As wildfires continue to rage across Los Angeles county, legendary Public Enemy front man Chuck D is asking social media users not to use the group’s 1990 protest song “Burn Hollywood Burn” to celebrate those who have lost their homes in the devastation.
“Burn Hollywood Burn is a protest song,” the rapper wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday, explaining that the phrase, uttered by KGFJ Los Angeles DJ Magnificent Montague, dates back to 1965.
“[It was] extracted from the Watts Rebellion monikered by Magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality when he said ‘burn baby burn’ across the air,” he wrote. “We made mind revolution songs aimed at a one sided exploitation by an industry.