Public Enemy not down with Oscars use of "Fight the Power"
Lots of people were perplexed or even displeased by Oscars producers' decision to start and end the show with Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" playing over the credits -- including Public Enemy themselves.
After the song made its appearance during the closing moments of the 88th Academy Awards -- accompanied by host Chris Rock's shout-out to #BlackLivesMatter -- members of the pioneering hip-hop group felt compelled to respond.
Chuck D took to Twitter almost immediately, responding with, "The song 'Fight the Power' is beyond me and the crew. The point of the song is a call to making change eventually, not just applauding the thought."
He added: "Fight The Power. Make change. Demand respect. Do your own awards RIGHT and give indie artists and actors a chance to make a LIVING."
Of course, even before the broadcast Chuck D made it clear that he wasn't the biggest fan of the Oscars to begin with: "Oscars are like a TRADE show. If you ain't in that business why should you care? It's like winter baseball meetings, how many care about that?" he tweeted in response to the calls to boycott the awards.
And in the days after the ceremony, fellow Public Enemy member Professor Griff echoed Chuck D's sentiments, telling TMZ, "The show can't claim the blackness of Public Enemy's message."
Unfortunately for the members of Public Enemy, Universal Music is in charge of licensing the song, so it was never up to them.