Public Enemy's Chuck D rallies in fiery anti-Trump anthem 'State of the Union (STFU)' to 'end this clown show'
Chuck D and Flavor Flav, better known as members of the politically-charged rap group Public Enemy, recently joined forces once again to release a fiery protest song called 'State of the Union (STFU)' that takes square aim at President Donald Trump. Chuck D has remained the only constant in the hip-hop group's storied history of lineup changes but confirmed that he had reunited with Flavor Flav for this new track after the iconic hype man was fired earlier this year in March. The song has been produced by DJ Premier and serves as an angry rallying cry for citizens who are fed up with the Trump regime.
The song's scathing lyrics label Trump as a "White House killer" and "Nazi Gestapo dictator" while calling for citizens of the United States to "end this clown show". In a statement accompanying the song's release, Chuck D said, "Our collective voices keep getting louder. The rest of the planet is on our side. But it's not enough to talk about change. You have to show up and demand change." Check out 'State of the Union (STFU)' below:
The new single was released on the Juneteenth holiday (June 19) and has been made available as a free download on the Public Enemy website along with complete lyrics that serve as brilliant political commentary. In a recent interview, Chuck D also candidly shared his views about the song and the nation's current plight.
The 59-year-old rapper stated "I think we've experienced four years of Donald Trump, and I could have written this down while doing Prophets of Rage [the rap supergroup that included members of Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, and Cypress Hill]. It was in my notebook: Every time I saw an acronym with a hashtag online or on social media, 'State of the Union,' which is 'SOTU', I kept immediately seeing 'STFU!' [shut the f*** up]. It stuck in my head, and I wrote it down. And I feel the same way - I don't want to be around people or situations that are toxic, so I just tell them to 'stay away from me'!"
He also revealed, "The song deals with telling this dude [Trump] to leave as soon as possible. Yeah, do the Nixon thing.. And we can even deal with four or five months of Pence, to work on that, but this dude has got to go now. If he was used as a weapon, a shield, or a distraction, his time is over. It just shows the arrogance of some people in the United States of America where the world doesn't like this dude, and half the country doesn't like this dude — so why is he president?"
Chuck D also declared "When you get to the election side of things, it's a beauty pageant. And I don't really get into that. What I can say is that’s a Public Enemy conversation, because we're international and I was able to be affected by [Trump’s] policies all over the planet. I take that personal. I’ve taken Donald Trump personal ever since what he did with that Central Park Five s**t."
He followed that up with another cutting remark: "So, I go back to saying that this dude just don’t need to be in office. Go back to your f***ing casinos, your hotels, the USFL or something, dude. You just shouldn't be president. It’s not even a hatred — it will be hatred if you get four more years — but really it's like, it's the stupidity of people. He got one over on Middle America."
Fans online were quite excited on hearing the new track. One listener said, "Glad to see Chuck & Flav together again... hope there's more... so much potential." An old-school rap fan said, "Real lyrics straight to the point. No butt-kissing, talking about butt, worshiping the powers that be." Another fan praised them, saying, "Public Enemy ceased to be a big record seller 20 years ago when they gave their music away for free on the Internet and the music establishment basically blacklisted them. As always with Public Enemy they were at least 10 years ahead of their time. Not only a legend for their music but also for the way they fought the corrupt music industry."
Another fan concluded, "Now this is that Hip Hop that we need! P.E. & PREEMO = Real Hip Hop Music!"