American hip-hop group Public Enemy remained as committed to social justice as ever in a performance at the RiverBeat Music Festival in Memphis on May 3rd. During their show, they called for a “free Palestine” and expressed anti-Trump sentiments.
The Grammy-nominated group performed for a huge crowd at Tom Lee Park. They played songs from their entire discography, which includes multiple gold and platinum records.
Only a day before their appearance on May 2nd, founding member Chuck D was presented with the Soulsville Foundation’s inaugural Power of Music Honors award during a ceremony at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
Chuck D and Flavor Flav ensured that their commitment to social justice took centre stage during their set. The duo called for a free Palestine between hits like ‘Get Up Stand Up’ and ‘Don’t Believe The Hype’.
They also made an explicit call-out against President Donald Trump, which transitioned into “State Of The Union,” a protest song from 2020 that also offers criticism of those in power. Lyrics in the song include: “State of the union address/Reads war torn country still a mess/The words: power, death, and distorted truth/Are read between the lines of the red, white, and blue.”
The duo closed out their performance in the same manner, with the rallying song ‘Fight The Power,’ and a call to action from Flavor Flav. The musician instructed the crowd to hold up a peace sign, combine both fingers for togetherness, and ball them into a fist for power.
He declared: “No matter what part of the world we come from, no matter what language we speak, no matter what colour we are, we are all one person. With peace and togetherness, we would have so much power.”
This is a bold, brave move from Public Enemy, given that Irish trio Kneecap are surrounded by much controversy due to pro-Palestinian messaging used during their Coachella set, which was subsequently cut short. Additionally, R&B singer Kehlani was banned from a performance at Cornell University in New York due to her pro-Palestinian stance.
