Public Enemy”s Chuck D had to wait quite a long time to give his acceptance speech at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Thursday night as he waited for band mate Flavor Flav to wax on for 15 minutes. But when he did, he spoke eloquently about Public Enemy”s lineage and all the various musics the collective draw from.
But by the time Chuck D made it back to the press room, he was still eager to chat about his groundbreaking act”s uniqueness, despite its lack of hitting certain milestones that signify success: “We were always the uncool, the unpopular… We”ve never been on a Rolling Stone cover, we”ve never had a Grammy, we”ve never had a Top 10 record in America. We”ve never had any of those things. The only thing we”ve knew how to do is rock the fucking house.”
In the second segment, Chuck D addresses Spike Lee and Harry Belafonte”s induction speech. Plus, he finally answers the age-old question of what exactly is Flavor Flav”s function in Public Enemy. Watch the video to find out.