Chuck D speaks Monday
February 19, 2004
His name is synonymous with one of the most successful and pioneering rap groups in the history of the genre. He’ll bring his knowledge of hip-hop culture, race and technology to the Hill next week.
Rap pioneer Chuck D from the group Public Enemy will speak at 8 p.m. on Monday in Downing University Center Auditorium as a part of the Black History Month Celebration.
Chuck D’s lecture, “Rap, Race, Reality and Technology,” will touch on current events and politics, according to the Public Enemy Web site.
The lecture is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board.
Nichole Johnson, a senior from Oxonhill, Md., the former lecture chair of CAB, said they were trying to bring someone who would generate larger crowds than speakers in previous years and who students would be interested in seeing.
Johnson said she hopes Chuck D will be that person. Not only is he a popular hip-hop personality, he is also closer to the college student age group, Johnson said.
“He will be someone students can relate to on a different level than some of the other motivational speakers that we brought in the past,” Johnson said.
Monica Burke, assistant director of Office of Diversity, said she saw Chuck D in concert while she was in college and plans to attend the lecture on Monday.
“I heard he is pretty captivating in lectures,” Burke said.
Chuck D, co-founder and front man of the rap group Public Enemy, released his debut solo album “Autobiography of Mista Chuck” in 1996 and is the author of the book, “Fight the Power.”
“I think it is important to bring people in from different genres,” Burke said.
Reach Marlene Brueggemann at [email protected].
