The Final Call

Public Enemy: Courage and integrity under fire

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Chuck D welcomes Minister Farrakhan to 'Kings of the Mic' performance

ST. LOUIS (FinalCall.com) - The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said he happened to turn to the Rock  and Roll Hall of Fame presentation and saw that Public Enemy was about to be inducted. He said he was shocked when during the acceptance PE’s lead man Chuck D mentioned his name. 

Being the master teacher that he is, the Minister during remarks at a private reception in his honor at the Better Life Foundation Cultural Center and Museum to deliver lessons in leadership and courage to  demonstrate commitment to a cause greater than personal desires.

Min. Farrakhan and Chuck D of Public Enemy.

Chuck D, present with the other members of the groundbreaking group, Professor Griff,  James Bomb and Pop Diesel of the Security of the First World, stood before the man they considered a mentor and spiritual guide. Chuck D became overwhelmed with emotion as the Minister spoke of their sacrifices.

“I know it took a lot for you to mention your brother, and I want you to know how much I appreciate your strength, Professor Griff your strength, and all of the things you’ve suffered because of your love for me. I wish it could be easier for you, but God has put on me an assignment,” said the Minister. “I didn’t know how deep the assignment was, but all of us are under the grip of Satan, and we will never ever achieve freedom, justice and equality until Satan is fully revealed and we fall away from him because he is the source of the disease that we suffer from. We suffer from a disease that no leader has been able to cure us of, and that’s the disease of envy, jealousy, and self-hatred that makes us enemies of one another.”

“Leadership is a sacred trust, because you are leading what you did not create,” said the Minister. “There’s only one author of life, and that is God himself, and when we are permitted to lead what we did not create, we should take that sacred trust, and lead in the way that will please God,” he said.

The enemy must be pointed out with clarity, because Black people cannot pass this suffering condition on to another generation, he said.

“Its time now for us to take the medicine that will rid us of this disease, and recognize the enemy for who he is and stop being pawns in Satan’s game to destroy us and the world in which we live,” said the Minister. “The enemy is the master of every door that you want to go in except the door that leads to God,” he said.

“Chuck, I congratulate you and Public Enemy for all of the work you have done, and I was so proud to see my beloved brother, friend, companion, struggler Harry Belafonte inducting you into the Hall of Fame with our brother Spike Lee standing close by,” he said.

The controllers of the industry don’t like lyrical content that will elevate the consciousness of the people. They desire profanity, filth and vulgarity, which breaks down the morals of the human family.

“You are the righteous rappers,” the Minister said.“And you’ve suffered because of what you did, suffered because of what you saw, and suffered because we are friends and we are brothers, and the enemy is not happy when we show love for one another, especially when we show love for someone that they don’t love,” he added.

Following Minister Farrakhan’s comments, Chuck D said he was humbled by his words, and does not regret for one moment his outspokenness nor his open support for Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. He said the week of the induction was a difficult one, because of how he wanted the induction to be presented, but he understands it is the price that one pays in order to maintain integrity.

“It brought up a lot of emotions,” said Chuck D. “He was the first person who thanked me for that whole thing. It was an ordeal. It was all a beautiful experience, but it was a lot that week. It all turned out to be good, just the way we wanted it. We would have been totally amiss if we didn’t understand where all this came from,” he added.