Q&A; with CHUCK D. : ‘We’ll Try to Stretch the Boundaries of Rap’

Public Enemy is under siege. In the late ‘80s, the New York group with the innovative beats and samples and searing black-nationalist messages ruled the rap roost, the darling of critics and fans.

But things have changed. In the ‘90s, with gangsta rap blasting away all competition, some are arguing that Public Enemy’s “white devil” rap is old hat. Public Enemy first stumbled with its 1992 album of outtakes, “Greatest Misses.” And it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the new album, “Muse Sick N Hour Mess Age,” due Tuesday .

Detractors--in particular Rolling Stone magazine and the prominent rap journal the Source--started taking pre-release potshots at it last month. As expected, Chuck D., the group’s cagey, 34-year-old leader, is striking back. At a West Hollywood hotel recently, he came out blasting.

*

Question: What are your feelings about the reviews in Rolling Stone and the Source?

*

Answer: They bother the hell out of me and when I see those writers I’ll damn well let them know it--and I won’t pull any punches. They think they know me but they don’t. They’re totally ignorant about where I’m coming from.

Q: Have those reviews done much harm?

A: They’ve been very damaging. There’ve been positive reviews but the big negative reviews have gotten all the attention. There’s been a negative perception about the album--a wrong perception.

Q: With rap so youth-oriented, do you think your age works against you?

A: I won’t say it works against me, but I can’t say what some 20-year-old rapper can say. I’d sound like a damn fool. I can relate to the young audience but not as a peer--more like an older brother. Kids don’t always want to hear what their peers have to say. They want to hear what older people say too--as long as it seems relevant to them in some way. That’s where we come in.

Q: Since most rap artists are here today and gone tomorrow, how has Public Enemy managed to stay popular since the mid-’80s?

A: We stay true to our stance. They can criticize me but I won’t compromise just to please the fans or the critics. I’m not a follower. I’m not going to jump on some bandwagon just to sell some records. People like what we do--which is being provocative and entertaining at the same time.

Q: What do you say to people who argue that your message isn’t relevant?

A: We get knocked for talking about black genocide and the same old white supremacy issues. Has the problem improved? Hell no. It’s still relevant to all black people--and will be until it changes. The problem is that some younger people choose not to recognize that. They’re busy hanging out and partying and they have fewer responsibilities. They don’t want to deal with blacks being oppressed. It’s not until they’re out struggling in the real world--working for peanuts and trying to feed a family--that this ugly situation will really hit them.

Q: What don’t you like about gangsta rap?

A: First of all, I don’t like the term. Black men aren’t gangsters--they’re people trying to survive. But really I don’t like the fact that the music reinforces the negative side of the black experience. There’s a positive side that gets lost. Listen to that music and you think nothing happens in the black community but shooting and killing and chasing women and smoking dope. There’s no balance. There needs to be some positive, intelligent thinking in rap too.

Q: How do you change gangsta rap?

A: It starts at the record companies. The real problem is with the white executives. They put the music out there and don’t care about the impact or the message. It’s the same old exploitation thing. All they care about is making a buck. I’d like to get some of them in a boxing ring in the middle of South-Central and box their heads off.

Q: Can Public Enemy still be a trend-setter?

A: Yes, but in a different way. We’re among the first rappers to last long enough for people to question whether we’re still relevant. We’ll set trends in other areas--which ones we don’t know yet. We’ll try to stretch the boundaries of rap just like we always tried to do.