Customer Reviews

Fight the Power Live [VHS]

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This VHS is from PE's glory days in the late 80s and early 90s, when they were (sadly mistaken, as events have proven-Flavor of Love, anyone?) considered rap's answer to Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and Curtis Mayfield.

Much of this consists of a mixtures of performance on Long Island, songs from the legendary "It Takes a Nation of Millions ot Hold Us Back," miscellaneous interviews and bits, and other assorted music videos.

It's also a kind of time capsule from the days when rap tried ot take itself seriously. When the Nation of Islam and Five Percenters tried to do for rap what rastas did for reggae, but since you had to study to understand what PE was talking about and you DIDN'T have to study to dig Master P. and NWA styled gangster crap, guess who won out.

PE's classic "Fight the Power video (doirected by Spike Lee) is included where our Heroes stage a Black power rally in Brooklyn is quite interesting, though MLK fans will disapprove of Chuck D. referring to the 1963 March on Washington as "nonsense." We also have some Flavor foolishness with "Cold Lampin With Flavor" and our man touting his own cereal (this was all nearly 20 years before "Flavor of Love," a look at what was to come).

I have never been fond of the NOI or its teachings, but I give PE credit because for a while at least, they got black kids (and others) into reading Black history and talking about subjects of a higher level than what rappers typically talk about. Get this video and see the path not taken.