Chuck D as Mistahchuck | “CELEBRATION OF IGNORANCE” | STREAM NOW
Chuck D isn’t slowing down. The legendary rapper celebrated Public Enemy’s 30th anniversary last year with a new album, Nothing is Quick in the Desert, and somehow still found time to release a new Prophets of Rage album. Now, he’s back with yet another album, a solo release called Celebration Of Ignorance, as well as the promise of tour dates in 2019.
Written and recorded last year, the album is, in Chuck D’s words, “a salute to independence,” not to mention a throwback to his ’80s work. In a press release, he adds, “I’m locked in a certain era. So what? It feels good. I over-stand that styles change but the sound remains. Although I support the entire journey of Hip Hop from 1973 up to this very minute, the breath of fresh air I enjoy is the freedom of creating songs with no time constraint.” Later, he adds that he “[digs] my lane: Boom Bap, Boom Style, Boom Voice.”
In conjunction with the album’s release, Chuck D offered the below breakdown of Celebration Of Ignorance. In it, he touts his collaboration with Jahi of PE2.0 and reveals that a new version of Nothing is Quick in the Desert “with additions” will come out in 2019.
I totally believe that as artists you should try to evolve, but there’s no greater testament to throwback than the first song, “Tiredof45 12.30.84 Dunk Mix”. That song salutes LeBron James and smacks Trump. Dueled up with Jahi, a main fixture on the SpitSlam Record Label Group who has crafted four spectacular albums for the label, his co-writing along with The C-DOC song mix takes us to the mid 80s for real.
He continues to spit further into the album where the next song “BOT” is the current the battle of machines and human beings. “Cavemanic” totally can talk to the MeToo Movement where testosterone is truly a test. “MutterERT” speaks on world climate crime, “Blacknificent” on greatness, “freedBLACK” on independence. The visuals are soon to be seen alongside added voice and mind of these songs.
“Ain’t No” is a skull to skull defying get down needed with the aggressive defense against these times. Put together by my co-Prophets of Rage partner I call the hardest groove Bassist in Rock, Timmy Commerford, and his Wakrat partners Mathias Wakrat & Laurent Grangeon, I’m honored to have this song on this record. It was a ball watching them overnight on the 2016 Make America Rage Again Tour. They are something to see. “sPEak On It!” was a redo-extension of the song “sPEak!” from the PE Album Nothing is Quick In The Desert which is to be released with additions in 2019.
Listen to it via Apple Music and Spotify, plus check out its artwork and tracklist below.
Celebration Of Ignorance Tracklist:
01. TiredOf45 (12.30.84)
02. BOT
03. Ain’t No (featuring Wakrat)
04. Cavemanic
05. MutterERT
06. sPEak On It!
07. freedBLACK
08. Blacknificent
09. Celebration of Ignorance
10. TiredOf45 (10.18.18)
by Randall Colburn on November 16, 2018, 3:13pm | COS (Consequence of Sound)