Fight the Power—Public Enemy
#365Songs: July 4th
“It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character.”
Joseph Heller, Catch-22
In 1989, Donald Trump paid for several advertisements across New York City in which he argued in favor of the death penalty. He used the Central Park Five as his target, the five Latino and Black boys falsely accused of raping a jogger.
He still refuses to apologize.
That’s the thing about Donald Trump. He’s never once been held accountable for his actions, his wrongdoings. Days after being found guilty of 34 felonies, his popularity went UP, not down. Stage a coup? All good. Attempt to hang your VP? Why not. Get caught on tape coercing a Government official for 12k votes? Anything goes with this guy, and his cult paves the way to his next crimes.
Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped
Best prepared troops refuse to fight
As a matter of fact, it’s safe to say that they would rather switch
Than fight
1989 the number another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hitting your heart ’cause I know you got soul
(Brothers and sisters, hey)
Listen if you’re missing y’all
Swinging while I’m singing
Giving whatcha getting
Knowing what I know
While the Black bands sweating
And the rhythm rhymes rolling
Public Enemy’s Fight the Power was the anthem at the center of Spike Lee’s iconic 1989 film, Do the Right Thing. Inspired by the Isley Brothers’ Fight the Power, Pt. 1 & 2, Chuck D channeled the simmering rage from a decade dominated by racial tension, political demonization of Black culture, and Donald Trump’s ad campaign. Do the Right Thing is set in Bed Stuy on the hottest day of the summer, as racial tensions come to a boil.
Got to give us what we want
Gotta give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
As the rhythm designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you’ve realized the pride’s arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough
From the heart
Revolutions are never pretty, or easy. Our current revolution began over three years ago, when Trump’s MAGA troops took his signal and staged an insurrection, and it was validated five days ago when the Supreme Court crowned Trump our King — once again avoiding consequences for his worst actions.
I don’t believe much in Karma these days. It’s been quite some time since good deeds were rewarded over bad. Capitalism is antithesis to karma, a system built on greed, a lack of conscience and gaslighting of the masses. That’s sort of the problem with us Liberals these days: we sit around abiding by a system of outdated rules, feigning surprise when we lose over and over to the side redefining the rules. Or we virtue signal with our inclusive language, even as we fail to fight for meaningful reforms—even when it requires a revolutionary act, an executive order. When a Supreme Court Justice died in the months before the 2016 election, the Democrats honored the bullshit Republican edict, “Let’s wait until after the election.” When the same thing happened four years later, we know all too well what happened. Thing is, I imagine old Biden would react now with the same bout of aw shucks that Obama did then, setting us back even further.
That’s now how revolution works. Fight their way, or lose. Period.
It’s a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothing’s strange
People, people we are the same
No we’re not the same
’Cause we don’t know the game
What we need is awareness, we can’t get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
Don’t rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
Elvis was a hero to most
Elvis was a hero to most
Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant s- to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother f- him and John Wayne
’Cause I’m Black and I’m proud
I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped
Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Don’t worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(Get it) lets get this party started right
Right on, c’mon
What we got to say?
Power to the people no delay
Make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
Fight the power
We’ve got to fight the powers that be
What we got to say?
Fight the power
What we got to say?
Fight the power
What we got to say?
Fight the power
What we got to say?
Fight the power
Yo, check this out man
Ok talk to me ‘bout the future of
Public Enemy
Future of Public Enemy gotta
~
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