Just following the announcement that Public Enemy will be one of 2013’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Chuck D has shared his views on the honor. Public Enemy is only one of four hip hop acts to earn induction, and according to Chuck, it makes sense that the Hall has only recognized groups.
Chuck D explained that the induction took him by surprise adding that he’s always tried to excel in his craft. “I had no expectations whatsoever. I set out at the beginning of my career to be as proficient as an artist, any rock band or any rap group,” Chuck told MTV News.
Chuck explained that he’s had the benefit of working with some of the music world’s top talent. “I was trained by the best from Run DMC, to Whodini, to Doug E. Fresh to Anthrax and we knew really at our best, nobody could ever mess with us,” said Chuck.
The Public Enemy rapper pointed out that all of the hip hop inductees have been groups and according to Chuck D, that fact reflects the collective nature of the genre. “The first four inductees in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame from rap’s standpoint are groups. I always felt that hip-hop was a collective effort, groups. Once record companies … turned it into an individual thing, just an MC, that’s when it actually got weaker,” Chuck D said.
