Chuck D schools people using Public Enemy’s ‘Burn Hollywood Burn’ to rejoice LA inferno: ‘Learn history’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Chuck D is not someone who lets false information spread during a time of despair.

Public Enemy’s Chuck D has taken it upon himself to rectify the people who are using the band’s 1990 rebellion anthem, ‘Burn Hollywood Burn’ to celebrate the Los Angeles wildfires. 

Starting from Tuesday, January 6, huge parts of Los Angeles in Southern California have been raged by massive wildfires that have claimed acres of land and devoured thousands of houses. 

However, when a few trolls incorrectly used the 1990 track to celebrate the natural disaster, the 64-year-old American rapper set the record straight.

Chuck D hits back at trolls misusing ‘Burn Hollywood Burn’

Taking to his Instagram, the rapper, born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, reflected on the meaning behind the song, as reported by NME.

It came after some social media users wrongly associated the song with the natural disaster. One such user wrote, “Burn Hollywood Burn … like my friend Chuck D once said.”

But the Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer quickly corrected them. Taking to his Instagram, he wrote, “‘Burn Hollywood Burn’ is a protest song extracted from the Watts rebellion monikered by the magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality when he said ‘burn baby burn’ across the air.”

“We made mind-revolution songs aimed at a one-sided exploitation by an industry,” continued the musician before adding that the song “has nothing to do with families losing everything they have in a natural disaster. Learn the history. Godspeed to those in loss".

In another post, Chuck shared a horrific picture of a blazing inferno in Los Angeles, while writing, “Pray for LA” along with a praying hand emoji. 

The photo also shared the status of the five ongoing fires in California including Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset and how contained they currently are. 

He captioned the photo with a poignant prayer, “🙏🏾 PRAYERS UP. BE SAFE. EVACUATE.”

The song 'Burn Hollywood Burn', released in 1990, featured Public Enemy (including Chuck D and Flavor Flav) along with Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane. It became an anthem for Black empowerment, calling for a more authentic representation of Black creatives in media. 

Chuck D fans lament that 'Burn Hollywood Burn's message was 'lost on some'

As Chuck D took to his social media to clarify the meaning of the song, his fans lamented the fact that he had to explain the meaning after everything. 

One user said on Instagram, "It’s absurd this message has to be stated, as it means that message was lost on some. Peace and Prosperity for all! 🔥."

"Sad people don't understand Chuck. 🙏🏿 🙏🏿 🙏🏿," said someone else. 

Another user noted, "It’s sad that this even needed to be explained. The history was and is obvious, at least to us anyway 😢."

"I knew someone was going to try to connect this song from 30+ years ago. Swing and a bad miss," added someone else. 

Another user chimed in, "Don't know how this was ever misunderstood to mean otherwise."

"I don’t know how anyone that listens to your music could’ve possibly misconstrued that :/," complained one.

Another fan penned, "No explanation needed the "true" fans know what's up 🔥."

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