Chuck D

All three volumes present facsimile reproductions of Chuck D's 8"x5" journals, which he filled primarily verso; ink bleed is faithfully reproduced on the obverse, though on occasion a detail of the right-hand verso leaf is given on the obverse of the left-hand leaf. (Seemingly this is done digitally, and appears on top of any bleed-through from the left-hand leaf's verso image.) The feeling is distinct: simultaneously a peek into thoughts under construction, including strike-outs, typos, even editorial commentary given on a later read-through. At the same time, this is not a primitive or unfinished product. These are thoughts in reaction: to current events, to prior thoughts, to historical events -- a mind is on display. It's a heady vision.

VOLUME 1 - THERE'S A POISON GOIN ON! | 2020-02 thru 2020-04 // read 2023-08-11
Ruminations on the effects of the organised effort to attract the mental attention of people; not merely their presence at a show and their attention on the spot, but the default attention paid to internet and smart phone. Evidently these diaries started as an effort to track PE's own experience of this global and contemporary phenomenon, but just as evidently more general events overtake this effort. The event of Chuck D's choosing: attempting to launch a new album, and the effort to grab attention for something that not only declines to use the tactics of online hype, but which in large part seems to attack it. How might this effort be successful and still be principled? As he and his colleagues work on this puzzle, the other event occurs and is very much of no-one's choosing: how to gain attention for public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. These two events unspool and intertwine, his reflections providing insight on both separately, and end up together providing the central theme of this journal.

Not having followed PE at this time, I wasn't aware until this reading of the project Loud Is Not Enough and single "Food As A Machine Gun" from March 2020 under the name Enemy Radio. Initially the drama playing out publicly, together with the behind-the-scenes preparations, seemed to contradict one another and confused me as to the tensions and internecine strife. A visit to the official web page and some online articles helped clarify, especially the influence of Orson Welles's "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast hoax.

VOLUME 2 - 45 DAZE OF RE(A)D OCTOBOT | 2020-09 thru 2020-11 // read 2023-09-03
All lines in 45 DAZE are in rhyming couplets, the focus shifting from the first volume's overview of world events overtaking PE's intention to both launch an album and draw attention to social injustice. Here Chuck D concentrates on Trumpism's maladroit handling of the pandemic itself, though with abiding concern for how that affects (and is affected by) black Americans. "The 45 days up to the election might've paled in the 500 haze of days after the election. The insurrection of January 6, 2021 is there and we are still in a daze about it." The conceit of Cult 45 and 45 stylised as a Nazi swastika seem so obvious here, yet I don't recall anyone else thinking of it before or since.

VOLUME 3 - DATAMBER MINDPAPER: ATTACK ON THE SCREENAGERS | 2021-11 thru 2022-02 // read 2023-09-18
An illustrated poem, serving up a hip-hop montage reminiscent of use of samples in late 80s / early 90s in electronic industrial music -- those samples were thematically related (anti-fascist, anti-institutional religion), effectively creating a perspective or outlook bigger than any single instance. In doing so, they helped motivate listeners to figure out specific references that weren't immediately clear ("what film was this clip of dialogue taken from?" or "what's the context to that music sample?"). Chuck D has done something similar here, but inventing the samples and placing them in a graphical work rather than an audio work.… (plus d'informations)

I honestly did not know Chuck D did any writing let alone "naphic" novels although I knew his Public Enemy work in the 80s and 90s as a kid and was a fan. PE have always taken a political stance in their music so I expected this book, which I received in the Early Reviewer program to be no different. These are his views and his views only. If you are looking for citations to back up his statements of differing opinions to round out his bias, you will not find it here. You may not agree with all he says or agree with him at all but treat this book as a piece of art because that is what it is and it doesn't mean you have to like it or agree with it but if it got you thinking or made you feel something it has done its job.

It is filled with poetry that goes many different places, giving you insight into how Chuck's brain works, into his different interests, and that he is an intelligent, curious man who matured over the span of his career. His drawings are rather stark but emotive--they gave me pause. This was notable to me because shooting have become so commonplace I simply do not pay attention to them anymore but seeing them documented in words and images changed that, at least for the moment. Certainly gun violence has had a much larger impact on inner city populations in a number of different ways. I appreciated the opportunity to get inside his mind a bit and I enjoyed some of the fun moments too, like when he rode a bike.… (plus d'informations)

This is a terrific book.
Chuck D clearly kept journals in 1922 of events, and issues, and observations about life in America. This book compiles pages from those journals. Although there is a continuous thread of comments about guns, and gun violence- lending Chuck D to create the phrase "The Summer of H.A.M.N"- the man clearly has much wider interests. Politics, Drought, Celebrities, and anything else that was contemporary or of interest to Chuck D are all in here.
The journal pages combine pictures and words, so one could make a stretch and call this book a graphic novel. But it's not a novel, there is no storyline. The phrase Chuck D created for his observations is "naphic grovel". Pretty clever!
He is a talented artist well as writer. Some of his caricatures are right-on-the-money, such as his quick sketches of Brian Stelter, David Allen Grier, Herschel Walker, Brittany Griner, Ghislaine Maxwell, etc.
Each re-reading of the book reveals some interesting new insights. I am not into rap, and so I am not familiar with the actual music Chuck D made with Public Enemy, but based on this book, I can see how brilliant their poetry might be.
Recommended… (plus d'informations)