American rapper Chuck D had to issue a statement recently in light of the California and Los Angeles wildfires. Apparently, some people are celebrating the LA wildfire and are even quoting Chuck D’s Public Enemy song, “Burn Hollywood Burn”. The rapper thus had to defend and explain the meaning of his song and how it’s not something people should be using to celebrate a mass tragedy and calamity.
Chuck D took to Instagram recently to post an image with a text where the text explains the origin of his song, “Burn Hollywood Burn”. The song was inspired by the 1965 Watts Rebellion or Watts Riots which happened in LA and was sparked off due to racial bigotry and inequality. During the 1965 incident, American DJ Magnificent Montague said the words “Burn Baby Burn” on air.
Chuck D took those words with his own Hollywood protest spin aimed against the one-sided exploitation that’s rampant in the industry. Thus, the song “Burn Hollywood Burn” had nothing to do with the recent LA wildfire which affected Hollywood and destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of people, including celebrities.
Chuck D then ends his message with an empathic prayer for those who lost their homes and livelihoods in the LA wildfire while urging the insensitive celebrants to learn his song’s history. It appears these celebrations have become so widespread that Chuck D had to take action.
Some were even convinced that rapper Chuck D and his hip hop group, Public Enemy, prophesized the LA wildfire with the song. It appears the meaning has been lost and some of Public Enemy’s fans took the song too literally.
The Toll of LA Wildfires
The LA wildfires notably began on January 7 and have since spread and forced the evacuation of nearly 180,000 people with another 200,000 receiving evacuation warnings. Numerous celebrities have also announced the destruction of their properties in Hollywood.
So far, an estimated 10 people have died in the fire though authorities calculate that it could take two weeks to collate the number and verify the identity of those who perished. Most of the people affected were not exactly celebrities, but citizens of LA.
Meanwhile, other members of Public Enemy and those involved in the production of the “Burn Hollywood Burn” song such as Ice Cube, have yet to make public announcements.
