Public Enemy rapper Chuck D has begged social media users to stop using the group’s 1990 track, “Burn Hollywood Burn,” on videos of the wildfires ravaging California.
“Learn History.” Here’s what Chuck D advised this weekend to TikTok and Instagram users, who had the bad idea of using Public Enemy’s song “Burn Hollywood Burn” to set their videos of the disaster that is currently hitting to music Los Angeles.
While at least 24 people have died in the fires which have ravaged more than 40,000 hectares, destroyed more than 12,300 buildings and forced more than 200,000 people to be evacuated so far, the rapper would like to point out that the lyrics of the song are completely off topic in context.
“Burn Hollywood Burn is a protest song,” Chuck D wrote in a statement posted to Instagram, explaining that it referenced a slogan attributed to 1960s R&B DJ Magnificent Montague, who was associated with the Watts Riots of 1965, bloody racial riots which plunged Los Angeles into chaos for six days, causing 34 deaths and leading to 4,000 arrests.
Regarding the fires that have been devastating the Los Angeles region for almost a week, he implored Internet users to use common sense. “Please do not use our song on your videos and photos of this horrible natural disaster,” he wrote.
“We composed revolutionary songs that aimed to denounce the one-sided exploitation of an industry. This has nothing to do with families losing everything they have in a natural disaster,” he stressed, referring the videographers to their history books. “Good luck to those who are grieving,” he added.
