Public Enemy No. 1

Public Enemy No. 1

By Michael Miracle

Aspen saw an absolutely unforgettable performance last night at Belly Up by one of the most influential, important and legendary groups of all time: Public Enemy.

Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, DJ Lord and the S1W crew offered the audience a reminder of how powerful hip-hop can be. It was a smaller version of PE; their performances for much of the last decade have often featured a bigger band, including a horn section. But for me, the pared-down PE was even more special. The one-DJ-three-rappers-and-four-stage-minders arrangement and the ridiculous intimacy of the 450-capacity Belly Up made the whole night feel like a trip back in time, to when hip-hop was nascent and PE were at the vanguard of a genre.

The camaraderie and genuine love between Flav and Chuck D was amazing to witness in person. These guys were meant for each other, a serious lead actor and comic foil to rival Shakespeare’s King Henry and Falstaff. Chuck D can’t help but smile—right along with the rest of us—every time Flav acts in that inimitably cuckoo way that only Flav can.

Flav ventured into the crowd at one point. Chuck D lost him, though he could still hear Flav on the mic. Finally, Chuck said, "Flav, where you at, man?" Flav (and get Flav's voice in your head here) was like, "Yo, Chuck, I'm in the crowd. I'm just out in the audience with the people, man." Now imagine yourself looking back toward the bar (I was in the second row) and seeing Flav's face, his lips pursed and askew, hat on sideways, clock around his neck, surrounded by people, staring back at the stage and saying, "Yo, Chuck, I'm right here, man. See me? I'm right here." Chuck cracked up and then threw down. Again.

And these guys sounded perfect—I mean flawless. Chuck D’s authoritative baritone sounds almost identical to 22 years ago, when “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” was released. Flav, too, sounded as fresh as ever. When he did "Cold Lampin' With Flavor," he started a capella. The DJ surprised him by coming in with a super slow backbeat, and Flav turned around and gave him a quick what-the-hell look before slipping perfectly into an unforgettable half-time version of Lampin'. The S1W crew was so impressed they cracked smiles—a rare break from the militaristic scowls they wore all night.

Chuck D and Flav talked to the crowd at length. They talked politics. They critiqued the state of rap today. They quizzed the crowd about old school hip-hop. They pulled people on stage to show t-shirts from old school hip-hop labels. They lectured the audience to be wary of rap's new VIP-obsession (perhaps not realizing Aspen’s predilection for having a VIP section at almost every event). Everyone is a VIP, Chuck D said, and PE served the crowd like he meant it, even performing a request handed in on a note from an audience member.

Chuck D said the members of PE live in eight different cities, so when they get together it's like a reunion every time. The enthusiasm and joy with which they performed last night made that seem to be the case, a very different experience from some hip-hop shows in Aspen, where acts like Ice Cube often go through the affectation-laden motions to get paid. (We get that you're a ganster Cube. Really, we do.) The PE show was far from that. It was absolutely incredible. It was as authentic, genuine a musical experience as one could ever hope for. As a PE fan, it was a privilege. Quite possibly a lifetime top-ten show.