Chuck D addresses students

Chuck D, co-founder of Public Enemy, entered Alumni Hall to a standing ovation and catcalls Wednesday.\n"I don't give lectures, I give conversations … vibe sessions," he said.\nHe spoke to a standing-room-only crowd in the Indiana Memorial Union about topics such as hip-hop, rap, George W. Bush and MP3s.\nChuck D has been on the lecture circuit for 11 years, giving lectures at colleges around the country. He is a rapper, writer and social advocate, and is creating a Web site called Rap Station.\nHe was invited to speak by Union Board, the Black Student Union and the Office of Multicultural Affairs to help celebrate Black History Month.\nHe began his lecture by defining hip-hop and rap. \n"Hip-hop is quite often misunderstood … It's not a culture; it's a sub-culture. Rap music is not a music … rap music is exactly what it sounds like," Chuck D said. "Two words: rap, music. Rap is a vocal application on top of music that's already been identified. If you study black music, you study black history by default."\nHe said when he made music, he tried to break down the art form so anyone could understand it. \n"Hip-hop is a cultural exchange," Chuck D said. "A white person can be hip-hop, but you also have to respect the root of the music."\nWherever his topics led him, Chuck D always returned to the theme of having intelligence and thinking for one's self. He said people think society is in a hip-hop, rap frenzy and that hip-hop is being associated with stupidity.\nOur minds are being shaped by big corporations, and industries twist anything for the bottom line, he said. His example was the widespread acceptance of the word "nigger" among young hip-hop artists. \n"Twelve years ago … there was respect for people, respect for the art form and respect for the architect. Now, there is total disrespect for the people … \n"(Nigger is) a word rooted with 400 years of brutality. How can you turn the word around in 10 years?" he asked.\nHe said technology has created a "technology gap, a generation gap, and a communication gap." \n"Thirty years ago raising a child meant programming … only having to worry about books and game boards as distraction," Chuck D said. "Now, raising a child means empty trash and reprogram, especially now."\nJunior Ryan Derico said he enjoyed listening to Chuck D. \n"I learned a lot about the difference between rap and hip-hop," he said. "I would say he has a Ph.D. in hip-hop."\nChuck D emphasized keeping the elements of life in perspective -- people, places and things. \n"It's nice to have nice things, but don't worship those things," he said. "Don't be afraid of intelligence … intelligence will save your ass." \nHe said he thinks "hip-hop" is a term for a creative aspect of black people. \n"If hip-hop were to die tomorrow, we'd still be creative people," Chuck D said. \nBut he said he is concerned about the images hip-hop projects. He said he believes it portrays a one-dimensional image of the world and of women -- an ugly and sexist image. \nJunior Shaunette Byers, president of the Black Student Union, said she thought the speech went well. \n"I really, really enjoyed it. I liked how he kept it real," she said. "I thought the main thing was how he talked about the image of African Americans today in multi-media as compared to in the '30s and '40s and how the media has done a 360 (degree turn) and gone back to misconstruing perceptions of what black America is like."\nChuck D kept the audience's attention throughout his speech and stressed that it comes down to intelligence and to "have a good time, have a good time for a long time … My advice to the generation '2K' is to use your own mindset; leave here with your own mind"