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Rightstarter (Message To A Black Man) - Public Enemy



     
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Rightstarter (Message To A Black Man) Lyrics


Mind over matter, mouth in motion
Can't defy, 'cause I'll never be quiet
Let's start this
RightYou spend a buck in the 80's, whatcha you get is a preacher
Forgivin' this torture of the system that brought cha
I'm on a mission and you got that right
Addin' fuel to the fire, punch to the fightMany have forgotten what we came here for
Never knew or had a clue so you're on the floor
Just growin', not knowin' about your past
Now you're lookin' pretty stupid while you're shakin' your assMind over matter, mouth in motion
Can't defy, 'cause I'll never be quiet
Let's start this
RightSome people fear me when I talk this way
Some come near me, some run away
Some people take heed to every word I say
Some wanna build a posse, some stay awaySome people think that we plan to fail
Wonder why we go under or we go to jail
Some ask us why we act the way we act

Without lookin' how long they kept us backMind over matter, mouth in motion
Can't defy, 'cause I'll never be quiet
Let's start this
RightYes, you if I bore you, I won't ignore you
I'm sayin' things that they say I'm not supposed to
Give you pride that you may not find
If you're blind about your past then I'll point behindKings, queens, warriors, lovers
People, proud sisters and brothers
Their biggest fear, suckers get tears
When we can top their best ideaMind over matter, mouth in motion
Can't defy, 'cause I'll never be quiet
Let's start this
RightMind revolution, our solution
Mind over matter, mouth in motion
Corners don't sell it, no, you can't buy it
Defy, 'cause I'll never be quiet
Let's start this
RightOur solution, mind revolution
Can't sell it, no, you can't buy it in a potion
You lie about the life that you wanted to try
Tellin' me about a head you decided to flyAnother brother with the same woes that you face
But you shot with the same hands, you fall from grace
Every brother should be every brother's keeper
But you shot with your left while your right was on your beeperMind over matter, mouth in motion
Can't defy, 'cause I'll never be quiet
Let's start this
RightAs the world turns, it's a terrible waste
To see the stupid look stuck on your face
Time bomb alarm for the world, just try it
Known to all zones as the one man riotI'm on a mission to set you straight
Children it's not too late
Explain to the world when it's plain to see
To be what the world doesn't want us to beMind over matter, mouth in motion
Can't defy, 'cause I'll never be quiet
Let's start this
Songwriters
HANK SHOCKLEE, JAMES BOXLEY, CARLTON RIDENHOURPublished by
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING Song Discussions is protected by U.S. Patent 9401941. Other patents pending.

Enjoy the lyrics !!!
Public Enemy, also known as P.E., is a seminal Golden Age era Hip-Hop group known for their densely layered production and politically charged lyrics demonstrating their interest in the concerns of the African American community.

PE formed in Long Island, New York, in 1982 around a WBAU radio show as Spectrum City. After one less-than-successful single, they regrouped and signed to the still developing Def Jam record label after Rick Rubin heard Chuck D freestyling on a demo. Their debut, ‘Yo! Bum Rush The Show’, was released in 1987 to mild critical acclaim, although the Hip-Hop climate changed dramatically due to sampling during the time of release. As a response, they went on to release the revolutionary ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ in 1988, which performed better in the charts than their previous release, and included the hit single ‘Don’t Believe the Hype’.

Slightly less militant than their previous releases Public Enemy’s, ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ was officially recognised as being the most successful and influential of the Public Enemy recordings when, in 2004, it became one of 50 recordings, chosen that year by the Library of Congress, to be added to the National Recording Registry. Sales-wise it was the most successful of any of their albums to date. It included the powerful and controversial singles ‘911 is a Joke’ (which criticized emergency response units for taking longer to arrive at emergencies in the black community than those in the white community), and ‘Fight the Power’, which is considered by many to be the group’s premier self-describing anthem. The song is considered to be amongst the most popular and influential in Hip Hop history and was the theme song for Spike Lee’s landmark film ‘Do The Right Thing’.

Public Enemy are to be considered musical pioneers for a broad variety of reasons. For instance, Terminator X elevated DJing to a refined art. Some of his most innovative scratching tricks can be heard on the track ‘Rebel Without A Pause’. PE’s production team, ‘The Bomb Squad’, offered up a web of innovative samples and beats; critic Steven Thomas Earlewine declared that PE “brought in elements of free jazz, hard funk, even musique concrète, via their [production] team, the Bomb Squad, creating a dense, ferocious sound unlike anything that came before.”

PE revolutionized the rap world with their political, social and cultural consciousness. These themes became infused into skilled and poetic rhymes with jazzy backbeats. They are recognised as the first Hip Hop group to make extended world tours, leading to huge popularity and influence within the Hip Hop communities of Europe and Asia. They also changed the internet’s music distribution capability by being the first group to release MP3 albums, a format virtually unknown at the time.

Public Enemy, in keeping with their ‘pioneer’ status, also helped to form and define the so-called ‘crossover’ genre of music (heavy rock music spliced with hip hop) by collaborating with New York thrash metal outfit Anthrax in 1991. The single ‘Bring The Noise’ was a remarkable potpourri of semi-militant pro-black lyrics, grinding guitars and sporadic humour. The two bands, cemented by a mutual respect, and the personal friendship between Chuck D and his Anthrax counterpart Scott Ian, introduced a hitherto alien genre to rock fans.

During the seemingly unlikely tour of Anthrax and Public Enemy, Flavor Flav made his famous pronouncement onstage that “They said this tour would never happen” (heard on Anthrax’s Live: The Island Years CD). This has become something of legendary significance in both rock and rap circles. There is some justification for the theory that without this unlikely musical partnership, bands such as Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park would not have existed, and the genres of rap rock, nu metal and their related offshoots might have never developed.

Members of Public Enemy

Chuck D
Real name: Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
Role: Group leader, lyricist, main vocalist, and artwork
Birthdate: August 1, 1960

Flavor Flav
Real name: William Jonathan Drayton, Jr.
Role: Lyricist, vocalist, hype-man, and comic relief.
Birthdate: March 16, 1959

Professor Griff
Real name: Richard Griffin
Role: Head of S1W, liaison between PE and S1W, road manager. Ensured that the chaotic Flavor Flav was available when needed. Occasional vocalist and/or producer, plays drums at live shows.
Birthdate: August 1, 1960 (the same as Chuck D)

Terminator X
Real name: Norman Rogers
Role: DJ, Producer
Birthdate: August 25, 1966

Dj Lord
Real name: Lord Aswod
Role: DJ, Producer

The following are a part of The Bomb Squad, the revolutionary production group which is closely associated with (and sometimes considered a part of) Public Enemy:

Hank Shocklee
Real name: Hank Boxley
Bill Stephany
Keith Shocklee
Eric “Vietnam” Sadler
Chuck D - often listed as a member of the Bomb Squad under the pseudonymn “Carl Ryder”, a shortened form of his real name.

The S1W’s are sometimes considered a part of Public Enemy, as well.

There are three other groups named Public Enemy:

2) The first Public Enemy, an Oi!/punk band formed in 1984 who released one LP album (England's Glory) and one 7 inch (Skinheads). This band was never white supremacist and has no connection to the "revived" Public Enemy:

3) White Power group from the UK, formed by Paul Burnley (of No Remorse). Released 3 CDs: “Paul Burnley Is The Real Public Enemy”, "There is only one..." and “Archives”.

4) Public Enemy was a Hardcore/Punk group from Tuscon, Arizona.

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Public Enemy