Public Enemy frontman Chuck D has strongly condemned social media users who are inappropriately using the group's song "Burn Hollywood Burn" to celebrate the ongoing devastation caused by Los Angeles wildfires.
The 64-year-old rapper took to Instagram to address the insensitive use of the 1990 protest anthem, which features Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane. In his statement, Chuck D emphasized the true historical context of the song.
"'Burn Hollywood Burn' is a protest song extracted from the Watts Rebellion monikered by the Magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality," he explained. "We made mind revolution songs aimed at a one-sided exploitation by an industry. Has nothing to do with families losing everything they have in a natural disaster."
The track, which appears on Public Enemy's album "Fear of a Black Planet," was created as an anthem for Black empowerment and called for better representation of Black creatives in media. Its message was never intended to celebrate physical destruction or natural disasters.
Chuck D urged social media users to stop using the song in their reels and posts about the devastating wildfires. He also shared resources and information about the ongoing crisis, expressing solidarity with affected communities through the message "PRAYERS UP. BE SAFE. EVACUATE."
The Los Angeles wildfires, which began on January 7, have resulted in at least 10 fatalities and forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. Several celebrities, including Tina Knowles, Leighton Meester, and Adam Brody, have reported losing their homes to the flames.
The Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency for California as firefighters, including hundreds of inmate volunteers, continue their efforts to contain the most destructive firestorm in Los Angeles history.