burn

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: Jeff Kravitz / Getty
Los Angeles continues to suffer, and the internet has taken liberty with the classic track “Burn Hollywood Burn.” Chuck D has come in to set the record straight and denounce the usage in this manner.

As reported by Deadline, there have been several videos that have appeared online capturing the wildfires that continue to ravage the Los Angeles area. Some have incorporated Public Enemy’s song “Burn Hollywood Burn” into these clips with a goal of calling out that the entertainment elite are finally getting a taste of the type of pain the lower class have faced for years. Naturally, the trend eventually landed on Chuck D’s radar prompting him to respond to the misuse via his Instagram account.

“‘Burn Hollywood Burn’ is a protest song. Extracted from the Watts Rebellion monikered by the magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality when he said ‘burn baby burn’ across the air,” his statement read. “We made mind revolution songs aimed at a one-sided exploitation by an industry. Has nothing to do with families, losing everything they have in a natural disaster. Learn the history. Godspeed to those in loss,” he added. The accompanying caption simply said “PRAY 4 LA.” Chuck D went on to go to the comments section to say, “Please don’t use our song on your reels and pictures of this horrifying natural disaster.”

Featuring Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube, the song “Burn Hollywood Burn” exposes the movie industry for their poor treatment of African American talent and the stereotypes projected about people of color.