*** 1/2 CHUCK D, “Autobiography of Mistachuck,” Mercury

Where Public Enemy’s last album treaded water as the twin hip-hop currents of gangsta sensationalism and pop vacuousness swept on by, leader Chuck D swims muscularly against the tide on his solo debut. Turning to his roots--hard-hitting jazz-funk beats, proud urban poetry, the righteous fire of both the pulpit and the Panthers and an abundance of sports metaphors--he’s pounded together a defiantly old-school document that seeks answers for the present in the past.

On “No” he details a litany of evils that can be avoided simply with that one word, showing a stern grace worthy of Gil Scott-Heron or the Last Poets. Isaac Hayes makes a poignant appearance on “But Can You Kill the Nigger in You?” adding his resonant basso profundo to the message of lost cultural pride.

Chuck D’s strongest message may come in “Generation Wrekkked,” echoing loudly in the wake of Tupac Shakur’s death: “If I can’t change the people around me, I change the people around me.” You have to think about that for a second, which is the whole point--Chuck D is able to make a return this strong not because he’s tough, but because he’s smart.

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