Criminal Records, many record stores that we've been a part of as far as Public Enemy goes. Also, from artists like Pharoahe Monch to J-Live and Ani DiFranco, Rhymesayers and Atmosphere - they've always had close ties trying to reciprocate it back and forth with the records stores and independent music.
Your sports analogy makes a lot of sense now that I understand you got into collecting sports memorabilia as a kid before you really got into collecting records.
Well, I didn't really have to buy any records in my house because my mother and father covered that. They covered it all. In fact, I tried to get away from music at first.
That's funny. I did the same thing with my Dad, but I was completely drawn to it. He had the illest vinyl collection when I was a kid. I used to find his Clash records, Beastie Boys, The Specials, you name it, and I'd listen to them all. Do you remember the first record that you actually bought?
I think the first record I actually remember buying was in 1977. It was called Master Boogie by the Fatback Band. Coincidentally, it was on Spring Records and it was a 45-inch. Then two years later, the Fatback Band made the first rap record with King Tim III.
Thanks to digital music, record sales have taken a huge dive, you know that. What do you think is the future of the vinyl record? Do you think they will just be archival collections or will people continue to keep putting them out?
The vinyl record has always been an essential part of hip-hop - from the record itself, playing it, down to using the record to make recordings, down to even having the record being made from the artist who used the record and was influenced by another record [laughs]. The vinyl record has always been the lifeblood to hip-hop and the DJs. Vinyl means different things to different people. Right now in 2014-2015, sometimes it's used as an instrument, sometimes it's just used as listening pleasure and sometimes it's just used, as I call it, as a sonic poster where people just want to have the vinyl for the artwork, to have it signed and never crack it. More people are buying record players now and a lot of people buy turntables as an instrument to use. There are a lot of different plans for vinyl. Some of the conversations I have about Record Store Day are that vinyl is not a one trick kind of thing. It has many different uses.
What was it like hanging out with John Densmore of The Doors?
John Densmore is so dope. We planned something together as D&D: The Doors meet Public Enemy. He was just so engaging. I was telling him I could listen to him and his former band member who passed away, Ray Manzarek, forever.
I would like to be in a room with all of you guys. It would be a journalist's dream.
Well, you would just be hearing me listen [laughs].
That's when you turn into the student, right? You're a natural teacher, I believe, so it's like role reversal.
Yeah, I mean I accept that. By now, I should be. After all this time, I should be able to be in some kind of teacher role.
I have been listening to the Public Enemy song "Shut 'Em Down" a lot. My favorite line is, "I like Nike, but wait a minute/the neighborhood supports so put some money in it."
I'm actually cleaning the floor right now in some Nike pants. [laughs].
Well, you make such bold social commentary in such an intriguing way. It's kind of ironic that my little brother started his graphic design job at Nike today.
Tell him wait a minute...[laughs].
If you ever want a journalist to follow you for a week, you should pick me [laughs].
Oh yeah, no doubt. We'll be hitting you up. Just stay in tune with RAPstation and that opportunity will be there more often than not.
To live a week shadowing you and your life would be interesting.
I don't know - you'd be passing me the bucket so I can wax these floors [laughs].
Oh, that's no problem [laughs]. What's it like to go from having all of your fans screaming for you to a quiet life at home?
It's like being two different people. I mean, we are who we are, but that's just a minimal part of your life. It doesn't work when it comes to taking out the garbage and setting up fence posts.
How was Flav's birthday?
We celebrated it in Australia, but how he celebrated it at home in Las Vegas is a whole different thing.
I don't think I would want to see it.
I heard it was pretty calm for Flav. He had his daughter's friends there. It was one of his nieces' birthdays, too.
By Kyle Eustice
With Record Store Day officially over, life is back to normal for Chuck D of Public Enemy. As a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, hip-hop pioneer, activist, entrepreneur, father, husband, and all around talented person, the Roosevelt, Long Island-raised native has paid his dues - in full. This year, he was appointed "ambassador" of Record Store Day. Def Jam released a vinyl reissue of PE's groundbreaking album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and PE released 2012's The Evil Empire Of Everything in honor of the event. The holiday took place at participating brick-and-mortar stores on April 19. Chuck D took some out of his busy schedule to talk to HipHopGods about what Record Store Day means to him.
The big news is that you were Record Store Day Ambassador, which has been covered by several music magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stone. What does Record Store Day mean to you?
Being that myself, The Bomb Squad, DJ Lord, etc., all come from DJ culture, we understand the importance and understood the importance of records. Record Store Day not only means the gathering of all stores, independently, going against the blizzard of odds in today's music retail market place, but also the acceptance that other kinds of configurations need to exist with each other. It means never letting vinyl go out of our sight and our minds. It means never letting a corporate sensibility take over the sensibility and soul of music. It's about keeping the music ahead of the business, but also understanding that record stores, especially indie record stores, are our ballpark. I used the analogy that in baseball it wasn't until the small, boutique ballparks came about to really understand that they've kept the feeling, the soul of the game alive, where the big cookie-cutter, corporate, 'let's put a million people in the stands' attitude kind of took a back seat to that because the essence of it was kind of lost. It's the same thing with independent record stores. The Record Store Day ambassador is pretty much picking somebody who could be a center point and I just thought that this year in 2014, I would be able to put at past, present and future spin on the meaning and importance of it all. I've been involved on the periphery of Record Store Day, but being the ambassador is really, really great and over the top. Being influenced by great record stores like the head of Record Store Day, Eric Levin of Criminal Records, many record stores that we've been a part of as far as Public Enemy goes. Also, from artists like Pharoahe Monch to J-Live and Ani DiFranco, Rhymesayers and Atmosphere - they've always had close ties trying to reciprocate it back and forth with the records stores and independent music.
Your sports analogy makes a lot of sense now that I understand you got into collecting sports memorabilia as a kid before you really got into collecting records.
Well, I didn't really have to buy any records in my house because my mother and father covered that. They covered it all. In fact, I tried to get away from music at first.
That's funny. I did the same thing with my Dad, but I was completely drawn to it. He had the illest vinyl collection when I was a kid. I used to find his Clash records, Beastie Boys, The Specials, you name it, and I'd listen to them all. Do you remember the first record that you actually bought?
I think the first record I actually remember buying was in 1977. It was called Master Boogie by the Fatback Band. Coincidentally, it was on Spring Records and it was a 45-inch. Then two years later, the Fatback Band made the first rap record with King Tim III.
Thanks to digital music, record sales have taken a huge dive, you know that. What do you think is the future of the vinyl record? Do you think they will just be archival collections or will people continue to keep putting them out?
The vinyl record has always been an essential part of hip-hop - from the record itself, playing it, down to using the record to make recordings, down to even having the record being made from the artist who used the record and was influenced by another record [laughs]. The vinyl record has always been the lifeblood to hip-hop and the DJs. Vinyl means different things to different people. Right now in 2014-2015, sometimes it's used as an instrument, sometimes it's just used as listening pleasure and sometimes it's just used, as I call it, as a sonic poster where people just want to have the vinyl for the artwork, to have it signed and never crack it. More people are buying record players now and a lot of people buy turntables as an instrument to use. There are a lot of different plans for vinyl. Some of the conversations I have about Record Store Day are that vinyl is not a one trick kind of thing. It has many different uses.
What was it like hanging out with John Densmore of The Doors?
John Densmore is so dope. We planned something together as D&D: The Doors meet Public Enemy. He was just so engaging. I was telling him I could listen to him and his former band member who passed away, Ray Manzarek, forever.
I would like to be in a room with all of you guys. It would be a journalist's dream.
Well, you would just be hearing me listen [laughs].
That's when you turn into the student, right? You're a natural teacher, I believe, so it's like role reversal.
Yeah, I mean I accept that. By now, I should be. After all this time, I should be able to be in some kind of teacher role.
I have been listening to the Public Enemy song "Shut 'Em Down" a lot. My favorite line is, "I like Nike, but wait a minute/the neighborhood supports so put some money in it."
I'm actually cleaning the floor right now in some Nike pants. [laughs].
Well, you make such bold social commentary in such an intriguing way. It's kind of ironic that my little brother started his graphic design job at Nike today.
Tell him wait a minute...[laughs].
If you ever want a journalist to follow you for a week, you should pick me [laughs].
Oh yeah, no doubt. We'll be hitting you up. Just stay in tune with RAPstation and that opportunity will be there more often than not.
To live a week shadowing you and your life would be interesting.
I don't know - you'd be passing me the bucket so I can wax these floors [laughs].
Oh, that's no problem [laughs]. What's it like to go from having all of your fans screaming for you to a quiet life at home?
It's like being two different people. I mean, we are who we are, but that's just a minimal part of your life. It doesn't work when it comes to taking out the garbage and setting up fence posts.
How was Flav's birthday?
We celebrated it in Australia, but how he celebrated it at home in Las Vegas is a whole different thing.
I don't think I would want to see it.
I heard it was pretty calm for Flav. He had his daughter's friends there. It was one of his nieces' birthdays, too.
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