Chuck D and Public Enemy not criminal

To the editor:

I was shocked and offended by Editorial Editor Trent Knuckles' inaccurate and inappropriate portrayal of Chuck D and Public Enemy in his review of Duran Duran's latest album.

Knuckles refers to Chuck D as a "ringleader," which suggests the head of some sort of criminal organization. In addition, Knuckles writes that if Chuck D heard Duran Duran's cover of the song he would not be content to "just rap about drive-by shootings - he may well perform one on the band." This lumps Chuck D and Public Enemy with so-called "gangsta rap," which espouses a philosophy of self-centeredness and indiscriminate violence.

Although the group's music often suggests a need for violence, it refers to concentrated political action, a la Malcolm X, to combat perceived societal injustice. This is a far cry from drive-by shootings, and anyone familiar with Public Enemy's music would know this. A responsible music reviewer should be more careful about off-hand references to unfamiliar subjects.

Dan Fitzgerald
French language and literature graduate student

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