Chuck D Shares His Anger Over Pop Smoke's Death | People's Party Clip

In this clip from People's Party, Talib Kweli and Public Enemy's Chuck D discuss Pop Smoke's murder and the need to change the "negative narrative" in hip-hop.
Prompted by Kweli, Chuck starts off comparing the sports and music industries, and how dead rappers, from Pop Smoke to Nipsey Hussle, seem to get better promotion from the labels. It almost leaves a person feeling like "Do rappers need to be killed to get noticed in hip-hop?" It's a heavy question to wrestle with, perfect for these two legends of the culture.
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PEOPLE'S PARTY WITH TALIB KWELI
People's Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh. Guests range from the biggest names in hip-hop, to global entertainers, to the most progressive minds moving our culture forward. The audio podcast is available on Apple and Spotify.

[@uproxx]

If you could change one thing about the current hip-hop climate, what would it be?

[@ReadyRahh]

UPROXX Video We need more substance and authenticity 💯 I’m working on it 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@2020TYBO]

CRIME TALK NEEDS TO BE REDUCED OR AT LEAST CODED..MATTER OF FACT IT'S FINISHED..ENOUGH ALREADY..IF YOU A BIG GUN/DRUG/SEX DEALER KEEP IT TO YOURSELF OR WRITE A BOOK..

[@Prince-233]

We just need a perfect balance like how it was in the 90s Hip Hop.

[@britt2097]

Realest thing I've ever 👂

[@mackeym10]

The restriction of subject matter of storytelling. I feel what back rap a lot is that people feel like they have to talk about shooting someone or making money to make a rap for now yeah there’s a decent amount of people who don’t do it but they are never really held in high regard or talked about enough. Like the clippings made a revolutionary album for me where he makes horror with what he raping about. And even though he might be talking about horror stuff. You can still relate it back to things that are happening with the police or in the hood. Like I would like to hear album based around being a anime character or whatever else.Just as long as in if it’s not pointless you can’t just say something and then screen dragon ball and think you get credit.You have to relate it to story you’re telling in your song or the things you’re talking about in your song.

[@johnnywells3000]

Chuck D open my mind at the age of 13 to racism and the power of knowledge black men!

[@angiewizefool]

Word on that I was around that age too...Gen-X in the house😜

[@abdulraheem415]

Me too.... bro. I remember 1st hearing chuck d in high school 1990. It changed me for life! Fast forward to now and i refuse to listen to rap that is out now....

[@SSRicky22]

Pop smoke was 20 years old I'll never forget like I never forget xxx

[@garionbush5906]

Our community is in need of a late 80's/early 90's Spike Lee joint type film right now with a public enemy soundtrack!

[@NorthPhilly-zr7xc]

Facts miss that era

[@abdulraheem415]

Bruh u ain't never lied! The Empire show is BS and so destructive to the psyche! I understand now that what our younger generation see and hear effects the way they act! Almost All the rap that is being played is drill rap? So as a result the boys are very emotional, their style is very feminine and the art of rhyming is lost between saying Bitch and Nigga!

[@33GLOCK]

not gone help

[@asap7189]

It’s already to far gone smh

[@donxilaOfficial]

R.I.P to Pop Smoke 🙏 Much RESPECT and SALUTE to the LEGENDS 🙏

[@tinawilliams3999]

Pop Smoke was the new Biggie but a different vibe,Pop was a old man in a young body he went so hard much love to him

[@jayeljh6638]

Respect pop smoke as a young brother coming up doing what he does , but to say that he's the new biggie is putting the bar of Hip Hop down he was good and different in his own way let pop smoke be pop smoke. Biggie is one of the Shakespeare's and Edgar Allan Poe's of Hip Hop he's a wordsmith he can never to be duplicated he was ahead of his time a lot of what he saying still relevant to today and young people can't even catch up or even fathom on what he did for the culture that's why with only two albums he's considered one of the greatest of all time, along with Jay-Z Nas pac, and black thought from The Roots. Again all respect to pop smoke

[@deterbobolo384]

Every one is a legend when they die I don't buy that if I didn't fuck with ur music when ur alive am not fucking with it when ur dead its fake luv

[@JD-ny3vz]

He was way more similar to 50 cent

[@33GLOCK]

@@deterbobolo384 Exactly

[@swaggertt3106]

Tina Williams he wasn’t too old nigga in a young body fuck you u on he just acted mature for his age and did shit better then every nigga in the game and coming up in the game talking bout old man his spirit was young his soul was young use ur words right ain’t no nigga wanna be called old goofy

[@pearsonalized805]

Adoration of the ignorance, Ignorance of real lyricists, Pomp and Circumstance we dance, When negative narratives are heaven sent 👊🏼

[@siahlovell6474]

Being a OG to the Young’ns We dropped the ball 💯 word

[@theoriginal668]

We are better when we're all dead and gone. Chucks on a whole nother level.

[@bigslimm8134]

Young man had alot of potential. RIP Pop Smoke.

[@teaminfiniti4105]

The problem is people don't realize they need to be careful about what they put into the universe. The things you put out can have a boomerang effect, and come right back to you.

[@uknowwhothehelliare6594]

Church

[@alken355]

We need more people like you to interview the Chuck D, KRS1, Ice Cube, etc

[@gladysmccoy1725]

Truth 💯

[@justhe1475]

Rakim should be on this next Self-Destruction album, he should've been on the first album.

[@mikeb4469]

Been a massive PE fan since the 80s and what I always appreciated was their drive towards empowerment from outside and within. Just fell on these interviews and appreciate how Chuck D clearly explains his vision and rationale.

[@RainSupreme]

Chuck D hit the nail on the head. The only rappers that pop quick are the ones rapping about the bad look

[@c10_c10]

Truth from Chuck D, powerful words that needs to be heard. Thank you Talib Kweli for a great interview.

[@denirobernard9745]

I honestly didn't know about popsmoke until he was dead. Dude is all over my playlist now.

[@33GLOCK]

he not that nice

[@easyyeye]

I’m waiting on more from dis interview

[@yaboy20071]

I'm still puzzled as to why people get upset over a genre of music that promotes violence, drugs, drama, pride, etc. Rapper gets on a track talking about he'll kill you and take your money and you expect him/her to live a long and prosperous drama-free life?

[@veneer92tm]

its art my dude... Tarantino doesnt deserve to get his head chopped off with a katana.

[@yaboy20071]

@@veneer92tm Please believe I dont agree with his death. The problem is we're not separating art from real life. If I'm a street dude, forget the art because Im thinking street. Tarantino probably isn't going around chopping heads off either.

[@33GLOCK]

@@LiveYR7 because u can comment on whatever u like idiot

[@rasarmusic1]

Your point is extremely valid, but people get too sensitive when you place responsibility on artists. I love some of the most violent as well as some of the most peaceful music and I don’t wish death on the creators, but we can’t act like our words (and more importantly our *actions* ) don’t have profound power. It’s false equivalency to bring up other violent art forms (movies, television, video games) when we all know damn well it’s not the same. Tarantino is a nerdy filmmaker. 2pac (one of my all-time favorite artists whose murder still hurts me after nearly 25 years) was a wild dude who ran the streets with guns, drugs, gangs, and not only rhymed about his own death but regularly provoked and threatened artists, record execs, and street dudes (Haitian Jack) on his records and in interviews. Not to mention he literally beat down a crip on camera in Las Vegas the night he was killed. I love Pac, but I’m not surprised that he was murdered! If you listen to his music he knew he would be killed for his uncontrollable anger and many infamously dangerous associations. The difference between the creators of violent video games and rappers is that rappers largely depend upon convincing people that they mean what they say and showing you that they will actually do it when the music turns off. Are we just going to act like Boosie didn’t go to prison for murder? We going to pretend Snoop Doggy Dogg didn’t go to trial for murder? Hip-hop is violent in real life, not just as entertainment, because it comes from largely disadvantaged hoods that breed negativity and murder. This is not a stereotype, it’s the way things are for the most part. I’m from Sacramento and at least since 2016, Mozzy is 100% the most popular rapper to come from our city in YEARS. Trust me, most of the support he gets is because people know that he’s actually about that life… not just because they like the way the music sounds. The guy is a millionaire and he’s telling you about what he did to get there. It’s public knowledge that he knows certain things have happened in real life because of things he said on his songs. Like any other rap artist, he knows the danger of how he lives and the messages/imagery he promotes. It comes with the territory. Look at Griselda! They are dope rappers, but the majority of the respect they get is because they are REAL STREET DUDES. They show you where they got busy in Buffalo, they (like most gangster rap) tell on themselves constantly about their drugs and weapons, and they’ve all gone to prison for serious crimes. That’s a huge part of their appeal, the authenticity, and that’s what much of hip hop was based on. You can’t deal in dirt all the time and expect to come out clean. Also, filmmakers like Tarantino and Scorsese don’t have the same pressure to keep it real nor do they constantly keep violent criminals from their neighborhood in their immediate circle - but LOTS of rappers do. This is fact, not opinion. I’ve been listening to hip-hop for over 30 years and I’ve been creating it for over 20 years… I’ve met people from all kinds of genres, I know what the fuck I’m talking when I say that it’s completely disingenuous and delusional for people to assume that the messages you put out have no effect on how people treat you… Especially in something like hip-hop where people are always seeing if you’re really what you say you are. There’s exceptions, but that’s the cultural rule in this specific genre. Last time that I checked you can’t come to the hood talking about how big, bad & tough you are without someone seeing if you’re really about that and testing your gangsta. Even if you are a square (like me) you can still get beaten or killed if you flash your belongings or do something seen as disrespectful to people that ain’t got it or are just evil/jealous. This is basic knowledge; why are people so oblivious to the truth?

[@benjireid798]

Yes Chuck!

[@reminaj_bynature6751]

Be the change you want to see

[@rccurry7431]

Chuck D spilling the Tea ☕ of knowledge lyrics moving like a missile vocals.louder than a BomB SALUTE.

[@baby-cm5eb]

pop smokeRIP🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@Goldeexo]

Forever pop's world 💙.

[@marcisfreeman1893]

Powerful words

[@Latingyal58]

Pop smoke was gona be the next thing poppin, he had so much potential. He had an old soul, something shady about his death. His friends in that house that night failed him, listen to that 911 call❤️🙏🏾

[@MichaelCobbs]

This is a good discussion.

[@rogerbernard187]

Why does Sean Carter's name ring out more in the community than Chuck D?...

[@dawb86]

@Roger Bernard Money.

[@BThaSmoovUno]

Preach

[@kevinscott59]

Roger Bernard Because being woke means supporting black capitalism.

Business acumen

[@nicholassealy251]

Scared of the strong black man

[@thatshim4724]

This is sad you only hear about rappers getting killed no other music group no country singers no rock hardly ever r&b. We have to lose this self hatred we have for ourselves and others that look like us. ✌🏾

[@33GLOCK]

nah

[@ZambrowskiRap]

Much love for Talib and Public

[@keyonsylvester2545]

Real talk

[@Eihthype]

Spit that Knowledge Chuck !!!

[@Mureen2024]

RIP to our Legend Pop Smoke. RIH for all his fake homies...

[@nicholassealy251]

Respect to chuck D

[@juggalohiphopemporiummore7134]

Prophet of rage, public enemy

[@Dimz30]

Chuck D radio i tried the station last week. Its not on tune in ?

[@MADIXCULT]

Big up stetsasonic

[@angiewizefool]

@4:27 😂😂Thank You! Youngin'z will say that in a minute over anything. Ya'll just like to hear youselves say that🙄😂😂

[@33GLOCK]

u old and spiteful

[@kelleywhite9096]

R.I.P POP SMOKE

[@slycoop8736]

🗣Sad But True 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@mardinfamilia4739]

I love CHUCK D

[@CanalOtro]

A big dif between atheletes and rappers is that even though they might be same age and generation they dont have the same work ethic, discipline and goals.

[@yashs9345]

Fuck everything else.. Chuck D is the truth

[@Taylorindra62]

🙏🏿❤✊🏿🎵🎶🎤

[@LynnLee-fs3dp]

Im still angry too bour Pop’s death n ion trust other jealous rappers in LA

[@Kamen1]

get em chuck

[@patriciahines6005]

UPRoxx Salute King Peace and Blessings Brothas, Mercy and Grace follow you and families now and always, If I may speak on to your platform bless it and be blessed one time, I'm glad to be see our brotha Chuck D still in the trenches on the front lines speaking truth, He's exactly correct date is the message being pushed by the industry now what if rappers started killing executives over royalities owed them would they like it if brothas and sisters in the industry started push dat way of handling an business situation no I don't believe they would, So why do they encourage division and animosity and worse it's not an accident when they do its planned discussed orchestrated, Then it's set into motion with rap groups RB groups male and femles boys bands we've seen it time and time again, Ppl with families to feed kids to raise parents they want to do great things for, And all of sudden their put in position bc some greasy as exective tells them or maybe not tell them they out of the group or their is no more group you know, I'm surprised it hasn't already happened the way these ppl play with your life..

[@Brooklyn11236]

And it’s not only bad news about hip hop. It’s bad news regarding everything black. We never talk about solutions, only problems.

[@juggalohiphopemporiummore7134]

He's on ASAP Fergs album too

[@2Pakistan7]

💯✊🏾🙏🏽💟

[@ray1411]

Pop Smoke was simply a first generation black immigrant who played with fire. Bottom line.

[@renaldojason]

#FBA

[@ReelMuzikFein]

renaldojason 💯💯💯💯

[@ray1411]

renaldojason Renaldo? Thats a weird first name.

[@kiovoheree]

Rey S. elaborate bro

[@ray1411]

Kiovo - A lot of first generation black immigrants are playing a role they think will make them cool or hard. They don’t black American history so they grab the lowest hanging fruit. They only have easy access to the street part of black American culture. So, what did Pop Smoke do wrong? He took on gang culture, thinking he’s cool and hard, and then he went to uncharted territory, thinking he’s hard enough to survive. If you read old articles on East Coast rap artists visiting LA, you’ll hear most of them say they stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Why? They knew not to play with people they don’t know. Pop thought the Hollywood Hills was safe because he’s not knowledgeable on street culture. Jay Prince recently did an interview, where he said Biggie had a surface understanding of the streets, which was why he was killed in California. And Biggie was Jamaican. That same theory applies to Pop.

[@t23xkountry96]

If Daddy-O got anotha Self-Destruction going he need to come to Houston Texas & get Scarface & K-Rino on tht Classic 👊🏾✌🏾

[@rasarmusic1]

*Warning: Very detailed comment below that requires critical thinking and a disciplined attention span.* People get too sensitive when you place responsibility on artists. I love some of the most violent as well as some of the most peaceful music and I don’t wish death on the creators, but we can’t act like our words (and more importantly our *actions* ) don’t have profound power. It’s false equivalency to bring up other violent art forms (movies, television, video games) when we all know damn well it’s not the same. Tarantino is a nerdy filmmaker. 2pac (one of my all-time favorite artists whose murder still hurts me after nearly 25 years) was a wild dude who ran the streets with guns, drugs, gangs, and not only rhymed about his own death but regularly provoked and threatened artists, record execs, and street dudes (Haitian Jack) on his records and in interviews. Not to mention he literally beat down a crip on camera in Las Vegas the night he was killed. I love Pac, but I’m not surprised that he was murdered! If you listen to his music he knew he would be killed for his uncontrollable anger and many infamously dangerous associations. The difference between the creators of violent video games and rappers is that rappers largely depend upon convincing people that they mean what they say and showing you that they will actually do it when the music turns off. Are we just going to act like Boosie didn’t go to prison for murder? We going to pretend Snoop Doggy Dogg didn’t go to trial for murder? Hip-hop is violent in real life, not just as entertainment, because it comes from largely disadvantaged hoods that breed negativity and murder. This is not a stereotype, it’s the way things are for the most part. I’m from Sacramento and at least since 2016, Mozzy is 100% the most popular rapper to come from our city in YEARS. Trust me, most of the support he gets is because people know that he’s actually about that life… not just because they like the way the music sounds. The guy is a millionaire and he’s telling you about what he did to get there. It’s public knowledge that he knows certain things have happened in real life because of things he said on his songs. Like any other rap artist, he knows the danger of how he lives and the messages/imagery he promotes. It comes with the territory. Look at Griselda! They are dope rappers, but the majority of the respect they get is because they are REAL STREET DUDES. They show you where they got busy in Buffalo, they (like most gangster rap) tell on themselves constantly about their drugs and weapons, and they’ve all gone to prison for serious crimes. That’s a huge part of their appeal, the authenticity, and that’s what much of hip hop was based on. You can’t deal in dirt all the time and expect to come out clean. Also, filmmakers like Tarantino and Scorsese don’t have the same pressure to keep it real nor do they constantly keep violent criminals from their neighborhood in their immediate circle - but LOTS of rappers do. This is fact, not opinion. I’ve been listening to hip-hop for over 30 years and I’ve been creating it for over 20 years… I’ve met people from all kinds of genres, I know what the fuck I’m talking about when I say that it’s completely disingenuous and delusional for people to assume that the messages you put out have no effect on how people treat you… Especially in something like hip-hop where people are always seeing if you’re really what you say you are. There’s exceptions, but that’s the cultural rule in this specific genre. Last time that I checked you can’t come to the hood talking about how big, bad & tough you are without someone seeing if you’re really about that and testing your gangsta. Even if you are a square (like me) you can still get beaten or killed if you flash your belongings or do something seen as disrespectful to people that ain’t got it or are just evil/jealous. This is basic knowledge; why are people so oblivious to the truth?

[@zulubro]

What do you expect when the means of production, promotion, and distribution of the art forms you create are controlled by other people?

[@theoriginal668]

Facts!

[@zulubro]

They prefer to kill en masse.

[@ericm6633]

Flexing on the gram ain't cool

[@jhh211]

Still pissed about Chinx’s death

[@bigslimm8134]

Ouch. You went there...Chinx was unfortunate and unnecessary. French still ain't answered the real questions about that.

[@jhh211]

Big Slimm French got him hit cause him n Chinx got into argument with him a week later Chinx get shot French said this shit in a interview

[@Mr.Hashira]

Same thing with the death of xxxtentacion aswell

[@SamarIqbal1-2-1]

@Talib why didn’t you get a white record label manager of your choice and place him in front of Chuck D?! What a wasted opportunity this was in my humble opinion! I would have loved seeing Chuck D burn a new asshole in front of the whole world regarding this hiphop culture of ours!

[@wavemaster6247]

Dysfunction is reality and people these days faults

to even compare pop smoke to nipsey hussle is fucked up!!!

[@johna2147]

👍

[@iam_serg.4496]

👍🏿

[@EM-et4jq]

With the Coronavirus, all you hear from the black community is bad news bout the death but we never hear bout the good news of people fighting back. They use these metrics to make black community feel bad bout themselves, when we should be saluting the heroes stepping out as essential workers.

[@JD-ny3vz]

Yea per capita essential workers are mostly black and latino

[@33GLOCK]

@@JD-ny3vz huh

Brothers what am about too say is well known facts too all of but its worth repeating just as reminders , our problems are generational ,an our not being united as a people and NOT MINDING the village ,not taking care of our women and the most disheartening thing WE DON'T take care or pay attention to our ELDERS .. An all my brothers are dead because they didn't listen too the right OG's If Pop Smoke would of had the right guidance or listen too any of his elders who really had his back he and many other most likely would be alive on this stolen soil /stolen soil ..

[@Papa2Tone]

There's no young pro black rappers....Why??

[@enfuegomane]

They promote rappers that glorify killing other African Americans instead of the ones that speak the truth in their raps

[@sertifiedsg5501]

SO U OUT HERE BOOSTING CAREERS

[@winky1571]

Only a fool think he has gotten away with murder

[@gobucs20]

Who the fuck is pop smoke??? 😆😆😆 I stop listening to rap a long time ago the messages are toxic

[@jski1012]

Pop smoke death is yet another tragedy but we been living in a time of who’s the biggest gangster especially in the Blacks & Latino communities & now with internet everything just enhanced by 1000 criminals in today’s world even stupid they commit crimes and then they post it or talk about it on social media you might as well put the cuffs on yourself some people go as far as looking for cameras so they could commit stupid crimes so it could go viral. Just a few days ago a Dominican 61-year-old man killed 37-year-old black man stabbed him to death I won’t be surprised if the 37-year-old saw the camera and was lit because of it. And look where it got his dumb ass 6 feet deep play with fire yo A$$ getting burnt.

[@sertifiedsg5501]

Roosevelt artist.... Better then mostly all rappers out right now.... Listen to Lilz - Lincoln by Aw@L-Lilz on #SoundCloud soundcloud.com/swaggsociety-lilz/lilz-lincoln

[@johnrozelleisthebottomline4407]

Make sure to catch up on episodes 1&2 of #TBL. Episode 3, is now available on KZbin."The R Bar Experience". Link in bio now!

Old news now like the rest of the falling rappers

[@sertifiedsg5501]

GO HOME CHUCK..... ROOSEVELT HAS EVERYTHING U LOOKING FOR " "

[@sertifiedsg5501]

How he tlkn bout POP... Wen u got kids from ROOSEVELT LONG ISLAND THAT HAS BIGGER NAMES THEN POP ... WTF U TLKN BOUT CHUCK... GO BACK HOME IN COMMUNICATE WIT THE YOUTH .... THATS FRM THE SAME STREETS U GROW UP ON.....

[@6thbr871]

Sertified SG nigga ain’t NOBODY from fuckin Roosevelt LONG island bigger the Pop, you sound dumb

[@enfuegomane]

@Mr. Marshall he was referencing 6ix9ine while talking about Bobby Shmurda 🤣

[@sertifiedsg5501]

Kbizzy ..... Guess it hard for u to overstand tht he is frm a place we're ppl is poping in the streets he was raised in as a kid.... I fukkk wit pop .... I'm tlkn on factzzzzz....#BigVillain #FM #E21

[@sertifiedsg5501]

I'll put a nigga frm my hood up before any of these rappers song for song ..... Ya choice u pick ya fav artist....

[@sertifiedsg5501]

@kbizzy.... Awal lilz.... me my self as well

[@sertifiedsg5501]

NOT IN ROOSEVELT UR NOT BOOSTING ANY CAREERS

[@sertifiedsg5501]

WONT U GO TO ROOSEVELT IN PUT YA EAR TO THE STREETS

[@blazesimpson8830]

This is why I'm not a fan of Allen Iverson, his antics almost ruined the NBA brand, the same way he did to Georgetown University.

[@veneer92tm]

allen iverson taught the world how to be cool. the world is a different place before and after iversons influence... iverson is untouchable

[@maxawilli7]

juan levario facts

[@RainSupreme]

juan levario goated 🐐

[@jessairamedina8751]

No one in the NBA dressed or even had tats like him. He changed the game literally. Now look at most athletes.

[@blazesimpson8830]

@@jessairamedina8751 Dennis Rodman was the first to have tats and skinny jeans