I’ve been a Public Enemy fan for more than 20 years, and it was a real honor getting to talk to Chuck D, who delivered the keynote address at the Feb. 3 kickoff of Ohio State’s Black United World Month celebration at the Ohio Union Performance Hall.
My friend Margaret Nivins and I attended the event and sat in the front row. To our pleasant surprise, as an intro video featuring Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” played, Chuck D came and sat right beside us. We both shook his hand and thanked him for coming to the Buckeye State.
After his powerful and insightful keynote address, Chuck D
graciously greeted OSU faculty, students and fans, signed autographs and posed
for photos. When I approached him, I told him that he probably didn’t remember
visiting OSU several years ago, at which time I interviewed him for the Call
and Post newspaper.
In his accessible manner, Chuck D said he did remember visiting the campus and our interview and asked how I’ve been doing since. Despite his outspokenness and tough, hip-hop image, I can genuinely say he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
Chuck D’s appearance was also part of OSU’s annual Hip Hop
Literacies Conference.
(This post was originally published on Feb. 4, 2014)
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