musicnotes
Chuck D, founding member of Public Enemy, accepted the Woody Guthrie Prize on Nov. 16 at Cain’s Ballroom. | GREG BOLLINGER
Be the power
Chuck D accepts the Woody Guthrie Prize in Tulsa by TY CLARK
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huck D is a lot of things: rapper, author, activist, curator and overall hip-hop legend to name a few. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, the founding member of the iconic rap group Public Enemy can now add the Woody Guthrie Prize to his list of honors. Awarded annually since 2014, the Woody Guthrie Prize recognizes artists who use their talents to speak for those without a platform. Chuck D has been bringing social issues to the forefront his entire career, and now he joins the ranks of past honorees like Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples and Kris Kristofferson. Chuck D and Woody Guthrie might not be the most obvious pair musically, but the work of these two disparate artists shares a commitment to social justice and equality for all. “Woody
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was a fighter for the people, and Chuck D’s message has consistently aligned with Woody’s: Choose a side, fight the power, and work for a better world,” said Deana McCloud, director of the Woody Guthrie Center. Cain’s Ballroom welcomed Chuck D to Tulsa for the award ceremony on Nov. 16. I talked to the living legend about Guthrie, music activism, the current state of hip-hop and more.
TY CLARK: Can you tell me about your connection to Woody Guthrie? CHUCK D: I’m a musicologist, man. So if I’m gonna hear Woody Guthrie, I’ll have to know who Woody Guthrie is. You know, Bob Dylan and Pet Seeger, those two right there would lead me
straight into that. If somebody doesn’t think that Chuck D should understand what Bob’s feeling or what Pete Seeger was about, then they’re either terribly misinformed or they’re probably not using their phones the right way [laughs]. Cause you can find out what the connection is between Chuck D and Woody Guthrie easy. Knowing about his life, he was a character that was real— wise and wild at the same time. I enjoyed reading about his forays not just in music … but what he did in radio and dared to explore. [He went] out from his home territory and still gave it props and still gave a voice to the voiceless in his home territory while being in New York or L.A. or wherever. He was a musician’s musician, so I dug that. CLARK: I spoke with your former
[Prophets of Rage] bandmate Tom Morello when he joined the Woody Guthrie Center (WGC) advisory board. Can you talk about your relationship with him and your shared involvement with the Center? CHUCK D: Tom Morello is my brother but his dealings with the WGC and mine come from two different vantage points. Tom is in a world of rock and dares to go beyond himself and contribute and give back. I do the same in hip-hop, all around the world. It’s about two different genres coming together with the brothers in Prophets of Rage. … That was a beautiful experience, you know. I say that we went to the University of Brotherhood for four years. We did a term together. We went around the world together and spoke and sang and played truth to power.
November 20 – December 3, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE
