Being a white kid from a ‘hick’ town in Alberta, my music listening experience was limited to what was in my parents’ record collection and what was on the radio. My parents didn’t have any music by ‘black’ artists. I think that it was because they were both from small towns and it was not widely available then. My future would soon be filled with a very different sound, a rap music group called Public Enemy. My views on race relations would never be the same.

The late seventies and early eighties was a musical enlightenment for me. Listening to groups like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Police did not only upset our parental figures but opened my ears to a whole new world of sound. Rhythm and blues influenced these great artists, and soon this style turned my whole world upside down. During this time a new sound from the streets of New York had started to rise with the rap group Grand Master Flash playing along side the Clash. Rap music was becoming popular in my school, and considering my new found musical diversity, popular with me.

During the Eighties, rap music was mostly used for bragging rights between two or more MC’s (lead rappers) and their DJ’s. Then, in 1987, the release of their first recording made Public Enemy one of the most controversial groups to rise from the rap scene. Their collection of songs preached ‘black pride’ and revealed to me, for the first time, the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, segregation and racism. These songs brought about my realization of the world’s inequalities and injustices. It felt like a soccer ball hitting me in the groin. How could anyone treat another person differently based on the color of their skin? As a child I was taught to treat all people with respect and as equals regardless of their flesh tone. As a child I had not been exposed to racial injustices and was even sent to bed early during the Roots TV miniseries, as my parents thought I was too young.

Public Enemy’s M.C., Chuck D, has what I consider to be the most powerful voice in music history. He was so intense about getting the message across that I felt compelled to listen to this new ‘prophet’. I have had many chances in the past to see Public Enemy in concert. On trip to Vancouver to see the Los Angeles Lakers play a basketball game, I discovered, to my horror, that Public Enemy played in town the night before. Many other times a lack of funds and the fact that they never came any closer to Calgary than Vancouver made it impossible to see them. I finally had my long awaited chance to listen to the bands ideals in a concert setting and this time they were coming to me. A concert at the University would allow me to be front and center to receive his words of infinite wisdom. This may sound trivial and unimportant to most, but for me it was an experience that had great meaning. I feel that Public Enemy’s influence on my life has helped to define me as a person.

This was in fact my first chance to see a band that I had respected over the years. I respected them for not only their music, but their political stance on issues such as certain states in America not wanting to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. These States’ Senators were racist and they felt that was unnecessary to pay tribute to this incredible man due to his different skin color. How could this happen? My world was a much nicer place before Public Enemy made me aware, but the knowledge has made me a better person.